Contrasting effects of winter and summer climate on alpine timberline evolution in monsoon-dominated East Asia

• Published in: Quaternary science reviews 2017-08, Vol.169, p.278-287
• Main Authors: Cheng, Ying, Liu, Hongyan, Wang, Hongya, Piao, Shilong, Yin, Yi, Ciais, Philippe, Wu, Xiuchen, Luo, Yao, Zhang, Caina, Song, Yaqiong, Gao, Yishen, Qiu, Anan
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Alpine timberline; Climate change; Continental interfaces, environment; East Asian monsoon; Ocean, Atmosphere; Sciences of the Universe; Timberline dynamics
• ISSN: 0277-3791; 1873-457X
• DOI: 10.1016/j.quascirev.2017.06.007

Alpine timberline is particularly sensitive to global climate change, with the danger of losing essential ecosystem services in high elevational regions. Its evolution is generally linked to annual average thermal regimes, and is regarded as an indicator of climate warming. However, the effect of uneven seasonal climate change stressed by the Hijioka et al. (2014) on alpine timberline dynamics in terms of both position migration and species composition remains unclear. Here, we documented approximately 6000 years of postglacial alpine timberline evolution on Mt. Tabai in the monsoon-dominated East Asian subtropical–temperate transition. We analyzed three high-resolution lacustrine sediment sequences located below, within, and above the current alpine timberline, an ecotone between the forest line and treeline, respectively. The timberline position appears to have varied coincidently with the temperature effect of cold East Asian Winter Monsoon (EAWM), implying that enhanced EAWM shortened the duration of the growing season and reduced forest survival at the alpine timberline. Unlike position migration, however, timberline species composition depends on summer precipitation. We found that drought-tolerant herb and shrub species were much more sensitive to variations in the water-bearing East Asian Summer Monsoon (EASM) than mesophytic trees at the alpine timberline. Our results suggest that prediction of future timberline dynamics should consider uneven seasonal climate changes. •We reconstructed 6000 years of alpine timberline evolution in central China.•Enhanced winter monsoon reduced forest survival at the alpine timberline.•Drought-tolerant herb and shrub species were sensitive to summer monsoon.•Uneven seasonal climate changes are critical to future timberline dynamics.