August temperature variability in the southeastern Tibetan Plateau since AD 1385 inferred from tree rings

Zhu, Haifeng; Shao, Xuemei; Yin, Zhiyong; Xu, Peng; Xu, Yong; Tian, Hanqin

doi:10.1016/j.palaeo.2011.02.017

Cited by 122 publications

(59 citation statements)

References 38 publications

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“…21 days during the past 50 years has not directly affected the radial growth of Smith fir to date . Zhu et al (2011) reported a similar response to summer temperatures for Picea likiangensis var. balfouriana at adjacent treelines.…”

Section: Tree Physiognomy and Growth Patternsmentioning

confidence: 64%

Do Himalayan treelines respond to recent climate change? An evaluation of sensitivity indicators

et al. 2015

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Abstract. Climate warming is expected to induce treelines to advance to higher elevations. Empirical studies in diverse mountain ranges, however, give evidence of both advancing alpine treelines and rather insignificant responses. The inconsistency of findings suggests distinct differences in the sensitivity of global treelines to recent climate change. It is still unclear where Himalayan treeline ecotones are located along the response gradient from rapid dynamics to apparently complete inertia. This paper reviews the current state of knowledge regarding sensitivity and response of Himalayan treelines to climate warming, based on extensive field observations, published results in the widely scattered literature, and novel data from ongoing research of the present authors.Several sensitivity indicators such as treeline type, treeline form, seed-based regeneration, and growth patterns are evaluated. Since most Himalayan treelines are anthropogenically depressed, observed advances are largely the result of land use change. Near-natural treelines are usually krummholz treelines, which are relatively unresponsive to climate change. Nevertheless, intense recruitment of treeline trees suggests a great potential for future treeline advance. Competitive abilities of seedlings within krummholz thickets and dwarf scrub heaths will be a major source of variation in treeline dynamics. Tree growth-climate relationships show mature treeline trees to be responsive to temperature change, in particular in winter and pre-monsoon seasons. High pre-monsoon temperature trends will most likely drive tree growth performance in the western and central Himalaya. Ecological niche modelling suggests that bioclimatic conditions for a range expansion of treeline trees will be created during coming decades.

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Section: Tree Physiognomy and Growth Patternsmentioning

confidence: 64%

Do Himalayan treelines respond to recent climate change? An evaluation of sensitivity indicators

et al. 2015

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“…However, due to the coarse temporal resolution of Worldclim data [25], we cannot precisely calculate the seasonal temperature threshold that drives treeline elevation on the Tibetan Plateau. Nevertheless, our result has important implications for current ecological studies on the Tibetan Plateau, where elevational shifts of tree species forming the uppermost treeline are largely temperature controlled [12,16,49,50].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 83%

The Coupling of Treeline Elevation and Temperature is Mediated by Non-Thermal Factors on the Tibetan Plateau

Wang

Liang²,

Sigdel³

et al. 2017

Forests

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Abstract:Little is known about the relationships between treeline elevation and climate at regional and local scales. It is compelling to fill this research gap with data from the Tibetan Plateau where some of the highest alpine treelines in the world are found. This research question partially results from the lack of in situ temperature data at treeline sites. Herein, treeline variables (e.g., elevation, topography, tree species) and temperature data were collected from published investigations performed during this decade on the Tibetan Plateau. Temperature conditions near treeline sites were estimated using global databases and these estimates were corrected by using in situ air temperature measurements. Correlation analyses and generalized linear models were used to evaluate the effects of different variables on treeline elevation including thermal (growing-season air temperatures) and non-thermal (latitude, longitude, elevation, tree species, precipitation, radiation) factors. The commonality analysis model was applied to explore how several variables (July mean temperature, elevation of mountain peak, latitude) were related to treeline elevation. July mean temperature was the most significant predictor of treeline elevation, explaining 55% of the variance in treeline elevation across the Tibetan Plateau, whereas latitude, tree species, and mountain elevation (mass-elevation effect) explained 30% of the variance in treeline elevation. After considering the multicollinearity among predictors, July mean temperature (largely due to the influence of minimum temperature) still showed the strongest association with treeline elevation. We conclude that the coupling of treeline elevation and July temperature at a regional scale is modulated by non-thermal factors probably acting at local scales. Our results contribute towards explaining the decoupling between climate warming and treeline dynamics.

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“…2). Decadal tree recruitment was significantly correlated (P < 0.01) (Table S1) with summer and winter temperatures reconstructed from climatic proxies based on 18 O/ 16 O ratios in ice cores and tree-ring widths (42)(43)(44) (Fig. 2).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 97%

Species interactions slow warming-induced upward shifts of treelines on the Tibetan Plateau

Liang

Wang

Piao

et al. 2016

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

225

188

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The alpine treeline is commonly regarded as being sensitive to climatic warming because regeneration and growth of trees at treeline generally are limited by low temperature. The alpine treelines of the Tibetan Plateau (TP) occur at the highest elevations (4,900 m above sea level) in the Northern Hemisphere. Ongoing climatic warming is expected to shift treelines upward. Studies of treeline dynamics at regional and local scales, however, have yielded conflicting results, indicating either unchanging treeline elevations or upward shifts. To reconcile this conflict, we reconstructed in detail a century of treeline structure and tree recruitment at sites along a climatic gradient of 4°C and mean annual rainfall of 650 mm on the eastern TP. Species interactions interacted with effects of warming on treeline and could outweigh them. Densification of shrubs just above treeline inhibited tree establishment, and slowed upward movement of treelines on a time scale of decades. Interspecific interactions are major processes controlling treeline dynamics that may account for the absence of an upward shift at some TP treelines despite continued climatic warming.alpine treeline | treeline dynamics | climate change | interspecific competition | Tibetan Plateau T he boundary of vegetation formed by alpine treelines is expected to be sensitive to effects of climatic warming on subalpine and alpine ecosystems (1-3). Despite complex mechanisms controlling treeline ecotones (4), the mean root-zone and air temperature is thought to be the primary constraint on tree growth at the high elevations reached by particular tree species (3). As the temperature warms, therefore, treelines are expected to increase in elevation ("shift upward") (e.g., refs. 5-7).In a global meta-analysis, however, Harsch et al. (8) found that treelines shifted upward during the last century at only 52% of 166 locations examined; the majority of treelines upward shifts was attributed to improved winter conditions. Elsewhere, changes in treeline ("treeline displacement") were spatially heterogeneous and slow despite accelerating warming (9, 10). In general, treelines are not always keeping pace with climatic warming on multidecadal time scales, suggesting that upward migration and adjustment of alpine trees to warmer climate conditions may take from several decades to centuries (11), given biotic and climatic factors (e.g., drought, changes in frost damage and insect and pathogen attacks, soil nutrients, or water availability limitations). However, little is known about processes that control upward displacement of treelines in response to long-term warming, and whether alpine tree lines will respond quickly or not to climate warming occurring since the mid-1800s and accelerating today.Treeline displacement results from changes in tree recruitment, growth, and mortality (11, 12). These demographic processes are controlled by different drivers and involve biotic and climatic responses and limitations (4,(13)(14)(15)(16). In addition to physiological responses to ...

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August temperature variability in the southeastern Tibetan Plateau since AD 1385 inferred from tree rings

Cited by 122 publications

References 38 publications

Do Himalayan treelines respond to recent climate change? An evaluation of sensitivity indicators

Do Himalayan treelines respond to recent climate change? An evaluation of sensitivity indicators

The Coupling of Treeline Elevation and Temperature is Mediated by Non-Thermal Factors on the Tibetan Plateau

Species interactions slow warming-induced upward shifts of treelines on the Tibetan Plateau

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