Lecture series in Ecology and Environmental Research WS 2013/14
Dr. Christian Rixen
Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSL (Homepage)
Thursday, 28.11.2013 ,
Alpine plants in a world of change
Alpine plants fascinate us with their diversity and their interesting adaptations to, from a human perspective, extreme environmental conditions. It can be anticipated that those specialized species will respond sensitively to changes in the environment and climate.
In this presentation, I will report from several studies that have investigated how changes in snow cover, elevated atmospheric CO² levels, warmer temperatures and, last but not least, land-use can affect alpine plants and their diversity. For instance, I will demonstrate,
how the plant diversity of mountain summits has increased in recent decades and centuries probably due to higher temperature and reduced snow cover,- that elevated atmospheric CO²; levels have the potential to enhance plant growth at tree line but that at the same time they can also increase the plants susceptibility to freezing events,
- that it is important to maintain high alpine plant diversity to provide key ecosystem services such as soil stability.
More information:
Export as iCal:
The BayCEER Colloquium serves as an interdisciplinary platform for students, academics and interested citizens: during the lecture period, guests and members of BayCEER give insights into their research, which can then be discussed in plenary and in a relaxed atmosphere during the post-colloquium.
- Programm Colloquium Summer 2024 (PDF)
- Mailing list subscription
- Guide for Speakers
- Guide for Hosts (PDF)
- Scheduling upcoming semester and lecture archive BayCEER Kolloquium