Effects of biotic interactions on ecological processes of treeline ecotone under climate change

doi:10.13287/j.1001-9332.202110.006

Abstract

Abstract: Treeline ecotone is an alpine ecological transition zone characterized by strong biotic interactions, which are closely related to treeline ecological processes. Herein, we reviewed the research progress regarding the impacts of plant-plant, plant-animal, and plant-microbe interactions on the ecological processes of treeline ecotone under climate change. Both facilitation and competition among individual plants are important factors mediating dynamics of treeline processes under climate change. However, there is a dearth of dendroecological evidence. Impacts of higher-order interactions on the ecological processes of treeline ecotone remain to be tested. Herbivory and microbe-plant interactions could enhance or reduce the couplings of treeline and climate through affecting soil conditions or altering dynamics of ecological processes such as tree growth and recruitment. How the linkages between aboveground and belowground processes affect treeline responses to climate change remain unclear. In addition, biotic interactions across trophic levels might regulate the responses of ecological processes of treeline ecotone to climate change. Tibetan Plateau provides an excellent opportunity to explore the effects of biotic interactions on the changes of ecological process of treeline ecotone.

Key words: timberline, tree ring, climate change, facilitation, competition

WANG Ya-feng, WANG Ya-lei, HUANG Ru, LIANG Er-yuan. Effects of biotic interactions on ecological processes of treeline ecotone under climate change[J]. Chinese Journal of Applied Ecology, 2021, 32(10): 3724-3732.

References

[1] 崔海亭, 刘鸿雁, 戴君虎. 山地生态学与高山林线研究. 北京: 科学出版社, 2005 [Cui H-T, Liu H-Y, Dai J-H. Study on Mountain Ecology and Alpine Timberline. Beijing: Science Press, 2005]
[2] Körner C. Alpine Treelines: Functional Ecology of the Global High Elevation Tree Limits. Basel, Switzerland: Springer, 2012
[3] Liang EY, Wang YF, Piao SL, et al. Species interactions slow warming-induced upward shifts of treelines on the Tibetan Plateau. Proceedings of the National Aca-demy of Sciences of the United States of America, 2016, 113: 4380-4385
[4] 王晓春, 周晓峰, 孙志虎. 高山林线与气候变化关系研究进展. 生态学杂志, 2005, 24(3): 301-305 [Wang X-C, Zhou X-F, Sun Z-H. Research advances in the relationship between alpine timberline and climate change. Chinese Journal of Ecology, 2005, 24(3): 301-305]
[5] 王亚锋, 梁尔源. 干扰对树线生态过程的影响研究进展. 科学通报, 2019, 64(16): 1711-1721 [Wang Y-F, Liang E-Y. Research advances in disturbance and ecological processes of the treeline ecotone. Chinese Science Bulletin, 2019, 64(16): 1711-1721]
[6] Naudiyal N, Wang JN, Wu N, et al. Potential distribution of Abies, Picea, and Juniperus species in the sub-alpine forest of Minjiang headwater region under current and future climate scenarios and its implications on ecosystem services supply. Ecological Indicators, 2021, 121: 107131
[7] Liu HY, Yin Y. Response of forest distribution to past climate change: An insight into future predictions. Chinese Science Bulletin, 2013, 58: 4426-4436
[8] Lyu LX, Zhang QB, Deng X, et al. Fine-scale distribution of treeline trees and the nurse plant facilitation on the eastern Tibetan Plateau. Ecological Indicators, 2016, 66: 251-258
[9] Odum EP. 何文珊译. 生态学: 科学与社会之间的桥梁. 北京: 高等教育出版社, 2017 [Odum EP. Trans. He W-S. Ecology: A Bridge between Science and Society. Beijing: High Education Press, 2017]
[10] 段昌群, 苏文华, 杨树华, 等. 植物生态学. 第3版. 北京: 高等教育出版社, 2020 [Duan C-Q, Su W-H, Yang S-H, et al. Plant Ecology. 3rd Ed. Beijing: Higher Education Press, 2020]
[11] 李俊清, 牛树奎, 刘艳红. 森林生态学. 第三版. 北京: 高等教育出版社, 2017 [Li J-Q, Niu S-K, Liu Y-H. Forest Ecology. 3rd Ed. Beijing: Higher Education Press, 2017]
[12] Bader MY, Llambí LD, Case BS, et al. A global framework for linking alpine-treeline ecotone patterns to underlying processes. Ecography, 2021, 44: 265-292
[13] 刘鸿雁. 植物地理学. 北京: 高等教育出版社, 2020 [Liu H-Y. Plant Geography. Beijing: Higher Education Press, 2020]
[14] Holtmeier FK. Mountain Timberlines: Ecology, Patchiness, and Dynamics. Dordrecht, the Netherlands: Springer, 2009
[15] Holtmeier FK, Broll G. Subalpine forest and treeline ecotone under the influence of disturbances: A review. Journal of Environment Protection, 2018, 9: 815-845
[16] 王亚锋, 芦晓明, 朱海峰, 等. 高山树线的调查与研究方法. 地球科学进展, 2020, 35(1): 38-51 [Wang Y-F, Lu X-M, Zhu H-F, et al. Field survey and research approaches at apine treelines. Advances in Earth Science, 2020, 35(1): 38-51]
[17] Wang Y, Camarero J, Luo T, et al. Spatial patterns of Smith fir alpine treelines on the south-eastern Tibetan Plateau support that contingent local conditions drive recent treeline patterns. Plant Ecology and Diversity, 2012, 5: 311-321
[18] 张桥英, 罗鹏, 张运春, 等. 白马雪山阴坡林线长苞冷杉(Abies georgei)种群结构特征. 生态学报, 2008, 28(1): 129-135 [Zhang Q-Y, Luo P, Zhang Y-C, et al. Ecological characteristics of Abies georgei population at timberline on the north-facing slope of Baima Snow Mountain, Southwest China. Acta Ecologica Sinica, 2008, 28(1): 129-135]
[19] Grau O, Ninot JM, Blanco-Moreno JM, et al. Shrub-tree interactions and environmental changes drive treeline dynamics in the Subarctic. Oikos, 2012, 121: 1680-1690
[20] Wang YF, Pederson N, Ellision AM, et al. Increased stem density and competition may diminish the positive effects of warming at alpine treeline. Ecology, 2016, 97: 1668-1679
[21] Baker BB, Moseley RK. Advancing treeline and retreating glaciers: Implications for conservation in Yunnan, PR China. Arctic, Antarctic and Alpine Research, 2007, 39: 200-209
[22] Smith WK, Germio MJ, Hancock TE, et al. Another perspective on altitudinal limits of alpine timberlines. Tree Physiology, 2003, 23: 1101-1112
[23] Brooker RW, Maestre FT, Callaway RM, et al. Facilitation in plant communities: The past, the present, and the future. Journal of Ecology, 2008, 96: 18-34
[24] Camarero JJ, Gutiérrez E, Fortin MJ. Spatial pattern of subalpine forest-alpine grassland ecotones in the Spanish Central Pyrenees. Forest Ecology and Management, 2000, 134: 1-16
[25] Harsch MA, Bader M. Treeline form: A potential key to understanding treeline dynamics. Global Ecology and Biogeography, 2011, 20: 582-596
