Checking billy barr’s snow log…
Snowmelt timing is crucial for many aspects of ecosystem function; for plants it determines the onset and length of the growing season. This can mean more time for growth with an earlier germination date, but can also expose plants to spring freezes overnight and increases in drought stress. Climate change is causing snow to melt earlier, while also increasing the variability of snowmelt timing from year-to-year. To determine the impacts of this variability on specific plant populations, demographic theory suggests this is connected to the species’ location on the fast-slow continuum. Populations with a faster life history are better able to adjust to variation, while those of slow life history have increased ability to buffer against its impact. Here, I investigated whether the fast-slow continuum applies to population-level variation across the elevation range of the plant species Valeriana edulis. I combined long-term census data, remotely-sensed snowmelt data, and demographic models to test the impact of changing snowmelt trends on longevity and population growth. Snowmelt timing impacted survival and flowering probabilities: late snowmelt was negative for survival and positive for flowering. The impact of snowmelt variability on population growth varied ideosyncratically across sites, while longevity values saw a standard increase with an increase in variability.
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