Showing papers in "Journal of Ecology in 2021"

A closer look at the functions behind ecosystem multifunctionality: A review

Abstract: In recent years there has been an upsurge of studies on ecosystem multifunctionality (EMF), or the ability of ecosystems to simultaneously provide multiple functions and/or services. The concept of EMF itself, the analytical approaches used to calculate it, and its implications depending on the spatial scale and field of study have been discussed in detail. However, to date there has been little dialogue concerning the basis of EMF studies: what should or should not be considered appropriate measures for ecosystem functions. To begin this discussion, we performed an in‐depth review of EMF studies across four major terrestrial ecosystems (agroecosystems, drylands, forests and grasslands) by analysing 82 studies, which together have assessed 775 ecosystem functions from a variety of field and greenhouse experiments across the globe. The number of ecosystem functions analysed varied from two to 82 per study and we found large differences in the distribution of functions across ecosystem types and ecosystem service categories. Furthermore, there was little explanation of why certain variables were included in the EMF calculation or how they relate to ecosystem functioning. Synthesis. Based on the literature analysis, it is clear that there is no general agreement regarding which measurements should or should not be considered functions in the field of ecology. To address this issue, we propose a general guideline for determining and measuring appropriate functions.

The diversity of post-fire regeneration strategies in the cerrado ground layer

Abstract: Disentangling species strategies that confer resilience to natural disturbances is key to conserving and restoring savanna ecosystems Fire is a recurrent disturbance in savannas, and savanna vegetation is highly adapted to and often dependent on fire However, although the woody component of tropical savannas is well studied, we still do not understand how ground‐layer plant communities respond to fire, limiting conservation and management actions We investigated the effects of prescribed fire on community structure and composition, and evaluated which traits are involved in plant community regeneration after fire in the cerrado ground layer We assessed traits related to species persistence and colonization capacity after fire, including resprouter type, underground structure, fire‐induced flowering, regeneration strategy and growth form We searched for functional groups related to response to fire, to shed light on the main strategies of post‐fire recovery among species in the ground layer Fire changed ground‐layer community structure and composition in the short term, leading to greater plant species richness, population densities and increasing bare soil, compared with unburned communities Eight months after fire, species abundance did not differ from pre‐disturbance values for 86% of the species, demonstrating the resilience of this layer to fire Only one ruderal species was disadvantaged by fire and 13% of the species benefited Rapid recovery of soil cover by native vegetation in burned areas was driven by species with high capacity to resprout and spread vegetatively Recovery of the savanna ground‐layer community, as a whole, resulted from a combination of different species traits We summarized these traits into five large groups, encompassing key strategies involved in ground‐layer regeneration after fire Synthesis Fire dramatically changes the ground layer of savanna vegetation in the short term, but the system is highly resilient, quickly recovering the pre‐fire state Recovery involves different strategies, which we categorized into five functional groups of plant species: grasses, seeders, bloomers, undergrounders and resprouters Knowledge of these diverse strategies should be used as a tool to assess conservation and restoration status of fire‐resilient ecosystems in the cerrado

Do bark beetle outbreaks amplify or dampen future bark beetle disturbances in Central Europe

Abstract: Bark beetle outbreaks have intensified in many forests around the globe in recent years. Yet, the legacy of these disturbances for future forest development remains unclear. Bark beetle disturbances are expected to increase further because of climate change. Consequently, feedbacks within the disturbance regime are of growing interest, for example, whether bark beetle outbreaks are amplifying future bark beetle activity (through the initiation of an even‐aged cohort of trees) or dampening it (through increased structural and compositional diversity). We studied bark beetle–vegetation–climate interactions in the Bavarian Forest National Park (Germany), an area characterised by unprecedented bark beetle activity in the recent past. We simulated the effect of future bark beetle outbreaks on forest structure and composition and analysed how disturbance‐mediated forest dynamics influence future bark beetle activity under different scenarios of climate change. We used process‐based simulation modelling in combination with machine learning to disentangle the long‐term interactions between vegetation, climate and bark beetles at the landscape scale. Disturbances by the European spruce bark beetle were strongly amplified by climate change, increasing between 59% and 221% compared to reference climate. Bark beetle outbreaks reduced the dominance of Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst.) on the landscape, increasing compositional diversity. Disturbances decreased structural diversity within stands (α diversity) and increased structural diversity between stands (β diversity). Overall, disturbance‐mediated changes in forest structure and composition dampened future disturbance activity (a reduction of up to −67%), but were not able to fully compensate for the amplifying effect of climate change. Synthesis. Our findings indicate that the recent disturbance episode at the Bavarian Forest National Park was caused by a convergence of highly susceptible forest structures with climatic conditions favourable for bark beetle outbreaks. While future climate is increasingly conducive to massive outbreaks, the emerging landscape structure is less and less likely to support them. This study improves our understanding of the long‐term legacies of ongoing bark beetle disturbances in Central Europe. It indicates that increased diversity provides an important dampening feedback, and suggests that preventing disturbances or homogenizing post‐disturbance forests could elevate the future susceptibility to large‐scale bark beetle outbreaks.

