Vegetation patterns at the alpine treeline ecotone: The influence of tree cover on abrupt change in species composition of alpine communities

Journal of Vegetation Science

Volumn 20, Issue 5, 2009, Pages 814-825

  Batllori, E ^a   Bianco Moreno, J M ^a   Ninot, J M ^a   Gutierrez, E ^a   Carrillo, E ^a  

^a UNIVERSITY OF BARCELONA   (Spain)

Author keywords

Community structure; Ecotone; Pinus uncinata; Plant diversity; Pyrenees; Vegetation analysis; Wavelets

Indexed keywords

AFFORESTATION; ALPINE ENVIRONMENT; CLIMATE CHANGE; CLUSTER ANALYSIS; CONIFEROUS TREE; ECOTONE; ELEVATION; FUZZY MATHEMATICS; GLOBAL CHANGE; HABITAT FRAGMENTATION; HABITAT LOSS; HABITAT MOSAIC; HETEROGENEITY; LAND USE CHANGE; MICROCLIMATE; MONTANE FOREST; SPECIES DIVERSITY; SPECIES OCCURRENCE; SPECIES RICHNESS; SUBALPINE ENVIRONMENT; TRANSFORM; TREELINE; VEGETATION COVER; VEGETATION STRUCTURE; WAVELET ANALYSIS;

EURASIA; EUROPE; PYRENEES;

PINUS UNCINATA;

EID: 70349673773     PISSN: 11009233     EISSN: None     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1111/j.1654-1103.2009.01085.x     Document Type: Article

References (58)

