Ecology of Himalayan Treeline Ecotone (eBook)

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.

Prof. S P Singh is a renowned Mountain Ecologist who pioneered ecological studies on Himalayan vegetation with major emphasis on forest ecosystem processes and on the application of ecology to the solution of environmental problems. He obtained his PhD in Botany from Agra University (UP). More recently, he has been involved with research on climate change impacts on Himalayan biodiversity. He was conferred as Fellow of Indian National Science Academy (FNA); Fellow of National Academy of Science, India; Courtesy Professor, Department of Botany and Plant Pathology, Oregon State University, Corvallis, USA; Dr Birbal Sahni Medal of 2003, and Honoured with Uttarakhand Ratna Award by Govt. of Uttarakhand for his outstanding contribution in the field of education and research. He served as Chair of Excellence in Biodiversity and Ecology at Forest Research Institute, Dehradun, Uttarakhand; Advisor, Planning Commission, Uttarakhand; Vice-Chancellor, HNB Garhwal University, Srinagar-Garhwal, Uttarakhand; and Professor and Head, Department of Botany, Kumaun University, Nainital  Uttarakhand. During his 37 years of teaching and research, he supervised 35 PhD and published more than 180 research papers.

Prof. Zafar A. Reshi is a well-known ecologist who holds a PhD degree in Botany and is currently serving as a Professor of Botany at the University of Kashmir, Jammu & Kashmir, India. He has over three decades of experience working on northwest Himalayan biodiversity and has contributed significantly to the understanding of the causes and consequences of plant invasions in Kashmir Himalaya, species distributions under changing climate and biotic interactions in community assembly. He has held various key positions at the University of Kashmir such as Dean of Research, Registrar, Head of Department, and Honorary Director, Centre of Plant Taxonomy and Biodiversity. He is a Fellow of the National Institute of Ecology and an expert member on various committees of the Department of Biotechnology, Govt. of India, University Grants Commission (UGC), New Delhi. During his 32 years of teaching and research, he has published more than 210 publications in journals of international repute and guided 20 students for their PhD programme and 19 students for the M.Phil programme.  He has successfully completed 16 research projects funded by national and international agencies and has been associated with 12 consultancy projects as a Functional area expert/Coordinator.

Dr. Joshi holds a PhD in applied Mathematics from GBPUAT Pantnagar, Uttarakhand, India. Being a mathematical modeller blended with ecological modelling, his research work is focused on the environment and Climate including Climate Change impacts and vulnerability assessment on critical ecosystems, Forest Hydrology, Spring Shed Management, Dendrochronology, etc., in the Indian Himalayan Region (IHR). Presently he is serving as Regional Head of G B Pant National Institute of Himalayan Environment, Sikkim Regional Centre (SRC) Sikkim. He has over 15 years of teaching and research experience in IHR and published over 50 publications including peer-reviewed research papers in journals of national and international repute. He has also contributed to drafting key policy documents; e.g. Climate change and India: - a sectoral and regional analysis for the 2030s, Progression of Development in Himalaya, Spring revival with Sustainable Land Management (SLM) practices in the mid-hills Northwestern Himalayas, etc., and also served as a reviewer for International/ National Journals. He is the recipient of the Young Scientist Award conferred by the Uttarakhand Council for Science & Technology. He has successfully completed 10 research projects and presently coordinating 5 R&D projects as a principal investigator/ nodal person 

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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-a-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.