Environmental controls on ground cover species composition and productivity in a boreal black spruce forest

Oecologia ◽  
2001 ◽  
Vol 129 (2) ◽  
pp. 261-270 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kari E. Bisbee ◽  
Stith T. Gower ◽  
John M. Norman ◽  
Erik V. Nordheim
Keyword(s):  
Species Composition ◽  
Black Spruce ◽  
Ground Cover ◽  
Spruce Forest ◽  
Environmental Controls

Scale-dependent environmental controls over species composition in Alaskan black spruce communities

2006 ◽  
Vol 36 (7) ◽  
pp. 1781-1796 ◽  
Author(s):  
T N Hollingsworth ◽  
M D Walker ◽  
F S Chapin III ◽  
A L Parsons
Keyword(s):  
Species Composition ◽  
Soil Ph ◽  
Fire History ◽  
Black Spruce ◽  
Fire Disturbance ◽  
Topographic Position ◽  
Spruce Forests ◽  
Environmental Controls ◽  
Interior Alaska ◽  
Variance Explained

The boreal forest is the second largest terrestrial biome, and the black spruce (Picea mariana (Mill.) BSP) forest type occupies a large extent of boreal North America. Black spruce communities occur in a variety of environmental conditions and are especially important in the context of climate change because of underlain permafrost in much of the northern black spruce forests, as well as their adaptation to fire disturbance. We used a classification and ordination approach to describe and name Alaskan black spruce communities and relate them to key environmental variables. We analyzed the relationship of species richness with topographic position and with soil pH using both univariate and multivariate analyses of variance. We also explored the variability in structural, physical, and soil characteristics. We described three black spruce community types and five subtypes based purely on floristic composition. Paludification and topography were the most important gradients explaining species composition for the Fairbanks region (61% variance explained). However, at the scale of interior Alaska, pH, drainage, and productivity were the strongest environmental gradients (81% variance explained). We conclude that species composition of mature black spruce forests in interior Alaska results from the complex interaction of landscape and fire history, soil pH, paludification, permafrost, and topographic position.

scholarly journals Forest Floor Carbon Exchange of a Boreal Black Spruce Forest in Eastern Canada

2009 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 5507-5548 ◽  
Author(s):  
O. Bergeron ◽  
H. A. Margolis ◽  
C. Coursolle
Keyword(s):  
Soil Temperature ◽  
Air Temperature ◽  
Forest Floor ◽  
Black Spruce ◽  
Ecosystem Respiration ◽  
Light Availability ◽  
Ground Cover ◽  
Spruce Forest ◽  
Eastern Canada ◽  
Shallow Soil

Abstract. This study reports continuous automated measurements of forest floor carbon (C) exchange over feathermoss, lichen, and sphagnum micro-sites in a black spruce forest in eastern North America during snow-free periods over three years. The response of soil respiration (Rs-auto) and forest floor photosynthesis (Pff) to environmental factors was determined. The seasonal contributions of scaled up Rs-auto adjusted for spatial representativeness (Rs-adj) and Pff (Pff-eco) relative to that of total ecosystem respiration (Re) and photosynthesis (Peco), respectively, were also quantified. Shallow soil temperature explained 67–86% of the variation in Rs-auto for all ground cover types, while deeper soil temperatures were related to Rs-auto only for the feathermoss micro-sites. Base respiration was consistently lower under feathermoss, intermediate under sphagnum, and higher under lichen during all three years. The Rs-adj/Re ratio increased from spring through autumn and ranged from 0.85 to 0.87 annually for the snow-free period. The Rs-adj/Re ratio was negatively correlated with the difference between air and shallow soil temperature and this correlation was more pronounced in autumn than summer and spring. Maximum photosynthetic capacity of the forest floor (Pffmax) saturated at low irradiance levels (~200 μmol m−2 s−1) and decreased with increasing air temperature and vapor pressure deficit for all three ground cover types, suggesting that Pff was more limited by desiccation than by light availability. Pffmax was lowest for sphagnum, intermediate for feathermoss, and highest for lichen for two of the three years. Pff normalized for light peaked at air temperatures of 5–8°C, suggesting that this is the optimal temperature range for Pff. The Pff-eco/Peco ratio varied seasonally from 13 to 24% and reached a minimum in mid-summer when both air temperature and Peco were at their maximum. On an annual basis, Pff-eco accounted for 17–18% of Peco depending on the year and the snow-free season totals of Pff-adj were 23–24% that of Rs-adj.

