Clusters and environmental variables
Our results showed that species clusters differed in terms of analysed environmental variables. Generally, temperature-related variables (BIO1, BIO3, BIO4 and BIO9) were the key factors responsible for differentiation between the clusters. Elevation and variables connected with the terrain sculpture (WI, TI, TRI and MRVBF) were among the most important topographic variables separating species clusters. The influence of the geological variables (related to the bedrock) was relatively weak, but significant in some cases.
It seems to us that analysed clusters can be divided into major groups reflecting their distribution and characteristic derived from environmental variables. In case of climatic variables Luzula arcuata and Carex rupestris clusters can be considered as most cold tolerant, while remaining groups seem to prefer areas with moderate (e.g. Anthoxanthum odoratum) and mild climatic conditions (Puccinellia maritima, Rumex longifolius). This differentiation seem to be shaped mainly by the mean temperature.
There is, however, another interesting example of climatic differentiation present within the analysed dataset. This is Saxifraga aizoides cluster, which is separated by a variable designed to quantify temperature seasonality (coefficient of variation calculated from monthly means). Values of this variable were the lowest in case Saxifraga aizoides group, suggesting best fit to areas with the lowest temperature oscillations during the year.
It is clear that the relative frequency of arctic species followed also temperature gradient: being the highest in Luzula arcuata, Carex rupestris and Bistorta vivipara and intermediate or low in remaining groups apart from Puccinellia mariti...
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...rticularly important in terms of climate change and its effects on plant distribution. It seems that spatial patterns of clusters dominated by arctic species (Luzula arcuata, Carex rupestris) are more threatened than those with significant proportion of boreal and temperate species. Callaghan et al. (2004) stressed that arctic species will be most vulnerable to the climate change. They argued that ecological amplitude of arctic taxa will narrow and abundance decrease during climate warming.
At present there is no match between the distribution of protected areas and distribution of the clusters with highest proportion of threatened species. Proposals were made in 2008 to establish several protected areas but they still did not pass legislation process. It seems therefore that mechanisms are still not in place to ensure effective protection of the Icelandic flora.
Biology 108 laboratory manual. 2010. Lab 3, habitat preferences of artemia franciscana, pp. 45-62. University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
Isle Royal is located fifty-six miles north of Michigan’s Keweenaw Peninsula. It is the largest wilderness area in Michigan (USNPS, 2014). The island is surrounded by Lake Superior, which creates a cooler temperature. This results in arctic plant species growth on the island. There are only eighteen mammal species present on the island because most mammals cannot make the trip across the frozen great lake (USNPS, 2014). The need for an ice bridge is not the only environmental factor that is stopping the migration of animals; there is also the severe cold, and also wind and fog (Vucetich, 2012). Some species such as caribou and coyote have found the island to be too intense and have gone extinct (Vucetich, 2012). Due to the harsh weather and isolation of the island, humans have never regularly lived on the island (Vucetich, 2012). Some of species that are present such as the red squirrel are becoming their own subspecies due to its separation from the mainland (USNPS, 2014). The isolation of Isle Royal is what makes it a great place to conduct research, it has very low human interaction and the species that are on the island will have been and continue to be isolated from the mainland.
Abiotic factors of the arctic tundra are strong winds, little precipitation. Also very short summer days, instead there are very long and cold winters. There is poor soil and a permafrost which is a layer of permanently frozen subsoil. The biotic factors are that plants and mosses have to adapt to the long and cold winters, since the sun does not come up during winter. Also the wildlife animal that live there are Snowy owls, reindeer, white foxes, lemmings, arctic hares, wolverines, caribou, migrating birds, mosquitoes, black flies, and the chief predator the Polar
Mills, Scott L., Daniel F. Doak, and Michael E. Soule. "The Keystone-species Concept in Ecology and Conservation." BioScience 43.4 (1993): 219-25. Apr. 1993. Web. 30 Oct. 2011.
The climate of the tundra is characterized by harsh winters. The average temperature in the tundra area is about –27 degrees. But what is even worse are the long night. At nights the lowest temperture recorded was –67.36 degrees. There are even times in the year when the sun doesn’t come up for days. In the tundra we have little snow and even less rainfall. The rainfall is about a quarter inch in a yearly rainfall. Even though the tundra’s winters are long a harsh there summers are the shortest season of all. Do to the terrible weather and climate in the tundra their animals and plant life is very limited.
Landscape fragmentation contributes to loss of migratory corridors, loss of connectivity and natural communities, which all lead to a loss of biodiversity for a region. Conservation of biodiversity must include all levels of diversity: genetic, species, community, and landscape (CNHP 1995). Each complex level is dependent upon and linked to the other levels. In addition, humans are linked to all levels of this hierarchy. A healthy natural and human environment go hand in hand (CNHP 1995). An important step in conservation planning, in order to guarantee both a healthy natural environment as well as a healthy human environment, is recognizing the most endangered elements.
