TY - JOUR T1 - Nodes in the alpine connectome. Exploring the linkages between riparian ecosystem and geo-climatic elements across the mountain environment JF - bioRxiv DO - 10.1101/035576 SP - 035576 AU - Dragos G. Zaharescu AU - Antonio Palanca-Soler AU - Peter S. Hooda AU - Catalin Tanase AU - Carmen I. Burghelea AU - Richard N. Lester Y1 - 2016/01/01 UR - http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2016/06/22/035576.abstract N2 - Riparian ecotones are aquatic-terrestrial interfaces integrating climate and nutrient fluxes across landscape physical elements. Despite experiencing severe nutrient and climate restrictions, high elevation lakes host a disproportionally diverse riparian ecosystem. With climate change rapidly encroaching in the alpine biome, it is vital to understand how the functional connectivity between lakes and their surrounding landscapes maintains a natural ecosystem diversity before they experience major deleterious effects.A total of 189 glacial origin lakes in the Central Pyrenees were surveyed to test how key elements of lake and mountain surface connect at different scales to support riparian vegetation. Secondly, we evaluated how these underlying ecotope properties drive the formation of riparian communities and discuss their potential sensitivity to environmental change. At each lake plant taxonomic composition was assessed together with the elemental composition of water and sediment and ecosystem-relevant geographical factors. Their influence on vegetation was modelled using the Fuzzy Set Ordination and conceptually illustrated using network analysis.Hydrology-hydrodynamics was the main catchment-scale factor connecting riparian vegetation with large water fluxes, followed by topography and geomorphology. At macroscale vegetation related to pan-climatic gradients altitude and latitude, which captured, in a relatively narrow geographic area the transition between large European climatic zones. Locally, sediment Mg and Pb and water Mn and Fe were reliable predictors of plant composition, reflecting connections with catchment nutrient availability, and water saturation in the soil. Community analysis identified four riparian groups, characteristic to (a) damp environments, (b) snow bed-silicate bedrock, (c) wet heath, and (d) limestone bedrock. Their distribution along geographic gradients is further explored. With climate change being a serious threat to the alpine biome, this study provides critical information on the linkages between the riparian ecotone and the extended environment, which could prove invaluable in assessing future responses to environmental change.Running title: Riparian ecosystem in the alpine connectome ER -