Chapter 4 Geomorphic Patterns and Processes at Alpine Treeline

Butler, David; Malanson, George P.; Resler, Lynn M.; Walsh, Stephen J.; Wilkerson, Forrest D.; Schmid, Ginger L.; Sawyer, Carol F.

doi:10.1016/s0928-2025(08)00204-6

Cited by 19 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 33 publications

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“…Sufficient availability of soil and soil resources at higher elevations (Holtmeier & Broll, ; Butler et al., ; Leonelli et al ., ; Sullivan et al ., ), little dispersal limitation (Holtmeier & Broll, ; Grace et al ., ; Nathan et al ., ; Harsch et al., ), rapid growth (Holtmeier & Broll, ; Lenoir et al ., ; Elmendorf et al ., ,b; Harsch et al., ), short time lags (Brown & Vellend, ), and the absence of confounding interactions with other species (Hille Ris Lambers et al ., ) have been identified in previous studies. Data presented here support the idea that dispersal, plant growth, time lags, and interactions are important, with forests moving upward slowly, perhaps because of competition with tall shrubs.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Shrubline but not treeline advance matches climate velocity in montane ecosystems of south‐central Alaska

Dial

Smeltz

Sullivan

et al. 2016

Global Change Biology

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Tall shrubs and trees are advancing into many tundra and wetland ecosystems but at a rate that often falls short of that predicted due to climate change. For forest, tall shrub, and tundra ecosystems in two pristine mountain ranges of Alaska, we apply a Bayesian, error-propagated calculation of expected elevational rise (climate velocity), observed rise (biotic velocity), and their difference (biotic inertia). We show a sensitive dependence of climate velocity on lapse rate and derive biotic velocity as a rigid elevational shift. Ecosystem presence identified from recent and historic orthophotos ~50 years apart was regressed on elevation. Biotic velocity was estimated as the difference between critical point elevations of recent and historic logistic fits divided by time between imagery. For both mountain ranges, the 95% highest posterior density of climate velocity enclosed the posterior distributions of all biotic velocities. In the Kenai Mountains, mean tall shrub and climate velocities were both 2.8 m y(-1). In the better sampled Chugach Mountains, mean tundra retreat was 1.2 m y(-1) and climate velocity 1.3 m y(-1). In each mountain range, the posterior mode of tall woody vegetation velocity (the complement of tundra) matched climate velocity better than either forest or tall shrub alone, suggesting competitive compensation can be important. Forest velocity was consistently low at 0.1-1.1 m y(-1), indicating treeline is advancing slowly. We hypothesize that the high biotic inertia of forest ecosystems in south-central Alaska may be due to competition with tall shrubs and/or more complex climate controls on the elevational limits of trees than tall shrubs. Among tall shrubs, those that disperse farthest had lowest inertia. Finally, the rapid upward advance of woody vegetation may be contributing to regional declines in Dall's sheep (Ovis dalli), a poorly dispersing alpine specialist herbivore with substantial biotic inertia due to dispersal reluctance.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Shrubline but not treeline advance matches climate velocity in montane ecosystems of south‐central Alaska

Dial

Smeltz

Sullivan

et al. 2016

Global Change Biology

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“…and unstable landforms (talus slopes, screes, rock faces, etc.) are markedly and extensively distributed, becoming 'disturbance factors' able to slow down altitudinal shifts and maintain the treeline below the potential climatic treeline (Butler et al 2009). Therefore, in the future, the treeline dynamics in the region will be hampered or stopped, as is already the case of many geomorphologic treelines detected in the region, where climatic factors have little influence on the treeline altitude (Fig.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Climate Warming and the Recent Treeline Shift in the European Alps: The Role of Geomorphological Factors in High-Altitude Sites

Leonelli

Pelfini

Cella

et al. 2010

AMBIO

113

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Global warming and the stronger regional temperature trends recently recorded over the European Alps have triggered several biological and physical dynamics in high-altitude environments. We defined the present treeline altitude in three valleys of a region in the western Italian Alps and reconstructed the past treeline position for the last three centuries in a nearly undisturbed site by means of a dendrochronological approach. We found that the treeline altitude in this region is mainly controlled by human impacts and geomorphological factors. The reconstruction of the altitudinal dynamics at the study site reveals that the treeline shifted upwards of 115 m over the period 1901-2000, reaching the altitude of 2505 m in 2000 and 2515 m in 2008. The recent treeline shift and the acceleration of tree colonization rates in the alpine belt can be mainly ascribed to the climatic input. However, we point out the increasing role of geomorphological factors in controlling the future treeline position and colonization patterns in high mountains.

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“…Thus, in addition to the numerous studies on the physiological response of treeline trees to heat deficiency at the broader scales (global/zonal/regional), the influences of local topography (landforms) on treeline spatial patterns and associated ecological processes have been increasingly studied, particularly in Austria and Switzerland (e.g., [75,[274][275][276][277]) (Figure 4). During the last decades, this issue has moved again in the focus of treeline research worldwide (e.g., [147][148][149]156,227,229,[278][279][280][281][282][283][284][285][286][287][288][289][290][291][292][293]). The need for maintenance and restoration of high elevation protective forests and afforestation above the present subalpine forest has also fuelled research on soils in the treeline ecotone and in the alpine zone (e.g., [139,279,280,[294][295][296][297][298][299][300][301][302][303][304][305]…”

Section: Treeline Fluctuationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Treeline Research—From the Roots of the Past to Present Time. A Review

Holtmeier¹,

Broll

2019

Forests

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Elevational and polar treelines have been studied for more than two centuries. The aim of the present article is to highlight in retrospect the scope of treeline research, scientific approaches and hypotheses on treeline causation, its spatial structures and temporal change. Systematic treeline research dates back to the end of the 19th century. The abundance of global, regional, and local studies has provided a complex picture of the great variety and heterogeneity of both altitudinal and polar treelines. Modern treeline research started in the 1930s, with experimental field and laboratory studies on the trees’ physiological response to the treeline environment. During the following decades, researchers’ interest increasingly focused on the altitudinal and polar treeline dynamics to climate warming since the Little Ice Age. Since the 1970s interest in treeline dynamics again increased and has considerably intensified from the 1990s to today. At the same time, remote sensing techniques and GIS application have essentially supported previous analyses of treeline spatial patterns and temporal variation. Simultaneously, the modelling of treeline has been rapidly increasing, often related to the current treeline shift and and its implications for biodiversity, and the ecosystem function and services of high-elevation forests. It appears, that many seemingly ‘new ideas’ already originated many decades ago and just confirm what has been known for a long time. Suggestions for further research are outlined.

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Chapter 4 Geomorphic Patterns and Processes at Alpine Treeline

Cited by 19 publications

References 33 publications

Shrubline but not treeline advance matches climate velocity in montane ecosystems of south‐central Alaska

Shrubline but not treeline advance matches climate velocity in montane ecosystems of south‐central Alaska

Climate Warming and the Recent Treeline Shift in the European Alps: The Role of Geomorphological Factors in High-Altitude Sites

Treeline Research—From the Roots of the Past to Present Time. A Review

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