[26] Elliott GP. Influences of 20th-century warming at the upper tree line contingent on local-scale interactions: Evidence from a latitudinal gradient in the Rocky Mountains, USA. Global Ecology and Biogeography, 2012, 20: 46-57
[27] Sigdel SR, Liang E, Wang Y, et al. Tree-to-tree interactions slow down Himalayan treeline shifts as inferred from tree spatial patterns. Journal of Biogeography, 2020, 47: 1816-1826
[28] Wang Y, Case B, Lu X, et al. Fire facilitates warming-induced upward shifts of alpine treelines by altering interspecific interaction. Trees-Structure and Function, 2019, 33: 1051-1061
[29] Ropars P, Boudreau S. Shrub expansion at the forest-tundra ecotone: Spatial heterogeneity linked to local topography. Environmental Research Letters, 2012, 7: 015501
[30] Lett S, Teuber LM, Krab EJ, et al. Mosses modify effects of warmer and wetter conditions on tree seedlings at the alpine treeline. Global Change Biology, 2020, 26: 5754-5766
[31] Loranger H, Zotz G, Bader MY. Competitor or facilitator? The ambiguous role of alpine grassland for the early establishment of tree seedlings at treeline. Oikos, 2017, 126: 1625-1636
[32] Hobbie S, Chapin III FS. An experimental test of limits to tree establishment in Arctic tundra. Journal of Eco-logy, 1998, 86: 449-461
[33] Dial RJ, Smeltz TS, Sullivan PF, et al. Shrubline but not treeline advance matches climate velocity in montane ecosystems of south-central Alaska. Global Change Bio-logy, 2016, 22: 1841-1856
[34] Dufour-Tremblay G, Lévesque E, Boudreau S. Dyna-mics at the treeline: Differential responses of Picea mariana and Larix laricina to climate change in eastern subarctic Québec. Environmental Research Letters, 2012, 7: 044038
[35] 储诚进. 植物间正相互作用对种群动态与群落结构的影响研究. 博士论文. 兰州: 兰州大学, 2010 [Chu C-J. Effects of Positive Interactions among Plants on Population Dynamics and Community Structures. PhD Thesis Lanzhou: Lanzhou University, 2010]
[36] Germino MJ, Smith WK, Resor AC. Conifer seedling distribution and survival in an alpine-treeline ecotone. Plant Ecology, 2002, 162: 157-168
[37] Castro J, Zamora R, Hódar JA, et al. Seedling establishment of a boreal tree species (Pinus sylvestris) at its southernmost distribution limit: Consequences of being in a marginal Mediterranean habitat. Journal of Ecology, 2004, 92: 266-277
[38] Mikola J, Silfver T, Rousi M. Mountain birch facilitates Scots pine in the northern tree line: Does improved soil fertility have a role? Plant and Soil, 2018, 423: 205-213
[39] Akhalkatsi K, Abdaladze O, Nakhutsrishvili G, et al. Facilitation of seedling microsites by Rhododendron caucasicum extends the Betula litwinowii alpine treeline, Caucasus Mountains, Republic of Georgia. Arctic, An-tarctic, and Alpine Research, 2006, 38: 481-488
[40] Astudillo-Sánchez CC, Fowler MS, Villanueva-Díaz J, et al. Recruitment and facilitation in Pinus hartwegii, a Mexican alpine treeline ecotone, with potential responses to climate warming. Trees-Structure and Function, 2019, 33: 1087-1100
[41] Chen JG, Yang Y, Wang S, et al. Shrub facilitation promotes selective tree establishment beyond the climatic treeline. Science of the Total Environment, 2020, 708: 134618
[42] Speed JDM, Austrheim G, Hester AJ, et al. Experimental evidence for herbivore limitation of the treeline. Eco-logy, 2011, 91: 3414-3420
[43] Eskelinen A, Saccpme P, Spasojevic MJ, et al. Herbivory mediates the long-term shift in the relative importance of microsite and propagule limitation. Journal of Ecology, 2016, 104: 1326-1334
[44] Wang Y, Sylvester SP, Lu X, et al. The stability of spruce treelines on the eastern Tibetan Plateau over the last century is explained by pastoral disturbance. Forest Ecology and Management, 2019, 442: 34-45
[45] Olnes J, Kielland K, Juday GP, et al. Can snowshoe hares control treeline expansions? Ecology, 2017, 98: 2506-2512
[46] Van Bogaert R, Haneca K, Hoogesteger J, et al. A century of tree line changes in sub-Arctic Sweden shows local and regional variability and only a minor influence of 20th century climate warming. Journal of Biogeography, 2011, 38: 907-921
[47] Jameson RG, Trant AJ, Hermanutz L. Insects can limit seed productivity at the treeline. Canadian Journal of Forestry Research, 2015, 45: 286-296
[48] 李宁, 王征, 潘扬, 等. 动物传播者对植物更新的促进与限制. 应用生态学报, 2012, 23(9): 2602-2608 [Li N, Wang Z, Pan Y, et al. Facilitation and limitation on plant recruitment by animal dispersers. Chinese Journal of Applied Ecology, 2012, 23(9): 2602-2608]
