Understanding and mitigating the impacts of altered temperature and precipitation regimes on the function and biodiversity

of rangeland communities

April 15th, 2008

Stakeholders Meeting

Objectives of Today

Introduce researchers, supporting organizations, stakeholders, and other interested parties

Provide an overview of project objectives, progress to date, and future goals.

Exchange ideas between stakeholders and research team

Project Objectives

Understand how linkages between aspects of climate change and native rangeland ecology.

Use this information to develop management suggestions to mitigate the negative aspects of climate change in these systems.

Disseminate this information amongst stakeholders, the research community, and other interested parties

Research Team

Understanding Interactions

Precipitation Warming

Rising CO2 GrazingCarbon Sequestration?

Forage Production?

Experimental Design

Field Sites

Kinsella, ABPFRA GAP Community Pasture, SK

Riding Mountain NP, MB

Warming Treatment

Precipitation

Defoliation

0 20cm

SoilRespiration

Collar

Radiation Shields

1 3

2

PRS Probes

PRS Probes

PRS Probes

PRS Probes

Environmental Monitoring

Vegetation Sampling (Non-Destructive)

Vegetation Sampling (Aboveground)

Biomass Calibration HarvestDefoliation

Vegetation Sampling (Belowground)

Soil Chemistry Sampling

Microbial Respiration

Invertebrate Sampling

Additions - 2008

+75% precipitation addition treatment Minirhizotron imaging

Here come the grad students!

Shannon White

Introduction

Little research has explored the effects of climate change and grazing on vegetation in temperature grasslands

Critical for land managers

Following a disturbance, seed bank and seed rain influences may become important factors in the formation of plant communities

Research Questions

1) How will climate change (temperature and precipitation) interact with defoliation to alter primary production and associated forage quality in northern temperate grasslands?

2) How will these changes cause shifts in plant community composition and range health?

3)  How will these changes alter the community reproductive output?

4) What role will current year seed rain, versus seed bank, play in population dynamics?

5) How will these changes alter subsequent germination and recruitment?

Methods

1) Primary production and forage quality

2) Community composition and range health

Methods

3) Reproductive output

4) Seed rain, versus seed bank

5) Germination and recruitment

Questions?

Samson Nyanumba

Education:

University of Nairobi (Kenya)

Ben Gurion University of the Negev (Israel)

Litter decomposition and, Carbon and Nitrogen flux

29

Decomposition of litter (including root litter) contribute approximately 70% to the total annual carbon flux

Climate

Soil organisms

Litter decompositionLitter quality

(1)

(3) (2)

Climate > Litter quality > Soil organisms

30

31

Research questions

1. Do climate effects and defoliation interact to affect litter decomposition, and belowground carbon storage?

2. How do rates of soil flux (e.g. N mineralization) change in response to defoliation and climate effects?

Behnaz Attaeian

Biological Fingerprints of Climate Change and

Grazing Management on Carbon and Nitrogen

Cycling

1- How warming, precipitation and defoliation would affect composition and function of soil microbial community in rough fescue grassland?

2- How warming, precipitation and defoliation regulate in situ soil carbon and nitrogen dynamics in rough fescue grassland?

1- Soil properties 1- Soil properties 2- Rangeland 2- Rangeland productivityproductivity3- Rangeland health3- Rangeland health4- Environmental 4- Environmental policies: policies: carbon tradingcarbon trading

"We accept the views of most "We accept the views of most scientists that enough is known scientists that enough is known about the science and about the science and environmental impacts of climate environmental impacts of climate change for us to take actions to change for us to take actions to address its consequences."address its consequences."Business Environmental Leadership Council, Pew Center on Business Environmental Leadership Council, Pew Center on Global Climate ChangeGlobal Climate Change

Jeffrey Newton

Sint Maarten?

Education

Wageningen University (Netherlands)

Dutch Ecological Institute (NIOO)

Research question

What is the effect of climate change on (rangeland) soil arthropod communities?

Microbivore Predator Fungivore

Soil Critters

•Species richness to date: 40 RRTU’s out of <1600 individuals

•Abundance e.g. Fescue grassland (Stavely, AB) Mites: 426,000/ m^2 (0-8cm depth) Springtails: 6,000/ m^2 (0-8cm depth)

•Organic C (detritus) decomposition

•Temporary nutrient storage

•Fungal propagule dispersers

Field Sites – AB (Kinsella)

240 mm precipitation during field season (May-Oct)

32 vascular plant spp.

Agropyron smithii, Stipa curtiseta dominant grasses (Carex spp. also abundant)

Artemisia frigida, Oxytropis campestris most common forbs

Koeleria macrantha, Festuca hallii, Bouteloua gracilis also common

Field Sites – SK (GAP Pasture)

260 mm precipitation during field season (May-Oct)

32 vascular plant spp.

Agropyron smithii, Stipa curtiseta dominant grasses (Carex spp. also abundant)

Artemisia frigida, Sphaeralcea coccinea most common forbs

Bouteloua gracilis, Koeleria macrantha also common

Field Sites – MB (Riding Mountain)

309 mm precipitation during field season (May-Oct)

44 vascular plant spp.

