---
title: "Severe warming shifts biomass aboveground and raises ecosystem respiration in alpine grassland (me"
id: "biorxiv-23-severe-warming-alters-biomass-allocation-and-enhances-ecosystem-respiration-in"
canonical_url: "https://medichelpline.com/clinical-feed/biorxiv-23-severe-warming-alters-biomass-allocation-and-enhances-ecosystem-respiration-in"
content_type: "clinical_feed_article"
specialty: "General"
source_name: "bioRxiv (Biomedical Preprints)"
source_url: "https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.09.21.753258v1?rss=1"
published_at: "2026-09-22T12:00:00.000Z"
evidence_level: "Verified Feed"
license: "CC-BY-NC-4.0 / Informational Use"
---
# Severe warming shifts biomass aboveground and raises ecosystem respiration in alpine grassland (me
## Provenance & Clinical Metadata
- **Canonical URL:** https://medichelpline.com/clinical-feed/biorxiv-23-severe-warming-alters-biomass-allocation-and-enhances-ecosystem-respiration-in
- **Specialty:** [General](https://medichelpline.com/clinical-feed/general.md)
- **Primary Source:** bioRxiv (Biomedical Preprints)
- **Source URL:** [Original Journal Publication](https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.09.21.753258v1?rss=1)
- **Published At:** 2026-09-22T12:00:00.000Z
- **Evidence Rating:** Verified Feed
## Executive GIST (TL;DR)
- This mesocosm experiment tested short-term responses of an alpine grassland (Mont Blanc, Italy) to projected climate scenarios including elevated CO2 and warming consistent with **RCP 4.5** (moderate) and **RCP 8.5** (severe). - Ecosystem monoliths were exposed to current (~420 ppm) and elevated CO2 (~550 and ~800 ppm) combined with changes in temperature, precipitation, humidity, and radiation to simulate future climates. - Measurements included CO2 fluxes (NEP, **GPP**, **Reco**), soil chemistry, vegetation cover, above- and belowground biomass, and plant functional traits across a single growing season. - Under moderate warming (RCP 4.5) the alpine community appeared relatively stable with no major shifts reported. - Under severe warming (RCP 8.5) **GPP**, vegetation cover and total biomass increased, and plants shifted allocation toward **aboveground** biomass with reduced belowground investment. - Despite higher daytime GPP under RCP 8.5, daytime NEP remained stable because gains in assimilation were offset by increased **Reco**; on a diel basis higher photosynthesis was counterbalanced by higher respiration, indicating potential net carbon loss. - No clear limitations from water or nutrients were detected during the short-term experiment. - The dominant alpine species Salix herbacea showed trait shifts (higher leaf mass per area, elevated Na, and higher δ15N) consistent with increased leaf longevity, altered water-use efficiency and nitrogen metabolism. - Responses were species-specific, suggesting uneven acclimation across the plant community and potential for community reorganization if trends persist. - Authors conclude that while moderate warming produced limited short-term change, severe warming-driven shifts in biomass allocation and enhanced ecosystem respiration could, if sustained, convert the ecosystem from a carbon sink to a carbon source. - The study covers a single growing season in a controlled Ecotron mesocosm; long-term trajectories and ecosystem-level outcomes were not reported in the source.
## Clinical Analysis & Structured Key Points
Severe warming alters biomass allocation and enhances ecosystem respiration in an alpine grassland: evidence from a short-term mesocosm experiment | bioRxiv Skip to main content New Results Severe warming alters biomass allocation and enhances ecosystem respiration in an alpine grassland: evidence from a short-term mesocosm experiment View ORCID Profile Federica D'Alo , Angela Augusti , Carlotta Volterrani , Maurizio Sarti , Alexandru Milcu , Sebastien Devidal , Clement Piel , Leonardo Montagnani , Ilaria Fracasso , Olga Gavrichkova doi: https://doi.org/10.64898/2026.09.21.753258 Federica D'Alo 1 Institute of Research on Terrestrial Ecosystems, National Research Council, Porano (TR), Italy; Find this author on Google Scholar Find this author on PubMed Search for this author on this site ORCID record for Federica D'Alo For correspondence: federicadalo{at}cnr.it Angela Augusti 1 Institute of Research on Terrestrial Ecosystems, National Research Council, Porano (TR), Italy; Find this author on Google Scholar Find this author on PubMed Search for this author on this site Carlotta Volterrani 1 Institute of Research on Terrestrial Ecosystems, National Research Council, Porano (TR), Italy; Find this author on Google Scholar Find this author on PubMed Search for this author on this site Maurizio Sarti 1 Institute of Research on Terrestrial Ecosystems, National Research Council, Porano (TR), Italy; Find this author on Google Scholar Find this author on PubMed Search for this author on this site Alexandru Milcu 2 Montpellier European Ecotron, Univ Montpellier, CNRS, Campus Baillarguet, 34980 Montferrier-Sur-Lez, France; Find this author on Google Scholar Find this author on PubMed Search for this author on this site Sebastien Devidal 2 Montpellier European Ecotron, Univ Montpellier, CNRS, Campus Baillarguet, 34980 Montferrier-Sur-Lez, France; Find this author on Google Scholar Find this author on PubMed Search for this author