This action funds Amanda B. Young of Penn State University to conduct a research project, entitled "A comparison of gymnosperm and angiosperm treeline development," during the summer of 2012 at Shinshu University in Matsumoto/Nagano Prefecture. The host scientist is Dr. Koichi Takahashi.
The Intellectual Merit of the research project is to contribute to understanding of why some treelines are composed of angiosperms while others are dominated by gymnosperms. Moreover, with increasing levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, projected increases in temperature, and changes in the quantity and timing of precipitation, it is important to conduct this study to generate data on key processes that can contribute to efforts to model ecosystem responses to a changing climate.
Broader Impacts of an EAPSI fellowship include providing the Fellow a first-hand research experience outside the U.S.; an introduction to the science, science policy, and scientific infrastructure of the respective location; and an orientation to the society, culture and language. These activities meet the NSF goal to educate for international collaborations early in the career of its scientists, engineers, and educators, thus ensuring a globally aware U.S. scientific workforce.
The NSF EASPI Japan 2012 program allowed me to conduct preliminary sampling for my dissertation research in the Japanese Alps of central Honshu. As a PhD candidate at The Pennsylvania State University, my dissertation research addresses the following questions: 1) Do deciduous timberlines emerge from the mixed subalpine forest instead of conifers because they respond more quickly to environmental changes relating to climate and disturbances? 2) What are the conditions for regeneration of deciduous and conifers? Deciduous treelines are common in the southern hemisphere; however, in the northern hemisphere, treelines are primarily composed of conifers. Deciduous treelines that do exist in the northern hemisphere include those in the Scandes of Northern Europe (Betula), northeast Asia (Betula), Caucasus Mountains (Betula) and in isolated locations in the Rocky Mountains (Populus). East Asia is one of the few regions where both coniferous and deciduous treelines exist above subalpine mixed forests, making it an ideal location for my research.The timberline in the Japanese Alps is dominated by birch (Betula ermanii) and the subalpine forest is a mix of birch and fir (Abies mariesii). My research will provide insights into why some timberlines are dominated by angiosperms and others by gymnosperms. During my NSF EAPSI Japan 2012 research experience, I established and began to formalize a research collaboration with Dr. Takahashi as well as conducted the preliminary research for my dissertation. Preliminary research was conducted on Mt. Norikura, Nagano Prefecture in Chubu-Sangaku National Park. Research consisted of small forest plots along an elevational transect from the subalpine forest up to the treeline. In each plot, four trees were identified and various measurements, like diameter and height, were recorded. Additionally, a tree core was extracted from each tree in order to determine their age and to calculate growth rates of trees along the elevational transect. I will be analyzing the data from these measurements to answer my dissertation questions listed above. Preliminary analysis indicates that there are differences between the species at treeline and the subalpine forest. Further exploration of the data will help detect what the difference between species and location are and what are the possible drivers. The NSF EASPI Japan 2012 gave me the opportunity to work directly with Dr. Koichi Takahashi in the Biology Department at Shinshu University in Matsumoto Japan. Dr. Takahashi is a leading scientist on high elevation mixed forests, and he has conducted extensive research on the high elevation forests of Mt. Norikura in the northern Japanese Alps. The NSF EAPSI fellowship has given me an amazing opportunity to initiate my dissertation research as well as develop a strong international collaboration. As I progress through my degree program, I will continue to work with Dr. Takahashi in addition to my dissertation committee. The impacts of this research reach beyond my newfound collaboration with Dr. Takahashi and study of the high elevation forests of central Japan. Climate scenarios show that Arctic and alpine environments are most sensitive to the temperature increases caused by climate change. Tree establishment and growth are important indicators of an ecosystem’s response to increase temperatures. It is important to evaluate processes that promote development of either deciduous or coniferous treelines. This knowledge can provide important data that will improve models that predict vegetation changes in alpine environments due to climate change. Engaging students and adults, academics and hikers in conversations about forest composition, development and possible changes due to climate change is a continuous aspect of my research. During my EAPSI fellowship these conversations took place with fellow guests at the mountain hut that I stayed in, with the undergraduate students in Dr. Takahashi’s lab and with professors at both Shinshu and Pennsylvania State University.
