Gap dynamics of late successional sugar maple-yellow birch forests at their northern range limit

2016 ◽  
Vol 28 (2) ◽  
pp. 368-378 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tiphaine Després ◽  
Hugo Asselin ◽  
Frédérik Doyon ◽  
Igor Drobyshev ◽  
Yves Bergeron
Keyword(s):  
Sugar Maple ◽  
Gap Dynamics ◽  
Range Limit ◽  
Yellow Birch ◽  
Northern Range Limit ◽  
Birch Forests

Sugar maple (Acer saccharum) forests at their northern distribution limit are recurrently impacted by fire

2015 ◽  
Vol 45 (4) ◽  
pp. 452-462 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vanessa Pilon ◽  
Serge Payette
Keyword(s):  
Acer Saccharum ◽  
Sugar Maple ◽  
Mineral Soil ◽  
Soil Surface ◽  
Range Limit ◽  
Fire Dynamics ◽  
The Holocene ◽  
Growth Status ◽  
Northern Range Limit ◽  
Recent Origin

The sugar maple (Acer saccharum Marsh.) forest is a widespread temperate forest prevailing south of 48°N in Quebec. Windthrows are the principal disturbance maintaining the old-growth status of the forest supposedly since its postglacial establishment. Nonetheless, the presence of wood charcoal buried in several sugar maple forest soils attests to the occurrence of fire during the Holocene. In this study, we aimed to elucidate the long-term fire dynamics and species composition of three sites (Témiscamingue, Saguenay, and Gaspé peninsula) currently dominated by sugar maple situated at its northern range limit. The botanical identification and 14C dating of charcoal fragments extracted from the soil surface and the mineral soil indicate that the development of the sugar maple sites was influenced by recurrent fires at least over the last 1000 to 3500 years. Two of the studied sugar maple stands are of recent origin, with the Témiscamingue forest being established after the most recent fire in the late 18th to early 19th centuries. Our data highlight the resilience of sugar maple forests in a disturbance regime dominated by frequent fires and suggest that the northernmost sugar maple forests are young ecosystems at the Holocene timescale.

Disturbance regime of a cold temperate forest as deduced from tree-ring patterns: the Tantaré Ecological Reserve, Quebec

1990 ◽  
Vol 20 (8) ◽  
pp. 1228-1241 ◽  
Author(s):  
Serge Payette ◽  
Louise Filion ◽  
Ann Delwaide
Keyword(s):  
Tree Ring ◽  
Sugar Maple ◽  
Age Distribution ◽  
Rotation Period ◽  
Growth Patterns ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Gap Dynamics ◽  
Disturbance Regime ◽  
Yellow Birch ◽  
Ecological Reserve

The recent history and disturbance regime of an old-growth sugar maple – yellow birch forest located in the Tantaré Ecological Reserve, Québec, were determined using tree-ring growth patterns of individual trees that had undergone suppression and release. Within a sampling quadrat (0.25 ha) where all living and dead trees were mapped, the age, size, and spatial pattern of gaps formed since the mid-19th century were inferred from tree-ring signatures of standing trees. From 1860 onwards, more than 30 gaps of various form and size occurred, most gaps being < 200 m2 and covering a total area of 3775 m2. During the 1930–1985 period, the tree-fall frequency was 0.45 per year, the tree fall free interval was 3.2 years, and the tree-fall rotation period (turnover rate) was estimated to be 45 years. The rather short life-span of most trees (<125 years) may be attributed to the cool and humid conditions prevailing at the site, which stimulated self-pruning of mature trees. The spatiotemporal development of the sugar maple forest has been active during the past 2 centuries through small-scale disturbances associated with successve, often overlapping, single and multiple tree falls. This situation explains the uneven age distribution of sugar maple and yellow birch populations subjected to differential survival conditions caused by gap dynamics. It is concluded that tree-ring patterns corresponding to periods of suppression and release will likely give a finer resolution record of gap dynamics than other methods of determining natural disturbance regime and reconstruction of recent stand history.

scholarly journals Balsam Fir and American Beech Influence Soil Respiration Rates in Opposite Directions in a Sugar Maple Forest Near Its Northern Range Limit

