Structure and Function of Mountain Ecosystems in Japan

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-vii

   PDF

2. Influences of Climate Change on the Distribution and Population Dynamics of Subalpine Coniferous Forest in the Hakkoda Mountains, Northern Japan

   • Tohru Nakashizuka, Masaya Shimazaki, Takehiro Sasaki, Takahisa Tanaka, Hiroko Kurokawa, Kouki Hikosaka

   Pages 1-15

3. Trait-Based Approaches for Understanding Species Niche, Coexistence, and Functional Diversity in Subalpine Moorlands

   • Kouki Hikosaka, Takehiro Sasaki, Chiho Kamiyama, Masatoshi Katabuchi, Shimpei Oikawa, Masaya Shimazaki et al.

   Pages 17-40

4. Landscape Structure of Flowering Phenology in Alpine Ecosystems: Significance of Plant–Pollinator Interactions and Evolutionary Aspects

   • Gaku Kudo

   Pages 41-62

5. Plant Genetic Diversity and Plant–Pollinator Interactions Along Altitudinal Gradients

   • Takao Itino, Akira S. Hirao

   Pages 63-88

6. Vegetation Zonation and Conifer Dominance Along Latitudinal and Altitudinal Gradients in Humid Regions of the Western Pacific

   • Shin-ichiro Aiba

   Pages 89-114

7. Roles of Terrestrial Carbon Subsidies to Aquatic Community Metabolism in Mountain Lake Ecosystems

   • Tomoya Iwata, Naoka Mochizuki, Takao Suzuki, Ayato Kohzu, Hisaya Kojima, Manabu Fukui et al.

   Pages 115-144

8. Planktonic Bacterial Communities in Mountain Lake Ecosystems

   • Masanori Fujii, Toshihide Hirao, Hisaya Kojima, Manabu Fukui

   Pages 145-169

9. Back Matter

   Pages 171-173

   PDF

The purpose of this book is to summarize new insights on the structure and function of mountain ecosystems and to present evidence and perspectives on the impact of climate change on biodiversity. This volume describes overall features of high-mountain ecosystems in Japan, which are characterized by clear seasonality and snow-thawing dynamics. Individual chapters cover a variety of unique topics, namely, vegetation dynamics along elevations, the physiological function of alpine plants, the structure of flowering phenology, plant–pollinator interactions, the geographical pattern of coniferous forests, terrestrial–aquatic linkage in carbon dynamics, and the community structure of bacteria in mountain lake systems. 
High-mountain ecosystems are characterized by unique flora and fauna, including many endemic and rare species. On the other hand, the systems are extremely vulnerable to environmental change. The biodiversity is maintained by the existence of spatiotemporally heterogeneous habitats along environmental gradients, such as elevation and snowmelt time. Understanding the structure and function of mountain ecosystems is crucial for the conservation of mountain biodiversity and the prediction of the climate change impacts.
The diverse studies and integrated synthesis presented in this book provide readers with a holistic view of mountain ecosystems. It is a recommended read for anyone interested in mountain ecosystems and alpine plants, including undergraduate and graduate students studying ecology, field workers involved in conservational activity in mountains, policymakers planning ecosystem management of protected areas, and researchers of general ecology. In particular, this book will be of interest to ecologists of countries who are not familiar with Japanese mountain ecosystems, which are characterized by humid summers, cold winters, and the snowiest climate in the world.

• Alpine ecosystem
• Climate change impact
• Biodiversity
• Plant–animal interaction
• Vegetation dynamics
• Alpine plants
• Snowmelt time
• Terrestrial–aquatic linkage
• Global warming
• Mountain system
• climate change

• Faculty of Environmental Earth Sci., Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan

  Gaku Kudo

Policies and ethics