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Dendroecology pp 135–157Cite as

Integrating dendroecology with other disciplines improves understanding of upper and latitudinal treelines

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Part of the book series: Ecological Studies ((ECOLSTUD,volume 231))

Abstract

Despite a consistent global relationship between the position of alpine and arctic treeline and temperature, fine-scale variability in treeline response to climate is widespread. In this chapter, we describe two advances in the application of dendroecology to treeline environments. First, we show that obtaining detailed, spatially explicit measurements of the environment can provide a more complete picture of how tree growth responds to climate. Substantial topoclimatic and environmental heterogeneity can occur at a very fine scale, a few tens of meters, at treeline. Unlike traditional approaches that aggregate tree growth across relatively broad areas, applying the approaches of landscape ecology and quantifying this heterogeneity can allow dendroecologists to better understand fine-scale, within-population variation in climate response. Second, the integration of dendroecological approaches with physiological ecology and soil biogeochemical studies can provide a more holistic understanding of tree growth, one that approaches trees as not merely being the sum of their rings, but as complex organisms whose growth integrates the impact of multiple limiting factors filtered through distinct physiological processes. In regions with cold soils, for example, we show that nutrient limitation can strongly mediate the response of tree growth to climate warming. Together, these approaches allow us to understand the causes of fine-scale variation in treeline response to warming, reconcile that variation with global-scale correlations between treeline and temperature, and better predict future responses of treeline ecosystems to warming.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biology, Middlebury College, 9 Old Chapel Road, Middlebury, VT, 05753, USA

    Andrea H. Lloyd

  2. Environment and Natural Resources Institute, University of Alaska Anchorage, 3151 Alumni Loop, Anchorage, AK, 99508, USA

    Patrick F. Sullivan

  3. Environmental Sciences, Western Washington University, 516 High St, Mailstop 9181, Bellingham, WA, 98225-9181, USA

    Andrew G. Bunn

Authors
  1. Andrea H. Lloyd
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  2. Patrick F. Sullivan
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  3. Andrew G. Bunn
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Correspondence to Andrea H. Lloyd .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Instituto de Investigaciones en Recursos, Naturales, Agroecología y Desarrollo Rural, Universidad Nacional de Río Negro, El Bolsón, Río Negro, Argentina

    Mariano M. Amoroso

  2. Department of Forest and Conservation Sciences, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

    Lori D. Daniels

  3. School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

    Patrick J. Baker

  4. Pyrenean Institute of Ecology (IPE-CSIC), Zaragoza, Spain

    J. Julio Camarero

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Lloyd, A.H., Sullivan, P.F., Bunn, A.G. (2017). Integrating dendroecology with other disciplines improves understanding of upper and latitudinal treelines. In: Amoroso, M., Daniels, L., Baker, P., Camarero, J. (eds) Dendroecology. Ecological Studies, vol 231. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-61669-8_6

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