Climate Change and Topography Drive the Expansion of Betula ermanii in the Alpine Treeline Ecotone of the Changbai Mountain
ABSTRACT Alpine treelines ecotones are critical ecological transition zones and are highly sensitive to global warming. However, the impact of climate on the distribution of treeline trees is not yet fully understood as this distribution may also be affected by other factors. Here, we used high‐reso...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Wiley
2025-05-01
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| Series: | Ecology and Evolution |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.71368 |
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| author | Yingyi Chen Yongfeng Gu Wen J. Wang Lei Wang Xiaodong Li Shengwei Zong Mai‐He Li Zhengfang Wu Hong S. He Yu Cong Ming Jiang |
| author_facet | Yingyi Chen Yongfeng Gu Wen J. Wang Lei Wang Xiaodong Li Shengwei Zong Mai‐He Li Zhengfang Wu Hong S. He Yu Cong Ming Jiang |
| author_sort | Yingyi Chen |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | ABSTRACT Alpine treelines ecotones are critical ecological transition zones and are highly sensitive to global warming. However, the impact of climate on the distribution of treeline trees is not yet fully understood as this distribution may also be affected by other factors. Here, we used high‐resolution satellite images with climatic and topographic variables to study changes in treeline tree distribution in the alpine treeline ecotone of the Changbai Mountain for the years 2002, 2010, 2017, and 2021. This study employed the Geodetector method to analyze how interactions between climatic and topographic factors influence the expansion of Betula ermanii on different aspect slopes. Over the past 20 years, B. ermanii, the only tree species in the Changbai Mountain tundra zone, had its highest expansion rate from 2017 to 2021 across all the years studied, approaching 2.38% per year. In 2021, B. ermanii reached its uppermost elevations of 2224 m on the western aspects and 2223 m on the northern aspects, which are the predominant aspects it occupies. We also observed a notable increase in the distribution of B. ermanii on steeper slopes (> 15°) between 2002 and 2021. Moreover, we found that interactions between climate and topographic factors played a more significant role in B. ermanii's expansion than any single dominant factor. Our results suggest that the interaction between topographic wetness index and the coldest month precipitation (Pre1), contributing 91% of the observed variability, primarily drove the expansion on the southern aspect by maintaining soil moisture, providing snowpack thermal insulation which enhanced soil temperatures, decomposition, and nutrient release in harsh conditions. On the northern aspect, the interaction between elevation and mean temperature of the warmest month explained 80% of the expansion. Meanwhile, the interaction between Pre1 and mean temperature of the growing season explained 73% of the expansion on the western aspect. This study revealed that dominant factors driving treeline upward movement vary across different mountain aspects. Climate and topography play significant roles in determining tree distribution in the alpine treeline ecotone. This knowledge helps better understand and forecast treeline dynamics in response to global climate change. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-e3cd3d83fbed4a1e930f9316211fa58a |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2045-7758 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-05-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Ecology and Evolution |
| spelling | doaj-art-e3cd3d83fbed4a1e930f9316211fa58a2025-08-20T03:10:09ZengWileyEcology and Evolution2045-77582025-05-01155n/an/a10.1002/ece3.71368Climate Change and Topography Drive the Expansion of Betula ermanii in the Alpine Treeline Ecotone of the Changbai MountainYingyi Chen0Yongfeng Gu1Wen J. Wang2Lei Wang3Xiaodong Li4Shengwei Zong5Mai‐He Li6Zhengfang Wu7Hong S. He8Yu Cong9Ming Jiang10Northeast Institute of Geography and Agroecology Chinese Academy of Sciences Changchun ChinaNortheast Institute of Geography and Agroecology Chinese Academy of Sciences Changchun ChinaNortheast Institute of Geography and Agroecology Chinese Academy of Sciences Changchun ChinaNortheast Institute of Geography and Agroecology Chinese Academy of Sciences Changchun ChinaShandong Key Laboratory of Eco‐Environmental Science for the Yellow River Delta Shandong University of Aeronautics Binzhou ChinaKey Laboratory of Geographical Processes and Ecological Security in Changbai Mountains, Ministry of Education, School