Temperature Parameters of Humid to Mesic Forests of Eastern Asia and Relation to Forests of Other Regions of the Northern Hemisphere and Australasia Temperature Parameters of Humid to Mesic Forests of Eastern Asia and Relation to Forests of Other Regions of the Northern Hemisphere and Australasia By JACK A. WOLFE GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROFESSIONAL PAPER 1106 Analysis of temperature data from more than 400 stations in eastern Asia UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE, WASHINGTON : 1979 UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR CECIL D. ANDRUS, Secretary GEOLOGICAL SURVEY H. William Menard, Director Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data Wolfe, Jack A. 1936- Temperature parameters of humid to mesic forests of Eastern Asia and relation to forests of other regions of the Northern Hemisphere and Australasia. (Geological Survey professional paper ; 1106) Bibliography: p. 36-37. Supt. of Docs, no.: I 19.16:1106 1. Atmospheric temperature. 2. Forest meteorology. 3. Forests and forestry. 4. Atmospheric temperature-Asia. 5. Forest meteorology-Asia. 6. Forests and forestry Asia. I. Title. II. Series: United States. Geological Surv ey. Professional paper ; 1106. SD390.7T44W64 574.5'264 79-20233 For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office Washington, D.C. 20402 Stock Number 024-001-03232-5 CONTENTS Page Page Abstract -______________________________ 1 Forests of western North America—Continued Introduction _ _ ___ _ ____ _ _ _____ ________ _ _ ___ 1 Broad-leaved forests ____———— ————————— — — 19 Forests and climate of eastern Asia ____________--_____ 3 Coniferous forests ________ ———————————— ——— 19 Vegetational data ________________________ 3 Mixed Coniferous forest ___ ——— __ — ———— ———— 19 Climatic date ___________________________ 3 Low Montane Mixed Coniferous forest _______ 19 Tropical Rain forest _____________________ 6 High Montane Mixed Coniferous forest ______ 21 Paratropical Rain forest _____________________ 7 Low Coastal Mixed Coniferous forest ________ 21 Microphyllous Broad-leaved Evergreen forest _______ 9 High Coastal Mixed Coniferous forest _______ 22 Notophyllous Broad-leaved Evergreen forest _________ 10 Taiga __________________________________________ 22 Mixed Broad-leaved Evergreen and Deciduous forest __ 11 Comparison to eastern Asia ——- ———— ____ —————— - 23 Mixed Broad-leaved Evergreen and Coniferous forest ___ 12 Forests of eastern North America, the Caribbean, Mixed Mesophytic forest _____________________ 13 Central America, and northern South America ___ ———— _23 Mixed Broad-leaved Deciduous forest ____________ 14 Forests of Europe -____-_________———— — —————— 26 Mixed Coniferous forest ___________________ 15 Discussion _______________ — ————— — ____ ——— - 28 Mixed Northern Hardwood forest _______________ 16 A classification of forest climates ___________ —————— _ 28 Taiga ______________________________ 17 Altitudinal zonation of forests in eastern Asia —__ ——— -30 Simple Broad-leaved Deciduous forest ________________ 17 Applications to paleobotany __ — __ ———— ——— __———— 32 Forests of Australasia _________________________ 18 Problems _____________________________ 35 Forests of western North America ________________ 18 References cited __________________——— — —— — 36 ILLUSTRATIONS [Plates are in pocket] PLATE 1. Map showing distribution of humid to mesic forests of eastern Asia. 2. Graph showing temperature data and classification of humid to mesic forests of eastern Asia. 3. Graphs showing temperature data and classification of forests for parts of the Western Hemisphere, Europe, and Australasia. Page FIGURES 1. Vegetational classification of coniferous forests of eastern Asia ______________________-__________ 24 2 -8. Graphs showing: 2. Temperature data for Taiga and non-Taiga forests _____________________________________ 28 3. Proposed classification of forest climates based primarily on forests of eastern Asia _____________ —— ____ ——— 29 4. Altitudinal zonation of forests on major islands of the western Pacific _____________ — _____————————— 30 5. Altitudinal zonation of forests along coastal mainland of China _______________________________—— 31 6. Altitudinal zonation of forests in the interior of China ______________________ —— ____ ———— ____——— 31 7. Idealized altitudinal and latitudinal zonation of forests in the Northern Hemisphere ___ — — _____ —— —— __——— 32 8. Correlation of percentages of entire-margined species with temperature _______--__—-—- ————— -- — — 35 TABLES Page TABLE 1. Location of stations and sources for temperature data used in compilation of plate 2 ________ — — __ — -- ——— ——— 4 2. Comparison of proposed classification of coniferous forests with some previous classifications —— ——— _ — _ — _ ——— -— 