scholarly journals Forest floor carbon exchange of a boreal black spruce forest in eastern North America

2009 ◽  
Vol 6 (9) ◽  
pp. 1849-1864 ◽  
Author(s):  
O. Bergeron ◽  
H. A. Margolis ◽  
C. Coursolle
Keyword(s):  
North America ◽  
Soil Temperature ◽  
Air Temperature ◽  
Forest Floor ◽  
Black Spruce ◽  
Ecosystem Respiration ◽  
Light Availability ◽  
Ground Cover ◽  
Eastern North America ◽  
Spruce Forest

Abstract. This study reports continuous automated measurements of forest floor carbon (C) exchange over feathermoss, lichen, and sphagnum micro-sites in a black spruce forest in eastern North America during snow-free periods over three years. The response of soil respiration (Rs-auto) and forest floor photosynthesis (Pff) to environmental factors was determined. The seasonal contributions of scaled up Rs-auto adjusted for spatial representativeness (Rs-adj) and Pff (Pff-eco) relative to that of total ecosystem respiration (Re) and photosynthesis (Peco), respectively, were also quantified. Shallow (5 cm) soil temperature explained 67–86% of the variation in Rs-auto for all ground cover types, while deeper (50 and 100 cm) soil temperatures were related to Rs-auto only for the feathermoss micro-sites. Base respiration was consistently lower under feathermoss, intermediate under sphagnum, and higher under lichen during all three years. The Rs-adj/Re ratio increased from spring through autumn and ranged from 0.85 to 0.87 annually for the snow-free period. The Rs-adj/Re ratio was negatively correlated with the difference between air and shallow soil temperature and this correlation was more pronounced in autumn than summer and spring. Maximum photosynthetic capacity of the forest floor (Pff-max) saturated at low irradiance levels (~200 μmol m−2 s−1) and decreased with increasing air temperature and vapor pressure deficit for all three ground cover types, suggesting that Pff was more limited by desiccation than by light availability. Pff-max was lowest for sphagnum, intermediate for feathermoss, and highest for lichen for two of the three years. Pff normalized for light peaked at air temperatures of 5–8°C, suggesting that this is the optimal temperature range for Pff. The Pff-eco/Peco ratio varied from 13 to 24% over the snow-free period and reached a minimum in mid-summer when both air temperature and Peco were at their maximum. On an annual basis, Pff-eco accounted for 17–18% of Peco depending on the year and the snow-free season totals of Pff-eco were 23–24% that of Rs-adj.

scholarly journals Edge Growth Form of European Buckthorn Increases Isoprene Emissions From Urban Forests

2021 ◽  
Vol 3 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aarti P. Mistry ◽  
Adam W. T. Steffeck ◽  
Mark J. Potosnak
Keyword(s):  
Invasive Species ◽  
Air Quality ◽  
Species Composition ◽  
Tree Species ◽  
Urban Forests ◽  
Google Earth ◽  
Urban Trees ◽  
Emission Rates ◽  
Isoprene Emission ◽  
Environmental Controls

