Ecology of Himalayan Treeline Ecotone

Foreword
List of Reviewers
Preface
Acknowledgments
Contents
Editors and Contributors
1: Treeline Research in the Himalaya: Current Understanding and Future Imperatives
1.1 Introduction
1.2 Treeline Ecotone Research in the Himalaya
1.3 Treeline Forms
1.4 Climate Change in the Region
1.5 Temperature Lapse Rate (TLR)
1.6 Treeline Dimensions and Dynamics
1.6.1 Treeline Dimensions
1.7 Treeline Phenology and Water Relations
1.8 Species Diversity in the Himalayan Treeline Ecotone
1.9 Litterfall and Litter Decomposition Treelines
1.10 Dendrochronology and Climate Change
1.11 Future Imperatives
References
2: Capturing Himalayan Timberline Dimension and Ecological Attributes in Warming Climate Through Team Science
2.1 Introduction
2.2 Material and Methods
2.3 Results and Discussion
2.3.1 Length of Timberlines
2.3.2 Timberline Elevation and Shift
2.3.3 Arrested Timberlines and Associated Plant Communities
2.3.4 Relationship Between Global Warming, Air Pollution and Temperature Lapse Rate
2.3.5 Change in Growth Periodicity
2.3.6 Treeline Water Relations
2.3.7 Learning by Doing Team Research
2.4 Conclusion
2.4.1 Way Forward: Research Questions and Future Strategies
References
3: Temperature Lapse Rate in Climatically Different Himalayan Treeline Environments: Regional Analysis of Patterns, Seasonalit...
3.1 Introduction
3.2 Material and Methods
3.2.1 Study Area
3.2.2 Methods and Approaches
3.3 Results
3.3.1 Patterns of TLR for Different Treeline Environments in Himalaya
3.3.2 Seasonal and Annual Variation in TLRs for Different Climatic Regimes Across the Himalayan Arc
3.3.2.1 TLRs for Eastern Himalayan Region
3.3.2.2 TLRs for Central Himalayan Region
3.3.2.3 TLRs for Western Himalayan Region
3.3.2.4 TLRs for Cold-Arid Regions in Pir-Panjal Range and Karakoram Himalaya
3.4 Discussion
3.4.1 Factors Governing Variation in Temperature Lapse Rate
3.4.2 Possible Implications of Low TLRs and EDW on Treeline Ecotone Vegetation
3.5 Conclusion
References
4: Relationship Between Timberline Elevation and Climate in Sikkim Himalaya
4.1 Introduction
4.2 Study Area: Climate and Altitude
4.3 Methods
4.3.1 Spatial Attributes of Timberline Altitude
4.3.2 Climate and Timberline Homogeneity
4.3.3 Timberline Elevation in Relation to Temperature and Precipitation
4.4 Results
4.4.1 Annual Mean Temperature and Total Rainfall at Timberline - Present (Year 2015)
4.4.2 Annual Mean Temperature and Total Rainfall at Timberline Altitude - Past (Year 1977) and Rate of Change from Year 2015
4.4.3 Changes in Timberline Altitude Between 1977 and 2015 and Corresponding Changes in Climate at Different Timberline Locati...
