Abstract
Plant species richness, composition, or turnover along an altitude gradient maybe continuous (Odland and Birks 1999), or discontinuous (Grabherr et al. 1995). Discontinuity arises when species are distributed over a narrow altitude range, e.g. in the Alps (Grabherr et al. 1995). Where a gradient in macro-climate exists such as along a coast-inland gradient in central Norway, the lower and upper limits of plant distribution (e.g. Jorgensen 1933, 1937; Kilander 1955;Gjærevoll 1990) are different and continuous along the gradient (Holten 1986).
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
Berg RY (1963) Disjunctions in the Norwegian alpine flora and theories proposed for their explanation. Blyttia 21:133–177
Birks HH (1993) Is the hypothesis of survival on glacial nunataks necessary to explain the present-day distributions of Norwegian mountain plants? Phytocoenologia 23:399–426
Birks HH (1996) Statistical approaches to interpreting diversity patterns in the Norwegian mountain flora. Ecography 19:332–340
Bucher T (1938) Biological distribution types in the flora of Greenland. Meddelelser Grmnland 106:1–339
Brocher T (1951) Distributions of plants in the circumpolar area in relation to ecological and historical factors. J Ecol 39:376–395
Crawford RMM (1997) Oceanity and the ecological disadvantages of warm winters. Bot J Scotl 49:205–221
Crawford RMM, Palin MA (1981) Root respiration and temperature limits to the north south distribution of four perennial maritime species. Flora 171:338–354
Crawford RMM, Wolfe DW (1998) Temperature: cellular to whole plant and ecosystem responses. In: Mooney HA, Seaman J, Luo Y (eds) Stress effects on future terrestrial carbon fluxes. Academic Press, New York
Dahl E (1951) On the relation between the summer temperature and the distribution of alpine vascular plants in Fennoscandia. Oikos 3:22–52
Dahl E (1986) Zonation in arctic and alpine tundra and fellfield ecobiomes. In: Polunin N (ed) Ecosystem theory and application. Environmental Monographs and Symposia, Wiley, New York, pp 35–62
Dahl E (1998) The phytogeography of northern Europe (British Isles, Fennoscandia and adjacent areas). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge
Danielsen A (1971) Scandinavia’s mountain vascular flora in the light of late quaternary history of vegetation. Blyttia 29:183–209
Gauslaa Y (1984) Heat resistance and energy budget in different Scandinavian plants. Holarctic Ecol 7:1–78
Gauslaa Y (1985) Climatic limitations on the distribution of alpine plants. A historical review. Blyttia 43:75–86
Gjærevoll O (1956) The snow-bed vegetation of the Scandinavian alpine snow-beds. K norske Vidensk Selsk Skr 1:1–405
Gjærevoll O (1959) Overvintringsteoriens stilling i dag. K norske Vidensk Selsk Forh 32:36–71
Gjœrevoll O (ed) (1990) Maps of distribution of Norwegian vascular plants. II. Alpine plants. Tapir Publishers, Trondheim
Grabherr G (1995) Alpine vegetation in a global perspective. In: Box EO, Peet RK, Masuzawa T, Yamada I, Fujiwara K, Maycock PF (eds) Vegetation science in forestry. Kluwer, Dordrecht, pp 441–451
Grabherr G, Gottfried M, Gruber A, Pauli H (1995) Patterns and current changes in alpine plant diversity. In: Chapin FS, Koerner C (eds) Arctic and alpine biodiversity. Springer, Berlin Heidelberg New York, pp 167–181
Holten JI (1986) Autecological and phytogeographical investigations along a coast-inland transect in central Norway. PhD Thesis, University of Trondheim, Trondheim
Holten JI (1998a) Vertical distribution patterns of vascular plants in the Fennoscandian mountain range. Ecologie 29:129–138
Holten JI (1998b) Vascular plant species richness in relation to altitudinal and slope gradients in mountain landscapes. In: Beniston M, Innes JL (eds) The impacts of climate variability on forests. Springer, Berlin Heidelberg New York,pp 231–239
Jonasson S (1986) Influence of frost heaving on soil chemistry and on the distribution of plant growth forms. Geogr Ann 68A:185–195
Jorgensen R (1933) Karplantenes hoidegrenser i Jotunheimen. Nytt Mag Naturvidensk 72:1–130
Jorgensen R (1937) Die Hohengrenzen der Gefasspflanzen in Troms fylke. K norske Vidensk Selsk Skr 1936 8:1–106
Kilander S (1955) Upper limits of vascular plants on mountains in southwestern Pint-land and adjacent parts of Härjedalen (Sweden) and Norway. Acta Phytogeogr Suec 35:1–108
Moe B (1995) Studies of the alpine flora along an east-west gradient in central Norway. Nord J Bot 15:77–89
Nordhagen R (1943) Sikkilsdalen og Norges fjellbeiter - en plantesosiologisk monografi. Bergens Mus Skrifter 22:1–607
Odland A, Birks HH (1999) The altitudinal gradient of vascular plant species richness in Aurland, western Norway. Ecography 22:548–566
Odegaard RS, Hoelzle M, Vedel Johansen K, Sollid JL (1996) Permafrost mapping and prospecting in southern Norway. Norsk Geogr Tidsskr 50:41–53
Pählson L (1998) Vegetationstyper i Norden. Temallord 1998 510:1–706
Sollid JL, Sorbel L (1998) Palsa bogs as a climate indicator — examples from Dovrefjell, southern Norway. Ambio 27:287–291
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2003 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Holten, J.I. (2003). Altitude Ranges and Spatial Patterns of Alpine Plants in Northern Europe. In: Nagy, L., Grabherr, G., Körner, C., Thompson, D.B.A. (eds) Alpine Biodiversity in Europe. Ecological Studies, vol 167. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-18967-8_7
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-18967-8_7
Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
Print ISBN: 978-3-642-62387-5
Online ISBN: 978-3-642-18967-8
eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive