Alpine and Polar Treelines in a Changing Environment

• Main Author: Wieser, Gerhard (auth)
• Format: Electronic Book Chapter
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI - Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute 2020
• Subjects: Biology, life sciences; n/a; tree seedling recruitment; shrubline; light quality; higher altitude; precipitation; experimental rain exclusion; Pinus cembra; Changbai Mountain; treeline dynamics; fungal ecology; thermal continentality; tree regeneration; elevational transect; monitoring; conifer shrub; plant water availability; permafrost; foehn winds; treeline; Holocene; nitrogen cycling; carotenoids; timberline; 15N natural abundance; spectrometer; basal area increment; palynology; xylem embolism; diversity; elevational treeline; European Alps; temperature; tree line; winter stress; photosynthetic pigments; Pinus sibirica; westerly winds; relative air humidity; ecosystem manipulation; Larix decidua; microsite; polar treeline; Central Austrian Alps; Switzerland; multi-stemmed growth form; conifers; forest edge; history of treeline research; soil drought; dendroclimatology; knowledge engineering; Rocky Mountains; apical control; cloud; postglacial; alpine timberline; space-for-time substitution; climate change; expert elicitation; shoot elongation; pit aspiration; climate warming; climate zone; alpine treeline; refilling; Abies sibirica; growth trend; western Montana; light quantity; Picea abies; Mediterranean climate; forest climatology; altitude; environmental stress; sub-Antarctic; Erman's birch; photoinhibition; tocopherol; elevational gradients; NDVI; long-term trends; sap flow; peat; tree seedlings; Southern Ocean; chlorophyll; non-structural carbohydrates (NSCs); drought; upward advance; remote sensing data
• Online Access: DOAB: download the publication; DOAB: description of the publication

Concerns have been raised with respect to the state of high-altitude and high-latitude treelines, as they are anticipated to undergo considerable modifications due to global changes, and especially due to climate warming. As high-elevation treelines are temperature-limited vegetation boundaries, they are considered to be sensitive to climate warming. As a consequence, in this future, warmer environment, an upward migration of treelines is expected because low air and root-zone temperatures constrain their regeneration and growth. Despite the ubiquity of climate warming, treeline advancement is not a worldwide phenomenon: some treelines have been advancing rapidly, others have responded sluggishly or have remained stable. This variation in responses is attributed to the potential interaction of a continuum of site-related factors that may lead to the occurrence of locally conditioned temperature patterns. Competition amongst species and below-ground resources have been suggested as additional factors explaining the variability in the movement of treelines. This Special Issue (book) is dedicated to the discussion of treeline responses to changing environmental conditions in different areas around the globe.