Climate impacts on tree growth in a Neotropical high mountain forest of the Peruvian Andes

How people subjectively perceive climate change strongly influences how they respond to its challenges. To date, relatively little is known about such perceptions in the Global South. This research examines public perceptions of climate change in the Peruvian Andes, a semi-arid high-mountain region that is highly exposed and vulnerable to adverse effects of climate change. Based on questionnaire data collected through face-to-face interviews (N = 1316), we found that respondents identify various climate-related issues as the most important challenges for their country. Many of these issues are related to water. Respondents also noticed more subtle changes and expected them to continue (e.g., extreme temperatures, food shortages). Climate impacts were clearly seen as negative, which was also reflected in the presence of emotions. When compared to previous research, more respondents had personally experienced extreme weather events (80%) and they were more certain that the climate is already changing, is caused by human activity, and is affecting distant and close places similarly. A comparison of the perceptions along different socioeconomic characteristics suggests that more vulnerable groups (e.g., rural, low income and education levels) tended to perceive climate change as more consequential, closer, and as a more natural (vs. anthropogenic) phenomenon than those from less vulnerable groups. The salience of water-related problems and personal experiences of climate-related events, as well as differences between various subgroups, could be used to improve measures to adapt to the consequences of climate change by correcting misconceptions of the population and of decisionmakers.

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Faculty of 1000 evaluation for Intra- and interspecific tree growth across a long altitudinal gradient in the Peruvian Andes.

F1000 - Post-publication peer review of the biomedical literature ◽

10.3410/f.717960448.793463554 ◽

2012 ◽

Author(s):

Janneke Hille Ris Lambers

Keyword(s):

Tree Growth ◽

Altitudinal Gradient ◽

Peruvian Andes

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Faculty Opinions recommendation of Intra- and interspecific tree growth across a long altitudinal gradient in the Peruvian Andes.

Faculty Opinions – Post-Publication Peer Review of the Biomedical Literature ◽

10.3410/f.717968570.793463554 ◽

2012 ◽

Author(s):

Janneke Hille Ris Lambers

Keyword(s):

Tree Growth ◽

Altitudinal Gradient ◽

Peruvian Andes

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Tree growth and aboveground biomass in a tropical mountain forest thirty years after selective logging in Sarawak, Borneo

Global Ecology and Conservation ◽

10.1016/j.gecco.2021.e01461 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 26 ◽

pp. e01461

Author(s):

Renee Sherna Laing ◽

Kian Huat Ong ◽

Roland Jui Heng Kueh ◽

Nixon Girang Mang ◽

Patricia Jie Hung King

Keyword(s):

Tree Growth ◽

Aboveground Biomass ◽

Selective Logging ◽

Mountain Forest ◽

Tropical Mountain

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Modeling Spatial Patterns of Humus Forms in Montane and Subalpine Forests: Implications of Local Variability for Upscaling

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su11010048 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

pp. 48

Author(s):

Niels Hellwig ◽

Dylan Tatti ◽

Giacomo Sartori ◽

Kerstin Anschlag ◽

Ulfert Graefe ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Spatial Patterns ◽

Ground Cover ◽

Landscape Scale ◽

Local Scale ◽

Mountain Forest ◽

High Mountain ◽

Subalpine Forests ◽

Humus Forms ◽

Humus Form ◽

Local Variability

Humus forms are a distinctive morphological indicator of soil organic matter decomposition. The spatial distribution of humus forms depends on environmental factors such as topography, climate and vegetation. In montane and subalpine forests, environmental influences show a high spatial heterogeneity, which is reflected by a high spatial variability of humus forms. This study aims at examining spatial patterns of humus forms and their dependence on the spatial scale in a high mountain forest environment (Val di Sole/Val di Rabbi, Trentino, Italian Alps). On the basis of the distributions of environmental covariates across the study area, we described humus forms at the local scale (six sampling sites), slope scale (60 sampling sites) and landscape scale (30 additional sampling sites). The local variability of humus forms was analyzed with regard to the ground cover type. At the slope and landscape scale, spatial patterns of humus forms were modeled applying random forests and ordinary kriging of the model residuals. The results indicate that the occurrence of the humus form classes Mull, Mullmoder, Moder, Amphi and Eroded Moder generally depends on the topographical position. Local-scale patterns are mostly related to micro-topography (local accumulation and erosion sites) and ground cover, whereas slope-scale patterns are mainly connected with slope exposure and elevation. Patterns at the landscape scale show a rather irregular distribution, as spatial models at this scale do not account for local to slope-scale variations of humus forms. Moreover, models at the slope scale perform distinctly better than at the landscape scale. In conclusion, the results of this study highlight that landscape-scale predictions of humus forms should be accompanied by local- and slope-scale studies in order to enhance the general understanding of humus form patterns.

