Sado Station, Field Center for Sustainable Agriculture and Forestry, Faculty of Agriculture, Niigata University, 94-2 Koda, Sado, Niigata 952-2206, Japan.
J Plant Res. 2012 Jul;125(4):539-46. doi: 10.1007/s10265-011-0465-3. Epub 2011 Dec 14.
The alpine timberline on Mt. Fuji (central Japan) is at 2,400-2,500 m above sea level. Over a 21-year period (1978-1999), we tracked changes in this vegetation boundary on a transect at a site impacted by the 1707 volcanic eruption. The timberline advanced rapidly upwards during this time period. Dominant tree species at the timberline (Alnus maximowiczii, Salix reinii, and Larix kaempferi) colonized sites that were initially largely free of vegetation at higher altitudes. Seedlings of L. kaempferi were particularly abundant at the border of advancing vegetation. According to tree age, we found that this was the first canopy species in the colonized areas. L. kaempferi is drought resistant, and this probably contributes to its establishment capability in the high-altitude climate. Most seedlings of Abies veitchii invaded patches of herbs and shrubs. These vegetation patches in the upper kampfzone provide important shelter for seedlings of invading tree species. We predict that the upward advance of the alpine timberline is a recovery process following the volcanic eruption, and that climate change may accelerate this advance.
富士山（日本中部）的高山林线位于海拔 2400-2500 米处。在过去 21 年（1978-1999 年）的时间里，我们在一个受到 1707 年火山爆发影响的地点的样带上跟踪了这一植被边界的变化。在此期间，林线迅速向上推进。林线处的优势树种（日本桤木、华西柳和日本落叶松）在最初海拔较高的地方大量没有植被的地方进行了殖民。日本落叶松的幼苗在植被前沿的边界特别丰富。根据树木的年龄，我们发现这是第一个在已开垦地区的树冠物种。日本落叶松具有抗旱性，这可能有助于其在高海拔气候下的建立能力。大多数白皮松的幼苗入侵了草本和灌木的斑块。这些 Kampfzone 上部的植被斑块为入侵树种的幼苗提供了重要的庇护。我们预测，高山林线的向上推进是火山爆发后的恢复过程，气候变化可能会加速这一推进。
