Advancing Treeline and Retreating Glaciers: Implications for Conservation in Yunnan, P.R. China

Baker, Brett; Moseley, Robert K.

doi:10.1657/1523-0430(2007)39[200:atargi]2.0.co;2

Cited by 174 publications

(117 citation statements)

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“…1) is in accord with global trends (1) and with other studies focused on this area of the eastern Himalaya (20,21,34,35). The lack of significant directional change in Rhododendron flowering time over this warming period might initially suggest that the genus is nonresponsive to temperature.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 87%

“…Rapid temperature increases and changes in precipitation, in combination with the importance of Himalayan snowpack and glaciers to water supply and monsoon cycles, make the region one of the most threatened nonpolar areas of the world (1,19). Recent climate change is impacting Himalayan biological systems, including those upon which humans rely (20)(21)(22)(23).…”

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confidence: 99%

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Herbarium specimens show contrasting phenological responses to Himalayan climate

Hart

Salick

Ranjitkar

et al. 2014

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

133

125

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Responses by flowering plants to climate change are complex and only beginning to be understood. Through analyses of 10,295 herbarium specimens of Himalayan Rhododendron collected by plant hunters and botanists since 1884, we were able to separate these responses into significant components. We found a lack of directional change in mean flowering time over the past 45 y of rapid warming. However, over the full 125 y of collections, mean flowering time shows a significant response to year-to-year changes in temperature, and this response varies with season of warming. Mean flowering advances with annual warming (2.27 d earlier per 1°C warming), and also is delayed with fall warming (2.54 d later per 1°C warming). Annual warming may advance flowering through positive effects on overwintering bud formation, whereas fall warming may delay flowering through an impact on chilling requirements. The lack of a directional response suggests that contrasting phenological responses to temperature changes may obscure temperature sensitivity in plants. By drawing on large collections from multiple herbaria, made over more than a century, we show how these data may inform studies even of remote localities, and we highlight the increasing value of these and other natural history collections in understanding longterm change.phenology | global warming I n an era of ongoing climate change (1), shifts in seasonal timing of life history events (phenology) are among the first and the most important responses seen in biological systems (2-5). Changes in phenology potentially impact organism reproduction, population survival, species boundaries, and ecosystem service (6-8). However, despite the importance of phenological changes (9, 10), data sources are limited (11). Satellite imagery (12), experimental studies (13), and modern observational records of phenology (11,14) are temporally restricted to the last few decades. Although historical phenological records kept by scientists, amateur naturalists, or for cultural reasons (15-17) may extend much further, these are often limited in geographic range, and tend to focus on North America and Europe (but see ref. 18).Such records have not been found for the Himalayan region, an area of particular concern when considering climate change. Rapid temperature increases and changes in precipitation, in combination with the importance of Himalayan snowpack and glaciers to water supply and monsoon cycles, make the region one of the most threatened nonpolar areas of the world (1,19). Recent climate change is impacting Himalayan biological systems, including those upon which humans rely (20-23).Despite its remoteness, the botanical richness of Yulong Mountain (27°N, 100.2°E), at the eastern limit of the Himalayan region, has made it a center of botanical collection since the late 19th century. Yulong Mountain was home to the prolific plant hunters George Forrest (collecting 1904-1930) and Joseph Rock (collecting 1918-1948). Other early collectors in the area included Jean Marie Delavayi, Heinrich ...

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 87%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Herbarium specimens show contrasting phenological responses to Himalayan climate

Hart

Salick

Ranjitkar

et al. 2014

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

133

125

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“…Minimum temperatures are particularly important in limiting the poleward (see Glossary) expansion of plant species, whereas limited water availability interacts with high temperatures to exert a direct climatic limitation on their expansion in the opposite, or equatorial, direction in many regions [1][2][3][4][5][6][7]. Changes in climate are, therefore, predicted to alter the geographic distribution of plant species at global to local scales.Contemporary plant range shifts are most frequently reported from mountain regions, with elevational shifts of the mountain treeline being the most commonly documented response to increasing temperatures [8][9][10][11][12]. The distributions of species in mountain regions are typically restricted to relatively narrow and well-delineated altitudinal bands, in comparison with often broad and poorly defined latitudinal distributions in the lowlands.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Contemporary plant range shifts are most frequently reported from mountain regions, with elevational shifts of the mountain treeline being the most commonly documented response to increasing temperatures [8][9][10][11][12]. The distributions of species in mountain regions are typically restricted to relatively narrow and well-delineated altitudinal bands, in comparison with often broad and poorly defined latitudinal distributions in the lowlands.…”

