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According to a recent study, Arctic plants are growing because of climate change.
Arctic tundra is traditionally the domain of low growing grasses and shrubs. Difficult conditions mean that the plants usually hang near the ground and reach a height of only a few centimeters.
The landscape is changing, however, with new species of taller plants slowly invading, as well as more and more native species.
An international group of nearly 130 biologists published a study in the journal Nature, encompassing nearly 120 tundra sites. The sites were generally located in the Arctic regions of Alaska, Canada, Iceland, Siberia and Scandinavia.
Co-author Anne Bjorkman, who is currently working at the Senckenberg Center for Biodiversity and Climate Research, conducted the study at the iDiv Research Center in Germany, at the University of Edinburgh and at at the University of Aarhus.
Climate change sees higher tundra plants
She said that increasing plant height was "not just in a few sites, but almost everywhere". Researchers say that global warming is the cause of increasing creeping height.
In addition to increasing the size of native tundra plants, larger species of different plants are spreading in the southern Arctic. Odor hay, a plant that is commonly found in the lowlands of Europe, is now growing on sites in Sweden and Iceland.
The researchers evaluated the relationships between temperature, soil moisture, and key features of plant shape and function. They also examined plant height and leaf area, leaf nitrogen content, woodiness, persistence, and other characteristics.
A sensitive ecosystem
Bjorkman said: "Rapid global warming in Arctic and alpine regions is causing changes in the structure and composition of plant communities, with important consequences for the functioning of this vast and sensitive ecosystem.
"Arctic regions have long been at the center of climate change research, as permafrost in northern latitudes contains 30-50% of global soil carbon.
"The taller plants catch more snow, which insulates the underlying soil and prevents it from freezing as quickly in winter." She added that an increase in the number of taller plants could speed up the Thaw greenhouse gas process.
Soil moisture plays a role
Dr. Isla Myers-Smith of the School of Geosciences at the University of Edinburgh co-directed the study. She said quantifying the link between the environment and plant characteristics is essential to understanding the consequences of climate change.
According to Myers-Smith, research shows that soil moisture plays a much more important role in modifying plant characteristics than previously thought. The team also found no evidence that increasing the number of larger species is currently leading to a decline in shorter species.
"This is the first time that a biome-wide study has been conducted to understand the essential role that plants play in this rapidly warming part of the planet," said Myers. -Smith. The scientists said that water availability should be considered as much as temperature when monitoring plant habitats in tundra areas.
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