Pace and Pattern of Recent Treeline Dynamics: Response of Ecotones to Climatic Variability in the Spanish Pyrenees

Camarero, J. Julio; Gutiérrez, Emília

doi:10.1023/b:clim.0000018507.71343.46

Cited by 278 publications

(292 citation statements)

References 41 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

269

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…Each tree was cored at the base of the tree using an increment borer (Haglöf, Sweden) to determine its age by counting the rings. The age of a sapling or seedling was estimated by the branch whorl count method (Camarero and Gutierrez 2004;Ninot et al 2008). The height of each individual was measured.…”

Section: Samplingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Land-use change under a warming climate facilitated upslope expansion of Himalayan silver fir (Abies spectabilis (D. Don) Spach)

Suwal

Shrestha²,

Guragain³

et al. 2016

Plant Ecol

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Global warming is triggering some species to shift towards the poles or higher elevations, but spatial translocation is also influenced by land-use regime or intensity. The Himalayan climate is getting warmer and land use has changed, reducing in intensity in some areas. We estimated the upper species limit (USL) and tree limit of Abies spectabilis (D. Don) Spach and assessed whether these have changed over recent years. We hypothesise an upslope shift in response to enhanced temperature and changes in land-use intensity. Our four transects were located in treeline ecotones of two protected areas in Nepal, namely Manaslu Conservation Area (3 transects) and Gaurishankar Conservation Area (1 transect). Transects (20 m wide) ran from the USL of A. spectabilis down towards the treeline and beyond to the forest line. Length of each transect varied depending on local conditions. Co-ordinates, elevation, height and age of each A. spectabilis individual along the transects were recorded. We noted an upward shift of both the USL and the tree limit. The rate of shift was ca. 20 m per decade for the USL and 12 m per decade for the tree limit in the area of reduced land-use intensity and in the area with no change in land use, 5 m per decade for the USL, but almost nil for tree limit. The seedling density was higher below the treeline than above. Reduced intensity of land use was the dominant factor in upslope shift of A. spectabilis at both the USL and the tree limit.

show abstract

Section: Samplingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Land-use change under a warming climate facilitated upslope expansion of Himalayan silver fir (Abies spectabilis (D. Don) Spach)

Suwal

Shrestha²,

Guragain³

et al. 2016

Plant Ecol

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…To get a broader geographical view of soil thermal conditions at Pyrenean treelines we selected additional treeline positions obtained from previous regional studies (Camarero and Gutiérrez 2004;Batllori and Gutiérrez 2008) to estimate their air and soil temperatures. In total 12 treeline locations across the Pyrenees were considered (Fig 1) and monthly mean air temperatures were obtained for those sites from the mean daily air temperature by applying cubic splines.…”

Section: Estimation Of Root Zone Temperatures Based On Air Temperaturesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Radial growth enhancement has been observed in many treelines being mostly attributed to warmer temperatures (Rolland et al 1998;Camarero and Gutiérrez 2004;Salzer et al 2009). …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Complex climate constraints of upper treeline formation in the Pyrenees

Andrés

Camarero

Büntgen

2015

Trees

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Alpine treelines are often induced by a threshold of minimum temperatures above which tree growth is generally not possible anymore. However, this worldwide pattern may not account for more drought-prone mountains, where changes in precipitation can also affect ecosystem functioning and productivity at higher elevations. Here, we aim to determine if tree ring formation in ecotones along the Pyrenees indeed primarily depends on temperature means or also reflects hydroclimatic changes. The mean duration of the growing season at Pyrenean treelines was 177 days lasting from mid May to early November, which corresponds to a mean root-zone temperature of 8.2 ºC.Temperatures during the early and late growing season were most critical for mountain pine growth at highest elevations, and above average spring temperatures also contributed to radial enlargement of tracheids. Sites showing more similar soil temperatures also presented more alike long-term growth trends indicating that local conditions trace regional influences on growth. Nevertheless, more wet conditions in summer enhanced growth at treelines subjected to more Mediterranean influence and therefore having a higher summer water deficit. A broader perspective reveals that soil moisture availability during spring and summer, however, also influenced ring width formation at other treelines located in mid-latitude mountains separating temperate and semi-arid biomes. Our results suggest re-evaluating the idea of purely temperaturelimited treelines, especially in mid-latitude mountains that experience moisture seasonality or where precipitation decreases with increasing elevation.

show abstract

“…As the natural boundary of high-altitude ecosystems, the alpine treeline ecotone is widely assumed as the early-warning monitor of climate change for its sensitivity to climate change [4]. The treeline is the upper altitudinal limit at which upright trees reach two meters in height [5][6][7]. Given the importance of environmental factors in controlling the position of the treeline and affecting tree recruitment, the alpine treeline ecotone is thought to be vulnerable to climate change, showing changes in density dynamics, recruitment patterns, and treeline positions [5,[8][9][10][11].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Population Spatial Dynamics of Larix potaninii in Alpine Treeline Ecotone in the Eastern Margin of the Tibetan Plateau, China

Cui

Qin

Sun

2017

Forests

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Abstract:The high-altitude treeline is known to be sensitive to climate variability, and is thus considered as a bio-monitoring indicator of climate change. However, our understanding of the population dynamics and the cumulative climate-change effects on the alpine treeline ecotone in recent decades is limited. Here, we investigated the population dynamics of Larix potainii on the southand north-facing slopes in the alpine treeline ecotone in the eastern margin of the Tibetan Plateau, China, including treeline position, population density, and tree recruitment. Results showed that on both south-and north-facing slopes, the treeline did not show a significant advancement in the past four decades. The population was dominated by young individuals, which tend to be established in the lower areas. Larix, here, tends to be clustered, especially in the upper areas. However, population density increased dramatically only on north-facing slopes. Larix here suffer from the stressful environment, but the warmer winter due to climate warming could facilitate the vertical growth of seedlings and saplings. Aggregated spatial patterns also provide a positive feedback in ameliorating the harsh environment. The slope-climate-moisture interactions have a pronounced impact on tree recruitment, including snow-limited tree establishment on the north-facing slopes and moisture-limited tree establishment on the south-facing slopes.

show abstract

Pace and Pattern of Recent Treeline Dynamics: Response of Ecotones to Climatic Variability in the Spanish Pyrenees

Cited by 278 publications

References 41 publications

Land-use change under a warming climate facilitated upslope expansion of Himalayan silver fir (Abies spectabilis (D. Don) Spach)

Land-use change under a warming climate facilitated upslope expansion of Himalayan silver fir (Abies spectabilis (D. Don) Spach)

Complex climate constraints of upper treeline formation in the Pyrenees

Population Spatial Dynamics of Larix potaninii in Alpine Treeline Ecotone in the Eastern Margin of the Tibetan Plateau, China

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About