4.4.3.1 Segments Having No Change in the Timberline Altitude Between the Years
4.4.3.2 Upward Shift of CTL
4.4.3.3 Upward Shift of ITL
4.5 Discussion
4.6 Conclusion
References
5: The Treeline Ecotone in Rolwaling Himal, Nepal: Pattern-Process Relationships and Treeline Shift Potential
5.1 Introduction
5.2 Methodical Approach
5.3 Results and Discussion
5.3.1 Regional Climate Inputs Triggering Treeline Response and Topoclimatic Variations
5.3.2 Soil Physical and Chemical Conditions Affecting Treeline Response
5.3.3 Plant Communities and Environmental Relationships of Treeline Vegetation
5.3.4 Seedling Establishment in the Treeline Ecotone
5.3.5 Spatial and Temporal Patterns of Tree Species Population Density
5.3.6 Tree Growth-Climate Relationships
5.3.7 Treeline Shift Potential
5.4 Conclusions
References
6: Challenges of Timberline Mapping in the Himalaya: A Case Study of the Sikkim Himalaya
6.1 Introduction
6.2 Study Area and Field Observations
6.3 Methodological Framework
6.3.1 Satellite-Based Observations
6.3.1.1 Selection of Appropriate Earth Observing Satellites
6.3.1.2 Challenges in the Himalayan Landscape and Mapping Season
6.3.2 Test Case
6.3.3 Image Interpretation and Mapping of Timberline
6.3.4 Geo-Spatial Attributes
6.3.5 Delineation of Timberline and Change Analysis
6.4 Result and Discussion
6.4.1 Geo-Spatial Attributes of Sikkim
6.4.2 Timberline in Sikkim and Its Geo-Spatial Characters
6.4.2.1 Regional-Scale Mapping Using Spatial Resolution of 30 m
6.4.2.2 Local-Scale Mapping Using Spatial Resolution of 5.8 m, and Comparison with Regional-Scale Mapping
6.4.2.3 Test Case of Watershed
6.4.2.4 Changes in Timberline Elevations Between 1977 and 2015
6.4.2.5 Comparison with Previous Studies
6.5 Conclusions
References
7: Mapping the Spatial Patterns of Biodiversity Along the Alpine Treeline Ecotone in the Eastern Himalaya Using Information Th...
7.1 Introduction
7.2 Materials and Methods
7.2.1 Study Area
7.2.2 Dataset
7.2.3 Measurement of α-Diversity and beta-Diversity
7.2.4 Analysis of the Relationship Between Biodiversity and Topography
7.2.5 Field-Level Evaluation of Biodiversity Along the Treeline Ecotone in Sikkim Himalaya
7.3 Results
7.3.1 α-Diversity and beta-Diversity Along the Treeline Ecotone
7.3.2 Spectral Diversity of Vegetation Along the Topographic Gradients
7.3.3 Field-Level Species Biodiversity Along the Elevation Gradient in the Alpine Ecosystems of the Sikkim Himalaya
7.4 Discussion
7.4.1 Patterns of α-Diversity and beta-Diversity Along the Treeline Ecotone
7.4.2 Biodiversity Along the Treeline Ecotone Varies with Topographic Factors
7.5 Conclusion
References
8: Quantifying Variation in Canopy Height from LiDAR Data as a Function of Altitude Along Alpine Treeline Ecotone in Indian Hi...
8.1 Introduction
8.2 Study Area
8.3 Data Used
8.3.1 Global Forest Canopy Height Map
8.3.2 Treeline Data
8.4 Methodology
8.4.1 Quantification of Canopy Height
8.4.2 Ground Survey and Validation
8.5 Results
8.5.1 Response of Canopy Height to Altitude
8.5.2 Relationship Between Canopy Height and Treeline in Himalaya
8.6 Discussion
8.6.1 Canopy Height Decreases with Altitude
8.6.2 Canopy Height Decrement Patterns Along Himalayan Arc
8.7 Conclusion
References
9: Patterns of Plant Taxonomic, Life-Form and Phylogenetic Diversity at a Treeline Ecotone in Northwestern Himalaya: Role of A...
9.1 Introduction
9.2 Methodology
9.2.1 Study Area
9.2.2 Vegetation Sampling
9.2.3 Data Analysis
9.3 Results
9.3.1 Taxonomic and Life-Form Diversity
9.3.2 Effect of Aspect on Taxonomic and Life-Form Diversity
9.3.3 Effect of Elevation on Taxonomic and Life-Form Diversity
9.3.4 Species Richness
9.3.5 Species Diversity
9.3.6 β-Diversity
9.3.7 Phylogenetic Diversity
9.3.8 Treeline-Form
9.4 Discussion
9.5 Concluding Remarks
References
10: Vegetation Structure Along an Elevation Gradient at the Treeline Ecotone of Eastern Himalayan Forests in Sikkim
10.1 Introduction
10.2 Materials and Methods
10.2.1 Study Area
10.2.1.1 Vegetation Sampling and Data Analysis
10.3 Results
10.3.1 Forest Type Distribution
10.3.2 Family Dominance
10.3.3 Physiognomy, Life Form, and Frequency Distribution
10.3.4 Elevation Pattern of Species Richness
10.3.5 Abundance (Tree Density and Basal Area) along the Elevation Gradient
10.3.6 Species Diversity along the Elevation Gradient
10.4 Discussion
10.5 Conclusion
References
11: Patterns of Plant Species Richness Across the Himalayan Treeline Ecotone
11.1 Introduction
11.2 Materials and Methods
11.2.1 Data Sources and Search Tools Used
11.2.2 Data Analysis
11.3 Results
11.3.1 Taxonomic Diversity and Distribution Patterns
11.3.2 Growth Form Patterns
11.3.3 Threat Status of Himalayan Treeline Ecotone Flora
11.4 Discussion
11.5 Conclusions and Way Forward
Appendix 1: List of Data Sources Used for the Literature Review During This Study
References
12: Lichen Diversity in High Elevations of Western Himalaya with Special Reference to Treeline Ecotone: Conservation and Indic...
