Although the ecological dynamics of the alpine treeline ecotone are influenced by climate, it is an imperfect indicator of climate change. Mechanistic processes that shape the ecotone-seed rain, seed germination, seedling establishment and subsequent tree growth form, or, conversely tree dieback-depend on microsite patterns. Growth forms affect wind and snow, and so develop positive and negativ...

Tree growth is generally limited by temperature in cold climates and by water availability in arid zones. Establishment in altitudinal treeline ecotones depends on the temperature, but may be very sensitive to water availability as well. We studied the effect of climate and land use on the colonization and growth of Pinus cembra in the treeline ecotone of the dry Central Swiss Alps: one site wa...

It has been shown that height measurements obtained by airborne laser scanning (ALS) with high point density (>7–8 m ́2) can be used to detect small trees in the alpine tree line—an ecotone sensitive to climate change. Because the height measurements do not discriminate between trees and other convex structures with positive height values, this study aimed at assessing the contribution of ALS ba...

The ecological second-order phase transition model has been used to describe height-dependent changes in the species composition of mountain forest ecosystems. Forest inventory data on the distribution of various tree species in the Sayan Mountains (south Middle Siberia) are in good agreement with the model proposed in this study. The model was used to estimate critical heights for different al...

[1] Accurate land cover reconstructions are essential to understanding the past and present biogeochemical and biogeophysical interactions between the land surface and atmosphere and the impacts of these interactions on climate. Here we quantitatively reconstruct late Quaternary shifts in woody cover across the Northern Hemisphere forest‐tundra ecotone, based on a synthesis of Northern Hemisphe...