Climate and vegetation in China IV. Distribution of tree species along the thermal gradient

• Published in: Ecological Research
• Main Authors: Fang, Jing‐yun, Yoda, Kyoji
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Wiley 1990
• Subjects: Arctic; Subarctic
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/bf02347005; https://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/tdm/v1/articles/10.1007%2FBF02347005; http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/wol1/doi/10.1007/BF02347005/fullpdf

Abstract The aim of this study was to examine correlations between vegetational zones and thermal climate on the basis of analysis of the thermal distribution of main‐component trees in each zone. The whole and main thermal distribution ranges for 73 tree species were obtained from their distributions along the warmth index (WI) gradicnt. Cluster analysis using the WI values at the upper and lower limits of the main distribution ranges as parameters gave seven species groups. The geographical distributions of the species in each group were described. Moreover, the frequency distribution curves of the seven species groups were determined along the WI grandient, and four borderlines (lines I, II, III and IV) were found among them. The WI values at the lines I, II and IV were 50, 90, 175°C month, respectively, and corresponded to boundaries between the subarctic and cool‐temperate zones (I), the cool‐and warm‐temperate zones (II) and the warmtemperated and subtropical/tropical zones (IV), respectively. Line III corresponded to a WI of 135°C month. The WI values at the forest limit and at the lower limit of the subarctic forest were estimated, and their averages were 15.2 and 49.6°C month, respectively. In conclusion, thermal climatic zones in China could be divided by the following WI values: alpine (arctic) zone, WI<15; subarctic zone, 15–50; cool‐temperate zone, 50–90; warm‐temperate zone, 90–175; subtropical/tropical zone >175°C month.