Lichens buffer tundra microclimate more than the expanding shrub Betula nana.

ABSTRACT:

Background and aims

In tundra systems, soil-borne lichens are often the dominant groundcover organisms, and act to buffer microclimate extremes within or at the surface of the soil. However, shrubs are currently expanding across tundra systems, potentially causing major shifts in the microclimate landscape.

Methods

Here, we compared soil temperature and moisture underneath the dwarf birch Betula nana and seven abundant lichen species in sub-alpine Norway. We also examined mixtures of lichens and dwarf birch - an intermediate phase of shrubification - and measured several functional traits relating to microclimate.

Key results

We found that all lichen species strongly buffered the daily temperature range, on average reducing maximum temperatures by 6.9 °C (± 0.7 s.d.)

SUBMITTER: Mallen-Cooper M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8414922 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature