The Alpine Treeline Ecotone in the Southernmost Swedish Scandes: Dynamism on Different Scales

Kullman, Leif

doi:10.1007/978-1-4614-3797-0_12

Cited by 10 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 81 publications

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“…). As a consequence of these environmental changes, the plant cover in the high mountain regions of the Scandes experienced a perceivable process of ‘alpinization’, which progressed until about a century ago (Kullman and literature cited therein).…”

Section: Discussion and Interpretationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In addition to lower temperatures, the driving force behind this episode without megafossil finds may include components such as increased humidity, expansion of ombrogenous peat, delayed snowmelt and enhanced climatic instability in general (Kullman 1995;Hammarlund et al 2004). As a consequence of these environmental changes, the plant cover in the high mountain regions of the Scandes experienced a perceivable process of 'alpinization', which progressed until about a century ago (Kullman 2012 and literature cited therein).…”

Section: Postglacial Tree Line Shifts and Palaeoclimatementioning

confidence: 99%

“…On long and short temporal scales, alpine tree lines, generally constrained by heat deficiency, may perform as sensitive indicators of climate change and variability (Kullman 1998aLloyd & Fastie 2002;Holtmeier 2003;Shiyatov 2003;Tinner & Kaltenrieder 2005;Kullman & Öberg 2009;Kirdyanov et al 2012;Körner 2012). Moreover, tree line dynamics are paralleled by concurrent trajectories of alpine/subalpine plant species richness and certain vegetation patterns (Kullman 2007a(Kullman , 2012. Thus, tree line history appears to be an efficient proxy for palaeoclimate and associated broadscale vegetation transformation in high mountain areas.…”

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confidence: 99%

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Ecological tree line history and palaeoclimate – review of megafossil evidence from the Swedish Scandes

Kullman

2013

Boreas

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The postglacial tree line and climate history in the Swedish Scandes have been inferred from megafossil tree remains. Investigated species are mountain birch (Betula pubescens ssp. czerepanovii), Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) and grey alder (Alnus incana). Betula and Pinus first appeared on early deglaciated nunataks during the Lateglacial. Their tree lines peaked between 9600 and 9000 cal. a BP, almost 600 m higher than present‐day elevations. This implies (adjusted for land uplift) that early Holocene summer temperatures may have been 2.3°C above modern ones. Elevational tree line retreat characterized the Holocene tree line evolution. For short periods, excursions from this trend have occurred. Between c. 12 000 and 10 000 cal. a BP, a pine‐dominated subalpine belt prevailed. A first major episode of descent occurred c. 8200 cal. a BP, possibly forced by cooling and an associated shift to a deeper and more persistent snow pack. Thereafter, the subalpine birch forest belt gradually evolved at the expense of the prior pine‐dominated tree line ecotone. A second episode of pine descent took place c. 4800 cal. a BP. Historical tree line positions are viewed in relation to early 21st century equivalents, and indicate that tree line elevations attained during the past century and in association with modern climate warming are highly unusual, but not unique, phenomena from the perspective of the past 4800 years. Prior to that, the pine tree line (and summer temperatures) was consistently higher than present, as it was also during the Roman and Medieval periods, c. 1900 and 1000 cal. a BP, respectively.

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Section: Discussion and Interpretationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Postglacial Tree Line Shifts and Palaeoclimatementioning

confidence: 99%

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confidence: 99%

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Ecological tree line history and palaeoclimate – review of megafossil evidence from the Swedish Scandes

Kullman

2013

Boreas

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“…The situation may be somewhat different at the southern and eastern margin of the Swedish Scandes, with relatively low and isolated mountains, a more continental and/or drier climate, and a less vigorously competing birch belt. In these landscapes, pine has frequently tended to replace the sparse and declining mountain birch belt since the early 20th century (Engelmark & Zackrisson 1985;Kullman 2012). …”

Section: Treeline Versus Forest-limit: Sensitivity Versus Inertiamentioning

confidence: 99%

Treeline (Pinus sylvestris) landscape evolution in the Swedish Scandes – a 40-year demographic effort viewed in a broader temporal context

