Hawaiian Treeline Ecotones: Implications for Plant Community Conservation under Climate Change

Species within tropical alpine treeline ecotones are predicted to be especially sensitive to climate variability because this zone represents tree species’ altitudinal limits. Hawaiian volcanoes have distinct treeline ecotones driven by trade wind inversions. The local climate is changing, but little is known about how this influences treeline vegetation. To predict future impacts of climate variability on treelines, we must define the range of variation in treeline ecotone characteristics. Previous studies highlighted an abrupt transition between subalpine grasslands and wet forest on windward Haleakalā, but this site does not represent the diversity of treeline ecotones among volcanoes, lava substrates, and local climatic conditions. To capture this diversity, we used data from 225 plots spanning treelines (1500–2500 m) on Haleakalā and Mauna Loa to characterize ecotonal plant communities. Treeline indicator species differ by moisture and temperature, with common native species important for wet forest, subalpine woodland, and subalpine shrubland. The frequency or abundance of community indicator species may be better predictors of shifting local climates than the presence or absence of tree life forms per se. This study further supports the hypothesis that changes in available moisture, rather than temperature, will dictate the future trajectory of Hawaiian treeline ecotone communities.