Species asynchrony stabilises productivity under extreme drought across Northern China grasslands

Abstract: Biodiversity can stabilise productivity through different mechanisms, such as asynchronous species responses to environmental variability and species stability. Global changes, like intensified drought, could negatively affect species richness, species asynchrony and species stability, but it is unclear how changes in these mechanisms will affect the stability of above‐ground primary productivity (ANPP) across ecosystems. We studied the effects of a 4‐year extreme drought on ANPP stability and the underlying mechanisms (species richness, species asynchrony and species stability) across six grasslands in Northern China. We also assessed the relative importance of these mechanisms in determining ANPP stability under extreme drought. We found that extreme drought decreased ANPP stability, species richness, species asynchrony and species stability across the six grasslands. However, structural equation modelling revealed that species asynchrony, not species richness or species stability, was the most important mechanism promoting stability of ANPP, regardless of drought across the six grasslands. Synthesis. Our results suggest that species asynchrony, not species richness and species stability, consistently buffers ecosystem stability against extreme drought across and within grasslands spanning a broad precipitation gradient. Thus, species asynchrony may be a more general mechanism for promoting stability of ANPP in grasslands in the face of intensified drought.

Drought legacy affects microbial community trait distributions related to moisture along a savannah grassland precipitation gradient

Abstract: Ecosystem models commonly use stable‐state assumptions to predict responses of soil microbial functions to environmental change. However, past climatic conditions can shape microbial functional responses resulting in a ‘legacy effect’. For instance, exposure to drier conditions in the field may shape how soil microbial communities respond to subsequent drought and drying and rewetting (DRW) events. We investigated microbial tolerance to low moisture levels (‘resistance’) and ability to recover after a DRW perturbation (‘resilience’) across a steep precipitation gradient in Texas, USA. Although differences in precipitation regime did not result in differences in resistance and resilience of soil microbes, microbial communities appeared to be generally resilient and resistant across the gradient, suggesting that frequent exposure to drought had characterised the trait distributions of microbial communities. Moreover, microbial communities from historically drier sites used carbon more efficiently during a DRW perturbation suggesting that long‐term drought history leaves a legacy effect on microbial functions. This may have been due to an indirect effect of drought caused via precipitation‐induced differences in primary productivity, influencing the availability of soil organic matter to microbes. Alternatively, different exposures to drought might have shaped the microbial ‘readiness’ to cope with the DRW disturbance. Microbial community composition was also linked to drought history, but was unrelated to variation in function. Synthesis. Exposure to drought can have both direct and indirect effects on soil microbial communities, which can result in lasting legacy effects on the functions they control.

Evolution and biogeography of actinorhizal plants and legumes: A comparison

Abstract: The symbiosis between plants and nitrogen‐fixing bacteria is widespread among legumes and actinorhizal plants within the nitrogen‐fixing root nodule (NFN) clade However, there are major differences, as well as similarities, in the symbioses between actinorhizal plants and Frankia and those of legumes and their associated rhizobia This review provides an overview of NFN symbioses We outline the evolution and biogeography of actinorhizal plants and legumes and compare and contrast their microsymbionts and symbiotic processes Within the NFN clade, a far greater number of nodulated legumes exists, compared with actinorhizal plants, and legumes have a much wider biogeographical distribution There are genetic and physiological differences between free‐living diazotrophic Frankia and the phylogenetically diverse rhizobia, most strains of which are unable to fix N2 ex planta Actinorhizal nodules are modified lateral roots with a central vascular system, whereas legume nodules are stem‐like organs with peripheral vascular systems Most legumes contain their microsymbionts within symbiosomes, rather than the infection threads found in actinorhizal nodule cells Legumes have greater control of their microsymbionts, and those within the Inverted Repeat Lacking Clade impose terminal differentiation on their bacteroids Legumes also have effective processes for autoregulation of nodulation and downregulation of N2 fixation in response to high levels of soil N These features of the legume‐rhizobia symbiosis have led to increased efficiencies in N2 fixation Synthesis We suggest that these characteristic features of the legume‐rhizobia symbiosis, specifically legumes' greater flexibility in the choice of microsymbiont partner and the evolution of increased efficiencies in N2 fixation, are factors that can explain why the majority of species within the Leguminosae have retained the ability to nodulate and how this has contributed to their evolutionary success

Forest structure drives changes in light heterogeneity during tropical secondary forest succession.

