Holocene treeline and timberline changes in the South Carpathians (Romania): Climatic and anthropogenic drivers on the southern slopes of the Retezat Mountains

Vincze, I.; Orbán, Ildikó; Birks, Hilary H.; Pál, Ilona; Finsinger, Walter; Hubay, Katalin; Marinova, Elena; Jakab, Gusztáv; Braun, Mihály; Bíró, Tamás; Tóth, Mónika; Dănău, Claudia; Ferencz, Iosif V.; Magyari, Enikő K.

doi:10.1177/0959683617702227

Cited by 33 publications

(22 citation statements)

References 86 publications

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“…from the Retezat Mountains (South Carpathians, Romania) using multi-proxy methods to study the effect of and response to climate change and human impact by tree line, timberline, and alpine/subalpine vegetation during the past 16,000 years. It was concluded that climate change and human impact have both played an important role in lowering the tree line and timberline in the late-Holocene, and will continue to do so [35]. Therefore, with a background of climate warming, not all timberline areas can be generalized.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sensitivity of Vegetation on Alpine and Subalpine Timberline in Qinling Mountains to Temperature Change

Bai

Deng

et al. 2019

Forests

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Alpine timberline is a great place for monitoring climate change. The study of alpine and subalpine timberline in Qinling Mountains has led to early warning that reveals the response and adaptation of terrestrial vegetation ecosystem to climate change. Based on the remote sensing image classification method, the typical timberline area in Qinling Mountains was determined. Temperature and normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) data were extracted from the typical timberline area based on spatial interpolation and NDVI data. The relationship between NDVI and temperature change and the critical temperature value affecting vegetation response in the timberline area in Qinling Mountains were analyzed. Correlation between NDVI and air temperature in the alpine and subalpine timberline areas of Qinling Mountains exhibited an upward trend, which implied that temperature promotes vegetation activity. A strong correlation between temperature and NDVI in typical timberline areas of Qinling Mountains, and a significant correlation between temperature and NDVI in the early growing season. A phenomenon of NDVI lagging behind air temperature was observed. Temperature response showed synchronization and hysteresis. The correlation between cumulative temperature and vegetation was similar between Taibai Mountain and Niubeiliang timberline, and the correlation between NDVI in April and cumulative temperature in the first 12 months was the strongest. Temperature threshold range of Taibai Mountain timberline played a dominant role in vegetation growth. Our results provide insights and basis for future studies of early warning signs of climate change, specifically between 0.34 and 1.34 °C. The threshold ranges of temperature response of different vegetation types vary. Compared with alpine shrub meadow, the threshold ranges of temperature effect of Coniferous forest and Larix chinensis Beissn. are smaller, implying that these vegetation types are more sensitive to temperature change.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sensitivity of Vegetation on Alpine and Subalpine Timberline in Qinling Mountains to Temperature Change

Bai

Deng

et al. 2019

Forests

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“…In many studies from high mountains only single or a few sites have been investigated. Although some regional studies of European mountain regions synthesize data from multiple sites (Jouffroy-Bapicot et al, 2013;Treml, Jankovská, & Petr, 2008;Vincze et al, 2017), such studies rarely use multidimensional numerical methods to compare data from different sites and time periods (but see Feurdean, Willis, Parr, Tanţău, & Fărcaş, 2010;Feurdean et al, 2012).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Holocene vegetation history of the Jeseníky Mts: Deepening elevational contrast in pollen assemblages since late prehistory

Hájek

Petr

Jankovská

2018

J Vegetation Science

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Questions How did the vegetation of a Central European mountain region with a fragmented alpine zone develop during the Holocene? When did human land use start to alter summit grasslands? Which gradient in pollen assemblages was strongest and was it consistent through time? Location Jeseníky Mountains, Czech Republic. Methods Sixteen pollen records were subjected to DCA in order to explore patterns of compositional similarities in the fossil pollen data. Because only the last 6,000 years were recorded in the study sites from mountain summits, we restricted further analysis to this period. Twelve radiocarbon‐dated pollen records were subjected to DCCA constrained by modelled calibrated age. Responses of individual pollen types to the principal DCCA gradients were tested with GAMs. Results In the DCA, Early Holocene samples were located close to recent ones due to abundant pollen of herbs, Poaceae, Betula, Pinus sylvestris type and rare pollen of climax deciduous trees. In the DCCA for the last 6,000 years, the sorting of sites along the first unconstrained axis correlated with altitude, which is a complex factor corresponding to temperature and geomorphology (flat summits vs alluvia of mountain rivulets). This elevational differentiation became more pronounced after 2,250 cal BP when summit peatlands started to contain more Vaccinium, Calluna vulgaris, Amaranthaceae, Plantago lanceolata and Rumex acetosa type pollen. In contrast, mid‐elevation pollen spectra started to contain more meadow herbs (Caltha, Potentilla type, Cirsium/Carduus). Picea pollen was surprisingly more associated with mid‐elevation than high‐elevation sites, unlike Fagus. Conclusion Increasing contrast between summits and middle elevation alluvia seems to be a major feature of vegetation development over the last 6,000 years. While alluvial areas were encroached by Alnus–Picea forests, and later locally transformed into wet grasslands, grazing and forest burning at summits gradually increased abundance of acidophytic dwarf shrubs and peatlands, especially since the Iron Age. Human impact might facilitate beech expansion at high elevations, with Picea‐dominated forests being restricted to alluvia and around mid‐elevation basin peatlands prior to establishment of modern Picea plantations.

