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, the...