12.1 Introduction
12.2 Material and Methods
12.2.1 Study Area
12.2.2 Sample Collection, Identification, and Herbarium Documentation
12.3 Results
12.3.1 Macrolichen Species Diversity and Composition
12.3.2 Diversity of Macrolichen in Different Elevation Bands
12.3.3 Lichen Diversity in Closed Canopy Forests
12.3.4 Lichen Diversity at Treeline Ecotone
12.3.5 Lichen Diversity in Alpine Tundra
12.3.6 Beta (β) Diversity across Elevation Bands
12.3.7 Similarity Coefficient between the Elevation Bands
12.3.8 Indicator Lichen Communities
12.4 Discussion
References
13: Community-Level Lichen Diversity Assessment in Alpine Zone of Indian Himalaya: Climate Change Implications
13.1 Introduction
13.2 Material and Methods
13.2.1 Study Area and Sample Collection
13.3 Results
13.4 Discussion
13.4.1 Lichen Diversity along the Altitudinal Gradients
13.4.2 Species Composition
13.4.3 Substrate Specificity
13.4.4 Community Characterization
13.5 Conclusion
References
14: Lower Plants of Tungnath-Chopta Timberline Zone, Garhwal Himalaya
14.1 Introduction
14.2 Study Area
14.3 Material and Methods
14.4 Results
14.4.1 Pteridophytes
14.4.2 Lichens
14.4.3 Bryophytes
14.5 Discussion
14.6 Conclusion
References
15: Phenological Response of Treeline Ecotone Tree Species to Global Warming in Western Himalaya
15.1 Introduction
15.2 Material and Methods
15.2.1 Study Area
15.3 Results
15.3.1 Periodicity of Major Phenophases
15.3.2 Leaf Population Dynamics & Shoot Growth
15.3.3 Leaf Life Span, Leaf Area and Leaf Mass Dynamics
15.4 Discussion
15.5 Conclusion
References
16: Water Relations of the Indian Himalayan Treeline Species
16.1 Introduction
16.2 Material and Methods
16.2.1 Study Site
16.2.2 Climate
16.3 Methods
16.3.1 Soil Water Potential
16.3.2 Tree Water Potential
16.3.3 Diurnal Change in Water Potential
16.3.4 Pressure-Volume Curves (P-V Curves)
16.3.5 Leaf Conductance
16.4 Result
16.4.1 Soil Water Potential
16.4.2 Tree Water Potential
16.4.3 Winter Soil Temperature and Diurnal Pattern of Water Potential
16.4.4 Water Potential Components
16.4.5 Leaf Conductance
16.5 Discussion
16.6 Conclusion
References
17: Herbaceous Vegetation Structure and Phenology at Treeline Ecotone in Relation to Natural Snowmelt
17.1 Introduction
17.2 Study Area
17.3 Methods
17.3.1 Study Design
17.3.2 Lifespan
17.3.3 Growth Form Categories
17.3.4 Life Form Categories
17.3.5 Nativity
17.3.6 Species Richness, Diversity and Evenness
17.3.7 Simper
17.3.8 Phenological Observations
17.4 Results
17.4.1 Lifespan Category, Growth Form, Growth Cycle and Life Form
17.4.2 Species Richness and Diversity Patterns
17.4.3 Site and Microsite Similarity
17.4.4 Habitat Preference of Plant Species
17.4.5 Community Structure
17.4.6 Phenological Trends across Microsites
17.5 Discussion
17.6 Conclusion
References
18: Responses of Herbaceous Species of Alpine Treeline to Elevated CO2
18.1 Introduction
18.2 Materials and Methods
18.2.1 Study Site
18.2.2 Growth Conditions
18.2.3 Plant Materials
18.2.4 Gas Exchange Measurement
18.2.5 Pigment, Carbohydrate, and Nitrogen Estimation
18.2.6 Growth and Biomass
18.2.7 Data Analysis
18.3 Results
18.3.1 Effect on Gaseous Exchange
18.3.2 Effect on Pigments, Carbohydrates, and Nitrogen Content
18.3.3 Effect on Growth and Biomass
18.4 Discussion
18.5 Conclusion
References
19: Age-Girth Stand Structure of Himalayan Fir and Growth-NDVI Relationship in the Treeline Transects of Western Himalaya: An ...
19.1 Introduction
19.1.1 Study Area
19.1.2 Climate and NDVI Data
19.1.3 Vegetation Distribution
19.2 Materials and Methods
19.2.1 Sample Collection, Processing and Data Generation
19.2.2 Development of Age-Girth-Altitude Relationships
19.2.3 Development of Tree-Ring Chronology and Relationship with NDVI
19.3 Results
19.3.1 Upper Limit and Age-Girth Stand Structure of Abies
19.3.1.1 Tungnath Transect (Uttarakhand)
19.3.1.2 Magguchatti (Triyuginarayan), Uttarakhand
19.3.1.3 Chanshal Transect (Uttarakhand)
19.3.1.4 Daksum-Sinthan Transect (Kashmir)
19.3.2 Trend of NDVI and Correlation with Ring-Width Indices of Fir
19.4 Discussion
19.4.1 Age-Girth Stand Structure of Fir Trees and Biomass Potential
19.4.2 NDVI-Based Forest Health Assessment and Growth Response of Fir
19.5 Conclusions
References
20: Response of Radial Growth in Abies pindrow (Royle ex D.Don) Royle to Climate at Treeline Ecotone in the northwestern Himal...
20.1 Introduction
20.2 Materials and Methods
20.2.1 Study Site and Climate
20.2.2 Data Collection
20.2.3 Chronology Development
20.2.4 Dendroclimatic Analysis
20.3 Results
20.4 Discussion
20.5 Conclusion
References
21: Pastoralism in Timberline Forests of Western Himalaya
21.1 Introduction
21.2 Material and Methods
21.2.1 Study Area
21.2.2 Data Collection and Analysis
21.3 Result and Discussion
21.3.1 Livestock Grazing Practices in the Timberline of Western Himalaya
21.3.2 Livestock Density in the Timberline of Western Himalaya
21.3.3 Impact of Pastoralism on Timberline
21.3.3.1 Forest Dynamics in the Timberline
21.3.3.2 Impact of Livestock Grazing and Fuelwood Collection on Timberline Vegetation
21.4 Conclusion
References
22: Treeline Dynamics in Nepal Himalaya in a Response to Complexity of Factors
22.1 Introduction
22.2 Materials and Methods
22.3 Results and Discussion
22.3.1 Treeline Studies in Nepal: Spatial Coverage
22.3.2 Temporal Dimensions of Treeline Studies in Nepal Himalaya
22.3.3 Methodological Aspect or Scope of Studies
22.3.4 Treeline Vegetation and Sensitivity of Treeline Types/Forms
22.3.5 Treeline Elevations
22.3.6 Stand Structure and Regeneration at Treeline Ecotone
22.3.7 Geology and Soil Characteristics at Treeline
22.3.8 Tree-Ring Chronologies and Growth of the Trees at Treelines
22.3.9 Climatic Control of Tree Growth at the Timberline Region
22.3.10 Timberline Region as a Source of Palaeoclimate or Long-Term Climate Information
22.3.11 Treeline Dynamics in the Central Himalaya
22.3.12 Predicting Future Treeline Position
22.3.13 Drivers of Treeline Dynamics
22.3.14 Impacts of the Treeline Shifting in the Himalaya
22.4 Synthesis, Research Gaps, and Way Forward
References
Epilogue: Way Forward and Policy Recommendations for Treeline Ecotone Research in the Himalaya
Treeline Research: Way Forward
Policy Recommendations