Water as a multifaceted environmental filter of tundra vegetation

The hydrological cycle of tundra has intensified due to accelerated environmental changes. Climatic changes affect tundra vegetation by altering water conditions (1). Plant-available water mediates climate change impacts, namely against rising temperatures and changing snow dynamics (2). Vegetation is limited by water resources, but water forms also major stress and disturbance. However, climate change impact studies often cover water inadequately in cold regions, which are assumed to be energy-limited ecosystems (3). Thus, we used statistical modelling methods to test if the inclusion of different water factors improved species distribution, species richness, and community composition mode…