Papers by Louise Nabe-Nielsen
Vegetation cover and environmental data per plot group
The file “Nabe-Nielsen etal 2017 Young Sund plotgroup data.csv” contains data on average vegetati... more The file “Nabe-Nielsen etal 2017 Young Sund plotgroup data.csv” contains data on average vegetation cover, average number of plant species per plot and average environmental variables in each of 48 plot groups distributed along Young Sund, a High Arctic fjord in Northeast Greenland. The plots are located in three sites: “Zackenberg”, “Blæsedalen” and “Tyrolerfjord”. Each plot group consists of six plots. See the published paper for further details. Environemental variables include: altitude [m], continentality index [*], slope [degrees], solar radiation index [*], soil water [percent], and temperature [degrees celsius]. *See the paper for definitions of the indices
Species presence in plotgroups
The file “Nabe-Nielsen etal 2017 Young Sund spp pres in plotgrps” contains data on the number of ... more The file “Nabe-Nielsen etal 2017 Young Sund spp pres in plotgrps” contains data on the number of plots where each vascular plant species was present within each of the 48 plot groups. Species names are based on nomenclature in Supplementary Information in the published paper
Data from: Plant community composition and species richness in the High Arctic tundra: from the present to the future
Arctic plant communities are altered by climate changes. The magnitude of these alterations depen... more Arctic plant communities are altered by climate changes. The magnitude of these alterations depends on whether species distributions are determined by macroclimatic conditions, by factors related to local topography, or by biotic interactions. Our current understanding of the relative importance of these conditions is limited due to the scarcity of studies, especially in the High Arctic. We investigated variations in vascular plant community composition and species richness based on 288 plots distributed on three sites along a coast-inland gradient in Northeast Greenland using a stratified random design. We used an information theoretic approach to determine whether variations in species richness were best explained by macroclimate, by factors related to local topography (including soil water) or by plant-plant interactions. Latent variable models were used to explain patterns in plant community composition. Species richness was mainly determined by variations in soil water content, which explained 35% of the variation, and to a minor degree by other variables related to topography. Species richness was not directly related to macroclimate. Latent variable models showed that 23.0% of the variation in community composition was explained by variables related to topography, while distance to the inland ice explained an additional 6.4 %. This indicates that some species are associated with environmental conditions found in only some parts of the coast–inland gradient. Inclusion of macroclimatic variation increased the model's explanatory power by 4.2%. Our results suggest that the main impact of climate changes in the High Arctic will be mediated by their influence on local soil water conditions. Increasing temperatures are likely to cause higher evaporation rates and alter the distribution of late-melting snow patches. This will have little impact on landscape-scale diversity if plants are able to redistribute locally to remain in areas with sufficient soil water
Ecology and Evolution, 2017
Arctic plant communities are altered by climate changes. The magnitude of these alterations depen... more Arctic plant communities are altered by climate changes. The magnitude of these alterations depends on whether species distributions are determined by macroclimatic conditions, by factors related to local topography, or by biotic interactions. Our current understanding of the relative importance of these conditions is limited due to the scarcity of studies, especially in the High Arctic. We investigated variations in vascular plant community composition and species richness based on 288 plots distributed on three sites along a coast-inland gradient in Northeast Greenland using a stratified random design. We used an information theoretic approach to determine whether variations in species richness were best explained by macroclimate, by factors related to local topography (including soil water) or by plant-plant interactions. Latent variable models were used to explain patterns in plant community composition. Species richness was mainly determined by variations in soil water content, which explained 35% of the variation, and to a minor degree by other variables related to topography. Species richness was not directly related to macroclimate. Latent variable models showed that 23.0% of the variation in community composition was explained by variables related to topography, while distance to the inland ice explained an additional 6.4 %. This indicates that some species are associated with environmental conditions found in only some parts of the coast-inland gradient. Inclusion of macroclimatic variation increased the model's explanatory power by 4.2%. Our results suggest that the main impact of climate changes in the High Arctic will be mediated by their influence on local soil water conditions. Increasing temperatures are likely to cause higher evaporation rates and alter the distribution of late-melting snow patches. This will have little impact on landscape-scale diversity if plants are able to redistribute locally to remain in areas with sufficient soil water.
Timber tree regeneration along abandoned logging roads in a tropical Bolivian forest
New Forests, 2007
Abstract Sustainable management of selectively logged tropical forests requires that felled trees... more Abstract Sustainable management of selectively logged tropical forests requires that felled trees are replaced through increased recruitment and growth. This study compares road track and roadside regeneration with regeneration in unlogged and selectively logged ...
Feeding response of the Aldabra giant tortoise (Geochelone gigantea) to island plants showing heterophylly
Journal of Biogeography, 2004
... Correspondence: Jens M. Olesen,. *Correspondence: *Jens M. Olesen, Department of Ecology &... more ... Correspondence: Jens M. Olesen,. *Correspondence: *Jens M. Olesen, Department of Ecology & Genetics, Aarhus University, Ny Munkegade Block 540, DK-8000 Aarhus C, Denmark. E-mail: [email protected]. Publication History. ...
Dry grasslands are among the most species rich habitats in Europe, but they are also among the mo... more Dry grasslands are among the most species rich habitats in Europe, but they are also among the most threatened. Threats include too high and too low levels of disturbance. The aim of this study is to examine the effect of soil disturbance intensity on species composition and diversity in a dry grassland in Mols Bjerge National Park in Denmark. We recorded vascular plant species inside and just outside patches of bare sand, and in the transition zone between these. We found that the number of species was highest in the dense vegetation, intermediate at the transition and lowest in bare sand areas. However, an analysis of plant traits showed that the number of small annual species was highest in the transition zone. High abundance of small annual species may therefore indicate intermediate disturbance regimes. Based on a literature study we demonstrate that many threatened species are adapted to such habitats. This suggests that dry grasslands should be managed to maintain areas with ...
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Papers by Louise Nabe-Nielsen