Stability of alpine vegetation over 50 years in central Norway

摘要: Alpine vegetation is considered to be particularly sensitive climate changes. Here we document changes in species richness, distribution and composition over the past 50 years by resurveying Rondane, a well-studied alpine area central Norway. We estimated occurrences, richness species’ realized optima study relationships between vegetational environmental change. used weighted average approach with elevation indicator values for light, temperature, pH, moisture, nutrients tolerance snow-cover duration. Permutation tests, allowing unequal sampling original survey resurvey, indicated whether were statistically significant. found no significant change number of per plot since 1950. Of 21 analysed frequency optimum, ten showed (six decreased, four increased), six exhibited their optimum along soil-pH gradient. Statistically nutrient light gradients (three species) (two species). No temperature or moisture gradients. In comparison other studies, our results suggest that recent have had relatively low impact on Rondane mountains. This analysis, which revealed few can directly linked (temperature soil moisture) whereas most detected appear responses factors related pH. The relative constancy hence may explained parsimoniously pool area, consists largely common widespread wide ecological amplitudes broad tolerances