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Environmental Drivers of Species Composition and Tree Species Density of a Near-Natural Central Himalayan Treeline Ecotone: Consequences for the Response to Climate Change

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Mountain Landscapes in Transition

Part of the book series: Sustainable Development Goals Series ((SDGS))

Abstract

Climate warming is expected to facilitate alpine treeline advance to higher elevations. However, empirical studies in diverse mountain ranges give evidence of both advancing alpine treelines and rather insignificant responses. In this context, we aim at analysing environmental drivers of species composition and tree species density in the near-natural treeline ecotone in Rolwaling Himal, Nepal, in order to infer the sensitivity and responsiveness to climate warming. We differentiated plant communities and analysed population densities of tree species along the treeline ecotone from closed forest stands via the krummholz belt to alpine dwarf shrub heaths (3700–4300 m). We determined vegetation–environment–soil relationships, i.e. the effects of changing environmental conditions (e.g. nutrient and thermal deficits, plant interactions) on plant communities and stand structures across the ecotone by means of multivariate statistics. In particular, we focus on explaining the high competitiveness of Rhododendron campanulatum forming a dense krummholz belt and on its relation to climate change. We identified five plant communities, belonging to two different classes. Soil temperature, nitrogen supply and availability, and soil moisture content mainly differentiate species composition of the identified communities. Results indicate that trees in the ecotone show species-specific responses to the influence of site conditions, and that juvenile and adult tree responses are modulated by environmental constraints in differing intensity. In general, the analysed vegetation–environment relationships in the treeline ecotone suggest that the dense Rhododendron krummholz belt largely prevents the upward migration of other tree species and thus constrains the future response of Himalayan krummholz treelines to climate warming.

This chapter was prepared by merging, modifying and completing the previously published papers Bürzle et al. (2017), Schwab et al. (2017) and Schwab (2018).

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Acknowledgements

We are grateful to Tenzing and Lakpa Sherpa from Beding who provided lodging and support during field data collection. We thank Ram Bahadur, Simon Drollinger, Helge Heyken, Nina Kiese, Yanina Katharina Müller, Hanna Wanli, Ronja Wedegärtner and Lina Marie Wernicke for assistance in the field. We are obliged to Lena Geiger and Matthias Tetzlaff for providing HemiView data and to Lars Gerlitz for providing climate data. We thank Michael Müller for providing and discussing soil data and the late Ramchandra Karki for discussions on climate data. We acknowledge Bijay Raj Subedi, Madan K. Suwal, Yadu Sapkota and Chandra Kanta Subedi for great support in logistics and administrative issues. B. Bürzle was funded by Studienstiftung des deutschen Volkes. We are indebted to the German Research Foundation for funding (DFG, SCHI 436/14-1, BO 1333/4-1, SCHO 739/14-1), to Nepalese authorities for research permits and to the community in Rolwaling for friendly cooperation and hospitality.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. CEN Center for Earth System Research and Sustainability, Institute of Geography, Universität Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany

    Niels Schwab, Birgit Bürzle, Jürgen Böhner & Udo Schickhoff

  2. RECAST Research Centre for Applied Science and Technology, Tribhuvan University, Kirtipur, Nepal

    Ram Prasad Chaudhary

  3. Department of Geosciences, Chair of Soil Science and Geomorphology, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany

    Thomas Scholten

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  1. Niels Schwab
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  2. Birgit Bürzle
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  3. Jürgen Böhner
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  4. Ram Prasad Chaudhary
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  5. Thomas Scholten
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  6. Udo Schickhoff
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Correspondence to Niels Schwab .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. CEN Center for Earth System Research and Sustainability, Institute of Geography, University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany

    Udo Schickhoff

  2. (Deceased) Department of Geography, Delhi School of Economy, University of Delhi, New Delhi, Delhi, India

    R.B. Singh

  3. Department of Geography, Shaheed Bhagat Singh College, University of Delhi, New Delhi, Delhi, India

    Suraj Mal

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Schwab, N., Bürzle, B., Böhner, J., Chaudhary, R.P., Scholten, ., Schickhoff, U. (2022). Environmental Drivers of Species Composition and Tree Species Density of a Near-Natural Central Himalayan Treeline Ecotone: Consequences for the Response to Climate Change. In: Schickhoff, U., Singh, R., Mal, S. (eds) Mountain Landscapes in Transition . Sustainable Development Goals Series. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-70238-0_13

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