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Global change and terrestrial ecosystems in monsoon Asia pp 53–65Cite as

Terrestrial transects for global change research

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Part of the book series: Tasks for Vegetation Science ((TAVS,volume 33))

Abstract

The International Geosphere-Biosphere Program has proposed a set of large-scale terrestrial transects to study the effects of changes in climate, land use, and atmospheric composition (“global change”) on biogeochemistry, surface-atmosphere exchange, and vegetation dynamics of terrestrial ecosystems. The transects (≈ 1000 km) will be located along existing environmental and land use intensity gradients that span transitions between biomes in regions likely to be widely affected by forcing from components of global change or where the impacts of global change are likely to feed back to affect atmospheric, climatic, or hydrologic systems. Experimental studies on the transects will examine short-term changes in ecosystem function and biosphere-atmosphere interaction in response to variation in primary controlling variables. A hierarchy of modeling approaches will develop predictions of long-term changes in biome boundaries and vegetation distribution. The proposed initial set of IGBP terrestrial transects are located in four key regions: (1) humid tropical forests undergoing land use change, (2) high latitudes including the transition from boreal forest to tundra, (3) semi-arid tropical regions including transitions from dry forest to shrublands and savannas, and (4) mid latitude semi-arid regions encompassing transitions from shrubland or grassland to forests. We discuss here the rationale and general research design of transect studies proposed for each of these priority regions.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biological Sciences, Northern Arizona University, GCTE Focus 1 Office, Flagstaff, Arizona, 86011-5640, USA

    George W. Koch

  2. Department of Biological Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, California, 94305, USA

    Peter M. Vitousek

  3. CSIRO Division of Wildlife & Ecology, GCTE Core Project Office, 84, Lyneham, ACT 2602, Australia

    William L. Steffen

  4. CSIRO Division of Wildlife and Ecology, Canberra, ACT, Australia

    Brian H. Walker

Authors
  1. George W. Koch
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  2. Peter M. Vitousek
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  3. William L. Steffen
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  4. Brian H. Walker
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Editor information

T. Hirose B. H. Walker

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© 1995 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht

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Koch, G.W., Vitousek, P.M., Steffen, W.L., Walker, B.H. (1995). Terrestrial transects for global change research. In: Hirose, T., Walker, B.H. (eds) Global change and terrestrial ecosystems in monsoon Asia. Tasks for Vegetation Science, vol 33. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-0343-5_6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-0343-5_6

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht

  • Print ISBN: 978-94-010-4152-2

  • Online ISBN: 978-94-011-0343-5

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

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