Abstract
The composition and structure of tree stands near the timberline have been studied on different slopes and at different elevations in the Tylaisko-Konzhakovsko-Serebryanskii Massif, the North Urals. It has been found that the upper limits of tree stands with different degrees of canopy closure have risen considerably (by about 100 m of elevation) since the mid-19th century, although the formation of these stands started as early as the late 18th century. Woodless areas in the eastern part of the massif started to be colonized by Larix sibirica in the late 18th to early 19th centuries; those in the western part, by Picea obovata in the mid-19th century; and in the southern part, by Betula tortuosa in the late 19th century. Analysis of meteorological data provides evidence for warming and increasing humidity of the climate since the late 19th century. Favorable climatic changes that facilitated the expansion of the forest have taken place both in the summer (prolongation of the growing period) and in winter seasons (increase of air temperature and precipitation). The observed differences in the composition and dynamics of tree stands between the studied areas of the mountain range are most probably explained by different requirements of tree species for the depth of snow cover and the degree of soil freezing.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Basov, V.A., Dynamics of Seed Production by Main Conifer Tree Species, in Zakonomernosti poluvekovoi dinamiki bioty devstvennoi taigi Severnogo Predural’ya (Trends in Half-Centennial Biota Dynamics in the Virgin Taiga Forests of the Northern Cisural Region), Syktyvkar, 2000, pp. 22–30.
Cairns, D.M., Patterns of Winter Desiccation in Krummholz Forms of Abies lasiocarpa at Treeline Sites in Glacier National Park, Montana, USA, Geogr. Ann. Ser. A: Phys Geogr., 2001, vol. 83, pp. 157–168.
Gorchakovskii, P.L. and Shiyatov, S.G., Fitoindikatsiya uslovii sredy i prirodnykh protsessov v vysokogor’yakh (Phytoindication of Environmental Conditions and Natural Processes in High Mountain Regions), Moscow: Nauka, 1985.
Harsch, M.A., Hulme, P.E., McGlone, M.S., and Dunca, R.P., Are Treelines Advancing? A Global Meta-Analysis of Treeline Response to Climate Warming, Ecol. Lett., 2009, no. 12, pp. 1040–1049.
Kammer, A., Hagedorn, F., Shevchenko, I., et al., Upward-Shifting Treelines Change Soil Organic Matter Dynamics in the Ural Mountains, Global Change Biol., 2009, no. 15, pp. 1570–1583.
Kapralov, D.S., Shiyatov, S.G., Moiseev, P.A., and Fomin, V.V., Changes in the Composition, Structure, and Altitudinal Distribution of Low Forests at the Upper Limit of Their Growth in the Northern Ural Mountains, Ekologiya, 2006, no. 6, pp. 403–409.
Kimiko, H. and Michinori, S., Spatial Distribution of Canopy and Subcanopy Species along a Sloping Topography in a Cool-Temperate Conifer-Hardwood Forest in the Snowy Region of Japan, Ecol. Res., 2003, no. 4, pp. 443–454.
Koshkina, N.B., Moiseev, P.A., and Goryaeva, A.V., Reproduction of the Siberian Spruce in the Timberline Ecotone of the Iremel’ Massif, Ekologiya, 2008, no. 2, pp. 93–102.
Mikan, C.J., Schimel, J.P., and Doyle, A.P., Temperature Controls of Microbial Respiration above and below Freezing in Arctic Tundra Soils, Soil Biol. Biochem., 2002, vol. 34, pp. 1785–1795.
Moiseev, P.A., Meer, M., Rigling, A., and Shevchenko, I.G., Effect of Climatic Changes on the Formation of Siberian Spruce Generations in Subgoltsy Tree Stands of the South Urals, Ekologiya, 2004, no. 3, pp. 1–9.
Osokin, N.I., Samoilov, R.S., and Sosnovskii, A.V., Role of Snow Cover in Soil Freezing, Izv. Akad. Nauk, Ser. Geogr., 2001, no. 4, pp. 52–57.
Shiyatov, S.G., Age Structure and Development of Tree Stands in Open Larch Forests at the Upper Timberline in the Sob’ River Basin, Polar Urals, in Geografiya i dinamika rastitel’nogo pokrova (Plant Cover Geography and Dynamics), Tr. Inst. Biol., Sverdlovsk, 1965, issue 42, pp. 81–96.
Shiyatov, S.G., Dendrokhronologiya verkhnei granitsy lesa na Urale (Dendrochronology of the Upper Timberline in the Urals), Moscow: Nauka, 1986.
Shiyatov, S.G., Terent’ev, M.M., and Fomin, V.V., Spatiotemporal Dynamics of Forest-Tundra Communities in the Polar Urals, Ekologiya, 2005, no. 2, pp. 1–8.
Sovershaev, P.F., On Frost Heaving of Sprouts and Seedlings, Lesnoi Zh., 1961, no. 3, pp. 3–7.
Tierney, G.L., Fahey, T.J., Groffman, P.M., et al., Soil Freezing Alters Fine Root Dynamics in a Northern Hardwood Forest, Biogeochemistry, 2001.
Turmasova, L.I., Seed Productivity of Siberian Spruce in the Pechora-Ilych Nature Reserve, Tr. Komi Nauchn. Tsentra Ural. Otd. Akad. Nauk SSSR, Syktyvkar, 1991, vol. 116, pp. 27–37.
Weih, M. and Karlsson, S., Low Winter Soil Temperature Affects Summertime Nutrient Uptake Capacity and Growth Rate of Mountain Birch Seedlings in the Subarctic, Swedish Lapland, Arct. Antarct. Alp. Res., 2002, vol. 34, no. 4, pp. 434–439.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Additional information
Original Russian Text © P. A. Moiseev, A.A. Bartysh, Z.Ya. Nagimov, 2010, published in Ekologiya, 2010, No. 6, pp. 432–443.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Moiseev, P.A., Bartysh, A.A. & Nagimov, Z.Y. Climate changes and tree stand dynamics at the upper limit of their growth in the North Ural mountains. Russ J Ecol 41, 486–497 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1134/S1067413610060056
Received:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1134/S1067413610060056