Chardon, N.I.; Stone, P.; Hilbert, C.; Maclachlan, T.; Ragsdale, B.; Zhao, A.; Goodwin, K.; Collins, C.G.; Hewitt, N.; Elphinstone, C. Species-Specific Responses to Human Trampling Indicate Alpine Plant Size Is More Sensitive than Reproduction to Disturbance. Plants2023, 12, 3040.
Chardon, N.I.; Stone, P.; Hilbert, C.; Maclachlan, T.; Ragsdale, B.; Zhao, A.; Goodwin, K.; Collins, C.G.; Hewitt, N.; Elphinstone, C. Species-Specific Responses to Human Trampling Indicate Alpine Plant Size Is More Sensitive than Reproduction to Disturbance. Plants 2023, 12, 3040.
Chardon, N.I.; Stone, P.; Hilbert, C.; Maclachlan, T.; Ragsdale, B.; Zhao, A.; Goodwin, K.; Collins, C.G.; Hewitt, N.; Elphinstone, C. Species-Specific Responses to Human Trampling Indicate Alpine Plant Size Is More Sensitive than Reproduction to Disturbance. Plants2023, 12, 3040.
Chardon, N.I.; Stone, P.; Hilbert, C.; Maclachlan, T.; Ragsdale, B.; Zhao, A.; Goodwin, K.; Collins, C.G.; Hewitt, N.; Elphinstone, C. Species-Specific Responses to Human Trampling Indicate Alpine Plant Size Is More Sensitive than Reproduction to Disturbance. Plants 2023, 12, 3040.
Abstract
Human disturbance, such as trampling, is an integral component of global change, yet we lack a comprehensive understanding of its effects on alpine ecosystems. Many alpine systems are seeing a rapid increase in recreation, and in understudied regions, such as the Coast Mountains of British Columbia, disturbance impacts on alpine plants remain unclear. We surveyed disturbed (trail-side) and undisturbed (off-trail) transects along elevational gradients of popular hiking trails in the T’aḵ’t’aḵ’múy̓in tl’a In̓inyáx̱a7n region (Garibaldi Provincial Park), Canada, focusing on dominant shrubs (Phyllodoce empetriformis, Cassiope mertensiana, Vaccinium ovalifolium) and graminoids (Carex spp). We used a hierarchical Bayesian framework to test for disturbance by elevation effects on total plant percent cover, maximum plant height and diameter (growth proxies), and buds, flowers, and fruits (reproduction proxies). We found that trampling reduces plant cover and impacts all species, but that effects vary by species and trait, and disturbance effects only vary with elevation for one species’ trait. Growth traits are more sensitive to trampling than reproductive traits, which may lead to differential impacts on population persistence and species level fitness outcomes. Our study highlights that disturbance responses are species-specific, and this knowledge can help land managers minimize disturbance impacts on sensitive vegetation types.
Keywords
Alpine plants; human trampling disturbance; global change; recreation; plant traits; trail planning
Subject
Biology and Life Sciences, Plant Sciences
Copyright:
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.