Dwarf Pine (Pinus mugo) and Selected Abiotic Habitat Conditions in the Western Tatra Mountains

Juraj Švajda,Martin Buliak,Marián Janiga,Jaroslav Solár

doi:10.1659/mrd-journal-d-09-00032.1

Abstract

The present paper focuses on the distribution of Pinus mugo in the Carpathians, in an area on the border between Slovakia and Poland. We analyze the response of P. mugo distribution to abiotic habitat conditions in the western Tatra Mountains and discuss possible implications for research. The source data for this study were aerial photographs from 3 periods (1965, 1986, and 2002). Mountain areas covered by dwarf pine were identified and analyzed by ArcGIS 9.2, and pine fields were classified with the help of the gray scale mode. A strip of dwarf pine above the upper limit of the forest represents a well-identifiable boundary on the aerial photographs: 25 well-recognized localities were selected to examine the changes in the tree line in the western Tatras. The distribution of dwarf pine systematically increased in the western Tatra Mountains from 1965 to 2002 on all monitored sites. The percentage of total surface area covered in P. mugo increased from 41.8% in 1965 to 51.8% in 1986 and to 58.2% in 2002. The study also analyzes the dispersal of dwarf pine over 40 years in relation with slope and elevation. The results of this study explain ongoing and future vegetation changes and can be used as an important contribution to monitoring of climate change in the mid-European mountain areas.

Highlights

High-mountain ecosystems are considered vulnerable to climate change because productivity, composition, and diversity are directly limited by temperature
Forest composition and geographic distributions of canopy trees are expected to shift with global warming, it is not clear what level of inertia—or time lag—forests will display to climatic forcing, nor how strong the relationship will be between warming and tree line rise (Beckage et al 2008)
Dwarf pine permanently increased in the western Tatra Mountains in the period 1965–2002 on all monitored sites

Summary

Introduction

High-mountain ecosystems are considered vulnerable to climate change because productivity, composition, and diversity are directly limited by temperature. Alpine plants have moved upward, community composition has changed at high alpine sites, and tree line species have responded to climate warming by invasion of the alpine zone or increased growth rates during the last decades (Dirnbock et al 2003; Wez_yk and Guzik 2004). Recent changes of climate and land use are often considered to affect the European alpine region substantially and to trigger an increase in the elevation of the upper tree line (Bolli et al 2007). Forest composition and geographic distributions of canopy trees are expected to shift with global warming, it is not clear what level of inertia—or time lag—forests will display to climatic forcing, nor how strong the relationship will be between warming and tree line rise (Beckage et al 2008). The rise of temperatures during the vegetation period over long periods induces a rise of the tree line, with higher forest stand density. Vescovi et al (2007) suggest that the tree line ascended by about 800–1000 m in a few centuries at most, probably as a consequence of climatic warming

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Conclusion