Ecology of Himalayan Treeline Ecotone

This book brings together comprehensive multi-disciplinary knowledge on diverse aspects of the Himalayan treeline ecotone which is considered one of the most sensitive ecosystems to climate change. The contents of this book are based on the results of extensive research and provide a holistic understanding of the treeline ecotone in Himalaya. The book will serve as an important reference manual and a textbook on treeline ecology. The book is unique in the sense that it  provides an engaging account of almost all the aspects of the treeline ecotone, such as taxonomic, functional and phylogenetic species diversity, temperature lapse rates, tree phenology, water relations, and stress physiology, tree ring width chronology, and climate relationships and  the role of treeline ecotone in human sustenance in the Indian Himalayan region  The treelines in the Himalaya, being the highest in the Northern Hemisphere (up to 4900 m), are among the least investigated systems and hence this book is timely and fills all-important knowledge gaps vis-à-vis treeline shifts,  physiognomic, structural, and functional changes in mountain landscapes and ecosystems, particularly under the changing climate This book, for the first time, summarizes evidence-based knowledge about various aspects of treeline ecotone in Himalaya that was largely generated through a well-coordinated a team science approach. The book will be of interest to ecologists, climatologists, dendrochronologists, foresters, plant physiologists and resource managers and policy planners for a better understanding of the organization and dynamics of this fragile ecosystem in relation to climate change and other anthropogenic stresses that are rampant in the Himalaya. The book lays a solid foundation for further investigation of the ecology and dynamics of the treeline ecotone in the Himalayas and provides a rationale for pursuing a team science approach for macroecological investigations.

Table of Contents:
1 Treeline Research in Himalaya: Current Understanding and Future Imperatives.- 2 Capturing Himalayan Timberline Dimensionand Ecological Attributes In Warming Climate Through Team Science.- 3 Temperature lapse rate in different himalayan treeline environments: regional analysis of patterns, seasonality and variability.- 4 Relationship between timberline elevation and climate in sikkim himalaya.- 5 The treeline ecotone in Rolwaling Himal, Nepal: Pattern-process relationshipsand treeline shift potential.- 6 Challenges of timberline mapping in the himalaya: a case study of sikkim himalaya.- 7 Mapping the Spatial Patterns of Biodiversity Along the Alpine Treeline Ecotone in EasternHimalaya Using Information Theory.- 8 Quantifying Variation In Canopy Height From Lidar Data As A Function Of Altitude Along Alpine Treeline Ecotone In Indian Himalaya.- 9 Patterns of Plant Taxonomic, Life-form and Phylogenetic Diversity at a Treeline Ecotone in Northwestern Himalaya: Role of Aspect and Elevation.- 10 Vegetation Structure along an Elevation Gradient at the Treeline Ecotone of Eastern Himalayan forests in Sikkim.- 11 Patterns of Plant Species Richness across the Himalayan Treeline Ecotone.- 12 Lichen Diversity in High Elevations of Western Himalaya with special reference to Treeline Ecotone: Conservation and Indicator Value.- 13 Community-Level Lichen Diversity Assessment In Alpine Zone Of Indian Himalaya: Climate Change Implications.- 14 Lower Plants of Tungnath-Chopta Timberline Zone, Garhwal Himalaya.- 15 Phenological response of treeline ecotone tree species to global warming in Western Himalaya.- 16 Water Relations Of The Indian Himalayan Treeline Species.- 17 Herbaceous Vegetation Structure And Phenology At Treeline Ecotone In Relation To Natural Snowmelt.- 18 Responses Of Herbaceous Species Of Alpine Treeline To Elevated Co2.- 19 Age-Girth Stand Structure of Himalayan fir and Growth-NDVI relationship in the Treeline transects of western Himalaya: An ecological perspective.- 20 Response Of Radial Growth In Abies Pindrow (Royle Ex D.Don) Royle To Climate At Treeline Ecotone In The Northwestern Himalaya.- 21 Pastoralism in Timberline Forests of Western Himalaya.- 22 Treeline Research In The Nepal Himalaya: Status And Future Prospects.