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1 - Life conditions in and above a Loiseleuria procumbens stand. |
Plants manipulate the climate. The climate plants experience differs widely from that reported by weather stations. The closer to the ground and the denser the vegetation, the warmer: creepers, cushions, carpets work as solar heat collectors. |
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2 - Plant canopy temperatures along a profile of increasing wind exposure in the central Alps (Tirol). Rhododendron is sheltered and deeply covered by snow in winter. Carpets of Loiseleuria are found at the wind-blown end of the transect. Vaccinium heath holds an intermediate position. The black area indicates the amplitude between daily minimum and maximum temperatures, the white stripe in the lowest diagram shows the amplitude in -10 cm soil temperature. White bars mark the duration of snow cover (Cernusca 1976). |
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29 August 2011 |
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