Publication Date:
2018-06-19
Description:
The subnivium is a seasonal refuge that exists at the interface between the snowpack and the ground, and provides a haven for a diversity of species to survive extreme winter temperatures. Due to the fitness of many plants and animals being strongly influenced by winter conditions, much attention has been given to changes in the timing of snow cover extent and duration in seasonally snow-covered environments; however, these broad-scale characteristics do not capture the finer-scale dynamics of the subnivium. To study the factors associated with subnivium development, we quantified three critical phenophases of the subnivium: establishment, maintenance, and disintegration along a latitudinal and land cover gradient in the Great Lakes Region of North America. We hypothesized that subnivium phenophases would depend primarily on snow depth and air temperature, but that these would be mediated by latitude and land cover. We found that patterns in both establishment and disintegration...
Print ISSN:
1748-9318
Electronic ISSN:
1748-9326
Topics:
Biology
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Energy, Environment Protection, Nuclear Power Engineering
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