@article{TianHerzschuhMischkeetal.2014, author = {Tian, Fang and Herzschuh, Ulrike and Mischke, Steffen and Schluetz, Frank}, title = {What drives the recent intensified vegetation degradation in Mongolia - Climate change or human activity?}, series = {The Holocene : an interdisciplinary journal focusing on recent environmental change}, volume = {24}, journal = {The Holocene : an interdisciplinary journal focusing on recent environmental change}, number = {10}, publisher = {Sage Publ.}, address = {London}, issn = {0959-6836}, doi = {10.1177/0959683614540958}, pages = {1206 -- 1215}, year = {2014}, abstract = {This study examines the course and driving forces of recent vegetation change in the Mongolian steppe. A sediment core covering the last 55years from a small closed-basin lake in central Mongolia was analyzed for its multi-proxy record at annual resolution. Pollen analysis shows that highest abundances of planted Poaceae and highest vegetation diversity occurred during 1977-1992, reflecting agricultural development in the lake area. A decrease in diversity and an increase in Artemisia abundance after 1992 indicate enhanced vegetation degradation in recent times, most probably because of overgrazing and farmland abandonment. Human impact is the main factor for the vegetation degradation within the past decades as revealed by a series of redundancy analyses, while climate change and soil erosion play subordinate roles. High Pediastrum (a green algae) influx, high atomic total organic carbon/total nitrogen (TOC/TN) ratios, abundant coarse detrital grains, and the decrease of C-13(org) and N-15 since about 1977 but particularly after 1992 indicate that abundant terrestrial organic matter and nutrients were transported into the lake and caused lake eutrophication, presumably because of intensified land use. Thus, we infer that the transition to a market economy in Mongolia since the early 1990s not only caused dramatic vegetation degradation but also affected the lake ecosystem through anthropogenic changes in the catchment area.}, language = {en} } @article{KlemmHerzschuhPestryakova2016, author = {Klemm, Juliane and Herzschuh, Ulrike and Pestryakova, Luidmila Agafyevna}, title = {Vegetation, climate and lake changes over the last 7000 years at the boreal treeline in north-central Siberia}, series = {Quaternary science reviews : the international multidisciplinary research and review journal}, volume = {147}, journal = {Quaternary science reviews : the international multidisciplinary research and review journal}, publisher = {Elsevier}, address = {Oxford}, issn = {0277-3791}, doi = {10.1016/j.quascirev.2015.08.015}, pages = {422 -- 434}, year = {2016}, language = {en} } @article{ZibulskiHerzschuhPestryakova2016, author = {Zibulski, Romy and Herzschuh, Ulrike and Pestryakova, Luidmila Agafyevna}, title = {Vegetation patterns along micro-relief and vegetation type transects in polygonal landscapes of the Siberian Arctic}, series = {Journal of vegetation science}, volume = {27}, journal = {Journal of vegetation science}, publisher = {Wiley-Blackwell}, address = {Hoboken}, issn = {1100-9233}, doi = {10.1111/jvs.12356}, pages = {377 -- 386}, year = {2016}, abstract = {QuestionHow important is the effect of micro-relief and vegetation type on the characteristics of vascular plants and bryophytes in low-centred polygons? LocationSiberian Arctic, Russia. MethodsEight low-centred polygons in northern Siberia were surveyed for vegetation along transects running from the rim to the pond via the rim-pond transition of each polygon and across a vegetation type gradient from open forest to tundra. ResultsThe cover of vascular plants and bryophytes displays no significant differences between the rim and rim-pond transition but is significantly lower in the pond section of the polygons. Alpha-diversity of vascular plants decreases strongly from rim to pond, whereas bryophyte diversity in pond plots is significantly distinct from the rim and the rim-pond transition. There is no clear trend in cover for either plant group along the vegetation type transect and only a weak trend in -diversity. However, both gradients are reflected in the compositional turnover. The applied indicator species analysis identified taxa characteristic of certain environmental conditions. Among others, we found vascular plants primarily characteristic of the rim and bryophyte taxa characteristic of each micro-relief level and vegetation type. ConclusionsThe observed gradual pattern in -diversity and composition of polygonal vegetation suggests that micro-relief is the main driver of changes in the vegetation composition, while vegetation type and the related forest cover change are of subordinate importance for polygonal vegetation patterns along the Siberian tree line.