Das Projekt "Environmental Changes at the Ecocline between Subalpine and Alpine Vegetation Belts: Reaction of the Vegetation Cover^Changements environnementaux et modification de l'ecocline subalpin-alpin: reaction de la couverture vegetale (FRA)" wird vom Umweltbundesamt gefördert und von Ville de Geneve, Departement municipal des affaires culturelles, Conservatoire et Jardin botaniques durchgeführt. What will be the rapidity of the answer of plants considering the mechanisms of inertia (buffer effect of phytocoenoses, competition, physiological plasticity)? - Will the response be correlated and be directly proportional to the observed climatic changes? - Will all the plant communities be modified simultaneously or will some of them perdure for some while? - Will the different parts of the plant communities (synusiae) react simultaneously or differentially? - How is the transformation of the ecocline going to happen (progressively, by salutation, catastrophically)? The aim of the project is to measure the qualitative and quantitative response of the vegetation to modifications in environmental parameters, especially climatic ones. The vegetation cover is studied at all levels of spatial organisation, from the synusia to complexes of phytocoenoses. Two transects about 2 km wide were delimited on siliceous rock in the Valais: Val d'Arpette, Orsieres (1700-2800 m) and Belalp, Naters (1900-2800 m). 230 phytocoenological releves and 1128 synusial releves were performed and 22 permanent plots were established. The distribution of the flora is analysed in altitudinal sections of 100 m. Presently, 298 species of vascular plants are known for Val d'Arpette and 339 for Belalp. Beside the flora and vegetation, the phenology of selected species (e.g. Arolla Pine, prostrated Mountain Pine, Green Alder, Rhododendron) is being also studied in relation to meso- and microclimate, especially temperature. 31 phenological permanent plots were established and 257 phenological releves were performed. Microclimatic measurements of temperature were performed with the Palmann method of sugar inversion (500 blades) and direct measurement with 3 data loggers Grant Squirrel. In order to assess the qualitative and quantitative impact of predicted climatic changes on alpine vegetation, the project intends to elaborate a predictive model, in collaboration with four other projects (soils, bryophytes, genetical polymorphism of selected species, and modeling of plant distribution) to evaluate the potential modifications on the vegetation at several levels of integration (synusiae, plant communities, landscape), and the rapidity of those modifications. In addition, a long-term monitoring of the vegetation is established. The study of the sub alpine/alpine ecocline is carried on at two separate transects (1700-2800 m; 1900-2900 m) on siliceous rocks in the Valais with vegetation types analyses, structural analyses of alpha-, beta-, altitudinal plant diversity, vegetation mapping, permanent plots. In addition, there are phenological observations and investigations on the reproductive biology of key species linked with micro- and mesoclimate measurements.
Das Projekt "Umweltveraenderungen und Aenderung des subalpinen/alpinen Oekoklins: Erarbeitung eines Evaluierungsmodells unter Zurhilfenahme von Pflanzen und des Bodens" wird vom Umweltbundesamt gefördert und von Ville de Geneve, Departement municipal des affaires culturelles, Conservatoire et Jardin botaniques durchgeführt. How does Alpine vegetation and soil react to climate change? The objective of the coordinated project: The objective of the coordinated project 'Environmental changes and modification of the subalpine/alpine ecocline: evaluation with vegetation and soil' is a double one: 1) To study during a middle-long term period a concrete case of the fitting of biotical equilibria, more particularly of plants (cormophytes) towards the modification of abiotical parameters especially climatic modifications, induced by environmental changes in the subalpine-alpine ecocline. 2) To establish a model allowing the evaluation of the modification of the ecocline using plants ('phyto -indicators') and soils ('pedo-indicators'). The response of plants will be studied in an integrated manner at different spatial levels: by the genetic variation and the biology of reproduction at the populations level and by the organisation of the vegetation (bryophytes and vascular plants synusiae, phytocoenoses, vegetation complexes) at the vegetation level. How and when the ecocline is going to react: In the perspective of a response of plants to environmental modifications, the two essential questions to which the project will tend to answer are how and when is the ecocline going to react. The response of plants will be studied following the spatial (geographical) levels going from the elementary coenological unit and the plant population to the great assemblages of vegetation complexes through the different niches (synusiae) in particular phytocoenoses. The studied ecocline will result in a thorough knowledge of the adaptative processes of plants, the functioning of subalpine and alpine ecosystems and their natural variations, the specific and infraspecific plant biodiversity and of the soils. Integration of several different research areas: The analysis of the ecocline requires the integration of several different research areas, in particular reproductive biology, genetics of populations, bryology and bryosociology, phytosociology, landscape ecology, pedology. The choice of the species for analysis, their place in the permanent plots and the setting of the latter will require a dose collaboration of the before mentionned areas.