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“…Based on the transition of ecosystem states, our method has made little progress in the identification of the alpine tree line location, and it is necessary to deeply explore the facilitation mechanism between different ecosystem states and the disturbances caused by the climate and by humans. In some areas, the alpine tree line has been shifted by anthropogenic impact [88] and global warming [17,89]. We have been to the Bogda for data acquisition and materials collection in 2017 and 2018, respectively.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Remotely-Sensed Identification of a Transition for the Two Ecosystem States Along the Elevation Gradient: A Case Study of Xinjiang Tianshan Bogda World Heritage Site

et al. 2019

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The alpine treeline, as an ecological transition zone between montane coniferous forests and alpine meadows (two ecosystem states), is a research hotspot of global ecology and climate change. Quantitative identification of its elevation range can efficiently capture the results of the interaction between climate change and vegetation. Digital extraction and extensive analysis in such a critical elevation range crucially depend on the ability of monitoring ecosystem variables and the suitability of the experimental model, which are often restricted by the weak intersection of disciplines and the spatial-temporal continuity of the data. In this study, the existence of two states was confirmed by frequency analysis and the Akaike information criterion (AIC) as well as the Bayesian information criterion (BIC) indices. The elevation range of a transition for the two ecosystem states on the northern slope of the Bogda was identified by the potential analysis. The results showed that the elevation range of co-occurrence for the two ecosystem states was 2690-2744 m. At the elevation of 2714 m, the high land surface temperature (LST) state started to exhibit more attraction than the low LST state. This elevation value was considered as a demarcation where abrupt shifts between the two states occurred with the increase of elevation. The identification results were validated by a field survey and unmanned aerial vehicle data. Progress has been made in the transition identification for the ecosystem states along the elevation gradient in mountainous areas by combining the remotely-sensed index with a potential analysis. This study also provided a reference for obtaining the elevation of the alpine tree line quickly and accurately. Report (AR5) of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) noted that recent climate changes have generated widespread impacts on human and natural systems. The atmosphere and oceans are getting warmer, and the amounts of snow and ice are decreasing. Many terrestrial species have shifted their geographic ranges, abundances, and species interactions in response to ongoing climate change [4]. As a "monitor" of climate change, the alpine tree line is sensitive to climate change and can help humans quickly understand the interaction between climate change and vegetation [5][6][7]. In addition, the ecosystem is facing unprecedented pressure, which will restrict regional sustainable development in different regions. Consequently, it is one of the hotspots to study the influence of climate change by obtaining the elevation range of the alpine tree line. At the same time, strengthening the study of the alpine tree line is significant for the protection and sustainable development of Natural Heritage Sites.Many researchers have carried out relevant studies on the alpine tree line related to the formation and restriction mechanisms, location fluctuations under climate change, vegetation community diversity patterns, and demarcation elevation identification. Some studies have taken the limitations o...

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Holocene treeline and timberline changes in the South Carpathians (Romania): Climatic and anthropogenic drivers on the southern slopes of the Retezat Mountains

Cited by 33 publications

References 86 publications

Sensitivity of Vegetation on Alpine and Subalpine Timberline in Qinling Mountains to Temperature Change

Sensitivity of Vegetation on Alpine and Subalpine Timberline in Qinling Mountains to Temperature Change

Holocene vegetation history of the Jeseníky Mts: Deepening elevational contrast in pollen assemblages since late prehistory

Remotely-Sensed Identification of a Transition for the Two Ecosystem States Along the Elevation Gradient: A Case Study of Xinjiang Tianshan Bogda World Heritage Site

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