2021 ◽  
Vol 4 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicolas Bélanger ◽  
Alexandre Collin ◽  
Rim Khlifa ◽  
Simon Lebel-Desrosiers
Keyword(s):  
Soil Respiration ◽  
Species Composition ◽  
Soil Temperature ◽  
Sugar Maple ◽  
Balsam Fir ◽  
Range Limit ◽  
Forest Types ◽  
American Beech ◽  
Southern Limit ◽  
Northern Range Limit

Conifers and deciduous trees greatly differ in regard to their phylogenetics and physiology as well as their influence on soil microclimate and chemical properties. Soil respiration (Rs) in forests can therefore differ depending on tree species composition, and assessments of the variation in Rs in various forest types will lead to a more thorough understanding of the carbon cycle and more robust long-term simulations of soil carbon. We measured Rs in 2019 and 2020 in stands of various species composition in a sugar maple forest near the northern range limit of temperate deciduous forests in Quebec, Canada. Seasonal variations in soil temperature had the largest influence on Rs, but conditions created by the stands also exerted a significant effect. Relative to the typical sugar maple-yellow birch forest (hardwoods), Rs in stands with &gt;20% of basal area from balsam fir (mixedwoods) was increased by 21%. Whilst, when American beech contributed &gt;20% of litterfall mass (hardwood-beech stands), Rs was decreased by 11 and 36% relative to hardwoods and mixedwoods, respectively. As a whole, Rs was significantly higher in mixedwoods than in other forest types, and Rs was significantly higher in hardwoods than in hardwood-beech stands. Sugar maple and American beech at the study site are near their northern range limit, whereas balsam fir is near its southern limit. Rs in mixedwoods was therefore higher than in hardwoods and hardwood-beech stands due to high root activity in the presence of fir, despite colder and drier soils. We estimated that root respiration in mixedwoods was more than threefold that in hardwoods and hardwood-beech stands. The lower Rs in hardwood-beech stands compared to hardwoods points to the lower soil temperature as well as the poor quality of beech litter (low decomposability) as indicated by a generally lower heterotrophic respiration. Other than soil temperature, regression models identified mixedwoods, soil water potential and Mg2+ activity in the soil solution as important predictor variables of Rs with about 90% of its variation explained. Our study shows the benefits of combining forest-specific properties to climatic data for more robust predictions of Rs.

Substrate type and the distribution of sugar maple at its elevational limit in the White Mountains, New Hampshire

1998 ◽  
Vol 28 (3) ◽  
pp. 494-498 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jason D Demers ◽  
Thomas D Lee ◽  
James P Barrett
Keyword(s):  
New Hampshire ◽  
Tree Species ◽  
Sugar Maple ◽  
Abies Balsamea ◽  
Red Spruce ◽  
Balsam Fir ◽  
Betula Alleghaniensis ◽  
Range Limit ◽  
Substrate Type ◽  
Yellow Birch

The relationships between tree species distribution and substrate characteristics were examined at the upper elevational limit of sugar maple (Acer saccharum Marsh.) in the White Mountain National Forest, New Hampshire. Four tree species were studied: sugar maple, balsam fir (Abies balsamea (L.) Mill.), red spruce (Picea rubens Sarg.), and yellow birch (Betula alleghaniensis Britton). At 51 individual trees (>=2.5 cm diameter at breast height) of each species, "substrate type" was described based on the parent material, soil horizons, depth and texture of the B and C horizons, nature of surface boulders, and the depth to and type of impermeable layer. Substrate type was significantly (p < 0.001) associated with tree species. Sugar maple was relatively more frequent on deep fine and compact tills, less frequent on washed or shallow till, and absent on shallow, organic, or grus (weathered granite) substrates. Red spruce, balsam fir, and yellow birch were less sensitive to substrate type. Red spruce and yellow birch were most frequent on organic material or grus over rock. Balsam fir most frequently occurred on washed till. As the frequency of substrates favorable to sugar maple declined with elevation, it is possible that the upper elevational range limit of this species is influenced by substrate availability.