Poa secunda dominant grass

Galium boreale, Monarda fistulosa most common forbs

Achillea millefolium, Artemisia ludoviciana, Aster laevis, Rosa arkansana, Solidago rigida, Symphoricarpos occidentalis, Thalictrum venulosum, Vicia americana also common

Air temperature

Air temperature in non-defoliated plots (3 PM)

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

May June July August September October

Tem

peratu

re (

deg

rees C

els

ius)

Control

Warm

Soil temperature

Soil temperature at 3 PM (0-5 cm depth)

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

Undefol LightDef HeavyDef

Defoliation Treatment

So

il T

em

pera

ture

(°C

)

Control

Warm

Dry

Warm&DrySoil temperature at 3 PM (5-15 cm depth)

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

Undefol LightDef HeavyDef

Defoliation Treatment

So

il T

emp

erat

ure

(°C

)

Control

Warm

Dry

Warm&Dry

Soil moisture

Soil Volumetric Water Content (August 2007)

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

Undefol Lightdef Heavydef

Defoliation Treatment

Vo

lum

etr

ic W

ate

r C

on

ten

t (%

)

Drought, Control

Drought, Warming

Ambient, Control

Ambient, Warming

Species richness

Species Richness in July 2007

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

Undefol L ightDef HeavyDef

Nu

mb

er o

f S

pec

ies

per

4 m

2

C ontrol

Warm

Dry

Warm&Dry

Shannon-Weiner diversity

Species Diversity in July 2007

1.85

1.9

1.95

2

2.05

2.1

2.15

Undefol L ightDef HeavyDef

Nu

mb

er o

f S

pec

ies

per

4 m

2

C ontrol

Warm

Dry

Warm&Dry

Range Health in Droughted Plots (July 2007)

00.5

11.5

22.5

33.5

44.5

5

Nu

mb

er

of

plo

ts i

n c

ate

go

ry

1 - Healthy withP roblems

2 - Healthy

Range health

Range Health in Ambient Precip Plots (July 2007)

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10

Nu

mb

er

of

plo

ts i

n c

ate

go

ry

1 - Unhealthy

2 - Healthy withP roblems

3 - Healthy

Total shoot biomass

The effect of defoliation, precipitation, and warming treatments on total live biomass

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

Undefol LightDef HeavyDef

Live

bio

mas

s (g

/m²)

Control

Warm

Dry

Warm&Dry

Graminoid biomass

The effect of defoliation, precipitation, and warming treatments on total graminoid biomass

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

Undefol LightDef HeavyDef

Gra

min

oid

biom

ass

(g/m

²)

Control

Warm

Dry

Warm&Dry

Moss and lichen biomass

The effect of defoliation, precipitation, and warming treatments on moss/lichens biomass

0.0

2.0

4.0

6.0

8.0

10.0

12.0

14.0

Undefol LightDef HeavyDef

Biom

ass

(g/m

²)

Control

Warm

Dry

Warm&Dry

Total soil N

Total nitrogen for mid-June to mid-July burial period

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

Undefol LightDef HeavyDef

Tota

l nitr

ogen (µ

g/1

0cm

2/b

urial l

ength

)

Control

Warm

Dry

Warm&Dry

Soil organisms

Communication efforts to date

Webpage is launched– http://climate.biology.ualberta.ca

Reports written for SRD, and are publicly available

Talks at SRM, Agronomy update, upcoming soil science.

climate.biology.ualberta.ca

Goals for website:

1) Public outreach

2) Communication portal

3) Internal uses

climate.biology.ualberta.ca

1) Public outreach

– Hello world!– General goals/research questions– Introduce researchers– Results!

climate.biology.ualberta.ca

1) Communication portal– Questions about project– Contact information, websites of individual

researchers

2) Internal use– Data/file storage and transfer

climate.biology.ualberta.ca

Increasing visibility:1) Biological Sciences dept. webpage link2) Google/Yahoo

– General searches– Directories

3) Links from other pages– Supporting organizations– Feedback to Google ranking

climate.biology.ualberta.ca

Measuring effectiveness:

1) Active feedback– Email

2) Passive feedback– StatCounter.com

NSERC Reporting Requirments

Progress Report– Prepared by PIs– Due to NSERC, and stakeholders, June 30th

Comments on report– Prepared by participating organizations– Due directly to NSERC July 15th

Comments by Supporting Organizations

i)     the amount and type of interaction their organization has had with the academic  members and trainees working on the  project; 

ii)     the progress achieved toward the project's objectives;

iii)    the level of support committed (cash and/or in-kind, if applicable) as indicated in the original proposal;

iv)    the significance and usefulness of the results (advancement of knowledge, technology transfer) to their organization;

v)     their satisfaction with the overall direction of the research;

vi)    their efforts towards exploiting the research results. 

The future

Gearing up for year 2! Ongoing studies

– Funding options

Communication– Field day– Email updates– Meetings