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McCaig ML, Kidd KA, Smenderovac EE, Perrotta BG, Emilson CE, Stastny M, Venier L, Emilson EJS. Response of stream habitat and microbiomes to spruce budworm defoliation: New considerations for outbreak management. ECOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS : A PUBLICATION OF THE ECOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2024:e3020. [PMID: 39155464 DOI: 10.1002/eap.3020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2023] [Revised: 04/09/2024] [Accepted: 05/23/2024] [Indexed: 08/20/2024]
Abstract
Defoliation by eastern spruce budworm is one of the most important natural disturbances in Canadian boreal and hemi-boreal forests with annual area affected surpassing that of fire and harvest combined, and its impacts are projected to increase in frequency, severity, and range under future climate scenarios. Deciding on an active management strategy to control outbreaks and minimize broader economic, ecological, and social impacts is becoming increasingly important. These strategies differ in the degree to which defoliation is suppressed, but little is known about the downstream consequences of defoliation and, thus, the implications of management. Given the disproportionate role of headwater streams and their microbiomes on net riverine productivity across forested landscapes, we investigated the effects of defoliation by spruce budworm on headwater stream habitat and microbiome structure and function to inform management decisions. We experimentally manipulated a gradient of defoliation among 12 watersheds during a spruce budworm outbreak in the Gaspésie Peninsula, Québec, Canada. From May through October of 2019-2021, stream habitat (flow rates, dissolved organic matter [DOM], water chemistry, and nutrients), algal biomass, and water temperatures were assessed. Bacterial and fungal biofilm communities were examined by incubating six leaf packs for five weeks (mid-August to late September) in one stream reach per watershed. Microbiome community structure was determined using metabarcoding of 16S and ITS rRNA genes, and community functions were examined using extracellular enzyme assays, leaf litter decomposition rates, and taxonomic functional assignments. We found that cumulative defoliation was correlated with increased streamflow rates and temperatures, and more aromatic DOM (measured as specific ultraviolet absorbance at 254 nm), but was not correlated to nutrient concentrations. Cumulative defoliation was also associated with altered microbial community composition, an increase in carbohydrate biosynthesis, and a reduction in aromatic compound degradation, suggesting that microbes are shifting to the preferential use of simple carbohydrates rather than more complex aromatic compounds. These results demonstrate that high levels of defoliation can affect headwater stream microbiomes to the point of altering stream ecosystem productivity and carbon cycling potential, highlighting the importance of incorporating broader ecological processes into spruce budworm management decisions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Madison L McCaig
- Department of Biology, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
- Natural Resources Canada, Canadian Forest Service, Great Lakes Forestry Centre, Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada
| | - Karen A Kidd
- Department of Biology, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
- School of Earth, Environment and Society, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
| | - Emily E Smenderovac
- Natural Resources Canada, Canadian Forest Service, Great Lakes Forestry Centre, Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada
| | | | - Caroline E Emilson
- Natural Resources Canada, Canadian Forest Service, Great Lakes Forestry Centre, Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada
| | - Michael Stastny
- Natural Resources Canada, Canadian Forest Service, Atlantic Forestry Centre, Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada
| | - Lisa Venier
- Natural Resources Canada, Canadian Forest Service, Great Lakes Forestry Centre, Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada
| | - Erik J S Emilson
- Natural Resources Canada, Canadian Forest Service, Great Lakes Forestry Centre, Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada
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Davies M, McLaughlin J, Packalen M, Finkelstein S. Using Holocene paleo-fire records to estimate carbon stock vulnerabilities in Hudson Bay Lowlands peatlands. Facets (Ott) 2023. [DOI: 10.1139/facets-2022-0162] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Holocene fire records from charcoal are critical to understand linkages between regional climate and fire regime and to create effective fire management plans. The Hudson Bay Lowlands (HBL) of Canada is one of the largest continuous peatland complexes in the world and is predicted to be increasingly impacted by wildfire. We present three charcoal records from a bog in the western HBL and demonstrate that median fire frequency was higher in the Middle Holocene, related to warmer regional temperatures and higher evaporative demand. Holocene fire frequencies are lower than in western Canadian peatlands, supporting that the HBL lies in the transition between continental and humid boreal fire regimes. Apparent carbon accumulation rates at the site were not significantly different between the Middle and Late Holocene, suggesting that higher fire frequency and enhanced decomposition offset the potential for higher rates of biomass production. We compile records from the boreal region and demonstrate that increasing fire frequency is significantly correlated with diminishing long-term carbon accumulation rates, despite large variation in response of peatlands to fire frequency changes. Therefore, the paleo-record supports that higher fire frequencies will likely weaken the capacity of some northern peatlands to be net carbon sinks in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- M.A. Davies
- Department of Earth Sciences, University of Toronto, 22 Ursula Franklin Street, Toronto, ON M5S 3B1, Canada
- Ontario Forest Research Institute, Ministry of Northern Development, Mines, Natural Resources and Forestry, 1235 Queen Street E, Sault Ste. Marie, ON P6A 2E5, Canada
| | - J.W. McLaughlin
- Ontario Forest Research Institute, Ministry of Northern Development, Mines, Natural Resources and Forestry, 1235 Queen Street E, Sault Ste. Marie, ON P6A 2E5, Canada
| | - M.S. Packalen
- Ontario Forest Research Institute, Ministry of Northern Development, Mines, Natural Resources and Forestry, 1235 Queen Street E, Sault Ste. Marie, ON P6A 2E5, Canada
| | - S.A. Finkelstein
- Department of Earth Sciences, University of Toronto, 22 Ursula Franklin Street, Toronto, ON M5S 3B1, Canada
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3
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Timlick L, Dearnley J, Blais JM, Rodríguez-Gil JL, Hanson M, Hollebone BP, Orihel DM, Peters LE, Stoyanovich SS, Palace VP. Responses of Wild Finescale Dace (Phoxinus neogaeus) to Experimental Spills of Cold Lake Blend Diluted Bitumen at the International Institute for Sustainable Development-Experimental Lakes Area, Northwestern Ontario. ENVIRONMENTAL TOXICOLOGY AND CHEMISTRY 2022; 41:2745-2757. [PMID: 35975418 DOI: 10.1002/etc.5457] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2022] [Revised: 04/10/2022] [Accepted: 08/03/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Pipelines carrying diluted bitumen (dilbit) traverse North America and may result in dilbit release into sensitive freshwater ecosystems. To better understand the potential effects of a freshwater oil release, the Boreal-lake Oil Release Experiment by Additions to Limnocorrals project at the International Institute for Sustainable Development-Experimental Lakes Area (Ontario, Canada) modeled seven dilbit spills contained within a 10-m diameter of littoral limnocorrals in a boreal lake. Wild finescale dace (Phoxinus neogaeus) were released in the limnocorrals 21 days after oil addition and remained there for 70 days. Dilbit volumes covered a large range representing a regression of real spill sizes and total polycyclic aromatic compounds (TPAC) between 167 ng L-1 day-1 and 1989 ng L-1 day-1 . We report the effects of chronic exposure on reproductive potential as well as physiological responses in the gallbladder and liver. In exposures >1000 ng L-1 day-1 , there was a significant decrease in fish retrieval, culminating in zero recapture from the three highest treatments. Among the fish from the limnocorrals with lower levels of TPAC (<500 ng L-1 day-1 ), effects were inconsistent. Gallbladder bile fluorescence for a naphthalene metabolite was significantly different in fish from the oil-exposed limnocorrals when compared to the lake and reference corral, indicating that fish in these lower exposures were interacting with dilbit-derived polycyclic aromatic compounds. There were no significant differences in condition factor, somatic indices, or hepatocyte volume indices. There were also no significant changes in the development of testes or ovaries of exposed dace. The results from the present study may serve to orient policymakers and emergency responders to the range of TPAC exposures that may not significantly affect wild fish. Environ Toxicol Chem 2022;41:2745-2757. © 2022 SETAC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lauren Timlick
- International Institute for Sustainable Development-Experimental Lakes Area, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
- Department of Environment and Geography, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
| | - Jamie Dearnley
- Center for Oil and Gas Research and Development, Department of Chemistry, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
| | - Jules M Blais
- Biology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - José L Rodríguez-Gil
- International Institute for Sustainable Development-Experimental Lakes Area, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
| | - Mark Hanson
- Department of Environment and Geography, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
| | | | - Diane M Orihel
- Department of Biology, School of Environmental Studies, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada
| | - Lisa E Peters
- Department of Environment and Geography, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
- Center for Oil and Gas Research and Development, Department of Chemistry, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
| | | | - Vince P Palace
- International Institute for Sustainable Development-Experimental Lakes Area, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
- Department of Environment and Geography, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
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4
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Alfaro-Sánchez R, Johnstone JF, Cumming SG, Day NJ, Mack MC, Walker XJ, Baltzer JL. What Drives Reproductive Maturity and Efficiency in Serotinous Boreal Conifers? Front Ecol Evol 2022. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2022.869130] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
In boreal North America, much of the landscape is covered by fire-adapted forests dominated by serotinous conifers. For these forests, reductions in fire return interval could limit reproductive success, owing to insufficient time for stands to reach reproductive maturity i.e., to initiate cone production. Improved understanding of the drivers of reproductive maturity can provide important information about the capacity of these forests to self-replace following fire. Here, we assessed the drivers of reproductive maturity in two dominant and widespread conifers, semi-serotinous black spruce and serotinous jack pine. Presence or absence of female cones were recorded in approximately 15,000 individuals within old and recently burned stands in two distinct ecozones of the Northwest Territories (NWT), Canada. Our results show that reproductive maturity was triggered by a minimum tree size threshold rather than an age threshold, with trees reaching reproductive maturity at smaller sizes where environmental conditions were more stressful. The number of reproductive trees per plot increased with stem density, basal area, and at higher latitudes (colder locations). The harsh climatic conditions present at these higher latitudes, however, limited the recruitment of jack pine at the treeline ecotone. The number of reproductive black spruce trees increased with deeper soils, whereas the number of reproductive jack pine trees increased where soils were shallower. We examined the reproductive efficiency i.e., the number of seedlings recruited per reproductive tree, linking pre-fire reproductive maturity of recently burned stands and post-fire seedling recruitment (recorded up to 4 years after the fires) and found that a reproductive jack pine can recruit on average three times more seedlings than a reproductive black spruce. We suggest that the higher reproductive efficiency of jack pine can explain the greater resilience of this species to wildfire compared with black spruce. Overall, these results help link life history characteristics, such as reproductive maturity, to variation in post-fire recruitment of dominant serotinous conifers.
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Martin AE, Neave E, Kirby P, Drever CR, Johnson CA. Multi-objective optimization can balance trade-offs among boreal caribou, biodiversity, and climate change objectives when conservation hotspots do not overlap. Sci Rep 2022; 12:11895. [PMID: 35831324 PMCID: PMC9279314 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-15274-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2022] [Accepted: 06/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
The biodiversity and climate change crises have led countries-including Canada-to commit to protect more land and inland waters and to stabilize greenhouse gas concentrations. Canada is also obligated to recover populations of at-risk species, including boreal caribou. Canada has the opportunity to expand its protected areas network to protect hotspots of high value for biodiversity and climate mitigation. However, co-occurrence of hotspots is rare. Here we ask: is it possible to expand the network to simultaneously protect areas important for boreal caribou, other species at risk, climate refugia, and carbon stores? We used linear programming to prioritize areas for protection based on these conservation objectives, and assessed how prioritization for multiple, competing objectives affected the outcome for each individual objective. Our multi-objective approach produced reasonably strong representation of value across objectives. Although trade-offs were required, the multi-objective outcome was almost always better than when we ignored one objective to maximize value for another, highlighting the risk of assuming that a plan based on one objective will also result in strong outcomes for others. Multi-objective optimization approaches could be used to plan for protected areas networks that address biodiversity and climate change objectives, even when hotspots do not co-occur.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amanda E Martin
- Environment and Climate Change Canada, Science and Technology, National Wildlife Research Centre, Ottawa, ON, K1S 5B6, Canada. .,Department of Biology, Carleton University, Ottawa, ON, K1S 5B6, Canada.
