Does tree growth sensitivity to warming trends vary according to treeline form?

Abstrakt

Whereas many treelines are advancing coincident with climate warming, many other treelines are stationary. Differential sensitivity to warming trends may be partially accounted for by differences in the climatic limits associated with distinct treeline forms such as diffuse, abrupt and krummholz treelines.

We tested the hypothesis that only diffuse treelines are strictly growth-limited by low temperatures and thus should benefit from warming more than abrupt or krummholz treelines.

Klíčová slova

• Abies lasiocarpa
• alpine treeline
• climate change
• dendroecology
• krummholz
• Picea engelmannii
• Rocky Mountains
• vegetation shift