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Literature

An incomplete list of treeline-related information sources

See also the Related Networks page for more interesting links!

Websites

  • Alpandino, e-learning course on alpine ecology including a treeline chapter
  • "Global Treeline Position", by Aaron B. Bernadier on Nature Education Knowledge Project
  • MOL-GMBA biodiversity data by mountain range

    • Books

  • Singh, S.P., Reshi, Z.A., Joshi, R. (eds.) 2023. Ecology of Himalayan Treeline Ecotone. Springer Nature, Singapore.
  • Körner, C., 2012. Alpine Treelines, Springer
  • Holtmeier, F.-K., 2009. Mountain Timberlines, Springer
  • Butler, D.R., G.P. Malanson, S.J. Walsh and D.B. Fagre (eds.), 2009. The changing alpine treeline, the example of glacier national park, mt, USA. Elsevier.
  • Broll, G. and B. Keplin (eds.), 2005. Mountain ecosystems : Studies in treeline ecology. Springer.
  • Tranquillini, W., 1979. Physiological ecology of the alpine timberline : Tree existence at high altitudes with special reference to the european alps. Springer.

    • Scientific papers

    References

    It is virtually impossible to list all relevant treeline-related journal articles here. We restrict ourselves to a limited selection of publications addressing treeline spatial patterns and/or dynamics, or the definition of treeline (Körner & Hoch 2024 and a reply by Malanson 2024) that have come out since 2021. This list is neither complete nor unbiased nor does it imply support of the contents of the listed papers.

    Bader, M. Y., et al. 2021. A global framework for linking alpine-treeline ecotone patterns to underlying processes. Ecography 44:265-292. https://doi.org/10.1111/ecog.05285
    Birre, D., et al. 2023. A new method for quantifying treeline-ecotone change based on multiple spatial pattern dimensions. Landscape Ecology 38:779-796. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10980-022-01589-4
    Brown, D., et al. 2024. A general model of treeline form and dynamics. Theoretical Ecology 17:167-184. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12080-024-00583-7
    Flinspach, L., T. Wiegand, J.J. Camarero, E. Batllori, E. Gutiérrez, & M.Y. Bader. 2025. Quantification of small-scale spatial patterns in alpine-treeline ecotones. Ecology and Evolution. https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.71186
    Garbarino, M., D. Morresi, N. Anselmetto, and P. J. Weisberg. 2023. Treeline remote sensing: from tracking treeline shifts to multi-dimensional monitoring of ecotonal change. Remote Sensing in Ecology and Conservation 9:729-742. https://doi.org/10.1002/rse2.351
    He, X., X. Jiang, D. V. Spracklen, J. Holden, E. Liang, H. Liu, C. Xu, J. Du, K. Zhu, P. R. Elsen, and Z. Zeng. 2023. Global distribution and climatic controls of natural mountain treelines. Glob Chang Biol 29:7001-7011. https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.16885
    Körner, C., and E. Hiltbrunner. 2024. Rapid advance of climatic tree limits in the Eastern Alps explained by on-site temperatures. Regional Environmental Change 24:98. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10113-024-02259-8
    Körner, C., and G. Hoch. 2023. Not every high-latitude or high-elevation forest edge is a treeline. Journal of Biogeography 50:838-845. https://doi.org/10.1111/jbi.14593
    Malanson, G. P. 2024. Inclusions and exclusions in treeline definitions. Journal of Biogeography 51:54-56. https://doi.org/10.1111/jbi.14729
    Miehe, G., M. A. O. Kangshan, S.-u. Hasson, J. Böhner, and U. Schickhoff. 2023. What do we know about treelines of the Anthropocene in High Asia? Plant Diversity. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pld.2023.08.005
    Mienna, I. M., K. Klanderud, H. O. Ørka, A. Bryn, O. M. Bollandsås, T. Sankey, and A. Harris. 2022. Land cover classification of treeline ecotones along a 1100 km latitudinal transect using spectral and three-dimensional information from UAV-based aerial imagery. Remote Sensing in Ecology and Conservation 8:536-550. https://doi.org/10.1002/rse2.260
    Moradi, H., N. Schwab, and U. Schickhoff 2024. Seedling recruitment at the upper limit of tree growth in the Alborz Mountains, northern Iran: safe site characteristics and edaphic conditions. Forests 15:1952. https://doi.org/10.3390/f15111952
    Nicoud, B., A. Bayle, C. Corona, R. P. Chambard, L. Francon, M. Fructus, M. Bensa, and P. Choler. 2025. Climate, not land-use, drives a recent acceleration of larch expansion at the forest-grassland ecotone in the southern French Alps. Science of the Total Environment 959:178326. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.178326
    Ramírez, L. A., L. Flinspach, N. Nikolić, J. Toivonen, and M. Y. Bader. 2024. Microsite preferences of three conifers in calcareous and siliceous treeline ecotones in the French Alps. Alpine Botany, 1-13. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00035-024-00319-7
    Ramírez, L. A., L. D. Llambí, C. J. Azocar, M. Fernandez, J. E. Torres, and M. Y. Bader. 2022. Patterns in climate and seedling establishment at a dry tropical treeline. Plant Ecology 223:1047-1068. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11258-022-01257-2
    Schwab, N., B. Bürzle, M. Bobrowski, J. Böhner, R.P. Chaudhary, T. Scholten, J. Weidinger, and U. Schickhoff. 2022. Predictors of the success of natural regeneration in a Himalayan treeline ecotone. Forests 13:454. https://doi.org/10.3390/f13030454
    Sigdel, S. R., X. Zheng, F. Babst, J. J. Camarero, S. Gao, X. Li, X. Lu, J. Pandey, B. Dawadi, J. Sun, H. Zhu, T. Wang, E. Liang, and J. Peñuelas. 2024. Accelerated succession in Himalayan alpine treelines under climatic warming. Nature Plants. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41477-024-01855-0
    Urquiaga-Flores, E. G., M. Y. Bader, and M. Kessler. 2024. Contrasting topography-vegetation relationships at natural and human-influenced mountain treelines in the Peruvian Andes. Landscape Ecology 39:213. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10980-024-02006-8
    Wang, X., T. Wang, J. Xu, Z. Shen, Y. Yang, A. Chen, S. Wang, E. Liang, and S. Piao. 2022. Enhanced habitat loss of the Himalayan endemic flora driven by warming-forced upslope tree expansion. Nature Ecology & Evolution 6:890-899. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-022-01774-3
    Xie, Y., Z. Shen, T. Wang, G. P. Malanson, J. Peñuelas, X. Wang, X. Chen, E. Liang, H. Liu, M. Yang, L. Ying, F. Zhao, and S. Piao. 2024. Uppermost global tree elevations are primarily limited by low temperature or insufficient moisture. Global Change Biology 30:e17260. https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.17260

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