Open AccessMiddle and Late Holocene altitudinal distribution limit changes of Fagus crenata forest, Mt. Kurikoma, Japan indicated by stomatal evidence
Author(s) -
Wang Yuqing,
Momohara Arata,
Wakamatsu Nobuhiko,
Omori Takayuki,
Yoneda Minoru,
Yang Mo
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
boreas
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.95
H-Index - 74
eISSN - 1502-3885
pISSN - 0300-9483
DOI - 10.1111/bor.12463
Subject(s) - fagus crenata , holocene , beech , geology , altitude (triangle) , physical geography , holocene climatic optimum , deciduous , bog , range (aeronautics) , east asian monsoon , peat , oceanography , monsoon , ecology , geography , biology , mathematics , materials science , geometry , composite material
This study proposes a new method to detect changes of altitudinal distribution limit of a plant species based on the stomatal analysis of fossilized leaves. We use the Holocene fossil leaves of Fagus crenata (Japanese beech), a dominant deciduous tree in the cool temperate zone, from different horizons in a peat bog in Mt. Kurikoma, north Japan. Results of palaeo‐CO 2 concentration reconstructed from the stomatal analysis indicate palaeo‐CO 2 fluctuation between 317 and 352 ppmv during the Middle–Late Holocene, which was more variable and higher than Greenland and Antarctic ice‐core records. This result is possibly influenced by the oceanic CO 2 uptake, which increased with the strengthening of the Tsushima Warm Current during the Middle Holocene. The stomatal index (SI) variation range of fossil Fagus crenata leaves in the Middle Holocene was higher than that of the modern population at a given altitude, indicating transportation of leaves from an altitude higher than the site of fossil deposition. A decreasing trend of the SI variation range between 5000 and 2500 cal. a BP can possibly be attributed to the downward shift of the upper distribution limit of Fagus crenata from an altitude higher than or similar to the present limit to the area surrounding the fossil deposition site. This downward shift of the upper distribution limit of Fagus crenata was simultaneous with temperature and humidity decreases and correlated with the decreasing East Asian Summer Monsoon intensity and a cooling event around 4000 cal. a BP.