of Geographical Sciences Northeast Normal University Changchun ChinaKey Laboratory of Geographical Processes and Ecological Security in Changbai Mountains, Ministry of Education, School of Geographical Sciences Northeast Normal University Changchun ChinaKey Laboratory of Geographical Processes and Ecological Security in Changbai Mountains, Ministry of Education, School of Geographical Sciences Northeast Normal University Changchun ChinaSchool of Natural Resources University of Missouri Columbia Missouri USANortheast Institute of Geography and Agroecology Chinese Academy of Sciences Changchun ChinaNortheast Institute of Geography and Agroecology Chinese Academy of Sciences Changchun ChinaABSTRACT Alpine treelines ecotones are critical ecological transition zones and are highly sensitive to global warming. However, the impact of climate on the distribution of treeline trees is not yet fully understood as this distribution may also be affected by other factors. Here, we used high‐resolution satellite images with climatic and topographic variables to study changes in treeline tree distribution in the alpine treeline ecotone of the Changbai Mountain for the years 2002, 2010, 2017, and 2021. This study employed the Geodetector method to analyze how interactions between climatic and topographic factors influence the expansion of Betula ermanii on different aspect slopes. Over the past 20 years, B. ermanii, the only tree species in the Changbai Mountain tundra zone, had its highest expansion rate from 2017 to 2021 across all the years studied, approaching 2.38% per year. In 2021, B. ermanii reached its uppermost elevations of 2224 m on the western aspects and 2223 m on the northern aspects, which are the predominant aspects it occupies. We also observed a notable increase in the distribution of B. ermanii on steeper slopes (> 15°) between 2002 and 2021. Moreover, we found that interactions between climate and topographic factors played a more significant role in B. ermanii's expansion than any single dominant factor. Our results suggest that the interaction between topographic wetness index and the coldest month precipitation (Pre1), contributing 91% of the observed variability, primarily drove the expansion on the southern aspect by maintaining soil moisture, providing snowpack thermal insulation which enhanced soil temperatures, decomposition, and nutrient release in harsh conditions. On the northern aspect, the interaction between elevation and mean temperature of the warmest month explained 80% of the expansion. Meanwhile, the interaction between Pre1 and mean temperature of the growing season explained 73% of the expansion on the western aspect. This study revealed that dominant factors driving treeline upward movement vary across different mountain aspects. Climate and topography play significant roles in determining tree distribution in the alpine treeline ecotone. This knowledge helps better understand and forecast treeline dynamics in response to global climate change.https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.71368Geodetectorglobal warmingmountain aspectsspatiotemporal distributiontreeline dynamicstrees expansion |
| spellingShingle | Yingyi Chen Yongfeng Gu Wen J. Wang Lei Wang Xiaodong Li Shengwei Zong Mai‐He Li Zhengfang Wu Hong S. He Yu Cong Ming Jiang Climate Change and Topography Drive the Expansion of Betula ermanii in the Alpine Treeline Ecotone of the Changbai Mountain Ecology and Evolution Geodetector global warming mountain aspects spatiotemporal distribution treeline dynamics trees expansion |
| title | Climate Change and Topography Drive the Expansion of Betula ermanii in the Alpine Treeline Ecotone of the Changbai Mountain |
| title_full | Climate Change and Topography Drive the Expansion of Betula ermanii in the Alpine Treeline Ecotone of the Changbai Mountain |
| title_fullStr | Climate Change and Topography Drive the Expansion of Betula ermanii in the Alpine Treeline Ecotone of the Changbai Mountain |
| title_full_unstemmed | Climate Change and Topography Drive the Expansion of Betula ermanii in the Alpine Treeline Ecotone of the Changbai Mountain |
| title_short | Climate Change and Topography Drive the Expansion of Betula ermanii in the Alpine Treeline Ecotone of the Changbai Mountain |
| title_sort | climate change and topography drive the expansion of betula ermanii in the alpine treeline ecotone of the changbai mountain |
| topic | Geodetector global warming mountain aspects spatiotemporal distribution treeline dynamics trees expansion |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.71368 |
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