Vegetation dynamics of the Siberian dwarf pine (Pinus pumila Regel) in the Taisetsu mountain range, Hokkaido, Japan

Abstract

Previous studies have provided phytosociological descriptions and classifications of the communities of the Taisetsu mountain range, Hokkaido. Here, the authors give an account of the establishment, development and maintenance of Pinus pumila stands and describe the dynamic balance between the pine and its habitat factors, particularly snow depth and wind exposure. The establishment of P. pumila stands was dependent on the degree of wind exposure and snow depth. The dominancy of P. pumila diminished gradually on wind-exposed sites but reduced drastically on snow-depositing sites.

Changes with altitude of the stand structure of temperate forests on Mount Norikura, central Japan

“…However, Pinus pumila is hardly damaged by winter winter desiccation , because it is completely covered with snow in winter (Okitsu and Ito 1984b). In addition, the growth period is shorter and air temperature during the growth period is lower with increasing altitude.…”

Vegetation comparison between the Russian Far East and the Taisetsu Mountains, central Hokkaido, northern Japan

“…Snow depth can be more than 400 cm (Okitsu & Itō 1984), except along windward slopes where snow is sparse even in mid-winter.…”

“…Many Japanese botanists considered the Pinus pumila thi ckets in Japan to belong to the vegetation of the arctic or alpine tundra, due to the shrubby growth form (Okitsu & Itō 1984), but this is incorrect. Dwarf birch (Betula exilis) prevails in and is a typical representative plant of the subarctic subzone of northern Eurasia, which corresponds to the southern part of the actual tundra zone (Aleksandrova 1980).…”

“…The Betula ermanii forest de velops in areas with less strong wind; Pinus pumila thickets occupy areas with relatively strong wind and moderate snow; and dwarf scrub appears in the most wind-exposed areas, with strong wind and little snow (Okitsu & Itō 1984).…”

Pinus pumila growth at different altitudes in the Svyatoi Nos Peninsula (Russia)

“…It refers to the optimum construction for the maximum use of solar radiation for photosynthesis and, at the same time, for protection from overheating and excessive loss of water (Larcher 1995;Khomentovsky 2004). According to Okitsu and Ito (1984) the height of P. pumila generally depends on the intensity of prevailing winds which cause differences in the accumulation of snow in winter. On shaded or poorly insolated locations, P. pumila can create a short stem (Khomentovsky 2004) as was found at medium site.…”