Journal article
Contexts for Change in Alpine Tundra
Physical Geography, Vol.32(2), pp.97-113
0
2011
DOI: 10.2747/0272-3646.32.2.97
Abstract
Because alpine tundra is responding to climate change, a need exists to understand the meaning of observed changes. To provide context for such interpretation, the relevance of niche and neutral theories of biogeography and the continuum and classification approaches to biogeographic description are assessed. Two extensive studies of alpine tundra, from the Indian Peaks area, Colorado and Glacier National Park, Montana, are combined. The data are ordinated to describe relations. The pattern that emerges is one of a continuum of vegetation, but with the distinctions one might expect from distant sites. The relationships of the similarity of vegetation on all possible pairs of sites to the environmental differences and geographic distances are analyzed using Mantel correlations. Because distance and environmental differences in climate between the two sites are correlated, partial correlations are weak but still significant. More advanced analyses are suggested for this environment prior to interpretation of monitoring efforts such as GLORIA.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- Contexts for Change in Alpine Tundra
- Creators
- George P Malanson - University of Iowa, Geographical and Sustainability SciencesJonathan P Rose - University of IowaP. Jason Schroeder - University of IowaDaniel B Fagre - USGS Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center, West Glacier, Montana
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Publication Details
- Physical Geography, Vol.32(2), pp.97-113
- Event
- 0
- Publisher
- Taylor & Francis Group
- DOI
- 10.2747/0272-3646.32.2.97
- ISSN
- 0272-3646
- eISSN
- 1930-0557
- Language
- English
- Date published
- 2011
- Academic Unit
- Geographical and Sustainability Sciences
- Record Identifier
- 9983743291702771
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