1
|
Wilcox KR, Chen A, Avolio ML, Butler EE, Collins S, Fisher R, Keenan T, Kiang NY, Knapp AK, Koerner SE, Kueppers L, Liang G, Lieungh E, Loik M, Luo Y, Poulter B, Reich P, Renwick K, Smith MD, Walker A, Weng E, Komatsu KJ. Accounting for herbaceous communities in process-based models will advance our understanding of "grassy" ecosystems. Glob Chang Biol 2023; 29:6453-6477. [PMID: 37814910 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.16950] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2023] [Accepted: 06/01/2023] [Indexed: 10/11/2023]
Abstract
Grassland and other herbaceous communities cover significant portions of Earth's terrestrial surface and provide many critical services, such as carbon sequestration, wildlife habitat, and food production. Forecasts of global change impacts on these services will require predictive tools, such as process-based dynamic vegetation models. Yet, model representation of herbaceous communities and ecosystems lags substantially behind that of tree communities and forests. The limited representation of herbaceous communities within models arises from two important knowledge gaps: first, our empirical understanding of the principles governing herbaceous vegetation dynamics is either incomplete or does not provide mechanistic information necessary to drive herbaceous community processes with models; second, current model structure and parameterization of grass and other herbaceous plant functional types limits the ability of models to predict outcomes of competition and growth for herbaceous vegetation. In this review, we provide direction for addressing these gaps by: (1) presenting a brief history of how vegetation dynamics have been developed and incorporated into earth system models, (2) reporting on a model simulation activity to evaluate current model capability to represent herbaceous vegetation dynamics and ecosystem function, and (3) detailing several ecological properties and phenomena that should be a focus for both empiricists and modelers to improve representation of herbaceous vegetation in models. Together, empiricists and modelers can improve representation of herbaceous ecosystem processes within models. In so doing, we will greatly enhance our ability to forecast future states of the earth system, which is of high importance given the rapid rate of environmental change on our planet.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Kevin R Wilcox
- University of North Carolina Greensboro, Greensboro, North Carolina, USA
- University of Wyoming, Laramie, Wyoming, USA
| | - Anping Chen
- Department of Biology and Graduate Degree Program in Ecology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA
| | - Meghan L Avolio
- Earth and Planetary Sciences, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Ethan E Butler
- Department of Forest Resources, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, Minnesota, USA
| | - Scott Collins
- Department of Biology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA
| | - Rosie Fisher
- CICERO Centre for International Cimate Research, Forskningsparken, Oslo, Norway
| | - Trevor Keenan
- Climate and Ecosystem Sciences Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California, USA
| | - Nancy Y Kiang
- NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies, New York, New York, USA
| | - Alan K Knapp
- Department of Biology and Graduate Degree Program in Ecology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA
| | - Sally E Koerner
- University of North Carolina Greensboro, Greensboro, North Carolina, USA
| | - Lara Kueppers
- Climate and Ecosystem Sciences Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California, USA
| | - Guopeng Liang
- Department of Forest Resources, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, Minnesota, USA
| | - Eva Lieungh
- Natural History Museum, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Michael Loik
- Department of Environmental Studies, University of California, Santa Cruz, California, USA
| | - Yiqi Luo
- School of Integrative Plant Science, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA
| | - Ben Poulter
- Biospheric Sciences Lab, NASA GSFC, Greenbelt, Maryland, USA
| | - Peter Reich
- Department of Forest Resources, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, Minnesota, USA
- Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University, Penrith, New South Wales, Australia
| | | | - Melinda D Smith
- Department of Biology and Graduate Degree Program in Ecology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA
| | - Anthony Walker
- Environmental Sciences Division and Climate Change Science Institute, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee, USA
| | - Ensheng Weng
- NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies, New York, New York, USA
- Center for Climate Systems Research, Columbia University, New York, New York, USA
| | - Kimberly J Komatsu
- University of North Carolina Greensboro, Greensboro, North Carolina, USA
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Keetz LT, Lieungh E, Karimi-Asli K, Geange SR, Gelati E, Tang H, Yilmaz YA, Aas KS, Althuizen IHJ, Bryn A, Falk S, Fisher R, Fouilloux A, Horvath P, Indrehus S, Lee H, Lombardozzi D, Parmentier FJW, Pirk N, Vandvik V, Vollsnes AV, Skarpaas O, Stordal F, Tallaksen LM. Climate-ecosystem modelling made easy: The Land Sites Platform. Glob Chang Biol 2023; 29:4440-4452. [PMID: 37303068 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.16808] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2022] [Accepted: 05/03/2023] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Dynamic Global Vegetation Models (DGVMs) provide a state-of-the-art process-based approach to study the complex interplay between vegetation and its physical environment. For example, they help to predict how terrestrial plants interact with climate, soils, disturbance and competition for resources. We argue that there is untapped potential for the use of DGVMs in ecological and ecophysiological research. One fundamental barrier to realize this potential is that many researchers with relevant expertize (ecology, plant physiology, soil science, etc.) lack access to the technical resources or awareness of the research potential of DGVMs. Here we present the Land Sites Platform (LSP): new software that facilitates single-site simulations with the Functionally Assembled Terrestrial Ecosystem Simulator, an advanced DGVM coupled with the Community Land Model. The LSP includes a Graphical User Interface and an Application Programming Interface, which improve the user experience and lower the technical thresholds for installing these model architectures and setting up model experiments. The software is distributed via version-controlled containers; researchers and students can run simulations directly on their personal computers or servers, with relatively low hardware requirements, and on different operating systems. Version 1.0 of the LSP supports site-level simulations. We provide input data for 20 established geo-ecological observation sites in Norway and workflows to add generic sites from public global datasets. The LSP makes standard model experiments with default data easily achievable (e.g., for educational or introductory purposes) while retaining flexibility for more advanced scientific uses. We further provide tools to visualize the model input and output, including simple examples to relate predictions to local observations. The LSP improves access to land surface and DGVM modelling as a building block of community cyberinfrastructure that may inspire new avenues for mechanistic ecosystem research across disciplines.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Lasse T Keetz
- Department of Geosciences, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Eva Lieungh
- Natural History Museum, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | | | - Sonya R Geange
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
| | | | - Hui Tang
- Department of Geosciences, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
- Natural History Museum, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
- Finnish Meteorological Institute, Climate System Research, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Yeliz A Yilmaz
- Department of Geosciences, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
- Centre for Biogeochemistry in the Anthropocene, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Kjetil S Aas
- Department of Geosciences, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
- CICERO Center for International Climate Research, Oslo, Norway
| | - Inge H J Althuizen
- Division of Climate and Environment, NORCE Norwegian Research Centre, Bergen, Norway
| | - Anders Bryn
- Natural History Museum, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
- Centre for Biogeochemistry in the Anthropocene, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Stefanie Falk
- Department of Geography, Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Rosie Fisher
- CICERO Center for International Climate Research, Oslo, Norway
- Climate and Global Dynamics Laboratory, National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, Colorado, USA
| | | | - Peter Horvath
- Natural History Museum, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | | | - Hanna Lee
- Division of Climate and Environment, NORCE Norwegian Research Centre, Bergen, Norway
- Department of Biology, Norwegian University of Science and Technology NTNU, Trondheim, Norway
| | - Danica Lombardozzi
- Climate and Global Dynamics Laboratory, National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, Colorado, USA
| | - Frans-Jan W Parmentier
- Department of Geosciences, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
- Centre for Biogeochemistry in the Anthropocene, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
- Department of Physical Geography and Ecosystem Science, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Norbert Pirk
- Department of Geosciences, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Vigdis Vandvik
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
- Bjerknes Centre for Climate Research, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
| | - Ane V Vollsnes
- Centre for Biogeochemistry in the Anthropocene, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
- Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Olav Skarpaas
- Natural History Museum, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Frode Stordal
- Department of Geosciences, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
- Centre for Biogeochemistry in the Anthropocene, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | | |
Collapse
|
3
|
Lieungh E, Bjureke K, Evju M, Johaadien RS, Olsen SL, Skarpaas O, Stabbetorp OE, Wollan AK. Presence-absence of plant habitat specialists in 15 patches of dry calcareous grassland. Biodivers Data J 2022; 10:e94057. [PMID: 36761597 PMCID: PMC9836625 DOI: 10.3897/bdj.10.e94057] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2022] [Accepted: 10/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Dry grasslands on calcareous bedrock in warm climates around the Oslo Fjord are naturally fragmented biodiversity hotspots. This habitat geographically coincides with the most densely populated area of Norway. Many habitat specialists, along with the habitat itself, are red-listed because of land-use change, forest encroachment, and invasive species that cause habitat loss and greater isolation of remaining patches. To ensure effective conservation, data on species presences and absences are necessary to quantify states, changes, and extinction risks in specific populations and habitat patches. New information We present presence-absence data of 49 vascular plant species in 15 patches of dry calcareous grassland habitat, surveyed in 2009, 2019, and in 2020. The species are considered to be habitat specialists and, thus, unlikely to occur between the patches.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Eva Lieungh
- Natural History Museum, University of Oslo, Oslo, NorwayNatural History Museum, University of OsloOsloNorway
| | - Kristina Bjureke
- Natural History Museum, University of Oslo, Oslo, NorwayNatural History Museum, University of OsloOsloNorway
| | - Marianne Evju
- Norwegian Institute for Nature Research, Oslo, NorwayNorwegian Institute for Nature ResearchOsloNorway
| | - Rukaya Sarah Johaadien
- Natural History Museum, University of Oslo, Oslo, NorwayNatural History Museum, University of OsloOsloNorway
| | - Siri Lie Olsen
- Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Ås, NorwayNorwegian University of Life SciencesÅsNorway
| | - Olav Skarpaas
- Natural History Museum, University of Oslo, Oslo, NorwayNatural History Museum, University of OsloOsloNorway
| | - Odd Egil Stabbetorp
- Norwegian Institute for Nature Research, Oslo, NorwayNorwegian Institute for Nature ResearchOsloNorway
| | - Anders Kvalvåg Wollan
- Natural History Museum, University of Oslo, Oslo, NorwayNatural History Museum, University of OsloOsloNorway
| |
Collapse
|