}, language = {en} } @article{NiemeyerHerzschuhPestryakova2015, author = {Niemeyer, Bastian and Herzschuh, Ulrike and Pestryakova, Luidmila Agafyevna}, title = {Vegetation and lake changes on the southern Taymyr peninsula, northern Siberia, during the last 300 years inferred from pollen and Pediastrum green algae records}, series = {The Holocene : an interdisciplinary journal focusing on recent environmental change}, volume = {25}, journal = {The Holocene : an interdisciplinary journal focusing on recent environmental change}, number = {4}, publisher = {Sage Publ.}, address = {London}, issn = {0959-6836}, doi = {10.1177/0959683614565954}, pages = {596 -- 606}, year = {2015}, abstract = {Siberian arctic vegetation and lake water communities, known for their temperature dependence, are expected to be particularly impacted by recent climate change and high warming rates. However, decadal information on the nature and strength of recent vegetation change and its time lag to climate signals are rare. In this study, we present a Pb-210/Cs-137 dated pollen and Pediastrum species record from a unnamed lake in the south of the Taymyr peninsula covering the period from AD 1706 to 2011. Thirty-nine palynomorphs and 10 morphotypes of Pediastrum species were studied to assess changes in vegetation and lake conditions as probable responses to climate change. We compared the pollen record with Pediastrum species, which we consider to be important proxies of climate changes. Three pollen assemblage zones characterised by Betula nana, Alnus viridis and Larix gmelinii (1706-1808); herbs such as Cyperaceae, Artemisia or Senecio (1808-1879), and higher abundance of Larix pollen (1955-2011) are visible. Also, three Pediastrum assemblage zones show changes of aquatic conditions: higher abundances of Pediastrum boryanum var. brevicorne (1706-1802); medium abundances of P. kawraiskyi and P. integrum (1802-1840 and 1920-1980), indicating cooler conditions while less eutrophic conditions are indicated by P. boryanum, and a mainly balanced composition with only small changes of cold- and warm-adapted Pediastrum species (1965-2011). In general, compositional Pediastrum species turnover is slightly higher than that indicated by pollen data (0.54 vs 0.34 SD), but both are only minor for this treeline location. In conclusion, the relevance of differentiation of Pediastrum species is promising and can give further insights into the relationship between lakes and their surrounding vegetation transferred onto climatic conditions.}, language = {en} } @article{HerzschuhMischkeMeyeretal.2010, author = {Herzschuh, Ulrike and Mischke, Steffen and Meyer, Hanno and Plessen, Birgit and Zhang, Chengjun}, title = {Using variations in the stable carbon isotope composition of macrophyte remains to quantify nutrient dynamics in lakes}, issn = {0921-2728}, doi = {10.1007/s10933-009-9365-0}, year = {2010}, abstract = {The apparent isotope enrichment factor epsilon(macrophyte) of submerged plants (epsilon(macrophyte-DIC) = delta C-13(macrophyte) - delta C-13(DIC)) is indicative of dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) supply in neutral to alkaline waters and is related to variations in aquatic productivity (Papadimitriou et al. in Limnol Oceanogr 50:1084-1095, 2005). This paper aims to evaluate the usage of epsilon(macrophyte) inferred from isotopic analyses of submerged plant fossils in addition to analyses of lake carbonate as a palaeolimnological proxy for former HCO3 (-) concentrations. Stable carbon isotopic analysis of modern Potamogeton pectinatus leaves and its host water DIC from the Tibetan Plateau and Central Yakutia (Russia) yielded values between -23.3 and +0.4aEuro degrees and between +14.0 and +6.5aEuro degrees, respectively. Values of epsilon (Potamogeton-DIC) (range -15.4 to +1.1aEuro degrees) from these lakes are significantly correlated with host water HCO3 (-) concentration (range 78-2,200 mg/l) (r = -0.86; P < 0.001), thus allowing for the development of a transfer function. Palaeo-epsilon (Potamogeton-ostracods) values from Luanhaizi Lake on the NE Tibetan Plateau, as inferred from the stable carbon isotope measurement of fossil Potamogeton pectinatus seeds (range -24 to +2.8aEuro degrees) and ostracods (range -7.8 to +7.5\%) range between -14.8 and 1.6aEuro degrees. Phases of assumed disequilibrium between delta C-13(DIC) and delta C-13(ostracods) known to occur in charophyte swards (as indicated by the deposition of charophyte fossils) were excluded from the analysis of palaeo-epsilon. The application of the epsilon (Potamogeton-DIC)-HCO3 (-) transfer function yielded a median palaeo-HCO3 (-) -concentration of 290 mg/l. Variations in the dissolved organic carbon supply compare well with aquatic plant productivity changes and lake level variability as inferred from a multiproxy study of the same record including analyses of plant macrofossils, ostracods, carbonate and organic content.