Aulacomnium heterostichoides sp.nov., an Eocene moss from south central British Columbia

1979 ◽  
Vol 57 (20) ◽  
pp. 2150-2161 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jan A. P. Janssens ◽  
Diana G. Horton ◽  
James F. Basinger
Keyword(s):  
North America ◽  
Deciduous Forest ◽  
Deciduous Forests ◽  
Eastern North America ◽  
Eastern Asia ◽  
Temperate Deciduous Forest ◽  
Fossil Specimen ◽  
South Central ◽  
Close Relationship ◽  
Temperate Deciduous

Aulacomnium heterostichoides Janssens, Horton, and Basinger is described as new from Eocene sediments located near Horsefly, B.C. It is characterized by spirally arranged, oblong leaves, which are slightly asymmetric by the unequal laminae in the lower one-third; irregularly, coarsely toothed upper margins with the teeth both multicellular and multiseriate; a strong costa, which ends near the apex; upper and basal laminal cells which are more or less isodiametric. These character states indicate a very close relationship to Aulacomnium heterostichum.Palynological studies indicate that Aulacomnium heterostichoides grew in a temperate, deciduous forest with species of Alnus, Carya, Pinns, Quercus, Taxodium, and Tilia, as well as other deciduous and coniferous trees. Extant populations of A. heterostichum commonly occur in a similar habitat along streams in the mesic, deciduous forests of eastern Asia and eastern United States.There is considerable fossil evidence which shows that vascular plants currently restricted to eastern Asia and eastern North America, occurred in the intervening areas across continental North America in Tertiary times. Our report of A. heterostichoides is the first indication, based on a fossil specimen, that bryophytes presently associated with the disjunct deciduous forests of eastern Asia and eastern North America were earlier associated with some elements of these forests in localities beyond the present range of such taxa.

Temperate Deciduous Forests

Ecology ◽  
2012 ◽  
Author(s):  
Frank S. Gilliam
Keyword(s):  
Tropical Forests ◽  
Plant Diversity ◽  
Net Primary Productivity ◽  
Deciduous Forest ◽  
Close Association ◽  
Deciduous Forests ◽  
Human Populations ◽  
Temperate Deciduous Forest ◽  
Temperate Deciduous ◽  
Temperate Deciduous Forests

Given the global distribution of human populations and their coincidence with temperate deciduous forests, it is likely that when most people consider the term “forest,” what comes to mind most frequently is the temperate deciduous forest biome. Although not to the level of their tropical counterparts, temperate deciduous forests typically display high plant biodiversity and rates of net primary productivity. They contrast sharply, however, with tropical forests in the distribution of biodiversity and productivity. In tropical forests, greatest plant diversity is associated with the vegetation of greatest productivity—trees. By contrast, the greatest plant diversity—up to 90 percent—in temperate deciduous forests occurs among the plants of least physical stature: the herbaceous species. Given the close association between these forests and their use by human populations, whether for food, fiber, habitat, or recreation, it is not surprising that they have been well studied, particularly in North America, and thus have a rich literature going back many years. However, for the very reason of that intensive use, temperate deciduous forests have proved to be an ecological moving target, as timber harvesting, air pollution, and introduced pests (e.g., insects and parasites) have represented a chronic assault on the structure and function of these ecosystems.

scholarly journals Deciduous forest responses to temperature, precipitation, and drought imply complex climate change impacts

2015 ◽  
Vol 112 (44) ◽  
pp. 13585-13590 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yingying Xie ◽  
Xiaojing Wang ◽  
John A. Silander
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Heat Stress ◽  
New England ◽  
Deciduous Forest ◽  
Climate Change Impacts ◽  
High Heat ◽  
Deciduous Forests ◽  
Extreme Weather Events ◽  
Temperate Deciduous Forest ◽  
Temperate Deciduous

