Tundra Vegetation
Preliminary observations and findings: Tundra distribution. In the central Mealy Mountains, the present altitudinal limit of spruce and fir is estimated at about 600 m a.s.l. From satellite imagery it is estimated that alpine tundra accounts for only 7 per cent of the land cover in the study area. Based on the observed elevational temperature lapse rate of 0.7 C per 100 m, we estimate that a regional warming of 2 C would result in a potential upward shift in treeline of about 280 m and consequent loss of tundra area.
Tundra vegetation. Climate affect soils in artic alpine systems in unique ways – it creates frost boils. Frost boils are areas of disturbed ground that are caused by the repeated freezing and thawing of ground. This “freeze-thaw” cycle causes the soil to move and “heave”. Disturbed ground is often a good place for seeds to sprout and grow. Arctic-alpine substrate disturbance regimes form frost-boils promote plant recruitment and are important centres of plant diversity; especially for those species that are shade intolerant and therefore can not recruit into the alpine heath vegetation.
Soil samples from the Mealy Mountain tundra sites revealed large numbers of seeds in some samples, suggesting that these alpine soils have a significant soil seed bank.
