Plant responses to climate change in contrasting heathland ecosystems
Inger Kappel Schmidt
Dept. of Forest and Landscape Ecology, Forest and Landscape, Copenhagen University
Climate change affects the performance of species in different ways and potentially it changes community composition. In large scale climate manipulation experiments across Northern Europe, we studied the sensitivity of heathland species to climate during 12 years. A naturally occurring outbreak of heather beetles (Lochmaea suturalis Thompson) defoliated the heather at one site. This enabled studies of the climate sensitivity of adult plants as well as during the regenerative phase. We found the strongest effects of climatic change related to extreme events and biotic interactions resulting in a replacement of C. vulgaris with species connected to acid grassland. The transition was altered with extended drought periods and warming due to altered impact by the heather beetles and due to lower recruitment. The future climate with higher minimum temperatures and extended drought periods and with increased impact of herbivores and diminished window for regeneration may have major impact on the distribution of C. vulgaris heathlands and the area of heathlands in Europe may decrease further due to invasion by grasses and trees.
