Topoclimate effect on treeline elevation depends on the regional framework: A contrast between Southern Alps (New Zealand) and Apennines (Italy) forests.

ABSTRACT: Deciphering the spatial patterns of alpine treelines is critical for understanding the ecosystem processes involved in the persistence of tree species and their altitudinal limit. Treelines are thought to be controlled by temperature, and other environmental variables but they have rarely been investigated in regions with different land-use change legacies. Here, we systematically investigated treeline elevation in the Apennines (Italy) and Southern Alps (New Zealand) with contrasting human history but similar biogeographic trajectories, intending to identify distinct drivers that affect their current elevation and highlight their respective peculiarities. Over 3622 km of Apennines, treeline elevation was assessed in 302 mountain peaks and in 294 peaks along 4504 km of Southern Alps. The m

SUBMITTER: Rita A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9843241 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature