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Why should trees suffer more from cold climate than grasses, dwarf shrubs and herbaceous plants which reach 4000 m in the temperate and up to 6000 m in the subtropical zone? The answer is simple: Trees are designed to compete for light with neighbours, not to thrive in the cold.
A cold "crown" and cold "feet" is the price to be paid for being a tree in the mountains. Low vegetation profits from heat capture and heat storage in the soil. Architecture determines the tree limit at high altitudes. |
1 - Energy flux in forests and adjacent low stature alpine vegetation in midsummer. |
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29 August 2011 |
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