| | - Erin Neave
- Environment and Climate Change Canada, Science and Technology, National Wildlife Research Centre, Ottawa, ON, K1S 5B6, Canada
| | - Patrick Kirby
- Environment and Climate Change Canada, Science and Technology, National Wildlife Research Centre, Ottawa, ON, K1S 5B6, Canada
| | | | - Cheryl A Johnson
- Environment and Climate Change Canada, Science and Technology, National Wildlife Research Centre, Ottawa, ON, K1S 5B6, Canada.,Department of Applied Geomatics, University of Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, QC, J1K 2R1, Canada
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6
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Woolet J, Whitman E, Parisien MA, Thompson DK, Flannigan MD, Whitman T. Effects of short-interval reburns in the boreal forest on soil bacterial communities compared to long-interval reburns. FEMS Microbiol Ecol 2022; 98:6603815. [PMID: 35671126 PMCID: PMC9303391 DOI: 10.1093/femsec/fiac069] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2022] [Revised: 05/23/2022] [Accepted: 06/03/2022] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Increasing fire frequency in some biomes is leading to fires burning in close succession, triggering rapid vegetation change and altering soil properties. We studied the effects of short-interval (SI) reburns on soil bacterial communities of the boreal forest of northwestern Canada using paired sites (n = 44). Both sites in each pair had burned in a recent fire; one site had burned within the previous 20 years before the recent fire (SI reburn) and the other had not. Paired sites were closely matched in prefire ecosite characteristics, prefire tree species composition, and stand structure. We hypothesized that there would be a significant effect of short vs. long fire-free intervals on community composition and that richness would not be consistently different between paired sites. We found that Blastococcus sp. was consistently enriched in SI reburns, indicating its role as a strongly ‘pyrophilous’ bacterium. Caballeronia sordidicola was consistently depleted in SI reburns. The depletion of this endophytic diazotroph raises questions about whether this is contributing to—or merely reflects—poor conifer seedling recolonization post-fire at SI reburns. While SI reburns had no significant effect on richness, dissimilarity between short- and long-interval pairs was significantly correlated with difference in soil pH, and there were small significant changes in overall community composition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jamie Woolet
- Department of Soil Science, University of Wisconsin-Madison , 1525 Observatory Dr., Madison, WI, 53706 , USA
- Department of Forest and Rangeland Stewardship, Colorado State University , 1001 Amy VanDyken Way, Fort Collins, CO, 80521 , USA
| | - Ellen Whitman
- Northern Forestry Centre , Canadian Forest Service, Natural Resources Canada, 5320 122Street, Edmonton, AB, T6H 3S5 , Canada
- Great Lakes Forestry Centre , Canadian Forest Service, Natural Resources Canada, 1219 Queen St. E., Sault Ste. Marie, ON, P6A 2E5 , Canada
| | - Marc-André Parisien
- Northern Forestry Centre , Canadian Forest Service, Natural Resources Canada, 5320 122Street, Edmonton, AB, T6H 3S5 , Canada
| | - Dan K Thompson
- Northern Forestry Centre , Canadian Forest Service, Natural Resources Canada, 5320 122Street, Edmonton, AB, T6H 3S5 , Canada
- Great Lakes Forestry Centre , Canadian Forest Service, Natural Resources Canada, 1219 Queen St. E., Sault Ste. Marie, ON, P6A 2E5 , Canada
| | - Mike D Flannigan
- Department of Renewable Resources, University of Alberta , 751 General Services Building, Edmonton, AB, T6G 2H1 , Canada
- Faculty of Science, Thompson Rivers University , 805 TRU Way, Kamloops, BC, V2C 0C8 , Canada
| | - Thea Whitman
- Department of Soil Science, University of Wisconsin-Madison , 1525 Observatory Dr., Madison, WI, 53706 , USA
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7
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Sánchez-Pinillos M, D'Orangeville L, Boulanger Y, Comeau P, Wang J, Taylor AR, Kneeshaw D. Sequential droughts: A silent trigger of boreal forest mortality. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2022; 28:542-556. [PMID: 34606657 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.15913] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2021] [Accepted: 08/30/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Despite great concern for drought-driven forest mortality, the effects of frequent low-intensity droughts have been largely overlooked in the boreal forest because of their negligible impacts over the short term. In this study, we used data from 6876 permanent plots distributed across most of the Canadian boreal zone to assess the effects of repeated low-intensity droughts on forest mortality. Specifically, we compared the relative impact of sequential years under low-intensity dry conditions with the effects of variables related to the intensity of dry conditions, stand characteristics, and local climate. Then, we searched for thresholds in forest mortality as a function of the number of years between two forest surveys affected by dry conditions of any intensity. Our results showed that, in general, frequent low-intensity dry conditions had stronger effects on forest mortality than the intensity of the driest conditions in the plot. Frequent low-intensity dry conditions acted as an inciting factor of forest mortality exacerbated by stand characteristics and environmental conditions. Overall, the mortality of forests dominated by shade-tolerant conifers was significantly and positively related to frequent low-intensity dry conditions, supporting, in some cases, the existence of thresholds delimiting contrasting responses to drought. In mixtures with broadleaf species, however, sequential dry conditions had a negligible impact. The effects of frequent dry conditions on shade-intolerant forests mainly depended on local climate, inciting or mitigating the mortality of forests located in wet places and dominated by broadleaf species or jack pine, respectively. Our results highlight the importance of assessing not only climate-driven extreme events but also repeated disturbances of low intensity. In the long term, the smooth response of forests to dry conditions might abruptly change leading to disproportional mortality triggered by accumulated stress conditions. Forest and wildlife managers should consider the cumulative effects of climate change on mortality to avoid shortfalls in timber and habitat.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martina Sánchez-Pinillos
- Centre for Forest Research, Université du Québec à Montréal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
- Faculty of Forestry and Environmental Management, University of New Brunswick, Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada
| | - Loïc D'Orangeville
- Faculty of Forestry and Environmental Management, University of New Brunswick, Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada
| | - Yan Boulanger
- Natural Resources Canada, Canadian Forest Service, Laurentian Forestry Centre, Quebec City, Quebec, Canada
| | - Phil Comeau
- Department of Renewable Resources, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | - Jiejie Wang
- Faculty of Forestry and Environmental Management, University of New Brunswick, Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada
| | - Anthony R Taylor
- Faculty of Forestry and Environmental Management, University of New Brunswick, Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada
- Natural Resources Canada, Canadian Forest Service, Atlantic Forestry Centre, Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada
| | - Daniel Kneeshaw
- Centre for Forest Research, Université du Québec à Montréal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
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Evans MEK, DeRose RJ, Klesse S, Girardin MP, Heilman KA, Alexander MR, Arsenault A, Babst F, Bouchard M, Cahoon SMP, Campbell EM, Dietze M, Duchesne L, Frank DC, Giebink CL, Gómez-Guerrero A, García GG, Hogg EH, Metsaranta J, Ols C, Rayback SA, Reid A, Ricker M, Schaberg PG, Shaw JD, Sullivan PF, GaytÁn SAV. Adding Tree Rings to North America's National Forest Inventories: An Essential Tool to Guide Drawdown of Atmospheric CO2. Bioscience 2021; 72:233-246. [PMID: 35241971 PMCID: PMC8888126 DOI: 10.1093/biosci/biab119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Tree-ring time series provide long-term, annually resolved information on the growth of trees. When sampled in a systematic context, tree-ring data can be scaled to estimate the forest carbon capture and storage of landscapes, biomes, and—ultimately—the globe. A systematic effort to sample tree rings in national forest inventories would yield unprecedented temporal and spatial resolution of forest carbon dynamics and help resolve key scientific uncertainties, which we highlight in terms of evidence for forest greening (enhanced growth) versus browning (reduced growth, increased mortality). We describe jump-starting a tree-ring collection across the continent of North America, given the commitments of Canada, the United States, and Mexico to visit forest inventory plots, along with existing legacy collections. Failing to do so would be a missed opportunity to help chart an evidence-based path toward meeting national commitments to reduce net greenhouse gas emissions, urgently needed for climate stabilization and repair.
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Affiliation(s)
- Margaret E K Evans
- Assistant professor, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, United States
| | - R Justin DeRose
- Quinney College of Natural Resources, Utah State University, Logan, Utah, United States
| | - Stefan Klesse
- Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow, and Landscape Research, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Martin P Girardin
- Canadian Forest Service, Laurentian Forestry Centre, Québec, Québec, Canada
| | - Kelly A Heilman
- Postdoctoral researcher, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, United States
| | | | - André Arsenault
- Canadian Forest Service, Atlantic Forestry Centre, Natural Resources Canada, Corner Brook, Labrador, Canada
| | - Flurin Babst
- School of Natural Resources, Environment at University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, United States
| | - Mathieu Bouchard
- Department of Wood Science and Forestry, Laval University, Québec, Québec, Canada
| | - Sean M P Cahoon
- USDA Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station, Anchorage, Alaska, United States
| | - Elizabeth M Campbell
- Canadian Forest Service, Pacific Forestry Centre, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Michael Dietze
- Department of Earth and Environment, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts, United States
| | - Louis Duchesne
- Direction de la Recherche Forestière, Ministère des Forêts, de la Faune, et des Parcs du Québec, Quebec, Québec, Canada
| | - David C Frank
- Professor and the director, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, United States
| | - Courtney L Giebink
- Graduate student, Laboratory of Tree-Ring Research, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, United States
| | | | - Genaro Gutiérrez García
- Departamento de Ciencias Ambientales y del Suelo, Instituto de Geología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad Universitaria, Ciudad de México, Mexico
| | - Edward H Hogg
- Canadian Forest Service, Northern Forestry Centre, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | - Juha Metsaranta
- Canadian Forest Service, Northern Forestry Centre, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | - Clémentine Ols
- Institut National de l'Information Géographique et Forestière, Nancy, France
| | - Shelly A Rayback
- Department of Geography, University of Vermont, Burlington, Vermont, United States
| | - Anya Reid
- British Columbia Ministry of Forests, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Martin Ricker
- Instituto de Biología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad de México, Mexico
| | - Paul G Schaberg
- USDA Forest Service, Northern Research Station, Burlington, Vermont, United States
| | - John D Shaw
- USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Ogden, Utah, United States
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9
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Murphy BK, Way DA. Warming and elevated CO2 alter tamarack C fluxes, growth and mortality: evidence for heat stress-related C starvation in the absence of water stress. TREE PHYSIOLOGY 2021; 41:2341-2358. [PMID: 34077546 DOI: 10.1093/treephys/tpab077] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/07/2021] [Accepted: 05/24/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Climate warming is increasing the frequency of climate-induced tree mortality events. While drought combined with heat is considered the primary cause of this mortality, little is known about whether moderately high temperatures alone can induce mortality, or whether rising CO2 would prevent mortality at high growth temperatures. We grew tamarack (Larix laricina) under ambient (400 p.p.m.) and elevated (750 p.p.m.) CO2 concentrations combined with ambient, ambient +4 °C and ambient +8 °C growth temperatures to investigate whether high growth temperatures lead to carbon (C) limitations and mortality. Growth at +8 °C led to 40% mortality in the ambient CO2 (8TAC) treatment, but no mortality in the elevated CO2 treatment. Thermal acclimation of respiration led to similar leaf C balances across the warming treatments, despite a lack of photosynthetic acclimation. Photosynthesis was stimulated under elevated CO2, increasing seedling growth, but not leaf C concentrations. However, growth and foliar C concentrations were lowest in the +8 °C treatments, even with elevated CO2. Dying 8TAC seedlings had lower needle C concentrations and lower ratios of photosynthesis to respiration than healthy 8TAC seedlings, indicating that C limitations were likely the cause of seedling mortality under high growth temperatures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bridget K Murphy
- Department of Biology, University of Toronto Mississauga, Mississauga, ON, L5L 1C6, Canada
- Graduate Program in Cell and Systems Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, M5S 3B2, Canada
| | - Danielle A Way
- Department of Biology, University of Toronto Mississauga, Mississauga, ON, L5L 1C6, Canada
- Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
- Terrestrial Ecosystem Science & Technology Group, Environmental & Climate Sciences Department, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, NY, USA
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10
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Increasing fire and the decline of fire adapted black spruce in the boreal forest. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2021; 118:2024872118. [PMID: 34697246 PMCID: PMC8609439 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2024872118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 08/26/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Black spruce is the dominant tree species in boreal North America and has shaped forest flammability, carbon storage, and other landscape processes over the last several thousand years. However, climate warming and increases in wildfire activity may be undermining its ability to maintain dominance, shifting forests toward alternative forested and nonforested states. Using data from across North America, we evaluate whether loss of black spruce resilience is already widespread. Resilience was the most common outcome, but drier climatic conditions and more severe fires consistently undermine resilience, often resulting in complete regeneration failure. Although black spruce forests are currently moderately resilient, ongoing warming and drying may alter this trajectory, with large potential consequences for the functioning of this globally important biome. Intensifying wildfire activity and climate change can drive rapid forest compositional shifts. In boreal North America, black spruce shapes forest flammability and depends on fire for regeneration. This relationship has helped black spruce maintain its dominance through much of the Holocene. However, with climate change and more frequent and severe fires, shifts away from black spruce dominance to broadleaf or pine species are emerging, with implications for ecosystem functions including carbon sequestration, water and energy fluxes, and wildlife habitat. Here, we predict that such reductions in black spruce after fire may already be widespread given current trends in climate and fire. To test this, we synthesize data from 1,538 field sites across boreal North America to evaluate compositional changes in tree species following 58 recent fires (1989 to 2014). While black spruce was resilient following most fires (62%), loss of resilience was common, and spruce regeneration failed completely in 18% of 1,140 black spruce sites. In contrast, postfire regeneration never failed in forests dominated by jack pine, which also possesses an aerial seed bank, or broad-leaved trees. More complete combustion of the soil organic layer, which often occurs in better-drained landscape positions and in dryer duff, promoted compositional changes throughout boreal North America. Forests in western North America, however, were more vulnerable to change due to greater long-term climate moisture deficits. While we find considerable remaining resilience in black spruce forests, predicted increases in climate moisture deficits and fire activity will erode this resilience, pushing the system toward a tipping point that has not been crossed in several thousand years.
