Impact of plot shape and size on the evaluation of treeline dynamics in the Tibetan Plateau

doi:10.1007/s00468-015-1340-y

	Impact of plot shape and size on the evaluation of treeline dynamics in the Tibetan Plateau
	Zhu, HF (Zhu, Haifeng)1; Wang, YF (Wang, Yafeng)1; Liang, EY (Liang, Eryuan)1,3; Camarero, JJ (Julio Camarero, J.)2; Wang, YF
刊名	TREES-STRUCTURE AND FUNCTION
	2016
卷号	30 期号:4 页码:1045-1056
关键词	Climate-change Northwestern China Alpine Treeline Line Dynamics Forest Growth Variability 20th-century Mountains Recruitment Expansion
DOI	10.1007/s00468-015-1340-y
文献子类	Article
英文摘要	Field survey methods influence the assessment of treeline structure and inferences on reconstructed treeline dynamics. Numerous field studies have described the structure of alpine treeline ecotones encompassing the forest limit and treeline to infer their dynamics in response to climate warming. However, the inferred treeline dynamics may be biased due to the selection of different plot sizes and shapes. Rectangular large plots including the whole treeline ecotone, i.e., encompassing the forest limit and the treeline, and square small plots located at current treeline have been widely used. Nevertheless, little is known about how large a plot must be to capture the main features of treeline structure and dynamics. Here, we investigate this question at Smith fir treelines located in the Sygera Mountains, southeastern Tibetan Plateau. Six rectangular large treeline plots (30 x 150 m) were sampled and compared with six square small treeline plots (30 x 30 m). Six rectangular plots with lengths shorter than the treeline ecotone span (100-135 m) were also sampled and compared with the other two plot types. Dendrochronology was used to reconstruct the recruitment dynamics of treelines, which were related to summer mean minimum temperatures. Rectangular large plots better captured the main features of recent treeline dynamics such as the abundance of recruits from the 1950s onwards and the establishment of old trees. Therefore, large plots allowed reaching more robust conclusions on treeline dynamics as compared to small plots. On the other hand, smaller rectangular plots revealed similar findings to those inferred from large rectangular plots but with a much lower survey cost. We propose using smaller rectangular plot with its longest side being shorter than the ecotone span as the most reliable and practical method to characterize alpine treeline dynamics.
学科主题	自然地理学
语种	英语
WOS记录号	WOS:000380132400003
内容类型	期刊论文
源URL	[http://ir.itpcas.ac.cn/handle/131C11/7652]
专题	青藏高原研究所_图书馆
通讯作者	Wang, YF
作者单位	1.Chinese Acad Sci, Inst Tibetan Plateau Res, Key Lab Alpine Ecol & Biodivers, Key Lab Tibetan Environm Changes & Land Surface P, Beijing 100085, Peoples R China 2.Inst Pirenaico Ecol IPE CSIC, Avda Montanana 1005, Zaragoza 50080, Spain 3.CAS Ctr Excellence Tibetan Plateau Earth Sci, Beijing 100101, Peoples R China
推荐引用方式 GB/T 7714	Zhu, HF ,Wang, YF ,Liang, EY ,et al. Impact of plot shape and size on the evaluation of treeline dynamics in the Tibetan Plateau[J]. TREES-STRUCTURE AND FUNCTION,2016,30(4):1045-1056.
APA	Zhu, HF ,Wang, YF ,Liang, EY ,Camarero, JJ ,&Wang, YF.(2016).Impact of plot shape and size on the evaluation of treeline dynamics in the Tibetan Plateau.TREES-STRUCTURE AND FUNCTION,30(4),1045-1056.
MLA	Zhu, HF ,et al."Impact of plot shape and size on the evaluation of treeline dynamics in the Tibetan Plateau".TREES-STRUCTURE AND FUNCTION 30.4(2016):1045-1056.