Changes in spring and autumn phenology of temperate plants in recent decades have become iconic bio-indicators of rapid climate change. These changes have substantial ecological and economic impacts. However, autumn phenology remains surprisingly little studied. Although the effects of unfavorable environmental conditions (e.g., frost, heat, wetness, and drought) on autumn phenology have been observed for over 60 y, how these factors interact to influence autumn phenological events remain poorly understood. Using remotely sensed phenology data from 2001 to 2012, this study identified and quantified significant effects of a suite of environmental factors on the timing of fall dormancy of deciduous forest communities in New England, United States. Cold, frost, and wet conditions, and high heat-stress tended to induce earlier dormancy of deciduous forests, whereas moderate heat- and drought-stress delayed dormancy. Deciduous forests in two eco-regions showed contrasting, nonlinear responses to variation in these explanatory factors. Based on future climate projection over two periods (2041–2050 and 2090–2099), later dormancy dates were predicted in northern areas. However, in coastal areas earlier dormancy dates were predicted. Our models suggest that besides warming in climate change, changes in frost and moisture conditions as well as extreme weather events (e.g., drought- and heat-stress, and flooding), should also be considered in future predictions of autumn phenology in temperate deciduous forests. This study improves our understanding of how multiple environmental variables interact to affect autumn phenology in temperate deciduous forest ecosystems, and points the way to building more mechanistic and predictive models.

scholarly journals A >130,000-Year-Long Pollen Record from Pittsburg Basin, Illinois

2000 ◽  
Vol 54 (2) ◽  
pp. 264-274 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rebecca Teed
Keyword(s):  
Deciduous Forest ◽  
Late Glacial ◽  
Fire Frequency ◽  
Pollen Record ◽  
Temperate Deciduous Forest ◽  
South Central ◽  
Pollen Types ◽  
Temperate Deciduous ◽  
Late Wisconsinan ◽  
Central Illinois

Pittsburg Basin, in south-central Illinois, contains a sediment record extending from the present back to the end of the late Illinoian glaciation, when central Illinois was covered with Picea/Pinus forest. During the last interglaciation, a temperate deciduous forest more diverse than Holocene Quercus/Carya forest replaced the Illinoian late-glacial boreal forest. Prairie pollen types and the charcoal/pollen ratio, indicating fire frequency, temporarily increased. Then forest, with high Juniperus percentages, became dominant once more, as the charcoal/pollen ratio dropped. After the last interglaciation, the charcoal/pollen ratio increased again and prairie and wetland surrounded Pittsburg Basin through the entire Wisconsinan glacial age. The area was still prairie in late Wisconsinan time, but with some Picea and Pinus. During the Holocene, the region has been a mixture of prairie and Quercus/Carya forest. During the last interglaciation, Pittsburg Basin was surrounded by vegetation different from that surrounding it during the present interglaciation. Rather than indicating substantial differences in climate between analogous phases of different glacial/interglacial cycles, this variation may be due to changes in fire frequency, which could be caused by small changes in climate, human activity, or differences in soil.

scholarly journals Can vegetation index track the interannual variation in gross primary production of temperate deciduous forests?

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Fan Liu ◽  
Chuankuan Wang ◽  
Xingchang Wang
Keyword(s):  
Primary Production ◽  
Vegetation Index ◽  
Near Infrared ◽  
Deciduous Forest ◽  
Gross Primary Production ◽  
Growing Season ◽  
Temperate Deciduous Forest ◽  
Near Infrared Reflectance ◽  
Modis Ndvi ◽  
Temperate Deciduous

Abstract Background Vegetation indices (VIs) by remote sensing are widely used as simple proxies of the gross primary production (GPP) of vegetation, but their performances in capturing the inter-annual variation (IAV) in GPP remain uncertain. Methods We evaluated the performances of various VIs in tracking the IAV in GPP estimated by eddy covariance in a temperate deciduous forest of Northeast China. The VIs assessed included the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), the enhanced vegetation index (EVI), and the near-infrared reflectance of vegetation (NIRv) obtained from tower-radiometers (broadband) and the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS), respectively. Results We found that 25%–35% amplitude of the broadband EVI tracked the start of growing season derived by GPP (R2: 0.56–0.60, bias < 4 d), while 45% (or 50%) amplitudes of broadband (or MODIS) NDVI represented the end of growing season estimated by GPP (R2: 0.58–0.67, bias < 3 d). However, all the VIs failed to characterize the summer peaks of GPP. The growing-season integrals but not averaged values of the broadband NDVI, MODIS NIRv and EVI were robust surrogates of the IAV in GPP (R2: 0.40–0.67). Conclusion These findings illustrate that specific VIs are effective only to capture the GPP phenology but not the GPP peak, while the integral VIs have the potential to mirror the IAV in GPP.

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