Importance of mountain height and latitude for the altitudinal distribution limits of vascular plants in Scandinavia: are the mountains high enough?

• Main Author: Arvid Odland
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Geographical Society of Finland 2010
• Subjects: Scandinavia; distribution limit; forest limit; mountain summits; climatic change; geo; envir; Lule Lappmark; Norway; Northern Norway; Northern Sweden; Troms
• Online Access: https://doaj.org/article/a46083f5c84f4b3a92ec8fa178c7ad2a

The main aim of the present paper was to study regional differences in the altitudinal distribution limits of vascular plants in relation to mountain height and latitudinal position. Altitudinal limits from previously studied areas were compared with the altitudinal distribution limits given by Lid and Lid (2005) as a reference. Based on these comparisons, different trend lines were used to evaluate the effects of mountain height and thereby estimate how high a mountain must be for vascular plants to reach their potential altitudinal limits. Study areas were Hardangervidda and Aurland in southern Norway, Jämtland in central Sweden, Lule Lappmark in northern Sweden, Troms in northern Norway and Graubünden in Switzerland. A regression analysis of the altitudinal limits for 177 vascular plants in Scandinavia compared with the same species in Switzerland gave a highly significant (p 0.422). Comparisons within Scandinavia show that lowland/boreal and high altitudinal species showed different altitudinal distribution patterns. The position of the forest limit increased on average with 72.4 m per degree increase in latitude from Switzerland to northern Scandinavia. The altitudinal span of the alpine zone was approximately 1100 m in Switzerland and in Jotunheimen but considerably lower in the southern Scandinavian study areas. Studies of altitudinal distribution limits of vascular plants may give an indication of to what extent the height of a particular mountain influence plant distribution and thereby its vegetation zonation.