scholarly journals Sugar maple (Acer saccharum) at its northeastern range limit: a fire-resilient tree species

Botany ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 96 (6) ◽  
pp. 411-423 ◽  
Author(s):  
Serge Payette ◽  
Mathieu Frégeau ◽  
Pierre-Luc Couillard ◽  
Vanessa Pilon ◽  
Jason Laflamme
Keyword(s):  
Acer Saccharum ◽  
Sugar Maple ◽  
Fire History ◽  
Forest Type ◽  
Fire Disturbance ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Range Limit ◽  
Eastern Canada ◽  
Frequent Site ◽  
Sapling Bank

The long-standing hypothesis that sugar maple (Acer saccharum Marshall) communities are maintained at equilibrium by present climate and small-scale disturbances is questioned because empirical evidence is accumulating about the ability of the species to withstand several stand-scale disturbances. The fire history of a sugar maple site at the northeastern range limit of the species (Gaspé Peninsula, eastern Canada) was documented to test the hypothesis that this forest type is resilient to fire disturbance. The fire history was reconstructed using radiocarbon-dated soil macrocharcoals. Two main fire periods were recorded during the Holocene. The oldest period occurred between 9055 and 8265 cal. years BP, and was characterized by the presence of conifers, including spruce. After 6900 years of fire-free activities, the second period covered the last 1335 years, and was characterized by the presence of sugar maple in the charcoal assemblage. The dominance of sugar maple after more than 1000 years of recurrent fires underlines the species resilience to frequent site disturbances. The soil of the forest stand was heavily disturbed by earthworms. However, the dense seedling and sapling bank of sugar maple suggests that earthworms do not affect negatively the regeneration and survival of the species.

scholarly journals Rocky pine forests in the High Coast Region in Sweden: structure, dynamics and history

2020 ◽  
Vol 38 ◽  
pp. 101-130
Author(s):  
Jennie Sandström ◽  
Mattias Edman ◽  
Bengt Gunnar Jonsson
Keyword(s):  
Human Impact ◽  
Fire History ◽  
Dead Wood ◽  
Forest Type ◽  
Basal Area ◽  
Pine Forests ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Natural Dynamics ◽  
Almost All ◽  
High Degree

Almost all forests in Sweden are managed and only a small fraction are considered natural. One exception is low productive forests where, due to their limited economical value, natural dynamics still dominate. One example is the Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) forests occurring on rocky and nutrient-poor hilltops. Although these forests represent a regionally common forest type with a high degree of naturalness, their dynamics, structure and history are poorly known. We investigated the structure, human impact and fire history in eight rocky pine forests in the High Coast Area in eastern Sweden, initially identified as good representatives of this forest type. This was done by sampling and measuring tree sizes, -ages, fire-scarred trees, as well as dead wood volumes and quality along three transects at each site. The structure was diverse with a sparse layer of trees (basal area 9 m2 and 640 trees larger than 10 cm ha-1) in various sizes and ages; 13 trees ha-1 were more than 300 years old. Dead wood (DW), snags and logs in all stages of decay, was present and although the actual DW (pine) volume (4.4 m3 ha-1) and number of units (53 ha-1) was low, the DW share of total wood volume was 18% on average. Dead wood can be present for several centuries after death; we found examples of both snags and logs that had been dead more than 300 years. Frequent fires have occurred, with an average cycle of 40 years between fires. Most fires occurred between 1500-1900 and many of them (13) during the 1600s. However, fires were probably small since most fire years were only represented at one site and often only in one or a few samples. The rocky pine forests in the High Coast Area are representative of undisturbed forests with low human impact, exhibiting old-growth characteristics and are valuable habitats for organisms connected to sun-exposed DW. Management of protected rocky pine forests may well include small-scale restoration fires and the limited DW volumes should be protected.

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.