Abstract: Light is a key resource for tree performance and hence, tree species partition spatial and temporal gradients in light availability. Although light distribution drives tree performance and species replacement during secondary forest succession, we yet lack understanding how light distribution changes with tropical forest development. This study aims to evaluate how changes in forest structure lead to changes in vertical and horizontal light heterogeneity during tropical forest succession. We described successional patterns in light using a chronosequence approach in which we compared 14 Mexican secondary forest stands that differ in age (8–32 years) since agricultural abandonment. For each stand, we measured vertical light profiles in 16 grid cells, and structural parameters (diameter at breast height, height and crown dimensions) for each tree. During succession, we found a rapid increase in stand size (basal area, crown area and length) and stand differentiation (i.e. a gradual leaf distribution along the forest profile), which leads to fast changes in light conditions and more light heterogeneity. The inflection points of the vertical light gradient (i.e. the absolute height at which 50% relative light intensity is attained) rapidly moved towards higher heights in the first 20 years, indicating that larger amounts of light are intercepted by canopy trees. Light attenuation rate (i.e. the rate of light extinction) decreased during succession due to slower accumulation of the crown area with height. Understorey light intensity and heterogeneity slightly decreased during succession because of an increase in crown size and a decrease in lateral gap frequency. Understorey relative light intensity was 1.56% at 32 years after abandonment. Synthesis. During succession, light conditions changed linearly, which should lead to a continuous and constant replacement of species. Especially in later successional stages, stronger vertical light gradients can limit the regeneration of light-demanding pioneer species and increase the proportion of shade-tolerant late-successional species under the canopy. These changes in light conditions were largely driven by the successional changes in forest structure, as basal area strongly determined the height where most light is absorbed, whereas crown area, and to a lesser extent crown length, determined light distribution.

Crown-fire severity is more important than ground-fire severity in determining soil fungal community development in the boreal forest

Abstract: Wildfire shapes the structure, dynamic and functioning of boreal forests. With predicted warmer and drier summers, increased incidence and intensity of crown-fires may affect plant-soil interactions with consequences for post-fire fertility and forest productivity.We assessed how severity of crown- and ground-fire in boreal pine forests affected post-fire responses of soil fungal communities and their associated enzyme activities, and how variation in fire severity interacts with salvage (post-fire) logging in impacting soil fungi.Crown fire-induced tree mortality had a stronger impact on fungal biomass and community composition than did ground-fire-induced loss of soil organic matter. Severe crown-fire led to replacement of ectomycorrhizal- and litter-associated fungi by stress-tolerant ascomycetes. Elevated activities of hydrolytic enzymes in burned areas were correlated with root-associated ascomycetes and moulds, suggesting opportunistic exploitation of labile organic substrates. Fire did not, however, increase the abundance of more potent basidiomycete decomposers in the organic layer, nor did it enhance organic matter oxidation by fungal peroxidases, indicating that the potential for major post-fire losses of carbon due to stimulated decomposition is limited. Rather, peroxidase activity was low in burned areas, likely reflecting the absence of ectomycorrhizal fungi. Post-fire salvage logging induced larger shifts in fungal communities in areas with low crown-fire severity.Synthesis. Historically, boreal pine forests have been shaped by low-severity ground-fires. Our study highlights a risk that increasing occurrence of high-severity crown-fire as climate warms will have detrimental effects on mycorrhizal-mediated functions that are pivotal for maintaining organic matter turnover, soil fertility and forest resilience.