1. Addison, P. 2002. The illustrated wavelet transform handbook: introductory theory and applications in science, engineering, medicine and finance. Institute of Physics, London.
2. Akhalkatsi, M., Abdaladze, O., Nakhutsrishvili, G. & Smith, W.K. 2006. Facilitation of seedlings microsite by Rhododendron caucasicum extends the Betula litwinowii alpine treeline, Caucasus Mountains, republic of Georgia. Arctic, Antarctic, and Alpine Research 38: 481-488.
3. Armand, A.D. 1992. Sharp and gradual mountain timber-lines as a result of species interactions. In: Hansen, A.J. & Castri, F.d. (eds.) Landscape boundaries. Consequences for biotic diversity and ecological flows. Vol. 92, pp. 360-378. Springer, Berlin.
4. Batllori, E. & Gutierrez, E. 2008. Regional tree line dynamics in response to global change in the Pyrenees. Journal of Ecology 96: 1275-1288.
5. Bezdek, J.C. 1981. Pattern recognition with fuzzy objective function algorithms. Plenum Press, New York.
6. Bolos, O.d., Vigo, J., Masalles, R.M. & Ninot, J.M. 2005. Flora manual dels Patsos Catalans. 3rd edition. Portic, Barcelona.
7. Bradshaw, G.A. & Spies, T.A. 1992. Characterizing canopy gap structure in forests using wavelet analysis. Journal of Ecology 80: 205-215.
8. Braun-Blanquet, J. 1948. La vegetation alpine des Pyrenees Orientales. CSIC, Barcelona.
9. Cáceres, M.D. 2005. La classificacio numerica de la vegetacio basada en la composicio floristica. PhD Thesis. Universitat de Barcelona.
10. Cáceres, M.D., Font, X., Oliva, F. & Vives, S. 2007. GINKGO, a program for non-standard multivariate fuzzy analysis. Advances in Fuzzy Sets & Systems 2: 41-56.
11. Callaghan, T.V., Crawford, R.M.M., Eronen, M., Hofgaard, A., Payette, S., Rees, W.G., Skre, O., Sveinbjornsson, B., Vlassova, T.K. & Werkman, B.R. 2002. The dynamics of the tundra-taiga boundary: an overview and suggested coordinate and integrated approach to research. Ambio Special Report 12: 3-5.
12. Camarero, J.J. & Gutiérrez, E. 2002. Plant species distribution across two contrasting treeline ecotones in the Spanish Pyrenees. Plant Ecology 162: 247-257.
13. Camarero, J.J., Gutiérrez, E. & Fortin, M.-J. 2000. Boundary detection in altitudinal treeline ecotones in the Spanish Central Pyrenees. Arctic, Antarctic and Alpine Research 32: 117-126. (Pubitemid 30390700)
14. Camarero, J.J., Gutierrez, E. & Fortin, M.-J. 2006. Spatial patterns of plant richness across treeline ecotones in the Pyrenees reveal different locations for richness and tree cover boundaries. Global Ecology and Biogeo-graphy 15: 182-191.
15. Carreras, J., Carrillo, E., Masalles, R., Ninot, J., Soriano, I. & Vigo, J. 1996. Delimitation of the supra-forest zone in the Catalan Pyrenees. Bulletin de la Societé Linnéenne de Provence 47: 27-36.
16. Carrillo, E. & Ninot, J. 1992. Flora i vegetació de les vails d'Espot i de Boí, 2. Arxius de la Secció de Ciències 99: 1-350.
17. Carrillo, E. & Vigo, J. 2002. Isil, 149 (33-8). Memòria del mapa de vegetació de Catalunya 1: 50.000. Generalitat de Catalunya & Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona.
18. Ceballos, L. & Ruiz de la Torre, J. 1979. Árboles y Arbustos de la Espaita Peninsular. ETSIM, Madrid.
19. Choesin, D. & Boerner, R.E.J. 2002. Vegetation boundary detection: a comparison of two approaches applied to field data. Plant Ecology 158: 85-96.
20. Constantine, W. & Percival, D. 2007. Insightful Wavelet Methods for Time Series Analysis. R package 'wmtsa' version 1.0-4.
21. Dale, M.R.T. & Mah, M. 1998. The use of wavelets for spatial pattern analysis in ecology. Journal of Vegetation Science 9: 805-814.
22. Dalen, L. & Hofgaard, A. 2005. Differential regional treeline dynamics in the Scandes Mountains. Arctic, Antarctic and Alpine Research 37: 284-296.
23. Danby, R.K. & Hik, D.S. 2007. Variability, contingency and rapid change in recent subarctic alpine tree line dynamics. Journal of Ecology 95: 352-363.
24. Daniels, L.D. & Veblen, T.T. 2004. Spatiotemporal influences of climate on altitudinal treeline in northern Patagonia. Ecology 85: 1284-1296.
25. Dirnbock, T., Dullinger, S. & Grabherr, G. 2003. A regional impact assessment of climate and land-use change on alpine vegetation. Journal of Biogeography 30:401-417.
26. Ehrlen, J. & Eriksson, O. 2000. Dispersal limitation and patch occupancy in forest herbs. Ecology 81: 1667-1674.
27. Erschbamer, B. & Wallnofer, S. 2007. Vegetation at the upper timberline. In: Wieser, G. & Tausz, M. (eds.) Trees at their upper limit. Treelife limitation at the alpine timberline. Vol. 5, pp. 67-78. Springer, Dordrecht, NL.
28. Faraway, J.J. 2006. Extending the linear model with R: generalized linear, mixed effects and nonparametric regression models. Chapman & Hall/CRC, Boca Raton.
29. Fortin, M.J., Marineau, K. & Payette, S. 1999. Spatial vegetation diversity index along a postfire successional gradient in the northern boreal forest. Ecoscience 6: 204-213.
