Ecology of Himalayan Treeline Ecotone

This book provides a comprehensive understanding of the Himalayan treeline ecotone, one of the most sensitive ecosystems to climate change. It combines multidisciplinary knowledge from ecologists, climatologists, dendrochronologists, foresters, plant physiologists, and resource managers. The book highlights the importance of a team science approach for macroecological investigations and lays the foundation for further research on the ecology and dynamics of the treeline ecotone in the Himalayas.

Format: Hardback
Length: 569 pages
Publication date: 22 February 2023
Publisher: Springer Verlag, Singapore

This comprehensive book brings together a wealth of multi-disciplinary knowledge on various aspects of the Himalayan treeline ecotone, which is recognized as one of the most sensitive ecosystems to climate change. The contents of this book are based on extensive research and offer a holistic understanding of the treeline ecotone in the Himalayas. This book will serve as a valuable reference manual and textbook for treeline ecology.

What makes this book unique is its comprehensive coverage of almost all aspects of the treeline ecotone, including taxonomic, functional, and phylogenetic species diversity, temperature lapse rates, tree phenology, water relations, stress physiology, tree ring width chronology, climate relationships, and the role of treeline ecotone in human sustenance in the Indian Himalayan region.

The Himalayan treelines, standing at the highest elevations in the Northern Hemisphere (up to 4900 meters), have received limited scientific attention, making this book both timely and crucial in filling knowledge gaps related to treeline shifts, physiognomic, structural, and functional changes in mountain landscapes and ecosystems, particularly under the changing climate.

This book, for the first time, summarizes evidence-based knowledge about various aspects of treeline ecotone in the Himalayas, largely generated through a well-coordinated team science approach. The book will be of interest to ecologists, climatologists, dendrochronologists, foresters, plant physiologists, and resource managers and policy planners who seek a deeper understanding of the organization and dynamics of this fragile ecosystem in relation to climate change and other anthropogenic stresses prevalent in the Himalayas.

By laying a solid foundation for further investigation, this book contributes to our understanding of the complex interplay between climate, ecosystems, and human activities in the Himalayas, which is essential for sustainable management and conservation of this valuable region.

Weight: 1051g
Dimension: 235 x 155 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9789811944758
Edition number: 1st ed. 2023