on this site Clement Piel 2 Montpellier European Ecotron, Univ Montpellier, CNRS, Campus Baillarguet, 34980 Montferrier-Sur-Lez, France; Find this author on Google Scholar Find this author on PubMed Search for this author on this site Leonardo Montagnani 3 Faculty of Agricultural, Environmental and Food Sciences, Free University of Bolzano, 39100 Bolzano, Italy.; Find this author on Google Scholar Find this author on PubMed Search for this author on this site Ilaria Fracasso 4 Faculty of Agricultural, Environmental and Food Sciences, Free University of Bolzano, 39100 Bolzano, Italy Find this author on Google Scholar Find this author on PubMed Search for this author on this site Olga Gavrichkova 1 Institute of Research on Terrestrial Ecosystems, National Research Council, Porano (TR), Italy; Find this author on Google Scholar Find this author on PubMed Search for this author on this site Abstract Info/History Metrics Supplementary material Preview PDF Abstract Background and aims Alpine ecosystems are highly sensitive to climate change, with rising temperatures threatening ecosystem structure and function. This study examined the short-term responses of alpine grassland ecosystems (Mont Blanc, Italy) to projected climate scenarios using an Ecotron mesocosm experiment. Methods Ecosystem monoliths were exposed to current (~420 ppm CO2) and future CO2; concentrations (~550 and ~800 ppm) under RCP 4.5 and RCP 8.5 scenarios, incorporating changes in temperature, precipitation, humidity, and radiation. CO2; fluxes (NEP, GPP, Reco), soil chemistry, vegetation coverage, above- and belowground biomass, and plant functional traits were assessed throughout the experiment. Results Alpine grassland ecosystems withstood moderate warming (RCP 4.5), while under severe warming (RCP 8.5), GPP, vegetation cover and biomass increased with a shift toward aboveground allocation, although daytime NEP remained stable as gains were offset by higher Reco, with no detectable water and nutrients limitations. On a diel basis, higher GPP was offset by enhanced Reco, indicating a potential towards net C loss. Salix herbacea exhibited functional trait adjustments-higher LMA and Na, and elevated delta15N-reflecting greater leaf longevity, water-use efficiency, and altered nitrogen metabolism, suggesting potential community reorganization. Conclusion Over a single growing season, alpine ecosystems appeared relatively stable under moderate warming. However, under the more severe RCP 8.5 scenario, biomass allocation shifted toward greater aboveground and reduced belowground investment, leading to altered C fluxes that, if sustained over the long-term, could drive the ecosystem C balance from a sink to a source. Responses were plant species-specific, indicating uneven acclimation within the community. Competing Interest Statement The authors have declared no competing interest. Funder Information Declared Italian PRIN 2020 MICROPLANTALP CNRS Investissement d’Avenir’ AnaEEFrance , ANR-11-INBS-0001 Copyright The copyright holder for this preprint is the author/funder, who has granted bioRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. All rights reserved. No reuse allowed without permission. Back to top Previous Next Posted September 22, 2026. Download PDF Supplementary Material Email Thank you for your interest in spreading the word about bioRxiv. NOTE: Your email address is requested solely to identify you as the sender of this article. Your Email * Your Name * Send To * Enter multiple addresses on separate lines or separate them with commas. 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Share Severe warming alters biomass allocation and enhances ecosystem respiration in an alpine grassland: evidence from a short-term mesocosm experiment Federica D'Alo , Angela Augusti , Carlotta Volterrani , Maurizio Sarti , Alexandru Milcu , Sebastien Devidal , Clement Piel , Leonardo Montagnani , Ilaria Fracasso , Olga Gavrichkova bioRxiv 2026.09.21.753258; doi: https://doi.org/10.64898/2026.09.21.753258 Share This Article: Copy Citation Tools Severe warming alters biomass allocation and enhances ecosystem respiration in an alpine grassland: evidence from a short-term mesocosm experiment Federica D'Alo , Angela Augusti , Carlotta Volterrani , Maurizio Sarti , Alexandru Milcu , Sebastien Devidal , Clement Piel , Leonardo Montagnani , Ilaria Fracasso , Olga Gavrichkova bioRxiv 2026.09.21.753258; doi: https://doi.org/10.64898/2026.09.21.753258 Citation Manager Formats BibTeX Bookends EasyBib EndNote (tagged) EndNote 8 (xml) Medlars Mendeley Papers RefWorks Tagged Ref Manager RIS Zotero Tweet Widget Facebook Like Google Plus One Subject Areas All Articles Animal Behavior and Cognition (8019) Biochemistry (18746) Bioengineering (14899) Bioinformatics (44471) Biophysics (22615) Cancer Biology (19731) Cell Biology (26911) Clinical Trials (138) Developmental Biology (13973) Ecology (21012) Epidemiology (2067) Evolutionary Biology (25466) Genetics (16177) Genomics (23526) Immunology (18720) Microbiology (42540) Molecular Biology (18072) Neuroscience (93552) Paleontology (701) Pathology (2984) Pharmacology and Toxicology (5102) Physiology (8123) Plant Biology (16003) Scientific Communication and Education (2095) Synthetic Biology (4562) Systems Biology (10239) Zoology (2392)
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