Quantifying nectar production by flowering plants in urban and rural landscapes

Abstract: Floral resources (nectar and pollen) provide food for insect pollinators but have declined in the countryside due to land use change. Given widespread pollinator loss, it is important that we quantify their food supply to help develop conservation actions. While nectar resources have been measured in rural landscapes, equivalent data are lacking for urban areas, an important knowledge gap as towns and cities often host diverse pollinator populations. We quantified the nectar supply of urban areas, farmland and nature reserves in the UK by combining floral abundance and nectar sugar production data for 536 flowering plant taxa, allowing us to compare landscape types and assess the spatial distribution of nectar sugar among land uses within cities. The magnitude of nectar sugar production did not differ significantly among the three landscapes. In urban areas the nectar supply was more diverse in origin and predominantly delivered by non‐native flowering plants. Within cities, urban land uses varied greatly in nectar sugar production. Gardens provided the most nectar sugar per unit area and 85% of all nectar at a city scale, while gardens and allotments produced the most diverse supplies of nectar sugar. Floral abundance, commonly used as a proxy for pollinators’ food supply, correlated strongly with nectar resources, but left a substantial proportion of the variation in nectar supply unexplained. Synthesis. We show that urban areas are hotspots of floral resource diversity rather than quantity and their nectar supply is underpinned by the contribution of residential gardens. Individual gardeners have an important role to play in pollinator conservation as ornamental plants, usually non‐native in origin, are a key source of nectar in towns and cities.

Effects of plant community history, soil legacy and plant diversity on soil microbial communities

Abstract: Plant and soil microbial diversities are linked through a range of interactions, including the exchange of carbon and nutrients but also herbivory and pathogenic effects. Over time, associations between plant communities and their soil microbiota may strengthen and become more specific, resulting in stronger associations between plant and soil microbial diversity. We tested this hypothesis at the end of a 4-year field experiment in 48 plots with different plant species compositions established 13 years earlier in a biodiversity experiment in Jena, Germany. We factorially crossed plant community history (old vs. new plant communities) and soil legacy (old vs. new soil) with plant diversity (species richness levels 1, 2, 4 and 8, each with 12 different species compositions). We use the term ‘plant community history’ to refer to the co-occurrence history of plants in different species compositions in the Jena Experiment. We determined soil bacterial and fungal community composition in terms of operational taxonomic units (OTUs) using 16S rRNA gene and ITS DNA sequencing. Plant community history (old plants) did not affect overall soil community composition but differentially affected bacterial richness and abundances of specific bacterial taxa in association with specific plant species compositions. Soil legacy (old soil) markedly increased soil bacterial richness and evenness and decreased fungal evenness. Soil fungal richness increased with plant species richness, regardless of plant community history or soil legacy, with the strongest difference between plant monocultures and mixtures. Specific plant species compositions and functional groups were associated with specific bacterial and fungal community compositions. Grasses increased fungal richness and evenness and legumes decreased fungal evenness, but bacterial diversity was not affected. Synthesis. Our findings indicate that as experimental ecosystems varying in plant diversity develop over time (2002–2010), plant species associate with specific soil microbial taxa. This can have long-lasting effects on below-ground community composition in re-assembled plant communities, as reflected in strong soil legacy signals still visible after 4 years (2011–2015). Effects of plant community history on soil communities are subtle and may take longer to fully develop.

Facilitation and the invasibility of plant communities

Abstract: One of the most studied emergent functions of plant community diversity is the resistance of diverse communities to non‐native invasions. As emphasized in this Special Feature, facilitation among native species is a key mechanism by which biodiversity increases various functions, including resistance to invasion. However, when diverse assemblages facilitate non‐native species, diversity–invasibility resistance may be compromised. Here, I review the scientific literature on plant invasion in which facilitative interactions, either among native and non‐native plant species or among non‐native species, affect community invasibility. Native species can directly facilitate non‐native species, and also generate net indirect facilitative effects through suppressing species that compete with non‐native invaders, but examples of the latter are not common. Such direct and indirect facilitation among non‐native species contributes to ‘invasional meltdown’ that restructures native communities. In general, facilitative interactions between native and non‐native species increased with environmental stress, suggesting that community diversity might resist invasion more effectively in environmentally favourable sites, whereas in environmentally severe sites, facilitative interactions may contribute to invasibility. Synthesis. Native and non‐native species can facilitate each other in direct and indirect ways, with important consequences for the invasibility of communities. Facilitative interactions may alter the fundamental relationship between diversity and invasibility, particularly in environmentally severe habitats.

