| Summary: | Climate change is expected to have a strong impact on subarctic ecosystems. Increased temperatures as well as altered precipitation and snow cover patterns are predicted to change species distribution and affect biogeochemical processes in the subarctic tundra. Bryophytes are an essential vegetational component in northern ecosystems, due to their high abundance and importance in many ecological processes. In this study the effects of elevation and altered snow cover on the temporal dynamics of freezing damage in three subarctic bryophyte species (Hylocomium splendens, Ptilidium ciliare, and Sphagnum fuscum) were studied in a snow manipulation field experiment in Abisko, during early spring. Soil temperature and field moisture of moss shoots were collected. A freeze-thaw incubation experiment was conducted to investigate the freeze-thaw cycle resistance of H. splendens and P. ciliare originating from habitats with two differing snow-cover thicknesses. Freezing damage differed significantly between the bryophytes species with P. ciliare experiencing the least and S. fuscum the highest damage. Damage was higher at the low elevation, possibly attributable to acclimation effects. Snow removal led to higher damage in moss shoots, but no interactions of the different snow cover treatments with elevation, species or time were found. Freezing damage increased over time and no recovery occurred, likely due to temporal patterns in soil freeze-thaw cycles during early spring. Soil freeze-thaw cycles were the main factor influencing damage in bryophytes after snow melt. Measured environmental parameters could not explain the entire variation in damage. Damage might additionally be attributable to increased UV radiation or disturbances by herbivores.
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