Small-scale heterogeneity in temperate forest canopy arthropods: stratification of spider and beetle assemblages

2012 ◽  
Vol 144 (4) ◽  
pp. 526-537 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kathleen R. Aikens ◽  
Christopher M. Buddle
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Variation ◽  
Acer Saccharum ◽  
Forest Canopy ◽  
Deciduous Forest ◽  
Abiotic Factors ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Eastern Canada ◽  
Sugar Maples ◽  
Beetle Assemblages ◽  
The Vertical Distribution

AbstractVertical gradients in biotic and abiotic factors may create small-scale spatial variation in arthropod communities, a phenomenon that continues to be understudied. We investigated heterogeneity in the vertical distribution of spider and beetle assemblages in the canopy of sugar maples (Acer saccharum Marshall) (Aceraceae) in a deciduous forest in eastern Canada. Comparisons across four strata (understorey [UN] through upper canopy [UC] crown) documented variation in density, diversity, and species composition. Density of all common families decreased significantly with height and overall species richness of both spiders and beetles was highest in the UN and lowest in the UC crown. We observed greater spatial variation in spider assemblages compared with beetle assemblages and documented differences in spider guild structure: web-spinning spiders were most common in the UN and jumping spiders dominated the canopy. Our results suggest that arthropod assemblages are not homogeneous with respect to vertical space and that heterogeneity exists even at the scale of several metres.

Fire and substrate interact to control the northern range limit of black spruce (Picea mariana) in Alaska

2007 ◽  
Vol 37 (12) ◽  
pp. 2480-2493 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrea H. Lloyd ◽  
Christopher L. Fastie ◽  
Hilary Eisen
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Reproduction ◽  
Picea Mariana ◽  
Fire History ◽  
Black Spruce ◽  
Seed Viability ◽  
Range Limit ◽  
Acidic Soils ◽  
Eastern Canada ◽  
Substrate Effects ◽  
Northern Range Limit

Black spruce ( Picea mariana (Mill.) BSP) is a common treeline species in eastern Canada but rare at treeline in Alaska. We investigated fire and substrate effects on black spruce populations at six sites along a 74 km transect in the Brooks Range, Alaska. Our southern sites, on a surface deglaciated >50 000 years ago, had significantly more acidic soils, more black spruce, and higher seed viability than our northern sites, which were deglaciated approximately 13 000 years ago. Despite similar fire history at five of our six sites, postfire recruitment dynamics varied with surface age. Sexual reproduction was vigorous in both postfire and nonfire years in populations on the older surface. On the younger surface, vigorous sexual reproduction was restricted to postfire decades and clonal reproduction by branch layering predominated in nonfire years. At the northernmost site, which was unburned, black spruce reproduced almost exclusively by layering. The species’ northern range limit thus reflects an interaction between fire and substrate: on recently deglaciated surfaces, sexual reproduction is restricted to postfire years. This substrate-induced dependence on fire may restrict the range of black spruce to sites that burn sufficiently often to allow occasional sexual reproduction.

scholarly journals Modeling tolerant hardwood sapling density and occurrence probability in the Acadian forests of New Brunswick, Canada: Results 14 years after harvesting

2021 ◽  
Vol 97 (02) ◽  
pp. 204-218
Author(s):  
Mohammed Henneb ◽  
Gaetan Pelletier ◽  
Mathieu Fortin ◽  
Nelson Thiffault ◽  
Marie-Andrée Giroux
Keyword(s):  
New Brunswick ◽  
Acer Saccharum ◽  
Sugar Maple ◽  
Basal Area ◽  
Fagus Grandifolia ◽  
Eastern Canada ◽  
American Beech ◽  
Permanent Sample Plots ◽  
Hardwood Species ◽  
Sapling Density

Natural forest regeneration after natural or anthropogenic disturbance is difficult to predict given its high variability. The process is poorly documented for commercial northern hardwood species in the Acadian forest of eastern Canada. Our objective was to identify the silvicultural, environmental, and ecological factors that best explain the variability in sapling density and occurrence of two commercial tolerant hardwood species in New Brunswick: American beech (Fagus grandifolia Ehrh.) and sugar maple (Acer saccharum Marsh.). Forty-three permanent sample plots were established in 2002 and measured before harvesting in 2004. Sapling density and occurrence were measured 14 years after harvesting. The results showed that the interactions between the species and the residual merchantable basal area and between the species and the percent of hardwoods in the original stand best explained the sapling density and occurrence variation of tolerant hardwoods. The sapling density of sugar maple increased with increasing merchantable residual basal area. However, the effect of this variable was not significant for the density of American beech saplings. The density and occurrence of tolerant hardwood saplings both increased along with the percent of hardwoods in the original stand. These results provide an improved understanding about tolerant hardwood regeneration dynamics in New Brunswick forests.

Systematics and ecology of the Nearctic species of Neophyllomyza (Diptera: Milichiidae)

2009 ◽  
Vol 141 (2) ◽  
pp. 103-111 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kristen Brochu ◽  
Terry A. Wheeler
Keyword(s):  
Larval Development ◽  
Acer Saccharum ◽  
Sugar Maple ◽  
Food Source ◽  
Fagus Grandifolia ◽  
Eastern Canada ◽  
American Beech ◽  
Decay Stage ◽  
Large Numbers ◽  
Emergence Traps

AbstractThe Nearctic species of Neophyllomyza Melander are revised and descriptions, illustrations, and an identification key are provided for the two included species, N. quadricornis Melander and N. gaultin. sp. Large numbers of adults of both species were collected in emergence traps on decaying logs of sugar maple (Acer saccharum Marsh. (Aceraceae)) and American beech (Fagus grandifolia Ehrh. (Fagaceae)) in eastern Canada, indicating that the larvae of both species are saproxylic, although their exact food source is unknown. Although the two species are sympatric over much of their range and apparently use the same resources for larval development, their habits differ: N. quadricornis was collected from logs in both the early- and the advanced-decay stage from late May until September, with a peak of emergence in late June, whereas N. gaulti was reared almost exclusively from logs in the advanced-decay stage and from mid-July to mid-August. This suggests that N. gaulti is more specialized in its larval habits, which may reduce competition between the two species.

scholarly journals Variation in the leaf and root microbiome of sugar maple (Acer saccharum) at an elevational range limit

PeerJ ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
pp. e5293 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jessica Wallace ◽  
Isabelle Laforest-Lapointe ◽  
Steven W. Kembel
Keyword(s):  
Microbial Communities ◽  
Plant Species ◽  
Acer Saccharum ◽  
Sugar Maple ◽  
Global Climate ◽  
Range Limit ◽  
Natural Range ◽  
Microbe Interactions ◽  
Leaves And Roots ◽  
Elevational Range

BackgroundBacteria, archaea, viruses and fungi live in various plant compartments including leaves and roots. These plant-associated microbial communities have many effects on host fitness and function. Global climate change is impacting plant species distributions, a phenomenon that will affect plant-microbe interactions both directly and indirectly. In order to predict plant responses to global climate change, it will be crucial to improve our understanding of plant-microbe interactions within and at the edge of plant species natural ranges. While microbes affect their hosts, in turn the plant’s attributes and the surrounding environment drive the structure and assembly of the microbial communities themselves. However, the patterns and dynamics of these interactions and their causes are poorly understood.MethodsIn this study, we quantified the microbial communities of the leaves and roots of seedlings of the deciduous tree species sugar maple (Acer saccharumMarshall) within its natural range and at the species’ elevational range limit at Mont-Mégantic, Quebec. Using high-throughput DNA sequencing, we quantified the bacterial and fungal community structure in four plant compartments: the epiphytes and endophytes of leaves and roots. We also quantified endophytic fungal communities in roots.ResultsThe bacterial and fungal communities ofA. saccharumseedlings differ across elevational range limits for all four plant compartments. Distinct microbial communities colonize each compartment, although the microbial communities inside a plant’s structure (endophytes) were found to be a subset of the communities found outside the plant’s structure (epiphytes). Plant-associated bacterial communities were dominated by the phyla Proteobacteria, Acidobacteria, Actinobacteria and Bacteroidetes while the main fungal taxa present were Ascomycota.DiscussionWe demonstrate that microbial communities associated with sugar maple seedlings at the edge of the species’ elevational range differ from those within the natural range. Variation in microbial communities differed among plant components, suggesting the importance of each compartment’s exposure to changes in biotic and abiotic conditions in determining variability in community structure. These findings provide a greater understanding of the ecological processes driving the structure and diversity of plant-associated microbial communities within and at the edge of a plant species range, and suggest the potential for biotic interactions between plants and their associated microbiota to influence the dynamics of plant range edge boundaries and responses to global change.

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