由于对气候变化的敏感性。近年来高山树线交错带成为全球变化研究中的热点问题。高山树线交错带所指示的是一个复杂生态系统的特征.反映出了由低处植被向高山植被的转化.其景观格局是综合了种子定居.树木生长以及树木繁殖等多个树木生态过程和特定高山环境下的地理特征格局的适应结果。一方面。树木通过自身生理生态学上的调整对高山极端环境进行适应。一方面。高山特定地理环境特征对树线的景观格局进行影响,因而高山树线交错带成为研究景观格局一生态过程相互关系的一个重要载体。通过运用3S技术,可以将高山树线交错带研究中的树线景观结构和生理生态过程结合在一起.并验证在其景观格局形成过程中地理特征和人为因子的相对重要性。
The Alpine Treeline Ecotone (ATE) indicates the characteristics of the complicated ecosystems in the mountainous environment. It can also reflect the transition of the lower vegetations to the alpine vegetations. The location of the treeline is the result of a combination of a great number of unfavorable conditions for tree regeneration, seedling establishment and tree growth. For the sensitivity of the ATE to the climate change, ATE has become a hot topic in the alpine environmental and global change research. Recently, the landscape patterns and ecological processes of the ATE are mainly two aspects of the researches in the ATE. The researches majored in the landscape patterns of the ATE focus mainly on the landscape pattern of the ATE. And the researches majored in ecological processes of the ATE focus mainly on the formation mechanisms of the treeline. The development of GIS enhances the integration of the pattern and process of the ATE, and provides a useful tool to evaluate the relative importance of the biotic and abiotic factors in the research of the ATE.