}, language = {en} } @article{WolterLantuitHerzschuhetal.2017, author = {Wolter, Juliane and Lantuit, Hugues and Herzschuh, Ulrike and Stettner, Samuel and Fritz, Michael}, title = {Tundra vegetation stability versus lake-basin variability on the Yukon Coastal Plain (NW Canada) during the past three centuries}, series = {The Holocene : an interdisciplinary journal focusing on recent environmental change}, volume = {27}, journal = {The Holocene : an interdisciplinary journal focusing on recent environmental change}, publisher = {Sage Publ.}, address = {London}, issn = {0959-6836}, doi = {10.1177/0959683617708441}, pages = {1846 -- 1858}, year = {2017}, language = {en} } @article{KruseWieczorekJeltschetal.2016, author = {Kruse, Stefan and Wieczorek, Mareike and Jeltsch, Florian and Herzschuh, Ulrike}, title = {Treeline dynamics in Siberia under changing climates as inferred from an individual-based model for Larix}, series = {Ecological modelling : international journal on ecological modelling and engineering and systems ecolog}, volume = {338}, journal = {Ecological modelling : international journal on ecological modelling and engineering and systems ecolog}, publisher = {Elsevier}, address = {Amsterdam}, issn = {0304-3800}, doi = {10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2016.08.003}, pages = {101 -- 121}, year = {2016}, language = {en} } @article{StuenziKruseBoikeetal.2022, author = {Stuenzi, Simone Maria and Kruse, Stefan and Boike, Julia and Herzschuh, Ulrike and Oehme, Alexander and Pestryakova, Luidmila A. and Westermann, Sebastian and Langer, Moritz}, title = {Thermohydrological impact of forest disturbances on ecosystem-protected permafrost}, series = {Journal of geophysical research : Biogeosciences}, volume = {127}, journal = {Journal of geophysical research : Biogeosciences}, number = {5}, publisher = {American Geophysical Union}, address = {Washington}, issn = {2169-8953}, doi = {10.1029/2021JG006630}, pages = {24}, year = {2022}, abstract = {Boreal forests cover over half of the global permafrost area and protect underlying permafrost. Boreal forest development, therefore, has an impact on permafrost evolution, especially under a warming climate. Forest disturbances and changing climate conditions cause vegetation shifts and potentially destabilize the carbon stored within the vegetation and permafrost. Disturbed permafrost-forest ecosystems can develop into a dry or swampy bush- or grasslands, shift toward broadleaf- or evergreen needleleaf-dominated forests, or recover to the pre-disturbance state. An increase in the number and intensity of fires, as well as intensified logging activities, could lead to a partial or complete ecosystem and permafrost degradation. We study the impact of forest disturbances (logging, surface, and canopy fires) on the thermal and hydrological permafrost conditions and ecosystem resilience. We use a dynamic multilayer canopy-permafrost model to simulate different scenarios at a study site in eastern Siberia. We implement expected mortality, defoliation, and ground surface changes and analyze the interplay between forest recovery and permafrost. We find that forest loss induces soil drying of up to 44\%, leading to lower active layer thicknesses and abrupt or steady decline of a larch forest, depending on disturbance intensity. Only after surface fires, the most common disturbances, inducing low mortality rates, forests can recover and overpass pre-disturbance leaf area index values. We find that the trajectory of larch forests after surface fires is dependent on the precipitation conditions in the years after the disturbance. Dryer years can drastically change the direction of the larch forest development within the studied period.}, language = {en} } @article{PestryakovaHerzschuhGorodnichevetal.2018, author = {Pestryakova, Luidmila Agafyevna and Herzschuh, Ulrike and Gorodnichev, Ruslan and Wetterich, Sebastian}, title = {The sensitivity of diatom taxa from Yakutian lakes (north-eastern Siberia) to electrical conductivity and other environmental variables}, series = {Polar research : a Norwegian journal of Polar research}, volume = {37}, journal = {Polar research : a Norwegian journal of Polar research}, publisher = {Routledge, Taylor \& Francis Group}, address = {Abingdon}, issn = {0800-0395}, doi = {10.1080/17518369.2018.1485625}, pages = {16}, year = {2018}, abstract = {Relative abundances of 157 diatom taxa from Yakutian lake surface-sediments were