An alternate vegetation type proves resilient and persists for decades following forest conversion in the North American boreal biome

Abstract: Climate change and natural disturbances are catalysing forest transitions to different vegetation types, but whether these new communities are resilient alternate states that will persist for decades to centuries is not known. Here, we test how changing climate, disturbance and biotic interactions shape the long‐term fate of a deciduous broadleaf forest type that replaces black spruce after severe wildfires in interior Alaska, USA. We simulated postfire deciduous forest that replaced black spruce after severe fires in 2004 for tens to hundreds of years under different climate scenarios (contemporary, mid 21st century, late 21st century), fire return intervals (11–250 years), distances to seed source (50–1,000 m) and browsing intensities (background, moderate, chronic). We identified combinations of conditions where deciduous forest remained the dominant vegetation type and combinations where it returned to black spruce forest, transitioned to mixed forest (where deciduous species and black spruce co‐dominate) or converted to nonforest. Deciduous forest persisted in 86% of simulations and was most resilient if fire return intervals were short (≤50 years). When transitions to another vegetation type occurred, mixed forest was most common, particularly when fire return intervals were long (>50 years) and the nearest seed source was 500 m or farther. Moderate and chronic browsing also reduced deciduous sapling growth and survival, helping black spruce compete if fire return intervals were long and seed source was distant. Dry soils occasionally caused conversion to nonforest following short‐interval fire when simulations were forced with a late 21st‐century climate scenario that projects warming and increased vapor pressure deficit. Return to black spruce forest almost never occurred. Synthesis. Conversion from black spruce to deciduous forest is already underway at regional scales in interior Alaska, and similar transitions have been widely observed throughout the North American boreal biome. We show that this boreal deciduous forest type is likely a resilient alternate state that will persist through the 21st century, which is important, because future vegetation outcomes will shape biophysical feedbacks to regional climate and influence subsequent disturbance regimes.

Optimal Defense Theory in an ant–plant mutualism: Extrafloral nectar as an induced defence is maximized in the most valuable plant structures

Abstract: Plants allocate defences in order to decrease costs and maximize benefits against herbivores The Optimal Defense Theory (ODT) predicts that continuously expressed (ie constitutive) defences are expected in structures of high value, whereas defences that are expressed or that increase their expression only after damage or upon risk of damage (ie induced defences) are expected in structures of low value Although there are several studies evaluating ODT predictions, few studies have successfully tested them as a way of measuring ecological investment in extrafloral nectary (EFN)‐mediated ant–plant interactions Here we compared extrafloral nectar production and ant attractiveness to EFNs located on vegetative versus reproductive plant structures on Qualea multiflora plants subjected to different levels of simulated herbivory We then addressed the following predictions emerging from the ODT: (a) extrafloral nectar produced in inflorescence EFNs will have higher volumes and calories and will attract more ants than extrafloral nectar produced in leaf EFNs; (b) extrafloral nectar production (volume and calories) and ant attendance will increase after simulated herbivory in leaf EFNs but not in inflorescence EFNs; (c) higher simulated leaf herbivory will induce higher extrafloral nectar production in EFNs on leaves and (d) more attractive extrafloral nectar (higher volume and calories) will attract more ants Extrafloral nectar volume and calorie content, as well as ant abundance, were higher in EFNs of inflorescences compared to EFNs of leaves both before and after simulated herbivory, consistent with one of our predictions However, EFNs on both leaves and inflorescences, not on leaves only, were induced by simulated herbivory, a pattern opposite to our prediction Plants subjected to higher levels of leaf damage produced more and higher calorie extrafloral nectar, but showed similar ant abundance Finally, more attractive extrafloral nectar attracted more ants Synthesis Our results show that extrafloral nectar production before and after simulated herbivory, as well as ant recruitment, varies according to the plant structure on which EFNs are located Our study is the first to show that ant recruitment via extrafloral nectar follows predictions from Optimal Defense Theory, and that the ant foraging patterns may be shaped by the plant part attacked and the level of damage it receives

Relative effects of climate and litter traits on decomposition change with time, climate and trait variability

Abstract: Climate and litter quality drive litter decomposition, but there is currently little consensus on their relative importance, likely because studies differ in the duration, the climatic gradients and variability in litter‐trait values. Understanding these drivers is important because they determine the direct and indirect (via vegetation composition) effects of climate change on decomposition and thereby on carbon and nutrient cycling. We studied how microclimate (soil moisture and temperature) and litter traits interactively affect litter mass loss, by using a reciprocal litter translocation experiment along a large climatic gradient in Chile. We followed decomposition for 2 years and used 30 plant species with a wide spectrum of functional‐trait values. Litter traits had a strong impact on litter decomposition across the gradient, while an increase in decomposition with soil moisture was observed only in the wettest climates. Overall, soil moisture increased considerably in importance, relative to trait effects, at later decomposition stages, from c. 15% of the importance of traits after 3 and 6 months to c. 110% after 24 months. Moreover, analysing subsets of the 30 species showed that trait effects on litter decomposition gained in importance when including a greater variation in trait values. Synthesis. The relative effects of litter traits and climate on decomposition depend on the ranges in climate and litter traits considered and change with time. Our study emphasizes the critical role of representative ranges in climate and functional trait values for understanding the drivers of litter decomposition and for improving predictions of climate‐change effects on this important ecosystem process.

