Colorado mountains
From Long-Term Data to Understanding: Toward a Predictive Ecology
2015 LTER ASM Estes Park, CO - August 30 - September 2, 2015
 

Beyond arctic and alpine: the influence of winter climate on temperate ecosystems

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Poster Number: 
32
Presenter/Primary Author: 
Laura Ladwig
Co-Authors: 
Zak R. Ratajczak
Co-Authors: 
Troy W. Ocheltree
Co-Authors: 
Katya A. Hafich
Co-Authors: 
Amber C. Churchill
Co-Authors: 
Sarah J. K. Frey
Co-Authors: 
Colin B. Fuss
Co-Authors: 
Clare E. Kazanski
Co-Authors: 
Juan D. Munoz
Co-Authors: 
Matthew D. Petrie
Co-Authors: 
Andrew B. Reinmann
Co-Authors: 
Jane G. Smith

Winter climate is expected to change under future climate scenarios, yet the majority of winter ecology research is focused in cold-climate ecosystems. In many temperate systems, it is unclear how winter climate relates to biotic responses during the growing season. The objective of this study was to examine how winter weather relates to plant and animal communities in a variety of terrestrial ecosystems ranging from warm deserts to alpine tundra. Specifically, we examined the association between winter weather and plant phenology, plant species richness, consumer abundance, and consumer richness in eleven terrestrial ecosystems associated with the U.S. Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER) Network. To varying degrees, winter precipitation and temperature were correlated with all biotic response variables. Bud break was tightly aligned with end of winter temperatures. For half the sites, winter weather was a better predictor of plant species richness than growing season weather. Warmer winters were correlated with lower consumer abundances in both temperate and alpine systems. Our findings suggest winter weather may have a strong influence on biotic activity during the growing season and should be considered in future studies investigating the effects of climate change on both alpine and temperate systems.