Sakio Hitoshi, Masuzawa Takehiro
Sado Island Center for Ecological Sustainability, Niigata University, Sado 952-2206, Japan.
Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Shizuoka University, Shizuoka 422-8529, Japan.
Plants (Basel). 2020 Nov 10;9(11):1537. doi: 10.3390/plants9111537.
Climate change is a major cause of changes in alpine and polar vegetation, particularly at the edges of distributions. In temperate regions, these changes are expected to occur at the timberline of alpine zones. On Mt. Fuji, the highest mountain in Japan, the timberline is located 2400-2500 m above sea level. Over a 40-year period (1978-2018), we researched changes in the timberline vegetation of Mt. Fuji. A permanent belt transect extending from the upper timberline to subalpine zones was set up in August 1978. Tree diameters and heights were recorded at the establishment of the transect and every 20 years afterwards. Over the 40 years of the study, the timberline advanced rapidly upwards, and the degree of vegetation cover above the timberline increased remarkably. Notably, the expansion of into the upper part of the timberline facilitated the subsequent spread of into this zone. Seedlings of were particularly abundant at the upper timberline and became established on the uppermost part of the slope. The shape of at the upper timberline changed from a prostrate form to an upright tree form. We conclude that the upward advance of the alpine timberline observed on Mt. Fuji is due to climate change.
气候变化是高山和极地植被变化的主要原因，特别是在分布边缘地区。在温带地区，这些变化预计将发生在高山地带的林线处。在日本最高峰富士山上，林线位于海拔2400 - 2500米处。在40年期间（1978 - 2018年），我们研究了富士山林线植被的变化。1978年8月设立了一条从林线上部延伸至亚高山带的永久性带状样带。在样带设立时以及之后每20年记录树木的直径和高度。在40年的研究过程中，林线迅速向上推进，林线以上的植被覆盖度显著增加。值得注意的是，[此处原文缺失物种名称]向林线上部的扩张促进了[此处原文缺失物种名称]随后向该区域的扩散。[此处原文缺失物种名称]的幼苗在林线上部特别丰富，并在斜坡的最上部扎根。[此处原文缺失物种名称]在林线上部的形态从匍匐状变为直立树状。我们得出结论，富士山上观察到的高山林线向上推进是由气候变化导致的。
