The Migration of Trees [was Extinction]

["Jaime A. Headden" <qilongia@yahoo.com>]

  Just wanted to point something out in regards to the
recent thread this latest incarnation of this latest
incarnation of the "Extinction" thread.

  Trees do not migrate. Not at all, irregardless of
the famous moving trees of Central America or the
North Slope, which shift their roots either to
favorable light in the rain forest (the first example)
or because the wind is blowing that way (the second,
and the shortest natural trees on record [bonsai do
not count]).

  Now, ecologically, the shifting of a range of forest
occurs one way I can see in relation to climate. For
instance, it gets colder. Trees are limited in
latitude due to surrounding temperature and pressures.
Colder air increases these, and present range of trees
decreases, so those in higher latitutes (that is,
closer to the poles than the equator) die out, and
range shrinks. If such a climactic change is global,
then more equatorial, lower latitude temperatures fall
by so and such degrees, and the lower latitudes are
more favorable for our given range. The dispersed
seeds in the once too warm climates begin to thrive.
Range increases. Thus, it can be seen that a forest
will migrate, but we're talking hundreds of years, if
not thousands, and the migratory scale of animals is
much smaller, shorter in time.

  Take warmer temperatures, and trees will progress
polewards, degreese equatorially, or adapt. So the
equator may become devoid of woody plants
(hypothetically) such as trees, and the poles flourish
as a brilliant green vista. Who knows ...

  By the way, can somebody supply me with the ref for
the "tropic arctic" paper with champsosaurs that came
out in Science/Nature and associated references?

  My one-bit for this thread ...

=====
Jaime "James" A. Headden

"Come the path that leads us to our fortune."

Qilong---is temporarily out of service.
Check back soon.

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