Arctic tundra is located in the northern hemisphere, encircling the North Pole and extending south to the Coniferous forests of the Taiga. The arctic is known for its cold, desert-like conditions. The growing season ranges from 50 to 60 days. The average winter temperature is -34° C (-30° F), but the average summer temperature is 3-12° C (37-54° F), which enables this biome to sustain life. Rainfall may vary in different regions of the arctic. Yearly precipitation, including mel...
Wladimir Koeppen developed the first quantitative climate classification in 1900. Koeppen’s system was based on the principle that plants integrate several climate elements. Koeppen fitted isolines of temperature and precipitation data to the five vegetation groups identified by the French botanist De Candolle, which were based on the late Greek climate zones: (1) A, the plants of the torrid zone; (2) C, plants of the temperate zone; (3) D and E, frigid zone (no plants); (4) B, for plants of the dry zone. Koeppen added sequential letters to account for moisture (rainfall), for a better description of maximum and minimum temperatures, for the seasonal distribution of rainfall (Sanderson, 1999), and for special features such as fog incidence.
The tundra is known for its’ cold temperatures, but also its’ limited plant species. The growth of the vegetation is primarily low to the ground and the biomass of plants is concentrated in the roots. Here the plants reproduce more likely by division and building than by flower pollination. Some of that growthforms that you will find in the tundra include tussock, mats or cushion plants, rosettes, and dwarf shru...
In many parts of the world, ecosystems’ temperatures begin to rise and fall to extreme levels making it very difficult for animals and plants to adapt in time to survive. Climate has never been stable here on Earth. Climate is an important environmental influence on ecosystems. Climate changes the impacts of climate change, and affects ecosystems in a variety of ways. For instance, warming could force species to migrate to higher latitudes or higher elevations where temperatures are more conducive to their survival. Similarly, as sea level rises, saltwater intrusion into a freshwater sys...
Thousands of species have become extinct over the last four decades as a result of changes in land use and as a result of global warming. Whether or not the millions of species can adapt and evolve to climate changes is debatable. As this brief overview will report, the human species is not adapting well to the changes. It must be remembered that increases in the levels of carbon dioxide are certainly responsible for the risk many species face, but so is the way land is used, e.g., rain forest destruction. There is a feedback loop wherein plant life and the climate are interdependent. Each affects the other. When forests are cut down, temperatures in that area will rise. Rising temperatures cause other plant life requiring cooler temperatures To die off.
The areas that have been studied have often been chosen due to the lakes and the surroundings. Different types of vegetation allowed aspects such as the tree line to show how they effected the chironomids populations compared to tundra. Another aspect of the lakes that have been examined was the fact that they did not stratify. Due to this trait the surface temperature will reflect the overall temperature of the
The Arctic region is home to a variety of valuable animals and plants, including polar bear, seal, and so on. The ecosystem of the Arctic region is fragile because these animals are evolved to live in extreme conditions. With the climate change, many animals are endangered. Ice is the habitat of polar animals because they have to rely on sea ices for resting, food, and reproduction. With the climate change and the decrease of sea ice, the number of polar animals is decreasing and their health is threatened. For example, the average weight of female polar bears in 1980 was about 650 pounds, but the number reduced to about 500 pounds in 2004 (Djoghlaf 15). The earlier breakup and later condensation of sea ice shortens the hunting season of polar bears. Polar bears mainly feed on seals that indwell icy land. The melting ice reduces the number of seals and food intake of polar bears. In addition, polar bears are used to living in ice caves. The rising temperature causes the collapse of ice caves, which can kill baby bears. The climate change is negatively affecting the biodiversity in the region and will definitely harm the ecosystem
Romania is a country with rich biodiversity (ecosystems, species and genetic diversity) and a high percentage of natural ecosystems 47% of the land area of the country is covered with natural and semi-natural ecosystems. The natural integrity of forest ecosystems is indicated by the presence of the full range of European forest fauna, including 60% and 40% of all European brown bears and wolves, respectively. Europe’s largest wetland, the Danube Delta, also lies predominantly in Romania. Major grasslands, caves, and an extensive network of rivers, add to the ecosystem richness. Important for Romania as well as for all Europe, is that the territory of Romania is a confluence point between biogeographic regions between arctic, alpine, west and central European, pannonic, balkanic, sub Mediterranean and even eastern colchic. The high level of geographic diversity in Romania and the consequence of its location as a biological confluence place have produced a floral diversity that includes over 3,70...
...of the flora and fauna species are unlikely to have time either to adapt to this warming, or to adjust their ranges to keep pace with the shift in climatic zones.