Walker, Donald A; Kuss, Patrick; Epstein, Howard E; Kade, Anja N; Vonlanthen, Corinne M; Raynolds, Martha K; Daniëls, Frederikus J A (2011): Plant species, biomass and environmental characteristics of relevés along the North America Arctic bioclimate gradient [dataset publication series]. PANGAEA, https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.837761, Supplement to: Walker, DA et al. (2011): Vegetation of zonal patterned-ground ecosystems along the North America Arctic bioclimate gradient. Applied Vegetation Science, 14(4), 440-463, https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1654-109X.2011.01149.x
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Abstract:
Question: How do interactions between the physical environment and biotic properties of vegetation influence the formation of small patterned-ground features along the Arctic bioclimate gradient?
Location: At 68° to 78°N: six locations along the Dalton Highway in arctic Alaska and three in Canada (Banks Island, Prince Patrick Island and Ellef Ringnes Island).
Methods: We analysed floristic and structural vegetation, biomass and abiotic data (soil chemical and physical parameters, the n-factor [a soil thermal index] and spectral information [NDVI, LAI]) on 147 microhabitat releves of zonalpatterned-ground features. Using mapping, table analysis (JUICE) and ordination techniques (NMDS).
Results: Table analysis using JUICE and the phi-coefficient to identify diagnostic species revealed clear groups of diagnostic plant taxa in four of the five zonal vegetation complexes. Plant communities and zonal complexes were generally well separated in the NMDS ordination. The Alaska and Canada communities were spatially separated in the ordination because of different glacial histories and location in separate floristic provinces, but there was no single controlling environmental gradient. Vegetation structure, particularly that of bryophytes and total biomass, strongly affected thermal properties of the soils. Patterned-ground complexes with the largest thermal differential between the patterned-ground features and the surrounding vegetation exhibited the clearest patterned-ground morphologies.
Related to:
Walker, Donald A; Epstein, Howard E; Raynolds, Martha K; Kuss, Patrick; Kopecky, M A; Frost, Gerald V; Daniëls, Frederikus J A; Leibman, Marina O; Moskalenko, Nataliya G; Matyshak, George V; Khitun, OV; Khomutov, Artem V; Forbes, Bruce C; Bhatt, Uma S; Kade, Anja N; Vonlanthen, Corinne M; Tichy, L (2012): Environment, vegetation and greenness (NDVI) along the North America and Eurasia Arctic transects. Environmental Research Letters, 7(1), 015504, https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/7/1/015504
Project(s):
Coverage:
Median Latitude: 73.582133 * Median Longitude: -128.129215 * South-bound Latitude: 69.150000 * West-bound Longitude: -148.840000 * North-bound Latitude: 78.780000 * East-bound Longitude: -103.520000
Comment:
Data extracted in the frame of a joint ICSTI/PANGAEA IPY effort, see http://doi.pangaea.de/10.1594/PANGAEA.150150
License:
Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported (CC-BY-3.0)
Size:
3 datasets
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Datasets listed in this publication series
- Walker, DA; Kuss, P; Epstein, HE et al. (2011): (Supplement Table S3b) Environmental and soil data for releves along the North America Arctic bioclimate gradient. https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.837759
- Walker, DA; Kuss, P; Epstein, HE et al. (2011): (Supplement Table S2) Abundance of plant species (raw data) for 147 releves along the North America Arctic bioclimate gradient (2001-2006). https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.837757
- Walker, DA; Kuss, P; Epstein, HE et al. (2014): (Supplement Table S4) Vegetation biomass according to sorted categories for releves along the North America Arctic bioclimate gradient. https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.837760