Article

Strong topographic sheltering effects lead to spatially complex treeline advance and increased forest density in a subtropical mountain region

Details

Citation

Greenwood S, Chen J, Chen C & Jump A (2014) Strong topographic sheltering effects lead to spatially complex treeline advance and increased forest density in a subtropical mountain region. Global Change Biology, 20 (12), pp. 3756-3766. https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.12710

Abstract
Altitudinal treelines are typically temperature limited such that increasing temperatures linked to global climate change are causing upslope shifts of treelines worldwide. While such elevational increases are readily predicted based on shifting isotherms, at the regional level the realized response is often much more complex, with topography and local environmental conditions playing an important modifying role. Here, we used repeated aerial photographs in combination with forest inventory data to investigate changes in treeline position in the Central Mountain Range of Taiwan over the last 60years. A highly spatially variable upslope advance of treeline was identified in which topography is a major driver of both treeline form and advance. The changes in treeline position that we observed occurred alongside substantial increases in forest density, and lead to a large increase in overall forest area. These changes will have a significant impact on carbon stocking in the high altitude zone, while the concomitant decrease in alpine grassland area is likely to have negative implications for alpine species. The complex and spatially variable changes that we report highlight the necessity for considering local factors such as topography when attempting to predict species distributional responses to warming climate.

Keywords
Abies kawakamii ; aerial photography; alpine habitat; central mountain range; climate change; forest density; fragmentation; Taiwan; topography

Journal
Global Change Biology: Volume 20, Issue 12

StatusPublished
Publication date31/12/2014
Publication date online20/08/2014
Date accepted by journal12/08/2014
URLhttp://hdl.handle.net/1893/22024
PublisherWiley-Blackwell
ISSN1354-1013

People (2)

Dr Sarah Greenwood

Dr Sarah Greenwood

Lecturer in Global Change Biology, Biological and Environmental Sciences

Professor Alistair Jump

Professor Alistair Jump

Dean of Natural Sciences, NS Management and Support