[49] Herrero A, Zamora R, Castro J, et al. Limits of pine forest distribution at the treeline: Herbivory matters. Plant Ecology, 2012, 213: 459-469
[50] Lewis KP, Starzomski BM. Bird communities and vegetation associations across a treeline ecotone in the Mealy Mountains, Labrador, an understudied part of the Boreal forest. Canadian Journal of Zoology, 2015, 93: 477-486
[51] 闵航. 微生物学. 杭州: 浙江大学出版社, 2019 [Min H. Microbiology. Hangzhou: Zhejiang University Press, 2019]
[52] Chen L, Swenson NG, Ji NN, et al. Differential soil fungus accumulation and density dependence of trees in a subtropical forest. Science, 2019, 366: 124-128
[53] Hagedorn F, Gavazov K, Alexander JM. Above- and belowground linkages shape responses of mountain vegetation to climate change. Science, 2019, 365: 1119-1123
[54] 温祝桂, 陈亚华. 中国外生菌根真菌研究进展. 生物技术通报, 2013, 2: 22-30 [Wen Z-G, Chen Y-H. Advances in the studies of ectomycorrhiza in China. Biotechnology Bulletin, 2013, 2: 22-30]
[55] Brundrett MC. Mycorrhizal associations and other means of nutrition of vascular plants: Understanding the global diversity of host plants by resolving conflicting information and developing reliable means of diagnosis. Plant and Soil, 2009, 320: 37-77
[56] 徐漫, 傅婉秋, 戴传超, 等. 外生菌根真菌促生微生物生态功能研究进展. 生态学杂志, 2018, 37(4): 1246-1256 [Xu M, Fu W-Q, Dai C-C, et al. Ecological function of promoting microorganisms associated with ectomycorrhizal fungi. Chinese Journal of Ecology, 2018, 37(4): 1246-1256]
[57] 韩其晟. 太白山林线树种太白红杉外生菌根群落研究. 硕士论文. 杨凌: 西北农林科技大学, 2017 [Han Q-S. Study on the Ectomycorrhizal Communities of Taibai Sequoia on the Timberline Tree Species of Taibai Mountain. Master Thesis. Yangling: Northwest A&F University, 2017]
[58] 杜海燕, 常顺利, 宋成程, 等. 天山雪岭云杉森林菌根真菌多样性及其影响因子. 干旱区研究, 2003, 36(5): 1194-1201 [Du H-Y, Chang S-L, Song C-C, et al. Diversity of mycorrhizal fungi of Picea schrenkiana forest and its affecting factors in the Tianshan Mountains. Arid Zone Research, 2003, 36(5): 1194-1201]
[59] 李龙, 李丽, 伍建榕, 等. 高黎贡山丛枝菌根真菌多样性研究. 贵州农业科学, 2017, 45(12): 45-50 [Li L, Li L, Wu J-R, et al. Diversity of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in Gaoligong Mountains. Guizhou Agricultu-ral Sciences, 2017, 45(12): 45-50]
[60] Mohatt KR, Cripps CL, Lavina M. Ectomycorrhizal fungi of whitebark pine (a tree in peril) revealed by sporocarps and molecular analysis of mycorrhizae from treeline forests in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. Botany, 2008, 86: 14-25
[61] Shemesh H, Boaz BE, Millar CI, et al. Symbiotic interactions above treeline of long-lived pines: Mycorrhizal advantage of limber pine (Pinus flexilis) over Great Basin bristlecone pine (Pinus longaeva) at the seedling stage. Journal of Ecology, 2020, 108: 908-916
[62] 吕全, 张星耀, 梁军, 等. 当代森林病理学的特征. 林业科学, 2012, 48(7): 134-143 [Lyu Q, Zhang X-Y, Liang J, et al. Characteristics of contemporary forest pathology. Scientia Silvae Sinicae, 2012, 48(7): 134-143]
[63] Wagner AC, Tomback DF, Resler LM, et al. Whitebark pine prevalence and ecological function in treeline communities of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, U.S.A.: Potential disruption by white pine blister rust. Forests, 2018, 9: 635
[64] Tomback DF, Blakeslee SC, Wagner AC, et al. Whitebark pine facilitation at treeline: Potential interactions for disruption by an invasive pathogen. Ecology and Evolution, 2016, 6: 5144-5157
[65] Barbeito I, Dawes MA, Rixen C, et al. Factors driving mortality and growth at treeline: A 30-year experiment of 92000 conifers. Ecology, 2012, 93: 389-401
[66] 沈泽昊, 方精云, 刘增力, 等. 贡嘎山海螺沟林线附近峨眉冷杉种群的结构与动态. 植物学报, 2001, 43(12): 1288-1293 [Shen Z-H, Fang J-Y, Liu Z-L, et al. Structure and dynamics of Abies fabri population near the alpine timberline in Hailuo Clough of Gongga Mountain. Acta Botanica Sinica, 2001, 43(12): 1288-1293]
[67] Angers-Blondin S, Myers-Smith IH, Boudreau S. Plant-plant interactions could limit recruitment and range expansion of tall shrubs into alpine and Arctic tundra. Polar Biology, 2018, 41: 2211-2219
[68] Li X, Camarero JJ, Case B, et al. The onset of xyloge-nesis is not related to distance from the crown in Smith r trees from the southeastern Tibetan Plateau. Canadian Journal of Forestry Research, 2016, 46: 885-889
[69] Li Y, Mayfield MM, Wang B, et al. Beyond direct neighbourhood effects: Higher-order interactions improve modelling and predicting tree survival and growth. National Science Review, 2020, 244, doi: 10.1093/nsr/nwaa244/5910530