Green Turtles Nesting at Their Northern Range Limit in the United States Represent a Distinct Subpopulation

2018 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 314 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brian M. Shamblin ◽  
Matthew H. Godfrey ◽  
S. Michelle Pate ◽  
William P. Thompson ◽  
Hope Sutton ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
The United States ◽  
Range Limit ◽  
Green Turtles ◽  
Distinct Subpopulation ◽  
Northern Range Limit

Coupes par bandes dans des peuplements de feuillus—Résultats après 14 ans

1985 ◽  
Vol 61 (3) ◽  
pp. 229-232 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jean-Louis Boivin
Keyword(s):  
Main Part ◽  
Sugar Maple ◽  
Yellow Birch ◽  
River Watershed ◽  
The Future ◽  
Analysis Of Results ◽  
Mature Stands ◽  
Regeneration Study

Clearcutting of 20, 40 and 60 m wide strips was done in 1970 in Malakoff township, in the lower part of the Dumoine river watershed. A regeneration study took place in 1984.Analysis of results shows that the strips are well regenerated. The proportion of yellow birch grows with the width of the strips, that is, from 20 to60 m. To this effect strips of 60 m seem to be better for regenerating yellow birch but the future of this species seems to be better ensured in 40-m-wide strips.Yellow birch and sugar maple constitute the main part of the actual stands. If treatment is done and if observed trends persist, yellow birch should account for 21, 26 and 44% of the stems in mature stands of the 20-, 40- and 60-m strips respectively. With treatment, the presence of yellow birch could be increased to nearly 48%.

Exploring the Recruitment Dynamics of Sugar Maple and Yellow Birch Saplings into Merchantable Stems Following Harvesting in the Acadian Forest Region of New Brunswick, Canada

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alex Noel ◽  
Jules Comeau ◽  
Salah-Eddine El Adlouni ◽  
Gaetan Pelletier ◽  
Marie-Andrée Giroux
Keyword(s):  
New Brunswick ◽  
Sugar Maple ◽  
Basal Area ◽  
Stem Density ◽  
Yellow Birch ◽  
Probability Of Occurrence ◽  
Silvicultural Treatment ◽  
Forest Region ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Acadian Forest

The recruitment of saplings in forest stands into merchantable stems is a very complex process, thus making it challenging to understand and predict. The recruitment dynamics in the Acadian Forest Region of New Brunswick are not well known or documented. Our objective was to draw an inference from existing large scale routine forest inventories as to the different dynamics behind the recruitment from the sapling layer into the commercial tree size layer in terms of density and occurrence of sugar maple (Acer saccharum Marsh.) and yellow birch (Betula alleghaniensis Britt.) following harvesting, by looking at many factors on a wide range of spatial and temporal scales using models. Results suggest that the variation in density and probability of occurrence is best explained by the intensity of silvicultural treatment, by the merchantable stem density in each plot, and by the proportion of merchantable basal area of each group of species. The number of recruits of sugar maple and yellow birch stems tend be higher when time since last treatment increases, when mid to low levels of silvicultural treatment intensity were implemented, and within plots having intermediate levels of merchantable stem density. Lastly, our modeling efforts suggest that the probability of occurrence and density of recruitment of both species tend to increase while its share of merchantable basal area increases.

Breeding behaviour of ectotherms at high latitudes: the case of the natterjack toad Epidalea calamita at its northern range limit

Behaviour ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 1-20
Author(s):  
Linda Saare ◽  
Riinu Rannap
Keyword(s):  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Energetic Cost ◽  
Breeding Period ◽  
High Latitudes ◽  
Range Limit ◽  
Photo Identification ◽  
Breeding Behaviour ◽  
Risk Of Predation ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Northern Range Limit

Abstract We explored the breeding behaviour of a threatened amphibian, the natterjack toad, at its northern range limit in Estonia, to determine the extent to which reproduction is affected by harsh and unstable climatic conditions. Using photo identification of specimens, we found that in optimal weather conditions males formed three breeding cohorts, while in adverse conditions only a single cohort occurred and under extreme conditions reproduction was skipped entirely. During the extended breeding season, larger males participated in reproduction throughout the breeding period, while smaller males appeared in later cohorts. Breeding success was related to the calling effort of a male, where larger males had greater mating success than smaller ones. We found that the natterjack toad males exhibit significant plasticity in reproductive behaviour at the northern range limit, which, given the energetic cost of reproduction and the increased risk of predation, allows them to increase their fitness at high latitudes.

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