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Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences
Decreased Temperature Variance Associated With Biotic Composition Enhances Coastal Shrub Encroachment, Lauren K. Wood, Spencer Hays, Julie C. Zinnert
Decreased Temperature Variance Associated With Biotic Composition Enhances Coastal Shrub Encroachment, Lauren K. Wood, Spencer Hays, Julie C. Zinnert
Biology Publications
Regime shift from grasslands to shrub-dominated landscapes occur worldwide driven by altered land-use and climate change, affecting landscape function, biodiversity, and productivity. Warming winter temperatures are a main driver of expansion of the native, evergreen shrub, Morella cerifera, in coastal landscapes. Shrub establishment in these habitats alters microclimate, but little is known about seasonal differences and microclimate variance. We assessed influence of shrubs on microclimate variance, community composition, and community physiological functioning across three vegetation zones: grass, transitional, and shrub in a coastal grassland. Using a novel application of a time-series analysis, we interpret microclimatic variance modification and elucidate …