Lowland plant arrival in alpine ecosystems facilitates a decrease in soil carbon content under experimental climate warming.

ABSTRACT: Climate warming is releasing carbon from soils around the world, constituting a positive climate feedback. Warming is also causing species to expand their ranges into new ecosystems. Yet, in most ecosystems, whether range expanding species will amplify or buffer expected soil carbon loss is unknown. Here, we used two whole-community transplant experiments and a follow-up glasshouse experiment to determine whether the establishment of herbaceous lowland plants in alpine ecosystems influences soil carbon content under warming. We found that warming (transplantation to low elevation) led to a negligible decrease in alpine soil carbon content, but its effects became significant and 52% ± 31% (mean ± 95% confidence intervals) larger after lowland plants were introduced at low density into the e

SUBMITTER: Walker TWN 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9191888 | biostudies-literature | 2022 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature