TY - JOUR
T1 - Homeostatic Response to Three Years of Experimental Warming Suggests High Intrinsic Natural Resistance in the Páramos to Warming in the Short Term
AU - Lasso, Eloisa
AU - Matheus-Arbeláez, Paola
AU - Gallery, Rachel E.
AU - Garzón-López, Carol
AU - Cruz, Marisol
AU - Leon-Garcia, Indira V.
AU - Aragón, Lina
AU - Ayarza-Páez, Alejandra
AU - Curiel Yuste, Jorge
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© Copyright © 2021 Lasso, Matheus-Arbeláez, Gallery, Garzón-López, Cruz, Leon-Garcia, Aragón, Ayarza-Páez and Curiel Yuste.
PY - 2021/2/17
Y1 - 2021/2/17
N2 - Páramos, tropical alpine ecosystems, host one of the world’s most diverse alpine floras, account for the largest water reservoirs in the Andes, and some of the largest soil carbon pools worldwide. It is of global importance to understand the future of this extremely carbon-rich ecosystem in a warmer world and its role on global climate feedbacks. This study presents the result of the first in situ warming experiment in two Colombian páramos using Open-Top Chambers. We evaluated the response to warming of several ecosystem carbon balance-related processes, including decomposition, soil respiration, photosynthesis, plant productivity, and vegetation structure after 3 years of warming. We found that OTCs are an efficient warming method in the páramo, increasing mean air temperature by 1.7°C and mean daytime temperature by 3.4°C. The maximum air temperature differences between OTC and control was 23.1°C. Soil temperature increased only by 0.1°C. After 3 years of warming using 20 OTC (10 per páramo) in a randomized block design, we found no evidence that warming increased CO2 emissions from soil respiration, nor did it increase decomposition rate, photosynthesis or productivity in the two páramos studied. However, total C and N in the soil and vegetation structure are slowly changing as result of warming and changes are site dependent. In Sumapaz, shrubs, and graminoids cover increased in response to warming while in Matarredonda we observed an increase in lichen cover. Whether this change in vegetation might influence the carbon sequestration potential of the páramo needs to be further evaluated. Our results suggest that páramos ecosystems can resist an increase in temperature with no significant alteration of ecosystem carbon balance related processes in the short term. However, the long-term effect of warming could depend on the vegetation changes and how these changes alter the microbial soil composition and soil processes. The differential response among páramos suggest that the response to warming could be highly dependent on the initial conditions and therefore we urgently need more warming experiments in páramos to understand how specific site characteristics will affect their response to warming and their role in global climate feedbacks.
AB - Páramos, tropical alpine ecosystems, host one of the world’s most diverse alpine floras, account for the largest water reservoirs in the Andes, and some of the largest soil carbon pools worldwide. It is of global importance to understand the future of this extremely carbon-rich ecosystem in a warmer world and its role on global climate feedbacks. This study presents the result of the first in situ warming experiment in two Colombian páramos using Open-Top Chambers. We evaluated the response to warming of several ecosystem carbon balance-related processes, including decomposition, soil respiration, photosynthesis, plant productivity, and vegetation structure after 3 years of warming. We found that OTCs are an efficient warming method in the páramo, increasing mean air temperature by 1.7°C and mean daytime temperature by 3.4°C. The maximum air temperature differences between OTC and control was 23.1°C. Soil temperature increased only by 0.1°C. After 3 years of warming using 20 OTC (10 per páramo) in a randomized block design, we found no evidence that warming increased CO2 emissions from soil respiration, nor did it increase decomposition rate, photosynthesis or productivity in the two páramos studied. However, total C and N in the soil and vegetation structure are slowly changing as result of warming and changes are site dependent. In Sumapaz, shrubs, and graminoids cover increased in response to warming while in Matarredonda we observed an increase in lichen cover. Whether this change in vegetation might influence the carbon sequestration potential of the páramo needs to be further evaluated. Our results suggest that páramos ecosystems can resist an increase in temperature with no significant alteration of ecosystem carbon balance related processes in the short term. However, the long-term effect of warming could depend on the vegetation changes and how these changes alter the microbial soil composition and soil processes. The differential response among páramos suggest that the response to warming could be highly dependent on the initial conditions and therefore we urgently need more warming experiments in páramos to understand how specific site characteristics will affect their response to warming and their role in global climate feedbacks.
KW - IPPEX
KW - OTC
KW - carbon emission
KW - carbon sinks
KW - climate change
KW - litter decomposition
KW - soil respiration
KW - tropical alpine ecosystems
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85101976593&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85101976593&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.3389/fevo.2021.615006
DO - 10.3389/fevo.2021.615006
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85101976593
SN - 2296-701X
VL - 9
JO - Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution
JF - Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution
M1 - 615006
ER -