FS 3.129: Responses of Mountain Ecosystems in Asia to recent climate change

Across the region of the Asian mountain systems, climate change is already severely affecting (geo)ecosystems in multiple ways. A pronounced temperature increase within the past decades and enhanced hydroclimatic variability, including monsoon failures and drought periods, but also an increase of extreme precipitation events and relate flooding are some of the major impacts significantly affecting the geosphere, cryosphere and biosphere. The resulting environmental changes have already impacted the local hydrological systems and in turn are altering and will further alter local ecosystems. Examples include challenges for Asian forest ecosystems by various environmental stressors, and a massively changing hydrology in the vicinity of glaciers and their forelands. Following recent climate projection scenarios, such effects will further aggravate in future, posing dramatic challenges also to local livelihoods. This session is seeking contributions dealing with the direct and indirect effects of climate change on mountain ecosystems in Asia, including mountain forests, tree line dynamics, shrub encroachment, and alpine vegetation. Relevant ecosystem responses include changes in growth response and biomass accumulation, shrinkage or extension of species or ecosystem ranges, and modified fluxes of water, carbon, and nutrients. Beside responses on the species and ecosystem level, also responses on the individual plant level may be addressed, that provide indications of adaptations or responses to changing environments, including variations of morphological or ecophysiological traits of affected organisms.