19 3. Comparison of physiognomy of vegetation in quadrats in northernmost California ___________________ —— ——— — __ 22 III TEMPERATURE PARAMETERS OF HUMID TO MESIC FORESTS OF EASTERN ASIA AND RELATION TO FORESTS OF OTHER REGIONS OF THE NORTHERN HEMISPHERE AND AUSTRALASIA BY JACK A. WOLFE ABSTRACT INTRODUCTION Compilation of temperature data from more than 400 stations in For well over a century botanists and climatologists the humid to mesic forests of Asia indicates that the boundaries of have attempted to relate the areal distribution of vege­ physiognomic units of vegetation approximately coincide with cer­ tation to climatic parameters. Some vegetational types tain major temperature parameters. Most boundaries between have been successfully related to precipitation regimes broad-leaved forests coincide with mean annual temperature values; and evapotranspiration rates, but areal distribution of a mean temperature of the cold month of 1°C delineates dominantly broad-leaved deciduous forests from broad-leaved evergreen forests. principal forest types as a function of the temperature Forests in which conifers are either dominant or a major emergent regime remains elusive. A correlation between forest element typically are separated from broad-leaved forests by sum­ types and temperature has been assumed to exist, and mer heat. Based on the approximate coincidence of certain mean indeed the most commonly accepted definitions of the annual temperature values with vegetational boundaries, a sixfold terms "tropical" and "subtropical" are based on the division of forest climates is proposed: tropical (more than 25°C), paratropical (20-25°C), subtropical (13-20°C), temperate (10-13°C), supposed limitation of "tropical" and "subtropical" paratemperate (3-10°C), and subtemperate (less than 3°C). forests by the 18°C and 6°C cold-month means. Examination of latitudinal and altitudinal zonation of vegetation Some botanists, among them Beadle (1951), main­ indicates that the concept of a given vegetational belt descending to tain that given the same fundamental climatic regime lower altitudes in a poleward direction is at best a gross generaliza­ tion and is in some respects invalid. Mesic broad-leaved deciduous in two widely separated areas, the vegetation forests do not live in areas in which the mean annual range of tem­ (physiognomic type) may not necessarily be the same. perature is less than 19-20°C; hence such vegetation cannot be rep­ These workers consider the physiognomy to be colored resented on tropical mountains. Mesic regions of Australasia have a more by available plant materials than by environ­ low mean annual range and therefore have no broad-leaved decidu­ mental factors; that is, the presence or absence of ous forests. certain physiognomic features is due mainly to the Comparison of the climatic data from Asia with data from other areas of the Northern Hemisphere indicates: (1) A large area of east­ availability of plants having such features. While this ern North America that might be expected to have broad-leaved concept may have some validity for geologically short evergreen forests has a broad-leaved deciduous forest similar to the periods of time, as, for example, in the development secondary vegetation of some broad-leaved evergreen forest regions during the Holocene of broad-leaved deciduous forest of Asia, probably as a result of geologically abnormal cold waves. (2) in western Europe (see section "Forests of Europe"), The "Mixed Mesophytic forest" of eastern United States is largely not the temperature analog of the Mixed Mesophytic forest of eastern when viewed over tens of thousands of years or mil­ Asia. (3) A large area of western Europe that might be expected to lions of years, the concept must be considered invalid. have a coniferous forest has a broad-leaved deciduous forest, prob­ Environmental factors are continually affecting ably as a result of historical factors associated with repeated glacia- lineages to select individuals and populations that are tion. (4) Western United States has no temperature-vegetation physiognomically best adapted to that particular envi­ anomalies based on the temperature parameters of eastern Asian vegetation. Comparison of the climatic data from western Europe ronment. As this work indicates, physiognomically and eastern North America indicate that the "nemoral" zones of the similar forest types typically do appear in widely sepa­ two areas are largely not temperature analogs. rated areas that have similar major climatic parame­ The vegetation of New Zealand, which has been problematic in ters, irrespective of the lineages involved. forest classification, is largely the vegetation expected in such tem­ It is realized that some workers (for example, Kiich- perature regimes. In certain