Soil temperature effects on the structure and diversity of plant and invertebrate communities in a natural warming experiment.

ABSTRACT: Global warming is predicted to significantly alter species physiology, biotic interactions and thus ecosystem functioning, as a consequence of coexisting species exhibiting a wide range of thermal sensitivities. There is, however, a dearth of research examining warming impacts on natural communities. Here, we used a natural warming experiment in Iceland to investigate the changes in above-ground terrestrial plant and invertebrate communities along a soil temperature gradient (10°C-30°C). The α-diversity of plants and invertebrates decreased with increasing soil temperature, driven by decreasing plant species richness and increasing dominance of certain invertebrate species in warmer habitats. There was also greater species turnover in both plant and invertebrate communities with increasing

SUBMITTER: Robinson SI 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6849623 | biostudies-literature | 2018 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature