Current state of terrestrial ecosystems in the joint Norwegian, Russian and Finnish border area

Appendix 15/15 of the publication "State of the environment in the Norwegian, Finnish and Russian border area 2007" (The Finnish Environment 6/2007)

Concentrations of dissolved organic carbon along an altitudinal gradient from Norway spruce forest to the mountain birch/alpine ecotone in Norway

Concentrations of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) in soil water from the base of the soil organic layer were determined at three forest plots along an altitudinal gradient in eastern Norway. The lowest plot, at 830 m above sea level (a.s.l.), was in Norway spruce forest and there were additional plots at the ecotone between Norway spruce and mountain birch at 925 m a.s.l. and at the forest line (1000 m a.s.l.). DOC concentrations in soil water did not decrease uniformly with altitude although tree biomass, above-ground litterfall and the soil C pool all did so. Significant correlations between DOC and {H+} or electrical conductivity may reflect the contribution of DOC to solution acidity and the anionic charge, respectively. If mean temperature during the growing season increases, tree growth at any given altitude will tend to increase and the spruce-birch ecotone may move to a higher altitude than at present. Increased C inputs as litter to the soil might then lead to increasing DOC concentrations and fluxes in surface waters

Pattern and process in Norwegian upland grasslands: a functional analysis

Four classes of functional and morphological plant traits (FMT) – established strategies (the CSR scheme sensu Grime 1979), life-forms (sensu Raunkiaer 1934), morphology, and regenerative strategies – are used as tools for explaining vegetation gradients at summer farms in the mountains of western Norway. These farms are assembly points for free-ranging domestic grazers, and differ floristically and ecologically from the surrounding heath or woodland vegetation. Detrended Correspondence Analysis and Two-Way INdicator SPecies ANalysis are used to relate major gradients in a floristic data set from 12 summer farms to two sets of explanatory variables: (1) environmental variables representing physical factors, plot position, soils, and land-use, and (2) the four FMT classification schemes. The main floristic gradient parallels a spatial gradient from the centres of the farms to the surrounding vegetation. A functional interpretation based on the concurrent use of the two sets of explanatory variables suggests that the gradient is one of decreasing disturbance and increasing environmental stress caused by decreasing grazing and manure effects away from farms. Partial Canonical Correspondence Analysis is used to investigate the relationships between the four FMT classes. The four classification schemes are partially redundant, and do not represent different trends of specialisation within the landscape. There is no strong evidence for decoupling of the traits of the vegetative and regenerative phases within the data. The combination of general process-based theories and specific plant attribute responses enhances the generality and interpretability of the study