Functional diversity and trait composition of vascular plant and Sphagnum moss communities during peatland succession across land uplift regions

Abstract: Most of the carbon accumulated into peatlands is derived from Sphagnum mosses. During peatland development, the relative share of vascular plants and Sphagnum mosses in the plant community changes, which impacts ecosystem functions. Little is known on the successional development of functional plant traits or functional diversity in peatlands, although this could be a key for understanding the mechanisms behind peatland resistance to climate change. Here we aim to assess how functionality of successive plant communities change along the autogenic peatland development and the associated environmental gradients, namely peat thickness and pH, and to determine whether trait trade-offs during peatland succession are analogous between vascular plant and moss communities.We collected plant community and trait data on successional peatland gradients from post-glacial rebound areas in coastal Finland, Sweden and Russia, altogether from 47 peatlands. This allowed us to analyse the changes in community-weighted mean trait values and functional diversity (diversity of traits) during peatland development.Our results show comparative trait trade-offs from acquisitive species to conservative species in both vascular plant and Sphagnum moss communities during peatland development. However, mosses had higher resistance to environmental change than vascular plant communities. This was seen in the larger proportion of intraspecific trait variation than species turnover in moss traits, while the proportions were opposite for vascular plants. Similarly, the functional diversity of Sphagnum communities increased during the peatland development, while the opposite occurred for vascular plants. Most of the measured traits showed a phylogenetic signal. More so, the species common to old successional stages, namely Ericacae and Sphagna from subgroup Acutifolia were detected as most similar to their phylogenetic neighbours.Synthesis. During peatland development, vegetation succession leads to the dominance of conservative plant species accustomed to high stress. At the same time, the autogenic succession and ecological engineering of Sphagna leads to higher functional diversity and intraspecific variability, which together indicate higher resistance towards environmental perturbations.

Climate warming drives Himalayan alpine plant growth and recruitment dynamics

Abstract: Understanding how climate influences plant reproduction and growth at contrasting range limits is crucial for predicting how species' ranges may shift in response to ongoing climate change Trees and shrubs have shown warming‐induced increases in performance at upper elevation limits but reduced performance at lower distributional limits due to warming‐driven drought limitation Whether these differential responses are also valid for alpine forbs exposed to accelerated warming remains largely unknown We examined climate signal recorded in annual growth and recruitment over the past 60 years in the alpine forb Potentilla pamirica in Western Himalayas, and tested whether the responses to recent climate warming differ between dry steppe, wet alpine and cold subnival zone within the species 5,250–5,900 m elevation range We reconstructed recruitment and growth chronologies from 1,019 individuals spanning 1–73 years, and more than 21,500 annual growth rings We identified contrasting climatic controls of recruitment and growth at opposite elevation range margins, as well as contrasting demographic trends identified from age distributions In lower‐elevation steppes, recruitment increased with high late‐winter snowfall and decreased with high summer temperatures, while growth increased with high summer precipitation Conversely, warm winters and summers in higher‐elevation alpine and subnival zones support growth and recruitment, while snowy winters reduce them, especially at their upper elevation limit The age distribution revealed greater numbers of younger individuals, indicating healthy growing populations, in the alpine habitat, while evidence of ageing plant populations was observed in steppe and subnival zones Accelerated warming since the 1990s reduced growth and recruitment in dry steppes while supporting plant performance in the alpine habitat The recruitment in the subnival zone did not peak during the past warmest decade due to concomitant extreme snowfall events Synthesis Our results provide novel information on population‐specific climate dependency of plant recruitment, growth and population dynamics, suggesting the high vulnerability of high‐elevation Himalayan ecosystems to climate change This is partly balanced by high species longevity and slow radial growth securing a long‐term population persistence Continuing trends of extreme snowfall events at higher elevations and droughts at lower elevations may lead to species range contraction