Global change re-structures alpine plant communities through interacting abiotic and biotic effects

Collins, C.G., Elmendorf, S.C., Smith, J.G., Shoemaker, L., Szojka, M., Swift, M., and Suding, K.N. 2022. Global change re-structures alpine plant communities through interacting abiotic and biotic effects. Ecology Letters. Available at https://doi.org/10.1111/ele.14060.

Factorial nitrogen addition, warming and snow manipulation experiment at Niwot Ridge. Plots are warmed using hexagonal open top chambers during the summer (when this photo was taken), while snow-fences are attached to the posts overwinter to augment snow. Photo credit: Jane Smith

Abstract

Global change is altering patterns of community assembly, with net outcomes dependent on species' responses to the abiotic environment, both directly and mediated through biotic interactions. Here, we assess alpine plant community responses in a 15-year factorial nitrogen addition, warming and snow manipulation experiment. We used a dynamic competition model to estimate the density-dependent and -independent processes underlying changes in species-group abundances over time. Density-dependent shifts in competitive interactions drove long-term changes in abundance of species-groups under global change while counteracting environmental drivers limited the growth response of the dominant species through density-independent mechanisms. Furthermore, competitive interactions shifted with the environment, primarily with nitrogen and drove non-linear abundance responses across environmental gradients. Our results highlight that global change can either reshuffle species hierarchies or further favour already-dominant species; predicting which outcome will occur requires incorporating both density-dependent and -independent mechanisms and how they interact across multiple global change factors.