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.

scholarly journals A Canadian range extension for Wormslug (Boettgerilla pallens; Gastropoda: Stylommatophora: Boettgerillidae)

2019 ◽  
Vol 132 (3) ◽  
pp. 264-267
Author(s):  
Paul M. Catling ◽  
Brenda Kostiuk
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
North America ◽  
Acer Saccharum ◽  
Sugar Maple ◽  
Native Plants ◽  
Soil Surface ◽  
Eastern United States ◽  
Native Soil ◽  
Invasive Spread ◽  
First Time

The introduced Wormslug (Boettgerilla pallens Simroth, 1912) is reported from Quebec, Canada, for the first time, from two closely situated localities in Gatineau Park. It was previously reported from the Vancouver area of British Columbia and, very recently, from Newfoundland. Within the Americas, the species has been reported from northern California, Mexico, and Colombia, and, because it is easily overlooked, likely occurs elsewhere in North America, especially in the eastern United States. In Quebec, it was found in a natural Sugar Maple (Acer saccharum Marshall) woodland and an ornamental garden. Wormslug likely reached both sites with shrub plantings from commercial nurseries, probably quite recently, because the invasive spread of the species, worldwide, has occurred mostly during the last few decades. Although the woodland where it occurred is dominated by native plants, the gastropod fauna there is mainly introduced. Identification, characteristics, and ecology of Wormslug are discussed. The potential for impact on native soil and soil surface organisms, including native terrestrial slugs and snails, is noted.

scholarly journals Isolation of Fungal Cellobiohydrolase I Genes from Sporocarps and Forest Soils by PCR

2008 ◽  
Vol 74 (11) ◽  
pp. 3481-3489 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ivan P. Edwards ◽  
Rima A. Upchurch ◽  
Donald R. Zak
Keyword(s):  
Acer Saccharum ◽  
Sugar Maple ◽  
Plant Biomass ◽  
Mineral Soil ◽  
Terrestrial Ecosystems ◽  
Gene Families ◽  
Plant Litter ◽  
Cellulolytic Activity ◽  
Cellobiohydrolase I ◽  
Plant Detritus

ABSTRACT Cellulose is the major component of plant biomass, and microbial cellulose utilization is a key step in the decomposition of plant detritus. Despite this, little is known about the diversity of cellulolytic microbial communities in soil. Fungi are well known for their cellulolytic activity and mediate key functions during the decomposition of plant detritus in terrestrial ecosystems. We developed new oligonucleotide primers for fungal exocellulase genes (cellobiohydrolase, cbhI) and used these to isolate distinct cbhI homologues from four species of litter-decomposing basidiomycete fungi (Clitocybe nuda, Clitocybe gibba, Clitopilus prunulus, and Chlorophyllum molybdites) and two species of ascomycete fungi (Xylaria polymorpha and Sarcoscypha occidentalis). Evidence for cbhI gene families was found in three of the four basidiomycete species. Additionally, we isolated and cloned cbhI genes from the forest floor and mineral soil of two upland forests in northern lower Michigan, one dominated by oak (Quercus velutina, Q. alba) and the other dominated by sugar maple (Acer saccharum) and American basswood (Tilia americana). Phylogenetic analysis demonstrated that cellobiohydrolase genes recovered from the floor of both forests tended to cluster with Xylaria or in one of two unidentified groups, whereas cellobiohydrolase genes recovered from soil tended to cluster with Trichoderma, Alternaria, Eurotiales, and basidiomycete sequences. The ability to amplify a key fungal gene involved in plant litter decomposition has the potential to unlock the identity and dynamics of the cellulolytic fungal community in situ.

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 >20% of basal area from balsam fir (mixedwoods) was increased by 21%. Whilst, when American beech contributed >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.

The Holocene Dynamics of Jack Pine at Its Northern Range Limit in Quebec

1993 ◽  
Vol 81 (4) ◽  
pp. 719 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mireille Desponts ◽  
Serge Payette
Keyword(s):  
Jack Pine ◽  
Range Limit ◽  
The Holocene ◽  
Northern Range Limit

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 Birch and conifer deadwood favour early establishment and shade tolerance in yellow birch juveniles growing in sugar maple dominated stands

2016 ◽  
Vol 46 (1) ◽  
pp. 114-121 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jean-Bastien Lambert ◽  
Aitor Ameztegui ◽  
Sylvain Delagrange ◽  
Christian Messier
Keyword(s):  
Acer Saccharum ◽  
Shade Tolerance ◽  
Sugar Maple ◽  
Mineral Soil ◽  
Light Availability ◽  
Basal Area ◽  
Betula Alleghaniensis ◽  
Yellow Birch ◽  
Northern Hardwood ◽  
Reduced Height

Small-seeded tree species such as yellow birch (YB, Betula alleghaniensis Britt.) require deadwood or mineral soil for their establishment. Although much research has been done comparing YB germination on leaf litter vs. exposed mineral soil, less is known about deadwood as a seedbed and how different seedbeds affect YB early growth along light availability and size gradients. We examine how three common seedbeds (deadwood, moss cover on deadwood, and mineral soil) affected establishment and growth, biomass partitioning, and morphological traits of YB juveniles growing in the understory of temperate mixed deciduous and coniferous forests in southern Quebec. A total of 274 YB were sampled in four sugar maple (Acer saccharum Marsh.) dominated northern hardwood stands where selective cuts had been applied 6 and 15 years prior to sampling. Over 75% of the YB found on deadwood were on material of birch and conifer origin, although these species made less than 40% of the basal area. YB juveniles growing on deadwood showed traits that improve survival in shade such as reduced height growth for tall plants, higher efficiency in resource capture, and multilayered crowns. Our results demonstrate the importance of deadwood of birch and conifer origin in maintaining an abundant, natural, spatially well-distributed, and multistoried regeneration of YB.

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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