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confidence: 99%

The altitude-for-latitude disparity in the range retractions of woody species

Jump

Mátyás

Peñuelas

2009

Trends in Ecology & Evolution

436

369

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Increasing temperatures are driving rapid upward range shifts of species in mountains. An altitudinal range retreat of 10 m is predicted to translate into a $10-km latitudinal retreat based on the rate at which temperatures decline with increasing altitude and latitude, yet reports of latitudinal range retractions are sparse. Here, we examine potential climatic, biological, anthropogenic and methodological explanations for this disparity. We argue that the lack of reported latitudinal range retractions stems more from a lack of research effort, compounded by methodological difficulties, rather than from their absence. Given the predicted negative impacts of increasing temperatures on wide areas of the latitudinal distributions of species, the investigation of range retractions should become a priority in biogeographical research.Climate change and shifting plant distribution The geographical distribution of plants is strongly influenced by climate [1]. Minimum temperatures are particularly important in limiting the poleward (see Glossary) expansion of plant species, whereas limited water availability interacts with high temperatures to exert a direct climatic limitation on their expansion in the opposite, or equatorial, direction in many regions [1][2][3][4][5][6][7]. Changes in climate are, therefore, predicted to alter the geographic distribution of plant species at global to local scales.Contemporary plant range shifts are most frequently reported from mountain regions, with elevational shifts of the mountain treeline being the most commonly documented response to increasing temperatures [8][9][10][11][12]. The distributions of species in mountain regions are typically restricted to relatively narrow and well-delineated altitudinal bands, in comparison with often broad and poorly defined latitudinal distributions in the lowlands. This strong altitudinal zonation of mountain vegetation, and its climatic sensitivity [13], makes mountains ideal 'natural laboratories' and favoured locations for the study of climate change impacts worldwide [13][14][15].The altitudinal compression of montane vegetation zones is due to a rapid decrease in temperature with increasing elevation ($5-6.5 8C per 1000 m) [3,14], which contrasts with a similar temperature decline occurring over $1000 km of latitude (6.9 8C at 458 N or S) [3]. An implication of this altitude-for-latitude temperature model is that general biogeographical patterns resulting from the climatic limitations imposed on plants in mountains should also be observed in neighbouring lowland regions with similar temperature and moisture regimes. Distributional shifts already observed in mountain plants [8,[16][17][18] should, therefore, be mirrored by lowland range changes occurring over distances that are several orders of magnitude larger (Figure 1).Here, we discuss the implications of the altitude-forlatitude model for shifts in plant distributions and examine why lowland range shifts, particularly range retractions, are rarely reported. We discuss potential climati...

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“…In mountainous areas, global climate change is manifested by a series of effects: the fragility related to mountain glacier shrinkage that characterizes high-altitude ecosystems (Haugland and Beatty, 2005;Baker and Moseley, 2007;Hodson et al, 2008), natural hazards (Richardson and Reynolds, 2000;Fischer et al, 2006;Huggel, 2009), and watershed hydrology (Immerzeel et al, 2010 [add to reference list]; Kaser et al, 2010;Liu et al, 2010;Gain et al, 2011 [add to reference list]; Schaner et al, 2012;Sorg et al, 2012). In recent years, many studies have reported increased glacier loss from various mountainous regions across the world (Oerlemans, 1994(Oerlemans, , 2005Bolch et al, 2012;Pathak, 2012;Sorg et al, 2012;Yao et al, 2012).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Glacier Changes in the Lancang River Basin, China, between 1968–1975 and 2005–2010

Liu

Nie

et al. 2015

Arctic, Antarctic, and Alpine Research

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Advancing Treeline and Retreating Glaciers: Implications for Conservation in Yunnan, P.R. China

Abstract: Investigations in relation to environmental information in the glacial system in Mt. Yulong,

Cited by 174 publications

References 2 publications

Herbarium specimens show contrasting phenological responses to Himalayan climate

Herbarium specimens show contrasting phenological responses to Himalayan climate

The altitude-for-latitude disparity in the range retractions of woody species

Glacier Changes in the Lancang River Basin, China, between 1968–1975 and 2005–2010

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