investigated for their potential to indicate certain environmental conditions. Data from 206 sites from Arctic, sub-Arctic and boreal environments were included. Redundancy analyses were performed to assess the explanatory power of mean July temperature (T-July), conductivity, pH, dissolved silica concentration, phosphate concentration, lake depth and vegetation type on diatom species composition. Boosted regression tree analyses were performed to infer the most relevant environmental variables for abundances of individual taxa and weighted average regression was applied to infer their respective optimum and tolerance. Electrical conductivity was best indicated by diatom taxa. In contrast, only few taxa were indicative of Si and water depth. Few taxa were related to specific pH values. Although T-July, explained the highest proportion of variance in the diatom spectra and was, after conductivity, the second-most selected splitting variable, we a priori decided not to present indicator taxa because of the poorly understood relationship between diatom occurrences and T-July. In total, 92 diatom taxa were reliable indicators of a certain vegetation type or a combination of several types. The high numbers of indicative species for open vegetation sites and for forested sites suggest that the principal turnover is the transition from forest-tundra to northern taiga. Overall, our results reveal that preference ranges of diatom taxa for environmental variables are mostly broad, and the use of indicator taxa for the purposes of environmental reconstruction or environmental monitoring is therefore restricted to marked rather than subtle environmental transitions.}, language = {en} } @article{DallmeyerClaussenFischeretal.2015, author = {Dallmeyer, A. and Claussen, M. and Fischer, N. and Haberkorn, K. and Wagner, S. and Pfeiffer, M. and Jin, L. and Khon, V. and Wang, Y. and Herzschuh, Ulrike}, title = {The evolution of sub-monsoon systems in the Afro-Asian monsoon region during the Holocene - comparison of different transient climate model simulations}, series = {Climate of the past : an interactive open access journal of the European Geosciences Union}, volume = {11}, journal = {Climate of the past : an interactive open access journal of the European Geosciences Union}, number = {2}, publisher = {Copernicus}, address = {G{\"o}ttingen}, issn = {1814-9324}, doi = {10.5194/cp-11-305-2015}, pages = {305 -- 326}, year = {2015}, abstract = {The recently proposed global monsoon hypothesis interprets monsoon systems as part of one global-scale atmospheric overturning circulation, implying a connection between the regional monsoon systems and an in-phase behaviour of all northern hemispheric monsoons on annual timescales (Trenberth et al., 2000). Whether this concept can be applied to past climates and variability on longer timescales is still under debate, because the monsoon systems exhibit different regional characteristics such as different seasonality (i. e. onset, peak and withdrawal). To investigate the interconnection of different monsoon systems during the pre-industrial Holocene, five transient global climate model simulations have been analysed with respect to the rainfall trend and variability in different sub-domains of the Afro-Asian monsoon region. Our analysis suggests that on millennial timescales with varying orbital forcing, the monsoons do not behave as a tightly connected global system. According to the models, the Indian and North African monsoons are coupled, showing similar rainfall trend and moderate correlation in centennial rainfall variability in all models. The East Asian monsoon changes independently during the Holocene. The dissimilarities in the seasonality of the monsoon sub-systems lead to a stronger response of the North African and Indian monsoon systems to the Holocene insolation forcing than of the East Asian monsoon and affect the seasonal distribution of Holocene rainfall variations. Within the Indian and North African monsoon domain, precipitation solely changes during the summer months, showing a decreasing Holocene precipitation trend. In the East Asian monsoon region, the precipitation signal is determined by an increasing precipitation trend during spring and a decreasing precipitation change during summer, partly balancing each other. A synthesis of reconstructions and the model results do not reveal an impact of the different seasonality on the timing of the Holocene rainfall optimum in the different sub-monsoon systems. Rather they indicate locally inhomogeneous rainfall changes and show that single palaeo-records should not be used to characterise the rainfall change and monsoon evolution for entire monsoon sub-systems.}, language = {en} }