Kullman¹

2014

Norsk Geografisk Tidsskrift - Norwegian Journal of Geography

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Treeline (Pinus sylvestris) landscape evolution in the Swedish Scandes -a 40-year demographic effort viewed in a broader temporal context LEIF KULLMAN Kullman, L. 2014. Treeline (Pinus sylvestris) landscape evolution in the Swedish Scandes -a 40-year demographic effort viewed in a broader temporal context. Norsk Geografisk Tidsskrift-Norwegian Journal of Geography Vol. 68, 155-167. Oslo. ISSN 0029-1952. The article reports the outcome of long-term demographic monitoring of elevational treeline ecotonal stands of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) in the southern Swedish Scandes. Annual censuses were undertaken of recruitment, mortality, growth, seed viability, and causes of mortality during the period 1973-2012 in a set of 18 permanent plots. A net gain in total population size occurred over the study period as the result of periodic fluctuations in recruitment and mortality, broadly congruent with annual variations in summer and winter temperatures. Summer temperatures affected seed viability, establishment, and height growth. Winter temperatures exerted an impact foremost by changing the incidence of winter desiccation injury. As a result of infilling, pine has become a more prominent and vital component of the landscape around the forest limit, which has advanced insignificantly into the bordering mountain birch forest. The results highlight a rigid climate-forest disequilibrium and falsify models suggesting extensive and swift expansion of the treeline ecotone and closed forest at the expense of alpine tundra in response to anticipated future warming during the present century. The balance of evidence suggests that patchy forest expansion is likely to occur at a very slow (plurisecular) pace, given that climate warming prevails.

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“…This concept refers to the entire plant cover within the elevational interval between the uppermost closed forest and the alpine tundra, where forest disintegrates into isolated tree individuals. It defines a complex and mostly climate-related transition zone with its own structural, compositional and dynamic characteristics [47,9,[51][52][53][54].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Review and Analysis of Factual Change on the Max Rise of the Swedish Scandes Treeline, in Relation to Climate Change over the Past 100 Years

Kullman¹

2018

JENR

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Treeline advance during the past 100 years was assessed by repeat in situ measurement at 14 locations distributed along the Swedish Scandes, c. 800 km from south to north. Concerned species were mountain birch (Betula pubescens ssp. czerepanovii), Norway spruce (Picea abies), Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) and rowan (Sorbus aucuparia). Treeline was narrowly defined as the highest elevation with trees, at least 2 m tall. In order to elucidate the full effect and power of climate change on the treeline area, focus was on sites with the most extensive treeline shifts along the entire Swedish Scandes, according to prior regional surveys. Thereby, local constraints (topoclimate) were minimized. Betula and Picea accomplished treeline rise predominantly by phenotypic height growth increment of old-established krummholz, while Pinus responded by establishment and growth of new specimens. The largest upshifts along the entire Scandes and irrespective of species were in the order of 200 m (max. 245 m). In perspective of historical treeline shifts, the new and higher treelines are close to the position prevailing about 7000 years ago. In contrast to previous generalizations, no obvious differences existed between southern and northern Scandes. Based on a common temperature lapse rate of 0.6 °C per 100 m altitude and recorded regional and centennial summer warming of 1.6 °C, the observed rise appears as a fully expected response. This kind of performance indicates that, at optimal sites, treelines are in equilibrium with climate at a centennial scale, in cases of climate warming.

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The Alpine Treeline Ecotone in the Southernmost Swedish Scandes: Dynamism on Different Scales

Cited by 10 publications

References 81 publications

Ecological tree line history and palaeoclimate – review of megafossil evidence from the Swedish Scandes

Ecological tree line history and palaeoclimate – review of megafossil evidence from the Swedish Scandes

Treeline (Pinus sylvestris) landscape evolution in the Swedish Scandes – a 40-year demographic effort viewed in a broader temporal context

A Review and Analysis of Factual Change on the Max Rise of the Swedish Scandes Treeline, in Relation to Climate Change over the Past 100 Years

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