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Changes in climate and vegetation with altitude on Mount Batilamu, Viti Levu, Fiji

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 September 2018

Jacynta Anderson ,
Gunnar Keppel Open the ORCID record for Gunnar Keppel [Opens in a new window] ,
Sophie-Min Thomson ,
Anthony Randell ,
Jone Raituva ,
Iliesa Koroi ,
Ramokasa Anisi ,
Tanya Charlson ,
Hans Juergen Boehmer  and
Sonia Kleindorfer
Jacynta Anderson
Affiliation:
Natural and Built Environments Research Centre, School of Natural and Built Environments, University of South Australia, GPO Box 2471, Adelaide, South Australia 5001, Australia
Gunnar Keppel*
Affiliation:
Natural and Built Environments Research Centre, School of Natural and Built Environments, University of South Australia, GPO Box 2471, Adelaide, South Australia 5001, Australia Future Industries Institute, University of South Australia, Mawson Lakes Campus, GPO Box 2471, Adelaide, South Australia 5001, Australia Biodiversity, Macroecology & Biogeography, Faculty of Forest Sciences, University of Goettingen, Büsgenweg 1, 37077 Göttingen, Germany
Sophie-Min Thomson
Affiliation:
Natural and Built Environments Research Centre, School of Natural and Built Environments, University of South Australia, GPO Box 2471, Adelaide, South Australia 5001, Australia
Anthony Randell
Affiliation:
Natural and Built Environments Research Centre, School of Natural and Built Environments, University of South Australia, GPO Box 2471, Adelaide, South Australia 5001, Australia
Jone Raituva
Affiliation:
South Pacific Regional Herbarium, Faculty of Science, Technology and Environment, University of the South Pacific, Suva, Fiji
Iliesa Koroi
Affiliation:
South Pacific Regional Herbarium, Faculty of Science, Technology and Environment, University of the South Pacific, Suva, Fiji
Ramokasa Anisi
Affiliation:
South Pacific Regional Herbarium, Faculty of Science, Technology and Environment, University of the South Pacific, Suva, Fiji
Tanya Charlson
Affiliation:
Natural and Built Environments Research Centre, School of Natural and Built Environments, University of South Australia, GPO Box 2471, Adelaide, South Australia 5001, Australia
Hans Juergen Boehmer
Affiliation:
School of Geography, Earth Science and Environment, Faculty of Science, Technology and Environment, University of the South Pacific, Suva, Fiji
Sonia Kleindorfer
Affiliation:
College of Science and Engineering, Flinders University, GPO Box 2100, Adelaide 5001, Australia
*
*Corresponding author. Email: gunnar.keppel@unisa.edu.au
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Abstract:

To investigate changes in vegetation and climate with altitude, we established forest plots and recorded climatic data at 100-m intervals between 550–1100 m asl on the western slopes of Mount Batilamu, Mount Koroyanitu range, Viti Levu, Fiji. Trees with a dbh ≥10 cm were identified and measured in 21 10 × 10-m plots, starting at 750 m altitude. Temperature and relative humidity sensors were deployed in two habitats, leaf litter and 50 cm above the ground, and two vegetation types, grasslands and forest, at six altitudes over a 48-h period. Two significantly distinct forest types, lowland and montane, were present. Montane forest was found at higher elevations (>950 m asl) and had significantly higher stem density. Mean temperature decreased significantly with altitude and was strongly moderated by vegetation type (lower average and less variation in forest). While average relative humidity significantly increased with altitude, it was strongly moderated by both habitat and vegetation type (higher average and less variation in leaf litter and forest). The lapse rate varied with time of day (higher during the day) and vegetation type (higher in grasslands). Therefore, vegetation and microhabitats create unique microclimates, and this should be considered when investigating current or future climatic patterns along altitudinal gradients on forested mountains.

Keywords

altitudinal gradientendemismlowland rain forestmicroclimatemontane forestMount Koroyanitu National Heritage Parkrelative humiditySouth Pacifictemperaturetropical oceanic island
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Tropical Ecology , Volume 34 , Issue 5 , September 2018 , pp. 316 - 325
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2018 

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Footnotes

§

Authors contributed equally to this paper.

References

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