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11
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Woodman SG, Khoury S, Fournier RE, Emilson EJS, Gunn JM, Rusak JA, Tanentzap AJ. Forest defoliator outbreaks alter nutrient cycling in northern waters. Nat Commun 2021; 12:6355. [PMID: 34732733 PMCID: PMC8566564 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-26666-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2021] [Accepted: 10/07/2021] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Insect defoliators alter biogeochemical cycles from land into receiving waters by consuming terrestrial biomass and releasing biolabile frass. Here, we related insect outbreaks to water chemistry across 12 boreal lake catchments over 32-years. We report, on average, 27% lower dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and 112% higher dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) concentrations in lake waters when defoliators covered entire catchments and reduced leaf area. DOC reductions reached 32% when deciduous stands dominated. Within-year changes in DOC from insect outbreaks exceeded 86% of between-year trends across a larger dataset of 266 boreal and north temperate lakes from 1990 to 2016. Similarly, within-year increases in DIN from insect outbreaks exceeded local, between-year changes in DIN by 12-times, on average. As insect defoliator outbreaks occur at least every 5 years across a wider 439,661 km2 boreal ecozone of Ontario, we suggest they are an underappreciated driver of biogeochemical cycles in forest catchments of this region.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samuel G. Woodman
- grid.5335.00000000121885934Ecosystems and Global Change Group, Department of Plant Sciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK CB2 3EA
| | - Sacha Khoury
- grid.5335.00000000121885934Forest Ecology and Conservation Group, University of Cambridge Conservation Research Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK CB2 3QZ
| | - Ronald E. Fournier
- grid.202033.00000 0001 2295 5236Natural Resources Canada, Canadian Forest Service, Great Lakes Forestry Centre, 1219 Queen St. E, Sault Ste. Marie, ON Canada P6A 2E5
| | - Erik J. S. Emilson
- grid.202033.00000 0001 2295 5236Natural Resources Canada, Canadian Forest Service, Great Lakes Forestry Centre, 1219 Queen St. E, Sault Ste. Marie, ON Canada P6A 2E5
| | - John M. Gunn
- grid.258970.10000 0004 0469 5874Cooperative Freshwater Ecology Unit, Vale Living with Lakes Centre, Laurentian University, 935 Ramsey Lake Road, Sudbury, ON Canada P3E 2C6
| | - James A. Rusak
- grid.419892.f0000 0004 0406 3391Dorset Environmental Science Centre, Ontario Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks, 1026 Bellwood Acres Road, Dorset, ON Canada P0A 1E0
| | - Andrew J. Tanentzap
- grid.5335.00000000121885934Ecosystems and Global Change Group, Department of Plant Sciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK CB2 3EA
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12
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Marrotte RR, Bowman J. Seven decades of southern range dynamics of Canada lynx. Ecol Evol 2021; 11:4644-4655. [PMID: 33976837 PMCID: PMC8093747 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.7364] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2020] [Revised: 02/11/2021] [Accepted: 02/18/2021] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The range of the Canada lynx (Lynx canadensis) has contracted substantially from its historical range. Using harvest records, we found that the southern range of the lynx in Ontario in the late 1940s collapsed and then, in a short period of time, increased to its largest extent in the mid-1960s when the lynx range spread south of the boreal forest for a decade. After this expansion, the southern range contracted northwards beginning in the 1970s. Most recently, there has been a slight expansion between 2010 and 2017. We have attributed these dynamics on the southern range periphery to the fluctuation of the boreal lynx population in the core of the species' range. In addition, connectivity to boreal lynx populations and snow depth seemed to condition whether the lynx expanded into an area. However, we did not find any evidence to suggest that these changes were due to anthropogenic landscape disturbances or competition. The boreal lynx population does not reach the peak abundance it once did, without which we would not expect to see large expansions of the southern lynx range as in the mid-1960s. Our results suggest that the southern lynx range in Ontario has been driven by the magnitude of the boreal lynx population cycle, connectivity to the boreal forest, and snow conditions. Future persistence of lynx in the southern range periphery will likely depend on dynamics in the range core.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robby R. Marrotte
- Environmental & Life Sciences Graduate ProgramTrent UniversityPeterboroughONCanada
| | - Jeff Bowman
- Environmental & Life Sciences Graduate ProgramTrent UniversityPeterboroughONCanada
- Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources & ForestryWildlife Research & Monitoring SectionTrent UniversityPeterboroughONCanada
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13
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Keske C. Boreal Agriculture Cannot Be Sustainable Without Food Sovereignty. FRONTIERS IN SUSTAINABLE FOOD SYSTEMS 2021. [DOI: 10.3389/fsufs.2021.673675] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Food sovereignty encompasses the right of humans to have access to, and to produce, healthy and culturally appropriate food. Food sovereignty exists within the “social” pillar of sustainability and sustainable food production. Over time, and as a result of colonialism and neo-liberal food regimes, Indigenous food system patterns in boreal regions have been disrupted. Imports make local food production economically infeasible. The intersection of food sovereignty and international trade is understudied. Food insecurity cycles are likely to perpetuate without deliberate action and government intervention. Policies that facilitate local access, and ownership, of agriculture and food processing facilities may foster food sovereignty. Indigenous community governance, and agricultural practices, are critical to restoring environmental and social sustainability.
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14
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Climate-Biome Envelope Shifts Create Enormous Challenges and Novel Opportunities for Conservation. FORESTS 2020. [DOI: 10.3390/f11091015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
Research Highlights: We modeled climate-biome envelopes at high resolution in the Western Great Lakes Region for recent and future time-periods. The projected biome shifts, in conjunction with heterogeneous distribution of protected land, may create both great challenges for conservation of particular ecosystems and novel conservation opportunities. Background and Objectives: Climate change this century will affect the distribution and relative abundance of ecological communities against a mostly static background of protected land. We developed a climate-biome envelope model using a priori climate-vegetation relationships for the Western Great Lakes Region (Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan USA and adjacent Ontario, Canada) to predict potential biomes and ecotones—boreal forest, mixed forest, temperate forest, prairie–forest border, and prairie—for a recent climate normal period (1979–2013) and future conditions (2061–2080). Materials and Methods: We analyzed six scenarios, two representative concentration pathways (RCP)—4.5 and 8.5, and three global climate models to represent cool, average, and warm scenarios to predict climate-biome envelopes for 2061–2080. To assess implications of the changes for conservation, we analyzed the amount of land with climate suited for each of the biomes and ecotones both region-wide and within protected areas, under current and future conditions. Results: Recent biome boundaries were accurately represented by the climate-biome envelope model. The modeled future conditions show at least a 96% loss in areas suitable for the boreal and mixed forest from the region, but likely gains in areas suitable for temperate forest, prairie–forest border, and prairie. The analysis also showed that protected areas in the region will most likely lose most or all of the area, 18,692 km2, currently climatically suitable for boreal forest. This would represent an enormous conservation loss. However, conversely, the area climatically suitable for prairie and prairie–forest border within protected areas would increase up to 12.5 times the currently suitable 1775 km2. Conclusions: These results suggest that retaining boreal forest in potential refugia where it currently exists and facilitating transition of some forests to prairie, oak savanna, and temperate forest should both be conservation priorities in the northern part of the region.
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15
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Bioclimatic gradients and soil property trends from northernmost mainland Norway to the Svalbard archipelago. Does the arctic biome extend into mainland Norway? PLoS One 2020; 15:e0239183. [PMID: 32941518 PMCID: PMC7498165 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0239183] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2020] [Accepted: 09/02/2020] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The boundary between the boreal and arctic biomes in northwest Europe has been a
matter of debate for many years. Some authors consider that the boundary is
marked by the northern limit of tree growth in the northernmost Norwegian
mainland. In this study we have collected air and soil temperature data from 37
heath stands from northern Finnmark (71°N), the northernmost part of the
Norwegian mainland, through Bear Island (74°N) in the Barents sea, to
Adventsdalen (78)°N (in Spitsbergen) in Svalbard archipelago. In Finnmark, plots
both south and north of the treeline were investigated. Vegetation and soil
chemistry analyses were performed on the plots in Finnmark and Svalbard.
Significant decreasing south-north trends in air and soil temperatures were
observed from Finnmark to Spitsbergen. Soils in Finnmark were acidic and rich in
organic matter, while those on Adventsdalen were basic and poor in organic
matter. Vegetational analysis identified five communities: three in Finnmark and
two on Adventsdalen. The communities in Finnmark had marked mutual similarities
but were very different from those on Adventsdalen. No significant ecological
differences between heaths south and north of the treeline in Finnmark were
observed. Air and soil temperature variables in Finnmark were outside the
recognized range for the arctic biome and inconsistent with the presence of
permafrost both south and north of the treeline. A major difference between
Finnmark and Spitsbergen was amount of soil frost and length of the growing
season. Our results suggest that the boreal biome extends all the way to the
north coast of mainland Norway; and previously used division of heaths in
Finnmark into boreal, alpine and arctic biomes is not justified.
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16
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Scrafford MA, Nobert BR, Boyce MS. Beaver (Castor canadensis) use of borrow pits in an industrial landscape in northwestern Alberta. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2020; 269:110800. [PMID: 32561009 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2020.110800] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/31/2019] [Revised: 05/15/2020] [Accepted: 05/16/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Borrow pits, dug by industry to provide substrate for infrastructure such as roads and well sites, are prevalent throughout the boreal forest of western Canada yet little is known about their use by wildlife. During field surveys in Rainbow Lake, Alberta, we found that beavers (Castor canadensis) used inundated borrow pits extensively for foraging and over wintering, suggesting that borrow pits increase beaver populations above their natural carrying capacity in industrial landscapes. We visited a random sample of 90 borrow pits in the field and categorized them as having active beaver lodges with caches (n = 16), inactive lodges (n = 13), cutting (n = 29), no activity (n = 13), or as not inundated or not a borrow pit (n = 19). We then used this sample to model where beavers established lodges versus where they were inactive or were only cutting. We found that borrow pits with active lodges had unique characteristics from other pits in our sample and were closer to streams, marshes, and swamps and had greater vegetation concealment from roads. These models can be used by managers to develop methods for increasing or decreasing the abundance of beavers living at borrow pits. Wildlife managers might want to use borrow pits to increase beaver abundance because of the positive effects beavers can have on ecosystems and because beavers are an important source of food for boreal carnivores. For example, we found that wolverines (Gulo gulo) used borrow pits as hunting grounds for beavers and one wolverine denned within a beaver lodge at a borrow pit. Conversely, managers might want to reduce beaver populations living at borrow pits because of the damage that beavers can cause to infrastructure and because subsidized beaver populations might alter predator-prey dynamics. To accomplish this, we suggest reducing available vegetation around borrow pits, isolating new borrow pits from natural beaver habitats, digging borrow pits where there is less chance of having surface water, filling in borrow pits with substrate, or not creating borrow pits and using a centralized gravel pit or mine for substrate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew A Scrafford
- Wildlife Conservation Society Canada, Thunder Bay, Ontario, P7A 4K9, Canada.
| | - Barry R Nobert
- Alberta Environment and Parks, Operations Division - Resource Management, Grande Prarie, Alberta, T8V 6J4, Canada
| | - Mark S Boyce
- University of Alberta, Department of Biological Sciences, Edmonton, Alberta, T6G 2E9, Canada
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17
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Flanagan NE, Wang H, Winton S, Richardson CJ. Low-severity fire as a mechanism of organic matter protection in global peatlands: Thermal alteration slows decomposition. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2020; 26:3930-3946. [PMID: 32388914 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.15102] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2019] [Revised: 02/19/2020] [Accepted: 03/08/2020] [Indexed: 05/16/2023]
Abstract
Worldwide, regularly recurring wildfires shape many peatland ecosystems to the extent that fire-adapted species often dominate plant communities, suggesting that wildfire is an integral part of peatland ecology rather than an anomaly. The most destructive blazes are smoldering fires that are usually initiated in periods of drought and can combust entire peatland carbon stores. However, peatland wildfires more typically occur as low-severity surface burns that arise in the dormant season when vegetation is desiccated, and soil moisture is high. In such low-severity fires, surface layers experience flash heating, but there is little loss of underlying peat to combustion. This study examines the potential importance of such processes in several peatlands that span a gradient from hemiboreal to tropical ecozones and experience a wide range of fire return intervals. We show that low-severity fires can increase the pool of stable soil carbon by thermally altering the chemistry of soil organic matter (SOM), thereby reducing rates of microbial respiration. Using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and Fourier transform infrared, we demonstrate that low-severity fires significantly increase the degree of carbon condensation and aromatization of SOM functional groups, particularly on the surface of peat aggregates. Laboratory incubations show lower CO2 emissions from peat subjected to low-severity fire and predict lower cumulative CO2 emissions from burned peat after 1-3 years. Also, low-severity fires reduce the temperature sensitivity (Q10 ) of peat, indicating that these fires can inhibit microbial access to SOM. The increased stability of thermally altered SOM may allow a greater proportion of organic matter to survive vertical migration into saturated and anaerobic zones of peatlands where environmental conditions physiochemically protect carbon stores from decomposition for thousands of years. Thus, across latitudes, low-severity fire is an overlooked factor influencing carbon cycling in peatlands, which is relevant to global carbon budgets as climate change alters fire regimes worldwide.
