Precipitation-limited Himalayan birch growth at the timberline: a global comparison with other timberline species
Himalayan birch (Betula utilis D.Don) has a wide distribution in the Himalayas.It is also a widespread timberline species.However, we did not know whether this species has dendroclimatic potential.A large-scale of tree-ring network of timberline Himalayan birch (7 forest sites) in the central Himalayas further supported that its growth was primarily controlled by moisture stress rather than by low temperature.In particular, its growth at the timberlines is dominated by moisture availability during the pre-monsoon season, being different with tree growth at other alpine and arctic timberlines.Such a climatic response of timberline tree species is closely related to the world”s largest elevation gradient in association with decreasing precipitation with increasing elevation (above 2000-3000 m a.s.l).On the other hand, it is related to the ecophysiological trait of Himalayan birch preferring to grow in the rain shadow.Given a wide distribution of Himalayan birch forest in the Himalayas, its timberline represents an exceptional case to investigate mechanism driving timberline formation.
Dendroecology tree ring timberline precipitation Betula utilis Himalayas Nepal
Eryuan Liang Binod Dawadi
Key Laboratory of Tibetan Environment Changes and Land Surface Processes,Institute of Tibetan Platea Central Department of Hydrology and Meteorology,Tribhuvan University,Kathmandu,Nepal;Graduate Univer
国内会议
北京
英文
124-137
2013-06-29（万方平台首次上网日期，不代表论文的发表时间）