30. Garcia-Ruiz, J., Lasanta, T., Ruiz-Flano, P., Ortigosa, L., White, S., Gonzalez, C. & Marti, C. 1996. Land-use changes and sustainable development in mountain areas: a case study in the Spanish Pyrenees. Landscape Ecology 11: 267-277.
31. Gehring-Fasel, J., Guisan, A. & Zimmermann, N.E. 2007. Tree line shifts in the Swiss Alps: climate change or land abandonment? Journal of Vegetation Science 18: 571-582.
32. Grabherr, G., Gottfried, M., Gruber, A. & Pauli, H. 1995. Patterns and current changes in alpine plant diversity. In: Chapin, F.S. Ill & Korner, C. (eds.) Arctic and alpine biodiversity: patterns, causes and ecosystems consequences. Ecological studies. Vol. 113. Springer-Verlag, Berlin.
33. Grace, J., Berninger, F. & Nagy, L. 2002. Impacts of climate change on the tree line. Annals of Botany 90: 537-544.
34. Grytnes, J.A. 2000. Fine-scale vascular plant species richness in different alpine vegetation types: relationships with biomass and cover. Journal of Vegetation Science 11:87-92.
35. Hansen, A.J. & di Castri, F. 1992. Landscape boundaries: consequences for biotic diversity and ecological flows. Springer-Verlag, New York.
36. Hansen, A.J., di Castri, F. & Naiman, R.J. 1988. Ecotones: what and why? In: Hansen, A.J., Castri, F.D. & Holland, M.M. (eds.) A new look at ecotones. Emerging international projects on landscape boundaries. Biology international special issue, 17: 9-46.
37. Hofgaard, A. & Wilmann, B. 2002. Plant distribution patterns across the forest-tundra ecotone: the importance of treeline position. Ecoscience 9: 375-385.
38. Holtmeier, F.-K. 2003. Mountain timberlines. Ecology, patchiness and dynamics. Kluwer Academic Publishers, Dordrecht.
39. Holtmeier, F.-K. & Broil, G. 2005. Sensitivity and response of northern hemisphere altitudinal and polar treelines to environmental change at landscape and local scales. Global Ecology and Biogeography 14: 395-410.
40. Ilia, E., Carrillo, E. & Ninot, J. 2006. Patterns of plant traits in Pyrenean alpine vegetation. Flora 201: 528-546.
41. Kembel, S.W. & Dale, M.R.T. 2006. Within-stand spa tialstructure and relation of boreal canopy and understorey vegetation. Journal of Vegetation Science 17: 783-790.
42. Körner, C. 1995. Alpine plant diversity: a global survey and functional interpretations. In: Chapin, F.S. Ill & Korner, C. (eds.) Arctic and alpine biodiversity: patterns, causes and ecosystem consequences. Ecological studies. Vol. 113, Springer-Verlag, Berlin.
43. Körner, C. 1998. A re-assessment of high elevation tree-line positions and their explanation. Oecologia 115: 445-459.
44. Körner, C. 2003. Alpine plant life: functional plant ecology of high mountain ecosystems. 2nd edition. Springer-Verlag, Berlin.
45. Körner, C. 2007. Climatic treelines: conventions, global patterns, causes. Erdkunde 61: 316-324.
46. Körner, C. & Paulsen, J. 2004. A world-wide study of high altitude treeline temperatures. Journal of Biogeography 31:713-732.
47. Kullman, L. 2002. Rapid recent range-margin rise of tree and shrub species in the Swedish Scandes. Journal of Ecology 90: 68-77.
48. Kullman, L. 2005. Pine (Pinus sylvestris) treeline dynamics during the past millennium - a population study in west-central Sweden. Annals of Botany Fennici 42: 95-106.
49. Manly, B.F.J. 1997. Randomization, bootstrap and Monte Carlo methods in biology. Chapman, London.
50. Ninot, J.M., Carrillo, E., Font, X., Carreras, J., Ferre, A., Masalles, R.M., Soriano, I. & Vigo, J. 2007. Altitude zonation in the Pyrenees. A geobotanic interpretation. Phytocoenologia 37: 371-398.
51. Ozenda, P. 1985. La végétation de la chaǐne alpine dans I'espace montagnardeuropéen. Masson, Paris.
52. Payette, S. 2007. Contrasted dynamics of northern Labrador tree lines caused by climate change and migrational lag. Ecology 88: 770-780.
53. Resler, L.M. 2006. Geomorphic controls of spatial pattern and process at the alpine treeline. The Professional Geographer 58: 124-138.
54. Rivas-Martínez, S. 1968. Estudio fitosociológico de los bosques y matorrales pirenaicos del piso subalpino. Publicaciones Instituto Biología Aplicada de Barcelona 44:5-44.
55. Smith, W.K., Germino, M.J., Hancock, T.E. & Johnson, D.M. 2003. Another perspective on altitudinal limits of alpine timberlines. Tree Physiology 23: 1101-1112.
56. Theurillat, J.-P. & Guisan, A. 2001. Potential impact of climate change on vegetation in the European alps: a review. Climatic Change 50: 77-109.
57. van der Maarel, E. 1990. Ecotones and ecoclines are different. Journal of Vegetation Science 1: 135-138.
58. Vonlanthen, CM., Kammer, P.M., Eugster, W., Biihler, A. & Veit, H. 2006. Alpine vascular plant species richness: the importance of daily maximum temperature and pH. Plant Ecology 184: 13-25.