Slatyer Rachel A, Umbers Kate D L, Arnold Pieter A
Division of Ecology & Evolution, Research School of Biology, The Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia.
School of Science, Western Sydney University, Penrith, New South Wales, Australia.
Conserv Biol. 2022 Feb;36(1):e13727. doi: 10.1111/cobi.13727. Epub 2021 May 31.
Seasonal snow is among the most important factors governing the ecology of many terrestrial ecosystems, but rising global temperatures are changing snow regimes and driving widespread declines in the depth and duration of snow cover. Loss of the insulating snow layer will fundamentally change the environment. Understanding how individuals, populations, and communities respond to different snow conditions is thus essential for predicting and managing future ecosystem change. We synthesized 365 studies that examined ecological responses to variation in winter snow conditions. This research encompasses a broad range of methods (experimental manipulations, measurement of natural snow gradients, and long-term monitoring), locations (35 countries), study organisms (plants, mammals, arthropods, birds, fish, lichen, and fungi), and response measures. Earlier snowmelt was consistently associated with advanced spring phenology in plants, mammals, and arthropods. Reduced snow depth often increased mortality or physical injury in plants, although there were few clear effects on animals. Neither snow depth nor snowmelt timing had clear or consistent directional effects on body size of animals or biomass of plants. However, because 96% of studies were from the northern hemisphere, the generality of these trends across ecosystems and localities is also unclear. We identified substantial research gaps for several taxonomic groups and response types; research on wintertime responses was notably scarce. Future research should prioritize examination of the mechanisms underlying responses to changing snow conditions and the consequences of those responses for seasonally snow-covered ecosystems.
季节性积雪是许多陆地生态系统生态的最重要因素之一，但全球气温上升正在改变积雪状况，并导致积雪深度和持续时间普遍下降。隔热雪层的消失将从根本上改变环境。因此，了解个体、种群和群落如何应对不同的积雪条件对于预测和管理未来的生态系统变化至关重要。我们综合了365项研究，这些研究考察了对冬季积雪条件变化的生态反应。这项研究涵盖了广泛的方法（实验操作、自然积雪梯度测量和长期监测）、地点（35个国家）、研究生物（植物、哺乳动物、节肢动物、鸟类、鱼类、地衣和真菌）以及反应测量。较早的融雪与植物、哺乳动物和节肢动物春季物候提前始终相关。积雪深度降低通常会增加植物的死亡率或物理损伤，尽管对动物的影响很少有明确的体现。积雪深度和融雪时间对动物体型或植物生物量都没有明显或一致的方向性影响。然而，由于96%的研究来自北半球，这些趋势在不同生态系统和地区的普遍性也不清楚。我们确定了几个分类群和反应类型存在重大研究空白；关于冬季反应的研究尤其稀少。未来的研究应优先考察对不断变化的积雪条件的反应背后的机制以及这些反应对季节性积雪生态系统的后果。
