Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
6537515 | Agricultural and Forest Meteorology | 2014 | 10 Pages |
Abstract
Although complete snowmelt in the area occurred rapidly, within a maximum of six days, several distinct spatial patterns were identified with snowmelt occurring earlier in convex compared to concave areas. Differences in snowmelt dates were quite unexpectedly negatively related to the beginning of the growing season. The negative correlation was explained considering that areas characterized by different microtopography have also a different species composition: the growing season began earlier in concave areas preferred by opportunistic species with a fast development after snowmelt while phenological development of grass typical of convex areas can take longer. This behaviour was especially evident in 2011 characterized by an extremely anticipated snowmelt. On the contrary, the analysis of the relationship between the timing of snowmelt and the beginning of the season between the three years analysed in this study, highlighted an advancement of the beginning of the growing season in 2011. However, this is valid only in areas characterized by the abundance of opportunistic species such as forbs for which the snow cover plays a major role in determining the beginning of phenological development. The results presented in this study support the possibility of using repeat digital photography to analyse the role of plant species composition on phenology in complex ecosystems such as subalpine and alpine grasslands.
Related Topics
Physical Sciences and Engineering
Earth and Planetary Sciences
Atmospheric Science
Authors
Tommaso Julitta, Edoardo Cremonese, Mirco Migliavacca, Roberto Colombo, Marta Galvagno, Consolata Siniscalco, Micol Rossini, Francesco Fava, Sergio Cogliati, Umberto Morra di Cella, Annette Menzel,