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Affiliation(s)
- Neal E Flanagan
- Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University Wetland Center, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Hongjun Wang
- Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University Wetland Center, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Scott Winton
- Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University Wetland Center, Durham, NC, USA
- Institute of Biogeochemistry and Pollutant Dynamics, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Eawag, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Kastanienbaum, Switzerland
| | - Curtis J Richardson
- Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University Wetland Center, Durham, NC, USA
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18
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A cost efficient spatially balanced hierarchical sampling design for monitoring boreal birds incorporating access costs and habitat stratification. PLoS One 2020; 15:e0234494. [PMID: 32544173 PMCID: PMC7297386 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0234494] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2019] [Accepted: 05/26/2020] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Predicting and mitigating impacts of climate change and development within the boreal biome requires a sound understanding of factors influencing the abundance, distribution, and population dynamics of species inhabiting this vast biome. Unfortunately, the limited accessibility of the boreal biome has resulted in sparse and spatially biased sampling, and thus our understanding of boreal bird population dynamics is limited. To implement effective conservation of boreal birds, a cost-effective approach to sampling the boreal biome will be needed. Our objective was to devise a sampling scheme for monitoring boreal birds that would improve our ability to model species-habitat relationships and monitor changes in population size and distribution. A statistically rigorous design to achieve these objectives would have to be spatially balanced and hierarchically structured with respect to ecozones, ecoregions and political jurisdictions. Therefore, we developed a multi-stage hierarchically structured sampling design known as the Boreal Optimal Sampling Strategy (BOSS) that included cost constraints, habitat stratification, and optimization to provide a cost-effective alternative to other common monitoring designs. Our design provided similar habitat and spatial representation to habitat stratification and equal-probability spatially balanced designs, respectively. Not only was our design able to achieve the desired habitat representation and spatial balance necessary to meet our objectives, it was also significantly less expensive (1.3−2.6 times less) than the alternative designs we considered. To further balance trade-offs between cost and representativeness prior to field implementation, we ran multiple iterations of the BOSS design and selected the one which minimized predicted costs while maximizing a multi-criteria evaluation of representativeness. Field implementation of the design in three vastly different regions over three field seasons showed that the approach can be implemented in a wide variety of logistical scenarios and ecological conditions. We provide worked examples and scripts to allow our approach to be implemented or adapted elsewhere. We also provide recommendations for possible future refinements to our approach, but recommend that our design now be implemented to provide unbiased information to assess the status of boreal birds and inform conservation and management actions.
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19
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Dusenge ME, Madhavji S, Way DA. Contrasting acclimation responses to elevated CO 2 and warming between an evergreen and a deciduous boreal conifer. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2020; 26:3639-3657. [PMID: 32181545 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.15084] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2019] [Accepted: 01/27/2020] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
Rising atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2 ) concentrations may warm northern latitudes up to 8°C by the end of the century. Boreal forests play a large role in the global carbon cycle, and the responses of northern trees to climate change will thus impact the trajectory of future CO2 increases. We grew two North American boreal tree species at a range of future climate conditions to assess how growth and carbon fluxes were altered by high CO2 and warming. Black spruce (Picea mariana, an evergreen conifer) and tamarack (Larix laricina, a deciduous conifer) were grown under ambient (407 ppm) or elevated CO2 (750 ppm) and either ambient temperatures, a 4°C warming, or an 8°C warming. In both species, the thermal optimum of net photosynthesis (ToptA ) increased and maximum photosynthetic rates declined in warm-grown seedlings, but the strength of these changes varied between species. Photosynthetic capacity (maximum rates of Rubisco carboxylation, Vcmax , and of electron transport, Jmax ) was reduced in warm-grown seedlings, correlating with reductions in leaf N and chlorophyll concentrations. Warming increased the activation energy for Vcmax and Jmax (EaV and EaJ , respectively) and the thermal optimum for Jmax . In both species, the ToptA was positively correlated with both EaV and EaJ , but negatively correlated with the ratio of Jmax /Vcmax . Respiration acclimated to elevated temperatures, but there were no treatment effects on the Q10 of respiration (the increase in respiration for a 10°C increase in leaf temperature). A warming of 4°C increased biomass in tamarack, while warming reduced biomass in spruce. We show that climate change is likely to negatively affect photosynthesis and growth in black spruce more than in tamarack, and that parameters used to model photosynthesis in dynamic global vegetation models (EaV and EaJ ) show no response to elevated CO2 .
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Affiliation(s)
- Mirindi E Dusenge
- Department of Biology, The University of Western Ontario, London, ON, Canada
- Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Sasha Madhavji
- Department of Biology, The University of Western Ontario, London, ON, Canada
| | - Danielle A Way
- Department of Biology, The University of Western Ontario, London, ON, Canada
- Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
- Division of Plant Sciences, Research School of Biology, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia
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20
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Bell MA, Overy DP, Blais JM. A continental scale spatial investigation of lake sediment organic compositions using sedimentomics. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2020; 719:137746. [PMID: 32173009 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.137746] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2019] [Revised: 03/03/2020] [Accepted: 03/03/2020] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Sedimentomics is a new method used to investigate carbon cycling in sediment organic matter. This untargeted method, based on metabolomics workflows, was used to investigate the molecular composition of sediment organic matter across northern Canada (Nunavut and Northwest Territories). Unique "lake districts" were defined using unsupervised clustering based on changes in sediment organic carbon compositions across space. Supervised machine learning analyses were used to compare the "lake districts" to commonly used regional classification systems like the treeline, ecozones, and/or georegions. Treeline was the best model to explain the compositional variance of sediment organic carbon from lakes across Canada, closely followed by the georegions model. A novel sediment metaphenomics analysis was also applied to determine how well environmental constraints explain the variation of sediment organic matter composition across a continent. We determined that sedimentomics is more informative than traditional measurements (such as total organic carbon) and can be integrated with other "omics" techniques.
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Affiliation(s)
- Madison A Bell
- Laboratory for the Analysis of Natural and Synthetic Environmental Toxicants, Department of Biology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON K1N 6N5, Canada.
| | - David P Overy
- Agriculture and Agri-food Canada, Ottawa Research and Development Centre, Ottawa, ON K1A 0C6, Canada
| | - Jules M Blais
- Laboratory for the Analysis of Natural and Synthetic Environmental Toxicants, Department of Biology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON K1N 6N5, Canada
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21
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Hutchins RHS, Casas-Ruiz JP, Prairie YT, Del Giorgio PA. Magnitude and drivers of integrated fluvial network greenhouse gas emissions across the boreal landscape in Québec. WATER RESEARCH 2020; 173:115556. [PMID: 32058150 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2020.115556] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2019] [Revised: 01/13/2020] [Accepted: 01/26/2020] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Streams and rivers are now recognized to be sites of intense carbon (C) emissions, yet the lack of C emission estimates that integrate beyond individual river systems has slowed their inclusion in landscape C budgets. Here we apply empirical models of CO2 and CH4 concentrations and gas exchange continuously along entire fluvial networks to derive the total fluvial CO2 and CH4 emissions in large (3000 to 30,000 km2) watersheds located across the boreal biome of Québec (Canada). We assess how total fluvial network C emissions vary with landscape and climate properties, and compare their magnitude to other components of the landscape C budget. The total fluvial network emissions expressed as per unit watershed area ranged from 0.7 to 29.2 g C m-2 yr-1 for CO2, and 4-1780 mg C m-2 yr-1 for CH4, and neither was related to watershed area or drainage density. Rather, watershed slope and terrestrial net productivity were major drivers of the integrated network fluvial emissions. We also show that steeper watersheds had a greater proportion of emissions relative to downstream export of C from the watershed. Integrated fluvial emissions are of the same magnitude as the terrestrial C sink, yet these two fundamental components of the boreal landscape C budget are not tightly coupled.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryan H S Hutchins
- Groupe de Recherche Interuniversitaire en Limnologie (GRIL), Département des Sciences Biologiques, Université Du Québec à Montréal, Montréal, Québec, Canada.
| | - Joan P Casas-Ruiz
- Groupe de Recherche Interuniversitaire en Limnologie (GRIL), Département des Sciences Biologiques, Université Du Québec à Montréal, Montréal, Québec, Canada
| | - Yves T Prairie
- Groupe de Recherche Interuniversitaire en Limnologie (GRIL), Département des Sciences Biologiques, Université Du Québec à Montréal, Montréal, Québec, Canada
| | - Paul A Del Giorgio
- Groupe de Recherche Interuniversitaire en Limnologie (GRIL), Département des Sciences Biologiques, Université Du Québec à Montréal, Montréal, Québec, Canada
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22
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Hutchins RHS, Tank SE, Olefeldt D, Quinton WL, Spence C, Dion N, Estop-Aragonés C, Mengistu SG. Fluvial CO 2 and CH 4 patterns across wildfire-disturbed ecozones of subarctic Canada: Current status and implications for future change. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2020; 26:2304-2319. [PMID: 31834984 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.14960] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2019] [Accepted: 11/28/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Despite occupying a small fraction of the landscape, fluvial networks are disproportionately large emitters of CO2 and CH4 , with the potential to offset terrestrial carbon sinks. Yet the extent of this offset remains uncertain, because current estimates of fluvial emissions often do not integrate beyond individual river reaches and over the entire fluvial network in complex landscapes. Here we studied broad patterns of concentrations and isotopic signatures of CO2 and CH4 in 50 streams in the western boreal biome of Canada, across an area of 250,000 km2 . Our study watersheds differ starkly in their geology (sedimentary and shield), permafrost extent (sporadic to extensive discontinuous) and land cover (large variability in lake and wetland extents). We also investigated the effect of wildfire, as half of our study streams drained watersheds affected by megafires that occurred 3 years prior. Similar to other boreal regions, we found that stream CO2 concentrations were primarily associated with greater terrestrial productivity and warmer climates, and decreased downstream within the fluvial network. No effects of recent wildfire, bedrock geology or land cover composition were found. The isotopic signatures suggested dominance of biogenic CO2 sources, despite dominant carbonate bedrock in parts of the study region. Fluvial CH4 concentrations had a high variability which could not be explained by any landscape factors. Estimated fluvial CO2 emissions were 0.63 (0.09-6.06, 95% CI) and 0.29 (0.17-0.44, 95% CI) g C m-2 year-1 at the landscape scale using a stream network modelling and a mass balance approach, respectively, a small but potentially important component of the landscape C balance. These fluvial CO2 emissions are lower than in other northern regions, likely due to a drier climate. Overall, our study suggests that fluvial CO2 emissions are unlikely to be sensitive to altered fire regimes, but that warming and permafrost thaw will increase emissions significantly.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryan H S Hutchins
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
| | - Suzanne E Tank
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
| | - David Olefeldt
- Department of Renewable Resources, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
| | - William L Quinton
- Cold Regions Research Centre, Wilfrid Laurier University, Waterloo, ON, Canada
| | - Christopher Spence
- National Hydrology Research Centre, Environment and Climate Change Canada, Saskatoon, SK, Canada
| | - Nicole Dion
- Water Resources Department, Government of Northwest Territories, Yellowknife, NT, Canada
| | | | - Samson G Mengistu
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
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Lochhead K, Ghafghazi S, LeMay V, Bull GQ. Examining the vulnerability of localized reforestation strategies to climate change at a macroscale. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2019; 252:109625. [PMID: 31604183 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2019.109625] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2019] [Revised: 09/19/2019] [Accepted: 09/22/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Climate change is altering the nature and condition of vast areas in the boreal forest of Canada. There are great uncertainties concerning impacts on the forest, along with how policy and economic responses will translate effectively between local and macroscales. In particular, planting tree seedlings with improved characteristics following harvesting is one localized response strategy considered essential by policymakers. However, planting costs limit the macroscale adoption of this strategy which may result in trade-offs between profitability and reducing vulnerability. In this study, we developed a decision support tool (called Q3) that links stand-level decision making to the macroscale and applied this model to investigate the financial attractiveness of planting improved stocks under one climate change threat, drought-induced seedling mortality. Using several scenarios describing planting effort, improved yields and risk to drought-induced seedling mortality, we showed that adopting improved planting stock strategies across a macroscale (i.e., the western Boreal forest of Canada) can be financially attractive when considering stand-establishment constraints and drought risk. In particular, a proactive approach can be less costly than a reactive approach to drought-induced seedling mortality. To maximize profits, the forestry industry would need to prioritize younger stands closer to processing mills that had a smaller percentage of conifer growing stocks prior to harvest. This research improves the linkages between macroscale policies and forest management activities critical for recommending future development paths that the forestry industry could follow to decrease climate change vulnerabilities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kyle Lochhead
- Department of Forest Resources Management, Faculty of Forestry, University of British Columbia, 2424, Main Mall. V6T 1Z4, Vancouver, BC, Canada.