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Storm-triggered landslides in the Peruvian Andes and implications for topography, carbon cycles, and biodiversity

Earth Surface Dynamics Discussions ◽

10.5194/esurfd-3-631-2015 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 3 (3) ◽

pp. 631-688 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

K. E. Clark ◽

A. J. West ◽

R. G. Hilton ◽

G. P. Asner ◽

C. A. Quesada ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Organic Carbon ◽

Amazon Basin ◽

Low Frequency ◽

Mountain Forest ◽

Ecological Disturbance ◽

Peruvian Andes ◽

Landslide Occurrence ◽

Carbon Cycles ◽

Landslide Event ◽

Frequency Relationship

Abstract. In this study, we assess the geomorphic role of a rare, large-magnitude landslide event and consider the effect of this event on mountain forest ecosystems and the erosion of organic carbon in an Andean river catchment. Proximal triggers such as large rain storms are known to cause large numbers of landslides, but the relative effects of such low-frequency, high-magnitude events are not well known in the context of more regular, smaller events. We develop a 25 year duration, annual-resolution landslide inventory by mapping landslide occurrence in the Kosñipata Valley, Peru, from 1988 to 2012 using Landsat, Quickbird and Worldview satellite images. Catchment-wide landslide rates were high, at 0.076 % yr−1 by area, indicating landslides may completely turn over hillslopes every ~ 1320 years and strip 28 tC km−2 yr−1 of soil (73 %) and vegetation (27 %). A single rain storm in March 2010 accounted for 27 % of all landslide area observed during the 25 year study and removed 26 % of the organic carbon that was stripped from hillslopes by all landslides during the study. An approximately linear magnitude–frequency relationship for annual landslide areas suggests that large storms contribute an equivalent landslide failure area to the sum of smaller frequency landslides events occurring over the same period. However, the spatial distribution of landslides associated with the 2010 storm is distinct. On the basis of precipitation statistics and landscape morphology, we hypothesize that spatial focusing of storm-triggered landslide erosion at lower elevations in the Kosñipata catchment may be characteristic of longer-term patterns. These patterns may have implications for the source and composition of sediments and organic material supplied to river systems of the Amazon basin, and, through focusing of regular ecological disturbance, for the species composition of forested ecosystems in the region.

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Identification of Arceuthobium globosum using unmanned aerial vehicle images in a high mountain forest of central Mexico

Journal of Forestry Research ◽

10.1007/s11676-019-00954-5 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 31 (5) ◽

pp. 1759-1771

Author(s):

Luis A. León-Bañuelos ◽

Angel R. Endara-Agramont ◽

William Gómez-Demetrio ◽

Carlos G. Martínez-García ◽

E. Gabino Nava-Bernal

Keyword(s):

Unmanned Aerial Vehicle ◽

Mountain Forest ◽

Central Mexico ◽

High Mountain ◽

Aerial Vehicle

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Mountain forest-steppe of South-East Altai and South-West Tuva

Vegetation of Russia ◽

10.31111/vegrus/2014.24.86 ◽

2014 ◽

pp. 86-100 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

N. I. Makunina

Keyword(s):

