Greifswald University, Institute of Botany and Landscape Ecology, Experimental Plant Ecology, Soldmannstraße 15, D-17487, Greifswald, Germany.
University of Bayreuth, BayCEER, Disturbance Ecology, D-95440, Bayreuth, Germany.
Sci Rep. 2019 Oct 10;9(1):14632. doi: 10.1038/s41598-019-51221-w.
Climate change affects all seasons, but warming is more pronounced in winter than summer at mid- and high latitudes. Winter warming can have profound ecological effects, which are rarely compared to the effects of summer warming, and causal explanations are not well established. We compared mild aboveground infrared warming in winter to warming in summer in a semi-natural, cool-temperate grassland in Germany for four years. Aboveground plant biomass increased following winter warming (+18%) and was unaffected by summer warming. Winter warming affected the composition of the plant community more than summer warming, favoring productive species. Winter warming increased soil respiration more than summer warming. Prolonged growing seasons and changes in plant-community composition accounted for the increased aboveground biomass production. Winter warming stimulated ecological processes, despite causing frost damage to plant roots and microorganisms during an extremely cold period when warming reduced the thermal insulation provided by snow. Future warming beyond such intermittent frosts may therefore further increase the accelerating effects of winter warming on ecological processes.
气候变化影响所有季节，但在中高纬度地区，冬季的变暖比夏季更为明显。冬季变暖会产生深远的生态影响，但这些影响很少与夏季变暖的影响进行比较，而且因果关系也没有得到很好的证实。我们在德国一个半自然的凉爽温带草原上，将冬季温和的地上红外线增温与夏季增温进行了四年的比较。与夏季增温相比，冬季增温使地上植物生物量增加了 18%，而地上增温对植物生物量没有影响。冬季增温对植物群落组成的影响大于夏季增温，有利于生产力较高的物种。与夏季增温相比，冬季增温使土壤呼吸作用增强。延长的生长季节和植物群落组成的变化导致了地上生物量的增加。尽管冬季增温在一个极其寒冷的时期导致植物根系和微生物遭受霜害，但它刺激了生态过程。因此，未来超出这种间歇性霜期的变暖可能会进一步增加冬季增温对生态过程的加速影响。