| | - Saeed Ghafghazi
- Department of Forest Resources Management, Faculty of Forestry, University of British Columbia, 2424, Main Mall. V6T 1Z4, Vancouver, BC, Canada; Natural Resources Canada, Canadian Forest Service, 1500 - 605 Robson St, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, V6B 5J3.
| | - Valerie LeMay
- Department of Forest Resources Management, Faculty of Forestry, University of British Columbia, 2424, Main Mall. V6T 1Z4, Vancouver, BC, Canada.
| | - Gary Q Bull
- Department of Forest Resources Management, Faculty of Forestry, University of British Columbia, 2424, Main Mall. V6T 1Z4, Vancouver, BC, Canada.
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24
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Short-interval wildfire and drought overwhelm boreal forest resilience. Sci Rep 2019; 9:18796. [PMID: 31827128 PMCID: PMC6906309 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-55036-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2019] [Accepted: 11/19/2019] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
The size and frequency of large wildfires in western North America have increased in recent years, a trend climate change is likely to exacerbate. Due to fuel limitations, recently burned forests resist burning for upwards of 30 years; however, extreme fire-conducive weather enables reburning at shorter fire-free intervals than expected. This research quantifies the outcomes of short-interval reburns in upland and wetland environments of northwestern Canadian boreal forests and identifies an interactive effect of post-fire drought. Despite adaptations to wildfire amongst boreal plants, post-fire forests at paired short- and long-interval sites were significantly different, with short-interval sites having lower stem densities of trees due to reduced conifer recruitment, a higher proportion of broadleaf trees, less residual organic material, and reduced herbaceous vegetation cover. Drought reinforced changes in proportions of tree species and decreases in tree recruitment, reinforcing non-resilient responses to short-interval reburning. Drier and warmer weather will increase the incidence of short-interval reburning and amplify the ecological changes such events cause, as wildfire activity and post-fire drought increase synergistically. These interacting disturbances will accelerate climate-driven changes in boreal forest structure and composition. Our findings identify processes of ongoing and future change in a climate-sensitive biome.
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25
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Saleem A, Bell MA, Kimpe LE, Korosi JB, Arnason JT, Blais JM. Identifying novel treeline biomarkers in lake sediments using an untargeted screening approach. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2019; 694:133684. [PMID: 31398651 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.133684] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2019] [Revised: 07/29/2019] [Accepted: 07/29/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Paleolimnology uses sedimentary biomarkers as proxies to reconstruct long-term changes in environmental conditions from lake sediment cores. This work describes an untargeted metabolomics-based approach and uniquely applies it to the field of paleolimnology to identify novel sediment biomarkers to track long-term patterns in treeline dynamics. We identified new potential biomarkers across the Canadian northern Arctic, non-alpine, treeline using high-resolution accurate mass spectrometry, and pattern recognition analysis. This method was applied to 120 sediment core extracts from 14 boreal, 25 forest-tundra, and 21 tundra lakes to assess long-term fluctuations in treeline position. High resolution accurate mass spectrometry resolved many compounds from complex mixtures with low mass accuracy errors. This generated a large dataset that required metabolomics styled statistical analyses to identify potential biomarkers. In total, 29 potential biomarkers discriminated between boreal and tundra lakes. Tetrapyrrole-type phorbides and squalene derivatives dominated in boreal regions, while biohopane-type lipids were in the tundra regions. Tetrapyrroles were in both surface and subsurface sediments of boreal lakes indicating these compounds can survive long-term burial in sediments. At the ecozone level, tetrapyrroles were more abundant in boreal Taiga Shield, and Taiga Plains. Boreal plant extracts belonging to Pinaceae and Ericaceae also contained tetrapyrroles. Squalene derivatives demonstrated long-term preservation, but wider distribution than tetrapyrroles. Hopanoids were present in tundra and forest-tundra lake regions, specifically the Low Arctic and Taiga Shield, and were absent in all boreal lake sediments. Herein, we describe a method that can systematically identify new paleolimnological biomarkers. Novel biomarkers would facilitate multi-proxy paleolimnological studies and potentially lead to more accurate paleoenvironmental reconstructions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ammar Saleem
- Department of Biology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON K1N 6N5, Canada
| | - Madison A Bell
- Department of Biology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON K1N 6N5, Canada
| | - Linda E Kimpe
- Department of Biology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON K1N 6N5, Canada
| | - Jennifer B Korosi
- Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies, Department of Geography, York University. Toronto, ON M3J 1P3, Canada
| | - John T Arnason
- Department of Biology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON K1N 6N5, Canada
| | - Jules M Blais
- Department of Biology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON K1N 6N5, Canada.
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26
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Crosby AD, Bayne EM, Cumming SG, Schmiegelow FKA, Dénes FV, Tremblay JA. Differential habitat selection in boreal songbirds influences estimates of population size and distribution. DIVERS DISTRIB 2019. [DOI: 10.1111/ddi.12991] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Andrew D. Crosby
- Boreal Avian Modelling Project University of Alberta Edmonton AB Canada
- Department of Biological Sciences University of Alberta Edmonton AB Canada
| | - Erin M. Bayne
- Boreal Avian Modelling Project University of Alberta Edmonton AB Canada
- Department of Biological Sciences University of Alberta Edmonton AB Canada
| | - Steven G. Cumming
- Boreal Avian Modelling Project University of Alberta Edmonton AB Canada
- Department of Wood and Forest Science Laval University Quebec City QC Canada
| | - Fiona K. A. Schmiegelow
- Boreal Avian Modelling Project University of Alberta Edmonton AB Canada
- Department of Renewable Resources University of Alberta Edmonton AB Canada
| | - Francisco V. Dénes
- Boreal Avian Modelling Project University of Alberta Edmonton AB Canada
- Department of Renewable Resources University of Alberta Edmonton AB Canada
| | - Junior A. Tremblay
- Boreal Avian Modelling Project University of Alberta Edmonton AB Canada
- Sciences and Technology Branch Environment and Climate Change Canada Quebec City QC Canada
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Muhly TB, Johnson CA, Hebblewhite M, Neilson EW, Fortin D, Fryxell JM, Latham ADM, Latham MC, McLoughlin PD, Merrill E, Paquet PC, Patterson BR, Schmiegelow F, Scurrah F, Musiani M. Functional response of wolves to human development across boreal North America. Ecol Evol 2019; 9:10801-10815. [PMID: 31624583 PMCID: PMC6787805 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.5600] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2018] [Revised: 07/29/2019] [Accepted: 07/30/2019] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
AIM The influence of humans on large carnivores, including wolves, is a worldwide conservation concern. In addition, human-caused changes in carnivore density and distribution might have impacts on prey and, indirectly, on vegetation. We therefore tested wolf responses to infrastructure related to natural resource development (i.e., human footprint). LOCATION Our study provides one of the most extensive assessments of how predators like wolves select habitat in response to various degrees of footprint across boreal ecosystems encompassing over a million square kilometers of Canada. METHODS We deployed GPS-collars on 172 wolves, monitored movements and used a generalized functional response (GFR) model of resource selection. A functional response in habitat selection occurs when selection varies as a function of the availability of that habitat. GFRs can clarify how human-induced habitat changes are influencing wildlife across large, diverse landscapes. RESULTS Wolves displayed a functional response to footprint. Wolves were more likely to select forest harvest cutblocks in regions with higher cutblock density (i.e., a positive functional response to high-quality habitats for ungulate prey) and to select for higher road density in regions where road density was high (i.e., a positive functional response to human-created travel routes). Wolves were more likely to use cutblocks in habitats with low road densities, and more likely to use roads in habitats with low cutblock densities, except in winter when wolves were more likely to use roads regardless of cutblock density. MAIN CONCLUSIONS These interactions suggest that wolves trade-off among human-impacted habitats, and adaptively switch from using roads to facilitate movement (while also risking encounters with humans), to using cutblocks that may have higher ungulate densities. We recommend that conservation managers consider the contextual and interacting effects of footprints when assessing impacts on carnivores. These effects likely have indirect impacts on ecosystems too, including on prey species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tyler B. Muhly
- Forest Analysis and Inventory BranchMinistry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural DevelopmentGovernment of British ColumbiaVictoriaBCCanada
| | - Cheryl A. Johnson
- Science and Technology Branch of Environment and Climate Change CanadaOttawaONCanada
| | - Mark Hebblewhite
- Wildlife Biology ProgramDepartment of Ecosystem and Conservation SciencesW.A. Franke College of Forestry and ConservationUniversity of MontanaMissoulaMTUSA
| | - Eric W. Neilson
- Department of Biological SciencesUniversity of AlbertaEdmontonABCanada
| | - Daniel Fortin
- Department of BiologyCentre d'étude de la forêtUniversité LavalQuébecQCCanada
| | - John M. Fryxell
- Department of Integrated BiologyUniversity of GuelphGuelphONCanada
| | | | | | | | - Evelyn Merrill
- Department of Biological SciencesUniversity of AlbertaEdmontonABCanada
| | - Paul C. Paquet
- Department of GeographyUniversity of VictoriaVictoriaBCCanada
| | - Brent R. Patterson
- Wildlife Research and Monitoring SectionMinistry of Natural Resources and ForestryTrent UniversityPeterboroughONCanada
| | - Fiona Schmiegelow
- Department of Renewable ResourcesUniversity of Alberta c/o Yukon Research CentreWhitehorseYTCanada
| | - Fiona Scurrah
- Transmission Line and Civil ConstructionManitoba HydroWinnipegMBCanada
| | - Marco Musiani
- Department of Biological SciencesFaculty of ScienceUniversity of CalgaryCalgaryABCanada
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Nagati M, Roy M, Desrochers A, Manzi S, Bergeron Y, Gardes M. Facilitation of Balsam Fir by Trembling Aspen in the Boreal Forest: Do Ectomycorrhizal Communities Matter? FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2019; 10:932. [PMID: 31379909 PMCID: PMC6657621 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2019.00932] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2019] [Accepted: 07/03/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Succession is generally well described above-ground in the boreal forest, and several studies have demonstrated the role of interspecific facilitation in tree species establishment. However, the role of mycorrhizal communities for tree establishment and interspecific facilitation, has been little explored. At the ecotone between the mixed boreal forest, dominated by balsam fir and hardwood species, and the boreal forest, dominated by black spruce, several stands of trembling aspen can be found, surrounded by black spruce forest. Regeneration of balsam fir seems to have increased in the recent decades within the boreal forest, and it seems better adapted to grow in trembling aspen stands than in black spruce stands, even when located in similar abiotic conditions. As black spruce stands are also covered by ericaceous shrubs, we investigated if differences in soil fungal communities and ericaceous shrubs abundance could explain the differences observed in balsam fir growth and nutrition. We conducted a study centered on individual saplings to link growth and foliar nutrient concentrations to local vegetation cover, mycorrhization rate, and mycorrhizal communities associated with balsam fir roots. We found that foliar nutrient concentrations and ramification indices (colonization by mycorrhiza per length of root) were greater in trembling aspen stands and were positively correlated to apical and lateral growth of balsam fir saplings. In black spruce stands, the presence of ericaceous shrubs near balsam fir saplings affected ectomycorrhizal communities associated with tree roots which in turn negatively correlated with N foliar concentrations. Our results reveal that fungal communities observed under aspen are drivers of balsam fir early growth and nutrition in boreal forest stands and may facilitate ecotone migration in a context of climate change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mélissande Nagati
- UQAT-UQAM Industrial Chair in Sustainable Forest Management, Forest Research Institute, University of Québec in Abitibi-Témiscamingue, Rouyn-Noranda, QC, Canada
- UMR5174, Laboratory Evolution and Biological Diversity, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique – IRD, Université Paul Sabatier, Toulouse, France
| | - Mélanie Roy
- UMR5174, Laboratory Evolution and Biological Diversity, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique – IRD, Université Paul Sabatier, Toulouse, France
| | - Annie Desrochers
- UQAT-UQAM Industrial Chair in Sustainable Forest Management, Forest Research Institute, University of Québec in Abitibi-Témiscamingue, Rouyn-Noranda, QC, Canada
| | - Sophie Manzi
