Effects of early snowmelt on plant phenophase timing and duration across an elevation gradient
| dc.contributor.author | Wilmer, Chelsea, author | |
| dc.contributor.author | Kampf, Stephanie, advisor | |
| dc.contributor.author | Steltzer, Heidi, advisor | |
| dc.contributor.author | Hufbauer, Ruth, committee member | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2022-01-07T11:29:13Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2022-01-07T11:29:13Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2021 | |
| dc.description.abstract | Plant phenology is an important indicator of the effects of climate change, yet the relative importance of both the drivers of plant phenology and the importance of individual phenophases in how plants respond to climate change is not well understood. Here we assess the impact of early snowmelt, a critical climate perturbation in mountain regions, on the timing and duration of individual plant phenophases across an elevation gradient in Crested Butte, Colorado. We observed a sequence of plant phenophases, new leaves, full leaf expansion, first open flower, and full leaf color change at five sites at distinct elevations (2774 m, 2957 m, 3167 m, 3475 m, 3597 m) across three mountain life zones (montane, subalpine, and alpine) in 2017 and 2018. In the spring of 2018, we used solar radiation absorbing fabric to accelerate the timing of snowmelt and observed the differences in timing for early snowmelt plots relative to control plots. The two study years had different snowmelt timing with 2018 being much earlier than 2017, so we analyzed the data to evaluate the effect of year using unmanipulated plots only, and also, separately the snowmelt manipulation, on phenophase start dates and durations. Phenophase timing was advanced at nearly all sites in 2018 and was not clearly linked to shifts in duration, which were variable. The snowmelt manipulation did not shift the timing of phenophases at the lowest elevation in our elevation gradient and the effect of the experiment on the timing of phenophases decreased as elevation increased. Even though snowmelt was significantly accelerated in the manipulation plots in 2018 at the lowest elevation the timing of phenophases were not advanced. This may indicate a threshold beyond which early snowmelt no longer advanced leaf emergence. Earlier snowmelt in mountain regions can shift the timing and duration of plant growth, though not consistently, which will have consequences on how plants affect the movement of water and retention of nutrients and metals in mountain watersheds. | |
| dc.format.medium | born digital | |
| dc.format.medium | masters theses | |
| dc.identifier | Wilmer_colostate_0053N_16963.pdf | |
| dc.identifier.uri | https://hdl.handle.net/10217/234204 | |
| dc.language | English | |
| dc.language.iso | eng | |
| dc.publisher | Colorado State University. Libraries | |
| dc.relation.ispartof | 2020- | |
| dc.rights | Copyright and other restrictions may apply. User is responsible for compliance with all applicable laws. For information about copyright law, please see https://libguides.colostate.edu/copyright. | |
| dc.subject | perturbation | |
| dc.subject | phenophases | |
| dc.subject | climate | |
| dc.subject | snowmelt | |
| dc.subject | phenology | |
| dc.title | Effects of early snowmelt on plant phenophase timing and duration across an elevation gradient | |
| dc.type | Text | |
| dcterms.rights.dpla | This Item is protected by copyright and/or related rights (https://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/). You are free to use this Item in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s). | |
| thesis.degree.discipline | Ecosystem Science and Sustainability | |
| thesis.degree.grantor | Colorado State University | |
| thesis.degree.level | Masters | |
| thesis.degree.name | Master of Science (M.S.) |
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