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Professional Paper 1650-D

Atlas of Relations Between Climatic Parameters and Distributions of Important Trees and Shrubs in North America—Alaska Species and Ecoregions

By Robert S. Thompson, Katherine H. Anderson, Laura E. Strickland, Sarah L. Shafer, Richard T. Pelltier, and Patrick J. Bartlein

Abstract

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Climate is the primary factor in controlling the continental-scale distribution of plant species, although the relations between climatic parameters and species’ ranges is only now beginning to be quantified. Preceding volumes of this atlas explored the continental-scale relations between climatic parameters and the distributions of woody plant species across all of the continent of North America. This volume presents similar information for important woody species, groups of species, and ecoregions in more detail for the State of Alaska. For these analyses, we constructed a 25-kilometer equal-area grid of modern climatic and bioclimatic parameters for North America from instrumental weather records. We obtained a digital representation of the geographic distribution of each species or ecoregion, either from a published source or by digitizing the published distributions ourselves. The presence or absence of each species or ecoregion was then determined for each point on the 25-kilometer grid, thus providing a basis for comparison of the climatic data with the geographic distribution of each species or ecoregion. The relations between climate and these distributions are presented in graphical and tabular form.

Version 1.0

Posted October 2008

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Suggested citation:

Thompson, Robert S., Anderson, Katherine H., Strickland, Laura E., Shafer, Sarah L., Pelltier, Richard T., and Bartlein, Patrick J., 2006, Atlas of relations between climatic parameters and distributions of important trees and shrubs in North America— Alaska species and ecoregions: U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 1650–D, 342 pages.



Contents

Abstract

Introduction

Sources of Species and Ecoregion Data

Internet Availability

Acknowledgements

References Cited


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