02089nas a2200253   4500008004100000245008600041210006900127300001400196490000700210520133400217100001501551700001801566700002001584700001701604700002001621700001701641700001501658700001901673700001701692700001701709700001901726700001601745856007401761       2016                        eng d00aBeyond arctic and alpine: the influence of winter climate on temperate ecosystems0 aBeyond arctic and alpine the influence of winter climate on temp  a372 - 3820 v973 a<p>Winter climate is expected to change under future climate scenarios, yet the majority of winter ecology research is focused in cold-climate ecosystems. In many temperate systems, it is unclear how winter climate relates to biotic responses during the growing season. The objective of this study was to examine how winter weather relates to plant and animal communities in a variety of terrestrial ecosystems ranging from warm deserts to alpine tundra. Specifically, we examined the association between winter weather and plant phenology, plant species richness, consumer abundance, and consumer richness in 11 terrestrial ecosystems associated with the U.S. Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER) Network. To varying degrees, winter precipitation and temperature were correlated with all biotic response variables. Bud break was tightly aligned with end of winter temperatures. For half the sites, winter weather was a better predictor of plant species richness than growing season weather. Warmer winters were correlated with lower consumer abundances in both temperate and alpine systems. Our findings suggest winter weather may have a strong influence on biotic activity during the growing season and should be considered in future studies investigating the effects of climate change on both alpine and temperate systems.</p>1 aLadwig, L.1 aRatajczak, Z.1 aOcheltree, T.W.1 aHafich, K.A.1 aChurchill, A.C.1 aFrey, S.J.K.1 aFuss, C.B.1 aKazanski, C.E.1 aMuñoz, J.D.1 aPetrie, M.D.1 aReinmann, A.B.1 aSmith, J.G.  uhttps://esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1890/15-0153.1