Mountain Forest ◽

Forest Steppe ◽

High Mountain ◽

Special Investigation ◽

South West ◽

South Siberia ◽

Larch Forests ◽

Steppe Communities ◽

Steppe Belt ◽

New Association

Some geobotanists, who studied arid mountain steppe landscapes in South-East Altai and South-West Tuva, mentioned the existing of small isolated larch forest areas at the height 2100–2400 m above sea level (Kuminova, 1960; Il’inskaya, 1980). We have made a special investigation of the vegetation of this rather peculiar forest-steppe. It can be called “high-mountain forest-steppe” by the altitudinal position and “cold forest-steppe” by the level of the heat. Such forest-steppe areas are found only in certain orographic conditions: they are confined to the slopes of rivers’ valleys. The foots of these slopes are situated at an altitude 1900–2000 m a. s. l. and the flat tops of the mountains – at 2400–2500 m a. s. l. Light slopes of the mountains are occupied by bunchgrass steppes, larch forests and meadow steppes are located on the shady slopes. Forest-steppe landscapesare confined to thealtitudinal rangeof the steppe belt, whichis divided intotwosubbelts: the lower with bunchgrass(moderately dry) steppes and theupper with cryophytic steppes. The boundaries betweensub-belts are at differentaltitudes in the SoutheastAltai andSouthwestTuva. In South-Eastern Altai bunchgrasssteppes are replaced by cryophytic ones at the height 2400–2500m a. s. l., so forest-steppes are completely included in bunchgrass steppe subbelt. In SouthwesternTuva this boundary is at 2200–2300 m a. s. l., so the lower parts of the light slopes are covered by bunchgrass steppes and the upper parts — by cryophytic steppes. The steppes in mountain forest-steppe of South-East Altai belong to alliance Helictotrichion schelliani, the Tuvinian ones — to alliance Festucion tschujensis. These two alliances are from order Helictotrichetalia shelliani, class Cleistogenetea squarrosae.Alliance Helictotrichion schelliani includes mountain steppes that mostly occur in semiarid bioclimatic regions of South Siberia and North Mongolia; forest-steppe plant communities of arid South-East Altai represent the “cold branch” of this alliance. The bunchgrass steppes belong to new association Potentillo sericeae–Agropyretum cristati,the meadow steppes — to new association Sileno repentis–Caricetum pediformis. In mountain forest-steppe of South-West Tuva 3 associations present alliance Festucion tschujensis which combines steppe communities with participation of cryopetrophytic species. Bunchgrass steppes are described as new association Oxytropido macrosemae–Agropyretum cristatae, cryophitic steppes – as new association Oxytropido eriocarpae–Poetum attenuatae, meadow steppes are included in association Artemisio phaeolepidis–Kobresietum myosuroidis. The larch forests belong to alliance Pachypleuro alpini–Laricion sibiricae (order Festuco ovinae–Laricetalia sibiricae, class Rhytidio rugosi–Laricetea sibiricae). Forests of association Swertio obtusae–Laricetum sibiricae are characteristic of South-East Altai, forests of association Artemisio rupestris–Laricetum sibiricae are common in South-West Tuva, forests of association Kobresio myosuroides–Laricetum sibiricae are recorded in both regions.

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Intra- and interspecific tree growth across a long altitudinal gradient in the Peruvian Andes

Ecology ◽

10.1890/11-1725.1 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 93 (9) ◽

pp. 2061-2072 ◽

Cited By ~ 37

Author(s):

Joshua M. Rapp ◽

Miles R. Silman ◽

James S. Clark ◽

Cecile A. J. Girardin ◽

Darcy Galiano ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Tree Growth ◽

Altitudinal Gradient ◽

Peruvian Andes

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Simulating Growth and Competition on Wet and Waterlogged Soils in a Forest Landscape Model

Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution ◽

10.3389/fevo.2020.598775 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 8 ◽

Author(s):

Eric J. Gustafson ◽

Brian R. Miranda ◽

Anatoly Z. Shvidenko ◽

Brian R. Sturtevant

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Tree Growth ◽

Climate Impacts ◽

Species Range ◽

Range Shifts ◽

Forest Landscape ◽

Landscape Model ◽

Time Step ◽

Forest Landscape Model ◽

Waterlogged Soils

Changes in CO2 concentration and climate are likely to alter disturbance regimes and competitive outcomes among tree species, which ultimately can result in shifts of species and biome boundaries. Such changes are already evident in high latitude forests, where waterlogged soils produced by topography, surficial geology, and permafrost are an important driver of forest dynamics. Predicting such effects under the novel conditions of the future requires models with direct and mechanistic links of abiotic drivers to growth and competition. We enhanced such a forest landscape model (PnET-Succession in LANDIS-II) to allow simulation of waterlogged soils and their effects on tree growth and competition. We formally tested how these modifications alter water balance on wetland and permafrost sites, and their effect on tree growth and competition. We applied the model to evaluate its promise for mechanistically simulating species range expansion and contraction under climate change across a latitudinal gradient in Siberian Russia. We found that higher emissions scenarios permitted range expansions that were quicker and allowed a greater diversity of invading species, especially at the highest latitudes, and that disturbance hastened range shifts by overcoming the natural inertia of established ecological communities. The primary driver of range advances to the north was altered hydrology related to thawing permafrost, followed by temperature effects on growth. Range contractions from the south (extirpations) were slower and less tied to emissions or latitude, and were driven by inability to compete with invaders, or disturbance. An important non-intuitive result was that some extant species were killed off by extreme cold events projected under climate change as greater weather extremes occurred over the next 30 years, and this had important effects on subsequent successional trajectories. The mechanistic linkages between climate and soil water dynamics in this forest landscape model produced tight links between climate inputs, physiology of vegetation, and soils at a monthly time step. The updated modeling system can produce high quality projections of climate impacts on forest species range shifts by accounting for the interacting effects of CO2 concentration, climate (including longer growing seasons), seed dispersal, disturbance, and soil hydrologic properties.

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