Urban trees provide numerous benefits, such as cooling from transpiration, carbon sequestration, and street aesthetics. But volatile organic compound emissions from trees can combine with anthropogenic nitrogen oxide emissions to form ozone, a harmful air pollutant. The most commonly-emitted of these compounds, isoprene, negatively impacts air quality and hence is detrimental to human health. In addition to environmental controls such as light and temperature, the quantity of isoprene emitted from a leaf is a genus-specific trait. Leaf isoprene emission is enzymatically controlled, and species are typically classified as emitters or non-emitters (near-zero emission rates). Therefore, the species composition of urban forests affects whole-system isoprene production. The process of plant invasion alters species composition, and invasive tree species can be either emitters or non-emitters. If an invasive, isoprene-emitting tree species displaces native, non-emitting species, then isoprene emission rates from urban forests will increase, with a concomitant deterioration of air quality. We tested a hypothesis that invasive species have higher isoprene emission rates than native species. Using existing tree species inventory data for the Chicago region, leaf-level isoprene emission rates of the six most common invasive and native tree species were measured and compared. The difference was not statistically significant, but this could be due to the variability associated with making a sufficient number of measurements to quantify species isoprene emission rates. The most common invasive species European buckthorn (Rhamnus cathartica, L.) was an emitter. Because European buckthorn often invades the disturbed edges common in urban forests, we tested a second hypothesis that edge-effect isoprene emissions would significantly increase whole-system modeled isoprene emissions. Using Google Earth satellite imagery to estimate forested area and edge length in the LaBagh Woods Forest Preserve of Cook County (Chicago, IL, USA), edge isoprene emission contributed 8.1% compared to conventionally modeled forest emissions. Our results show that the invasion of European buckthorn has increased isoprene emissions from urban forests. This implies that ecological restoration efforts to remove European buckthorn have the additional benefit of improving air quality.

scholarly journals A long-term record of carbon exchange in a boreal black spruce forest: means, responses to interannual variability, and decadal trends

2007 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 577-590 ◽  
Author(s):  
ALLISON L. DUNN ◽  
CAROL C. BARFORD ◽  
STEVEN C. WOFSY ◽  
MICHAEL L. GOULDEN ◽  
BRUCE C. DAUBE
Keyword(s):  
Interannual Variability ◽  
Black Spruce ◽  
Spruce Forest ◽  
Carbon Exchange

Net Ecosystem Production of Two Contrasting Boreal Black Spruce Forest Communities

Ecosystems ◽  
2003 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 248-260 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kari E. B. O'Connell ◽  
Stith T. Gower ◽  
John M. Norman
Keyword(s):  
Black Spruce ◽  
Net Ecosystem Production ◽  
Spruce Forest ◽  
Forest Communities ◽  
Ecosystem Production

scholarly journals Study of Fuel-Smoke Dynamics in a Prescribed Fire of Boreal Black Spruce Forest through Field-Deployable Micro Sensor Systems

Fire ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
pp. 30
Author(s):  
Quamrul Huda ◽  
David Lyder ◽  
Marty Collins ◽  
Dave Schroeder ◽  
Dan K. Thompson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Prescribed Fire ◽  
Half Life ◽  
Black Spruce ◽  
Wildland Fire ◽  
Near Field ◽  
Balance Model ◽  
Sensor Systems ◽  
Spruce Forest ◽  
Combustion Dynamics ◽  
Micro Sensor

Understanding the combustion dynamics of fuels, and the generation and propagation of smoke in a wildland fire, can inform short-range and long-range pollutant transport models, and help address and mitigate air quality concerns in communities. Smoldering smoke can cause health issues in nearby valley bottoms, and can create hazardous road conditions due to low-visibility. We studied near-field smoke dynamics in a prescribed fire of 3.4 hectares of land in a boreal black spruce forest in central Alberta. Smoke generated from the fire was monitored through a network of five field-deployable micro sensor systems. Sensors were placed within 500–1000 m of the fire area at various angles in downwind. Smoke generated from flaming and smoldering combustions showed distinct characteristics. The propagation rates of flaming and smoldering smoke, based on the fine particulate (PM2.5) component, were 0.8 and 0.2 m/s, respectively. The flaming smoke was characterized by sharp rise of PM2.5 in air with concentrations of up to 940 µg/m3, followed by an exponential decay with a half-life of ~10 min. Smoldering combustion related smoke contributed to PM2.5 concentrations above 1000 µg/m3 with slower decay half-life of ~18 min. PM2.5 emissions from the burn area during flaming and smoldering phases, integrated over the combustion duration of 2.5 h, were ~15 and ~16 kilograms, respectively, as estimated by our mass balance model.

Comparison of Net Primary Production and Light-use Dynamics of Two Boreal Black Spruce Forest Communities

Ecosystems ◽  
2003 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 236-247 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kari E. B. O'Connell ◽  
Stith T. Gower ◽  
John M. Norman
Keyword(s):  
Primary Production ◽  
Black Spruce ◽  
Net Primary Production ◽  
Spruce Forest ◽  
Forest Communities
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