- UMR5174, Laboratory Evolution and Biological Diversity, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique – IRD, Université Paul Sabatier, Toulouse, France
| | - Yves Bergeron
- UQAT-UQAM Industrial Chair in Sustainable Forest Management, Forest Research Institute, University of Québec in Abitibi-Témiscamingue, Rouyn-Noranda, QC, Canada
| | - Monique Gardes
- UMR5174, Laboratory Evolution and Biological Diversity, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique – IRD, Université Paul Sabatier, Toulouse, France
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Liu ZW, Zhou J, Peng H, Freudenstein JV, Milne RI. Relationships between Tertiary relict and circumboreal woodland floras: a case study in Chimaphila (Ericaceae). ANNALS OF BOTANY 2019; 123:1089-1098. [PMID: 30852591 PMCID: PMC6589512 DOI: 10.1093/aob/mcz018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2018] [Accepted: 01/24/2019] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIMS Tertiary relict and Arctic/circumboreal distributions are two major patterns of Northern Hemisphere intercontinental disjunctions with very different histories. Each has been well researched, but members of one biome have generally not been incorporated in the biogeographical analyses of the other, and links or transitions between these two biomes have rarely been addressed. METHODS Phylogenies of Chimaphila were generated based on cpDNA and nuclear ITS, using Bayesian and maximum likelihood methods. A time-calibrated phylogeny was generated using BEAST. Ancestral area reconstruction was inferred using both statistical dispersal-vicariance analysis and a dispersal-extinction-cladogenesis model. KEY RESULTS The Chimaphila crown group was estimated to have originated in the early Miocene. The lineages of C. umbellata diverged early, but its present circumboreal distribution was not achieved until around the middle Pliocene or later. Sister to this is a clade of four species with Tertiary relict distribution. Among these, two expansions occurred from North America to Asia, probably via the Bering Land Bridge, generating its current disjunctions. CONCLUSIONS Our data concur with a few other studies, indicating that the circumboreal woodland biome has an older origin than most true Arctic-alpine taxa, having gradually recruited taxa since the early Oligocene. For the origin of Asia-North America disjunctions in Chimaphila, an 'out-of-America' migration was supported. It is not clear in which direction Pyroloideae lineages moved between Tertiary relict disjunctions and Arctic/circumboreal distributions; each biome might have recruited species from the other.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhen-Wen Liu
- CAS Key Laboratory for Plant Diversity and Biogeography of East Asia, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, China
| | - Jing Zhou
- School of Pharmaceutical Science and Yunnan Key Laboratory of Pharmacology for Natural Products, Kunming Medical University, Kunming, China
| | - Hua Peng
- CAS Key Laboratory for Plant Diversity and Biogeography of East Asia, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, China
| | - John V Freudenstein
- Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Richard I Milne
- Institute of Molecular Plant Sciences, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
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30
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Portier J, Gauthier S, Cyr G, Bergeron Y. Does time since fire drive live aboveground biomass and stand structure in low fire activity boreal forests? Impacts on their management. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2018; 225:346-355. [PMID: 30103137 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2018.07.100] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/16/2018] [Revised: 07/27/2018] [Accepted: 07/29/2018] [Indexed: 05/16/2023]
Abstract
Boreal forests subject to low fire activity are complex ecosystems in terms of structure and dynamics. They have a high ecological value as they contain important proportions of old forests that play a crucial role in preserving biodiversity and ecological functions. They also sequester important amounts of carbon at the landscape level. However, the role of time since fire in controlling the different processes and attributes of those forests is still poorly understood. The Romaine River area experiences a fire regime characterized by very rare but large fires and has recently been opened to economic development for energy and timber production. In this study, we aimed to characterize this region in terms of live aboveground biomass, merchantable volume, stand structure and composition, and to establish relations between these attributes and the time since the last fire. Mean live aboveground biomass and merchantable volume showed values similar to those of commercial boreal coniferous forests. They were both found to increase up to around 150 years after a fire before declining. However, no significant relation was found between time since fire and stand structure and composition. Instead, they seemed to mostly depend on stand productivity and non-fire disturbances. At the landscape level, this region contains large amounts of biomass and carbon stored resulting from the long fire cycles it experiences. Although in terms of merchantable volume these forests seemed profitable for the forest industry, a large proportion were old forests or presented structures of old forests. Therefore, if forest management was to be undertaken in this region, particular attention should be given to these old forests in order to protect biodiversity and ecological functions. Partial cutting with variable levels of retention would be an appropriate management strategy as it reproduces the structural complexity of old forests.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeanne Portier
- Département des Sciences Biologiques, Centre for Forest Research, Université du Québec à Montréal, P.O. Box 8888, Stn. Centre-ville, Montréal, QC H3C 3P8, Canada.
| | - Sylvie Gauthier
- Natural Resources Canada, Canadian Forest Service, Laurentian Forestry Centre, 1055 du PEPS, P.O. Box 10380, Stn. Sainte-Foy, Québec, QC G1V 4C7, Canada
| | - Guillaume Cyr
- Bureau du forestier en chef, Ministère des Forêts, de la Faune et des Parcs, 845 Boul. St-Joseph, Roberval, QC, G8H 2L6, Canada
| | - Yves Bergeron
- Forest Research Institute, Université du Québec en Abitibi-Témiscamingue and Université du Québec à Montréal, 445 Boul. de l'Université, Rouyn-Noranda, QC J9X 5E4, Canada
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Coristine LE, Jacob AL, Schuster R, Otto SP, Baron NE, Bennett NJ, Bittick SJ, Dey C, Favaro B, Ford A, Nowlan L, Orihel D, Palen WJ, Polfus JL, Shiffman DS, Venter O, Woodley S. Informing Canada’s commitment to biodiversity conservation: A science-based framework to help guide protected areas designation through Target 1 and beyond. Facets (Ott) 2018. [DOI: 10.1139/facets-2017-0102] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Biodiversity is intrinsically linked to the health of our planet—and its people. Yet, increasingly, human activities are causing the extinction of species, degrading ecosystems, and reducing nature’s resilience to climate change and other threats. As a signatory to the Convention on Biological Diversity, Canada has a legal responsibility to protect 17% of land and freshwater by 2020. Currently, Canada has protected ∼10% of its terrestrial lands, requiring a marked increase in the pace and focus of protection over the next three years. Given the distribution, extent, and geography of Canada’s current protected areas, systematic conservation planning would provide decision-makers with a ranking of the potential for new protected area sites to stem biodiversity loss and preserve functioning ecosystems. Here, we identify five key principles for identifying lands that are likely to make the greatest contribution to reversing biodiversity declines and ensuring biodiversity persistence into the future. We identify current gaps and integrate principles of protecting ( i) species at risk, ( ii) representative ecosystems, ( iii) intact wilderness, ( iv) connectivity, and ( v) climate refugia. This spatially explicit assessment is intended as an ecological foundation that, when integrated with social, economic and governance considerations, would support evidence-based protected area decision-making in Canada.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura E. Coristine
- Department of Biology, The University of British Columbia - Okanagan Campus, 1177 Research Road, Kelowna, BC V1V 1V7, Canada
| | - Aerin L. Jacob
- Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative, 200-1350 Railway Ave., Canmore, AB T1W 1P6, Canada
| | - Richard Schuster
- Department of Biology, Carleton University, 1125 Colonel By Drive, Ottawa, ON K1S 5B6, Canada
- Natural Resource and Environmental Studies Institute, University of Northern British Columbia, 3333 University Way, Prince George, BC V2N 4Z9, Canada
| | - Sarah P. Otto
- Biodiversity Research Centre & Department of Zoology, University of British Columbia, 6270 University Blvd., Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada
| | - Nancy E. Baron
- COMPASS, National Center of Ecological Analysis and Synthesis, 735 State St. Santa Barbara, CA 93103, USA
| | - Nathan J. Bennett
- Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability, University of British Columbia, 2202 Main Mall, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada
| | - Sarah Joy Bittick
- Biodiversity Research Centre & Department of Zoology, University of British Columbia, 6270 University Blvd., Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada
| | - Cody Dey
- Great Lakes Institute for Environmental Research, University of Windsor, 401 Sunset Drive, Windsor, ON N9B 3P4, Canada
| | - Brett Favaro
- School of Fisheries, Fisheries and Marine Institute of Memorial University of Newfoundland, 155 Ridge Road, St. John’s, NL A1C 5R3, Canada
| | - Adam Ford
- Department of Biology, The University of British Columbia - Okanagan Campus, 1177 Research Road, Kelowna, BC V1V 1V7, Canada
| | - Linda Nowlan
- West Coast Environmental Law, 200-2006 10th Ave, Vancouver, BC V6J 2B3, Canada
| | - Diane Orihel
- School of Environmental Studies and Department of Biology, Queen’s University, 116 Barrie Street, Kingston, ON K7L 3N6, Canada
| | - Wendy J. Palen
- Earth to Ocean Research Group, Simon Fraser University, 8888 University Dr., Burnaby, BC V5A 1S6, Canada
| | - Jean L. Polfus
- Biology Department, Trent University, 2140 East Bank Drive, Peterborough, ON K9J 7B8, Canada
| | - David S. Shiffman
- Earth to Ocean Research Group, Simon Fraser University, 8888 University Dr., Burnaby, BC V5A 1S6, Canada
| | - Oscar Venter
- Natural Resource and Environmental Studies Institute, University of Northern British Columbia, 3333 University Way, Prince George, BC V2N 4Z9, Canada
| | - Stephen Woodley
- IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas, 64 Chemin Juniper, Chelsea, QC J9B 1T3, Canada
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Berini JL, Brockman SA, Hegeman AD, Reich PB, Muthukrishnan R, Montgomery RA, Forester JD. Combinations of Abiotic Factors Differentially Alter Production of Plant Secondary Metabolites in Five Woody Plant Species in the Boreal-Temperate Transition Zone. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2018; 9:1257. [PMID: 30233611 PMCID: PMC6134262 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2018.01257] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/21/2018] [Accepted: 08/09/2018] [Indexed: 05/18/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- John L. Berini
- Conservation Biology Graduate Program, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN, United States
- Institute on the Environment, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN, United States
| | - Stephen A. Brockman
- Department of Horticultural Science, The Microbial and Plant Genomics Institute, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN, United States
| | - Adrian D. Hegeman
- Department of Horticultural Science, The Microbial and Plant Genomics Institute, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN, United States
| | - Peter B. Reich
- Institute on the Environment, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN, United States
- Department of Forest Resources, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN, United States
- Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University, Penrith, NSW, Australia
| | - Ranjan Muthukrishnan
- Department of Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN, United States
| | - Rebecca A. Montgomery
- Institute on the Environment, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN, United States
- Department of Forest Resources, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN, United States
| | - James D. Forester
- Institute on the Environment, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN, United States
- Department of Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN, United States
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A Forest Attribute Mapping Framework: A Pilot Study in a Northern Boreal Forest, Northwest Territories, Canada. REMOTE SENSING 2018. [DOI: 10.3390/rs10091338] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
A methods framework is presented that utilizes field plots, airborne light detection and ranging (LiDAR), and spaceborne Geoscience Laser Altimeter System (GLAS) data to estimate forest attributes over a 20 Mha area in Northern Canada. The framework was implemented to scale up forest attribute models from field data to intersecting airborne LiDAR data, and then to GLAS footprints. GLAS data were sequentially filtered and submitted to the k-nearest neighbour (k-NN) imputation algorithm to yield regional estimates of stand height and crown closure at a 30 m resolution. Resulting outputs were assessed against independent airborne LiDAR data to evaluate regional estimates of stand height (mean difference = −1 m, RMSE = 5 m) and crown closure (mean difference = −5%, RMSE = 9%). Additional assessments were performed as a function of dominant vegetation type and ecoregion to further evaluate regional products. These attributes form the primary descriptive structure attributes that are typical of forest inventory mapping programs, and provide insight into how they can be derived in northern boreal regions where field information and physical access is often limited.
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34
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Effects of Narrow Linear Disturbances on Light and Wind Patterns in Fragmented Boreal Forests in Northeastern Alberta. FORESTS 2018. [DOI: 10.3390/f9080486] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Forest fragmentation threatens forest biodiversity and ecosystem function. One of the concerns relates to increases in edge effects, which among other things affects the forest microclimate that influences the distribution and behavior of species. In Alberta, Canada, boreal anthropogenic disturbances from in situ oil exploration are increasing forest fragmentation, especially in the form of exploratory well pads and seismic lines (i.e., linear forest clearings created during the exploration phase of oil extraction). Dissection of these forests by seismic lines has the potential to change local patterns in wind and light, and thus may alter forest communities. Although alterations of these abiotic conditions are likely, the magnitude of these changes is unknown, particularly the effects of changes in the width and orientation of linear disturbances. Here we investigated changes in light and wind on seismic lines compared to that of adjacent undisturbed forests and nearby cleared openings. Specifically, we examined how seismic line characteristics (i.e., line direction, line width, and adjacent canopy height) altered local responses in these abiotic conditions. Generalized Linear Mixed Effect models predicted a 2-fold increase in average light intensity and maximum wind speeds, and a 4-fold increase in average wind speeds on seismic lines compared to adjacent forests. These changes did not approach the conditions in large openings, which compared to forests had a 3-fold increase in average light intensity, a 16-fold increase in average wind speeds, and a 4-fold increase in maximum wind speeds. Line width and orientation interacted with adjacent forest height altering the abiotic environment with wider lines having a 3-fold increase on maximum wind speed. We conclude that even localized, narrow (<10-m wide) forest disturbances associated with oil sands exploration alter forest microclimatic conditions. Recent changes in practices that reduce line width as well as promoting tree regeneration, will minimize the environmental effects of these anthropogenic disturbances.
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Northward shift of the agricultural climate zone under 21 st-century global climate change. Sci Rep 2018; 8:7904. [PMID: 29784905 PMCID: PMC5962595 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-26321-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 77] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2017] [Accepted: 05/10/2018] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
As agricultural regions are threatened by climate change, warming of high latitude regions and increasing food demands may lead to northward expansion of global agriculture. While socio-economic demands and edaphic conditions may govern the expansion, climate is a key limiting factor. Extant literature on future crop projections considers established agricultural regions and is mainly temperature based. We employed growing degree days (GDD), as the physiological link between temperature and crop growth, to assess the global northward shift of agricultural climate zones under 21st-century climate change. Using ClimGen scenarios for seven global climate models (GCMs), based on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and transient GHGs, we delineated the future extent of GDD areas, feasible for small cereals, and assessed the projected changes in rainfall and potential evapotranspiration. By 2099, roughly 76% (55% to 89%) of the boreal region might reach crop feasible GDD conditions, compared to the current 32%. The leading edge of the feasible GDD will shift northwards up to 1200 km by 2099 while the altitudinal shift remains marginal. However, most of the newly gained areas are associated with highly seasonal and monthly variations in climatic water balances, a critical component of any future land-use and management decisions.
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Roberts D, Ciuti S, Barber QE, Willier C, Nielsen SE. Accelerated seed dispersal along linear disturbances in the Canadian oil sands region. Sci Rep 2018; 8:4828. [PMID: 29555925 PMCID: PMC5859175 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-22678-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2017] [Accepted: 02/27/2018] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Habitat fragmentation is typically seen as inhibiting movement via erosion in connectivity, although some patterns of early-phase disturbance, such as narrow linear disturbances in otherwise undisturbed forests, may actually facilitate the dispersal of certain species. Such features are common in Alberta's oil sands region as legacies from seismic hydrocarbon exploration used to map oil reserves. Many of the ecological implications of these disturbances are unknown. Here, we investigate the effect of these forest dissections by experimentally testing dispersal patterns along seismic lines compared with adjacent forests using two proxy materials for wind-dispersed seeds, Typha latifolia seed and goose down feathers. We found that wind speeds were up to seven times higher and 95th percentile seed dispersal distances nearly four times farther on seismic lines compared with undisturbed forests and the corresponding effect of these features on seed dispersal distances can be substantial, potentially facilitating future changes in composition and ecological processes in boreal forests. This raises important considerations for native and invasive species, particularly in the context of climate change and the associated importance of seed movement and migration.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Roberts
- Department of Geography, University of Calgary, ES-356, 2500 University Drive NW, Calgary, Alberta, T2N 1N4, Canada. .,Arctic Institute of North America, University of Calgary, ES-1040, 2500 University Drive NW, Calgary, Alberta, T2N 1N4, Canada.
| | - Simone Ciuti
- School of Biology and Environmental Science, University College Dublin, Science West, Belfield, D4, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Quinn E Barber
- Department of Renewable Resources, University of Alberta, 705 General Services Building, Edmonton, Alberta, T6G 2H1, Canada
| | - Caitlin Willier
- Department of Renewable Resources, University of Alberta, 705 General Services Building, Edmonton, Alberta, T6G 2H1, Canada
| | - Scott E Nielsen
- Department of Renewable Resources, University of Alberta, 705 General Services Building, Edmonton, Alberta, T6G 2H1, Canada
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Topoedaphic and Forest Controls on Post-Fire Vegetation Assemblies Are Modified by Fire History and Burn Severity in the Northwestern Canadian Boreal Forest. FORESTS 2018. [DOI: 10.3390/f9030151] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
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Aubin I, Boisvert-Marsh L, Kebli H, McKenney D, Pedlar J, Lawrence K, Hogg EH, Boulanger Y, Gauthier S, Ste-Marie C. Tree vulnerability to climate change: improving exposure-based assessments using traits as indicators of sensitivity. Ecosphere 2018. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.2108] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- I. Aubin
- Great Lakes Forestry Centre; Canadian Forest Service; Natural Resources Canada; Sault Ste Marie Ontario P6A 2E5 Canada
| | - L. Boisvert-Marsh
- Great Lakes Forestry Centre; Canadian Forest Service; Natural Resources Canada; Sault Ste Marie Ontario P6A 2E5 Canada
| | - H. Kebli
- Great Lakes Forestry Centre; Canadian Forest Service; Natural Resources Canada; Sault Ste Marie Ontario P6A 2E5 Canada
| | - D. McKenney
- Great Lakes Forestry Centre; Canadian Forest Service; Natural Resources Canada; Sault Ste Marie Ontario P6A 2E5 Canada
| | - J. Pedlar
- Great Lakes Forestry Centre; Canadian Forest Service; Natural Resources Canada; Sault Ste Marie Ontario P6A 2E5 Canada
| | - K. Lawrence
- Great Lakes Forestry Centre; Canadian Forest Service; Natural Resources Canada; Sault Ste Marie Ontario P6A 2E5 Canada
| | - E. H. Hogg
- Northern Forestry Centre; Canadian Forest Service; Natural Resources Canada; Edmonton Alberta T6H 3S5 Canada
| | - Y. Boulanger
- Laurentian Forestry Centre; Canadian Forest Service; Natural Resources Canada; Quebec City Quebec G1V 4C7 Canada
| | - S. Gauthier
- Laurentian Forestry Centre; Canadian Forest Service; Natural Resources Canada; Quebec City Quebec G1V 4C7 Canada
| | - C. Ste-Marie
- Geological Survey of Canada; Natural Resources Canada; Ottawa Ontario K1A 0E8 Canada
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Tremblay JA, Boulanger Y, Cyr D, Taylor AR, Price DT, St-Laurent MH. Harvesting interacts with climate change to affect future habitat quality of a focal species in eastern Canada's boreal forest. PLoS One 2018; 13:e0191645. [PMID: 29414989 PMCID: PMC5802891 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0191645] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2017] [Accepted: 01/09/2018] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Many studies project future bird ranges by relying on correlative species distribution models. Such models do not usually represent important processes explicitly related to climate change and harvesting, which limits their potential for predicting and understanding the future of boreal bird assemblages at the landscape scale. In this study, we attempted to assess the cumulative and specific impacts of both harvesting and climate-induced changes on wildfires and stand-level processes (e.g., reproduction, growth) in the boreal forest of eastern Canada. The projected changes in these landscape- and stand-scale processes (referred to as “drivers of change”) were then assessed for their impacts on future habitats and potential productivity of black-backed woodpecker (BBWO; Picoides arcticus), a focal species representative of deadwood and old-growth biodiversity in eastern Canada. Forest attributes were simulated using a forest landscape model, LANDIS-II, and were used to infer future landscape suitability to BBWO under three anthropogenic climate forcing scenarios (RCP 2.6, RCP 4.5 and RCP 8.5), compared to the historical baseline. We found climate change is likely to be detrimental for BBWO, with up to 92% decline in potential productivity under the worst-case climate forcing scenario (RCP 8.5). However, large declines were also projected under baseline climate, underlining the importance of harvest in determining future BBWO productivity. Present-day harvesting practices were the single most important cause of declining areas of old-growth coniferous forest, and hence appeared as the single most important driver of future BBWO productivity, regardless of the climate scenario. Climate-induced increases in fire activity would further promote young, deciduous stands at the expense of old-growth coniferous stands. This suggests that the biodiversity associated with deadwood and old-growth boreal forests may be greatly altered by the cumulative impacts of natural and anthropogenic disturbances under a changing climate. Management adaptations, including reduced harvesting levels and strategies to promote coniferous species content, may help mitigate these cumulative impacts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Junior A. Tremblay
- Sciences and Technology Branch, Environment and Climate Change Canada, Québec, Québec, Canada
- * E-mail:
| | - Yan Boulanger
- Natural Resources Canada, Canadian Forest Service, Laurentian Forestry Centre, Stn. Sainte-Foy, Québec, Québec, Canada
| | - Dominic Cyr
- Natural Resources Canada, Canadian Forest Service, Laurentian Forestry Centre, Stn. Sainte-Foy, Québec, Québec, Canada
| | - Anthony R. Taylor
- Natural Resources Canada, Canadian Forest Service, Atlantic Forestry Centre, Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada
| | - David T. Price
- Natural Resources Canada, Canadian Forest Service, Northern Forestry Centre, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | - Martin-Hugues St-Laurent
- Université du Québec à Rimouski, Centre for Northern Studies & Centre for Forest Research, Département de biologie, chimie et géographie, Allée des Ursulines, Rimouski, Québec, Canada
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Helbig M, Chasmer LE, Desai AR, Kljun N, Quinton WL, Sonnentag O. Direct and indirect climate change effects on carbon dioxide fluxes in a thawing boreal forest-wetland landscape. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2017; 23:3231-3248. [PMID: 28132402 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.13638] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2016] [Accepted: 12/26/2016] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
In the sporadic permafrost zone of northwestern Canada, boreal forest carbon dioxide (CO2 ) fluxes will be altered directly by climate change through changing meteorological forcing and indirectly through changes in landscape functioning associated with thaw-induced collapse-scar bog ('wetland') expansion. However, their combined effect on landscape-scale net ecosystem CO2 exchange (NEELAND ), resulting from changing gross primary productivity (GPP) and ecosystem respiration (ER), remains unknown. Here, we quantify indirect land cover change impacts on NEELAND and direct climate change impacts on modeled temperature- and light-limited NEELAND of a boreal forest-wetland landscape. Using nested eddy covariance flux towers, we find both GPP and ER to be larger at the landscape compared to the wetland level. However, annual NEELAND (-20 g C m-2 ) and wetland NEE (-24 g C m-2 ) were similar, suggesting negligible wetland expansion effects on NEELAND . In contrast, we find non-negligible direct climate change impacts when modeling NEELAND using projected air temperature and incoming shortwave radiation. At the end of the 21st century, modeled GPP mainly increases in spring and fall due to reduced temperature limitation, but becomes more frequently light-limited in fall. In a warmer climate, ER increases year-round in the absence of moisture stress resulting in net CO2 uptake increases in the shoulder seasons and decreases during the summer. Annually, landscape net CO2 uptake is projected to decline by 25 ± 14 g C m-2 for a moderate and 103 ± 38 g C m-2 for a high warming scenario, potentially reversing recently observed positive net CO2 uptake trends across the boreal biome. Thus, even without moisture stress, net CO2 uptake of boreal forest-wetland landscapes may decline, and ultimately, these landscapes may turn into net CO2 sources under continued anthropogenic CO2 emissions. We conclude that NEELAND changes are more likely to be driven by direct climate change rather than by indirect land cover change impacts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manuel Helbig
- Département de géographie & Centre d'études nordiques, Université de Montréal, 520 Chemin de la Côte Sainte-Catherine, Montréal, QC, H2V 2B8, Canada
| | - Laura E Chasmer
- Department of Geography, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, AB, T1K 3M4, Canada
| | - Ankur R Desai
- Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, 53706, USA
| | - Natascha Kljun
- Department of Geography, Swansea University, Singleton Park, Swansea, SA28PP, UK
| | - William L Quinton
- Cold Regions Research Centre, Wilfrid Laurier University, Waterloo, ON, N2L 3C5, Canada
| | - Oliver Sonnentag
- Département de géographie & Centre d'études nordiques, Université de Montréal, 520 Chemin de la Côte Sainte-Catherine, Montréal, QC, H2V 2B8, Canada
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41
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Murray DL, Peers MJL, Majchrzak YN, Wehtje M, Ferreira C, Pickles RSA, Row JR, Thornton DH. Continental divide: Predicting climate-mediated fragmentation and biodiversity loss in the boreal forest. PLoS One 2017; 12:e0176706. [PMID: 28505173 PMCID: PMC5432165 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0176706] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2016] [Accepted: 04/16/2017] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Climate change threatens natural landscapes through shifting distribution and abundance of species and attendant change in the structure and function of ecosystems. However, it remains unclear how climate-mediated variation in species’ environmental niche space may lead to large-scale fragmentation of species distributions, altered meta-population dynamics and gene flow, and disrupted ecosystem integrity. Such change may be especially relevant when species distributions are restricted either spatially or to a narrow environmental niche, or when environments are rapidly changing. Here, we use range-wide environmental niche models to posit that climate-mediated range fragmentation aggravates the direct effects of climate change on species in the boreal forest of North America. We show that climate change will directly alter environmental niche suitability for boreal-obligate species of trees, birds and mammals (n = 12), with most species ranges becoming smaller and shifting northward through time. Importantly, species distributions will become increasingly fragmented, as characterized by smaller mean size and greater isolation of environmentally-suitable landscape patches. This loss is especially pronounced along the Ontario-Québec border, where the boreal forest is narrowest and roughly 78% of suitable niche space could disappear by 2080. Despite the diversity of taxa surveyed, patterns of range fragmentation are remarkably consistent, with our models predicting that spruce grouse (Dendragapus canadensis), boreal chickadee (Poecile hudsonicus), moose (Alces americanus) and caribou (Rangifer tarandus) could have entirely disjunct east-west population segments in North America. These findings reveal potentially dire consequences of climate change on population continuity and species diversity in the boreal forest, highlighting the need to better understand: 1) extent and primary drivers of anticipated climate-mediated range loss and fragmentation; 2) diversity of species to be affected by such change; 3) potential for rapid adaptation in the most strongly-affected areas; and 4) potential for invasion by replacement species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dennis L. Murray
- Department of Biology, Trent University, Peterborough, ON, Canada
- * E-mail:
| | - Michael J. L. Peers
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | - Yasmine N. Majchrzak
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | - Morgan Wehtje
- Department of Biology, Trent University, Peterborough, ON, Canada
| | - Catarina Ferreira
- Department of Biology, Trent University, Peterborough, ON, Canada
- Department of Conservation Biology, UFZ–Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Rob S. A. Pickles
- Department of Biology, Trent University, Peterborough, ON, Canada
- Panthera, New York, NY, United States of America
| | - Jeffrey R. Row
- Environment and Resource Studies, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada
| | - Daniel H. Thornton
- School of Environment, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, United States of America
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Kirchmeier-Young MC, Zwiers FW, Gillett NP, Cannon AJ. Attributing extreme fire risk in Western Canada to human emissions. CLIMATIC CHANGE 2017; 144:365-379. [PMID: 32009687 PMCID: PMC6961511 DOI: 10.1007/s10584-017-2030-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2017] [Accepted: 07/07/2017] [Indexed: 05/07/2023]
Abstract
Canada is expected to see an increase in fire risk under future climate projections. Large fires, such as that near Fort McMurray, Alberta in 2016, can be devastating to the communities affected. Understanding the role of human emissions in the occurrence of such extreme fire events can lend insight into how these events might change in the future. An event attribution framework is used to quantify the influence of anthropogenic forcings on extreme fire risk in the current climate of a western Canada region. Fourteen metrics from the Canadian Forest Fire Danger Rating System are used to define the extreme fire seasons. For the majority of these metrics and during the current decade, the combined effect of anthropogenic and natural forcing is estimated to have made extreme fire risk events in the region 1.5 to 6 times as likely compared to a climate that would have been with natural forcings alone.
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Affiliation(s)
- Megan C. Kirchmeier-Young
- Pacific Climate Impacts Consortium, University of Victoria, Victoria, BC V8W 2Y2 Canada
- Canadian Centre for Climate Modelling and Analysis, Environment and Climate Change Canada, University of Victoria, Victoria, BC V8W 2Y2 Canada
| | - Francis W. Zwiers
- Pacific Climate Impacts Consortium, University of Victoria, Victoria, BC V8W 2Y2 Canada
| | - Nathan P. Gillett
- Canadian Centre for Climate Modelling and Analysis, Environment and Climate Change Canada, University of Victoria, Victoria, BC V8W 2Y2 Canada
| | - Alex J. Cannon
- Climate Research Division, Environment and Climate Change Canada, University of Victoria, Victoria, BC V8W 2Y2 Canada
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44
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Anthropogenic Disturbances Create a New Vegetation Toposequence in the Gatineau River Valley, Quebec. FORESTS 2016. [DOI: 10.3390/f7110254] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
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Vegetation Mortality within Natural Wildfire Events in the Western Canadian Boreal Forest: What Burns and Why? FORESTS 2016. [DOI: 10.3390/f7090187] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
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Beck KK, Medeiros AS, Finkelstein SA. Drivers of Change in a 7300-Year Holocene Diatom Record from the Hemi-Boreal Region of Ontario, Canada. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0159937. [PMID: 27532216 PMCID: PMC4988699 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0159937] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2016] [Accepted: 07/11/2016] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
A Holocene lake sediment record spanning the past 7300 years from Wishart Lake in the Turkey Lakes Watershed in the Hemi-Boreal of central Ontario, Canada, was used to evaluate the potential drivers of long-term change in diatom assemblages at this site. An analysis of diatom assemblages found that benthic and epiphytic taxa dominated the mid-Holocene (7300–4000 cal yr BP), indicating shallow, oligotrophic, circum-neutral conditions, with macrophytes present. A significant shift in diatom assemblages towards more planktonic species (mainly Cyclotella sensu lato, but also several species of Aulacoseira, and Tabellaria flocculosa) occurred ~4000 cal yr BP. This change likely reflects an increase in lake level, coincident with the onset of a more strongly positive moisture balance following the drier climates of the middle Holocene, established by numerous regional paleoclimate records. Pollen-inferred regional changes in vegetation around 4000 yrs BP, including an increase in Betula and other mesic taxa, may have also promoted changes in diatom assemblages through watershed processes mediated by the chemistry of runoff. A more recent significant change in limnological conditions is marked by further increases in Cyclotella sensu lato beginning in the late 19th century, synchronous with the Ambrosia pollen rise and increases in sediment bulk density, signaling regional and local land clearance at the time of Euro-Canadian settlement (1880 AD). In contrast to the mid-Holocene increase in planktonic diatoms, the modern increase in Cyclotella sensu lato likely indicates a response to land use and vegetation change, and erosion from the watershed, rather than a further increase in water level. The results from Wishart Lake illustrate the close connection between paleoclimate change, regional vegetation, watershed processes, and diatom assemblages and also provides insight into the controls on abundance of Cyclotella sensu lato, a diatom taxonomic group which has shown significant increases and complex dynamics in the post-industrial era in lakes spanning temperate to Arctic regions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristen K. Beck
- Department of Geography, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
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Pickell PD, Coops NC, Gergel SE, Andison DW, Marshall PL. Evolution of Canada's Boreal Forest Spatial Patterns as Seen from Space. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0157736. [PMID: 27383055 PMCID: PMC4934904 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0157736] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2015] [Accepted: 06/03/2016] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Understanding the development of landscape patterns over broad spatial and temporal scales is a major contribution to ecological sciences and is a critical area of research for forested land management. Boreal forests represent an excellent case study for such research because these forests have undergone significant changes over recent decades. We analyzed the temporal trends of four widely-used landscape pattern indices for boreal forests of Canada: forest cover, largest forest patch index, forest edge density, and core (interior) forest cover. The indices were computed over landscape extents ranging from 5,000 ha (n = 18,185) to 50,000 ha (n = 1,662) and across nine major ecozones of Canada. We used 26 years of Landsat satellite imagery to derive annualized trends of the landscape pattern indices. The largest declines in forest cover, largest forest patch index, and core forest cover were observed in the Boreal Shield, Boreal Plain, and Boreal Cordillera ecozones. Forest edge density increased at all landscape extents for all ecozones. Rapidly changing landscapes, defined as the 90th percentile of forest cover change, were among the most forested initially and were characterized by four times greater decrease in largest forest patch index, three times greater increase in forest edge density, and four times greater decrease in core forest cover compared with all 50,000 ha landscapes. Moreover, approximately 18% of all 50,000 ha landscapes did not change due to a lack of disturbance. The pattern database results provide important context for forest management agencies committed to implementing ecosystem-based management strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul D. Pickell
- Faculty of Forestry, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
- * E-mail:
| | - Nicholas C. Coops
- Faculty of Forestry, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Sarah E. Gergel
- Faculty of Forestry, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - David W. Andison
- Bandaloop Landscape-Ecosystem Services, North Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Peter L. Marshall
- Faculty of Forestry, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
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Lewis TL, Schmutz JA, Amundson CL, Lindberg MS. Waterfowl populations are resilient to immediate and lagged impacts of wildfires in the boreal forest. J Appl Ecol 2016. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2664.12705] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Tyler L. Lewis
- U.S. Geological Survey Alaska Science Center 4210 University Drive Anchorage AK 99508 USA
| | - Joel A. Schmutz
- U.S. Geological Survey Alaska Science Center 4210 University Drive Anchorage AK 99508 USA
| | - Courtney L. Amundson
- U.S. Geological Survey Alaska Science Center 4210 University Drive Anchorage AK 99508 USA
| | - Mark S. Lindberg
- Department of Biology and Wildlife University of Alaska Fairbanks Fairbanks AK 99775 USA
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Roy MC, Foote L, Ciborowski JJH. Vegetation community composition in wetlands created following oil sand mining in Alberta, Canada. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2016; 172:18-28. [PMID: 26921562 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2016.02.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2015] [Revised: 02/13/2016] [Accepted: 02/14/2016] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
Reclaiming wetlands following open pit mining for industrial oil sand extraction is challenging due to the physical and chemical conditions of the post-mined landscape. The aim of our study was to examine and compare the influence of oil sands process water (OSPW) and material (fine fluid tails or FFT) on the plant community composition of created wetlands. Compared to created-unamended and natural wetlands, the created wetlands amended with OSPW and/or FFT (created-tailings wetlands) had significantly higher water salinity, conductivity, dissolved oxygen concentration and lower oxidative-reductive potential. Water chemistry parameters of created-unamended did not differ significantly from those of natural wetlands. The sediment of created wetlands had significantly less moisture, total nitrogen, and organic content than the natural wetlands. The application of OSPW/FFT in created wetlands will likely lead to initial vegetation composition atypical of natural regional wetlands. For the objective of reclaiming vegetation composition to the status of natural regional wetlands, unamended wetlands were the best reclamation option, based on the physical and chemical parameters measured. Despite being the favored reclamation option, created-unamended wetlands' physical and chemical characteristics remain atypical of natural wetlands. Most significantly, the basin morphometry of created wetlands was significantly different from that of naturally-formed wetlands in the region, and this appears to partly explain difference in vegetation composition. We also demonstrate that species richness alone is not a useful measure in wetland monitoring. Instead, plant community composition is a better indicator of wetland conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marie-Claude Roy
- Department of Renewable Resources, University of Alberta, Canada; Alberta Biodiversity Monitoring Institute, University of Alberta, Canada.
| | - Lee Foote
- Department of Renewable Resources, University of Alberta, Canada; Devonian Botanic Garden, Alberta, Canada.
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