scholarly journals Growth release of stunted black spruce (Picea mariana) in Kalmia heath: the role of ectomycorrhizal fungi and near-ground microclimate

2016 ◽  
Vol 46 (5) ◽  
pp. 666-673 ◽  
Author(s):  
Philippe St. Martin ◽  
Azim U. Mallik
Keyword(s):  
Picea Mariana ◽  
Black Spruce ◽  
Chemical Properties ◽  
Root Tips ◽  
Eastern Canada ◽  
Stunted Growth ◽  
Growth Release ◽  
Kalmia Angustifolia ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Ecm Fungi

Naturally regenerating and planted black spruce (Picea mariana (Mill.) B.S.P.) in post-fire landscapes in eastern Canada often exhibit stunted growth in the presence of ericaceous shrubs such as Kalmia angustifolia L. After a period of stunted growth, some seedlings experience a growth release, exhibiting growth rates closer to normally growing seedlings. We hypothesized that an increase in colonization of root tips by ectomycorrhizal (ECM) fungi is responsible for this release and that the percentage of root tips colonized by ECM fungi would be higher on seedlings that had a released or normally growing neighbour within close proximity. We quantified ECM fungi diversity and abundance from 255 soil cores from stunted, released, and normally growing black spruce seedlings sampled in two Kalmia-dominated sites in Newfoundland. Growth and microsite characteristics around each seedling were also measured. We found that normal and released seedlings had significantly higher proportions of ECM fungi root tips than stunted seedlings, supporting our final hypothesis; however, there was no significant difference in distance between neighbours. Soil chemical properties are thought to inhibit the vegetative spread of ECM fungi species in this particular system and are identified as an important topic for further research.

scholarly journals Deep Planting Has No Short- or Long-Term Effect on the Survival and Growth of White Spruce, Black Spruce, and Jack Pine

2011 ◽  
Vol 28 (3) ◽  
pp. 146-151 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alain Paquette ◽  
Jean-Pierre Girard ◽  
Denis Walsh
Keyword(s):  
Black Spruce ◽  
White Spruce ◽  
Jack Pine ◽  
Eastern Canada ◽  
Planting Depth ◽  
Early Results ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Negative Effect ◽  
Tukey Honestly Significant Difference

Abstract Although studies in the past have reported that the deeper planting of conifers has no effect on seedling performance, most planting guidelines in use today still recommend that seedlings be planted to the rootcollar. Past studies were mostly observational, used bareroot seedlings, and often reported early results from just one or two depths of planting treatments. Most of the results available regarding planting depth for boreal species are anecdotal, although they are planted by the hundreds of millions every year. The present study reports no short-term (1 year) or long-term (15 to 19 years) negative effect of planting depth on the survival and height and diameter growth of black spruce, white spruce, and jack pine seedlings over three large, replicated experiments in the boreal forest of eastern and northern Quebec (eastern Canada). Four different depth treatments were compared, from manual planting at the rootcollar to the deepest mechanical planting treatment at 10 cm or more, making this the largest, longest-lasting study of its kind. Although, as expected, important differences in growth were present between species, all three commonly planted conifers reacted similarly to the planting depth treatments (no effect). This result can in part be attributed to an almost perfect control of frost heaving in the deepest two treatments. Planting depth effects were assessed using analysis of variance, multiple Tukey honestly significant difference, and uncorrected pairwise one-tailed t-tests to increase the probability of detecting a negative effect. Absolute differences and effect sizes (generally small and often positive with greater depths) were also analyzed.

Invertebrate predation of postdispersal seeds and juvenile seedlings of black spruce (Picea mariana) in the boreal forest of eastern Canada

2005 ◽  
Vol 35 (3) ◽  
pp. 674-681 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mathieu Côté ◽  
Jean Ferron ◽  
Réjean Gagnon
Keyword(s):  
Picea Mariana ◽  
Black Spruce ◽  
Pitfall Traps ◽  
Invertebrate Predation ◽  
Habitat Types ◽  
Eastern Canada ◽  
Exclosure Experiment ◽  
Seedling Predation ◽  
Lichen Woodland ◽  
Abundance And Diversity

We used an extensive vertebrate exclosure experiment to evaluate black spruce (Picea mariana (Mill.) B.S.P.) postdispersal seed and seedling predation by invertebrates in three boreal habitats of Eastern Canada: recent burn, spruce–moss, and lichen woodland. Between 9% and 19% of seeds were eaten by invertebrates. Seed predation was higher in recent burns than in spruce–moss and lichen woodlands. Abundance and diversity of potential invertebrate seed consumers sampled in pitfall traps also varied among habitat types. Among the invertebrate seed consumers sampled, Myrmica spp. (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) and Pterostichus adstrictus (Eschscholtz, 1823) (Coleoptera: Carabidae) were the most numerous; Formica spp. (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) and Pterostichus punctatissimus (Randall, 1838) (Coleoptera: Carabidae) were also present. Between 2% and 12% of juvenile black spruce seedlings were eaten by invertebrates. The most important seedling consumers were slugs (molluscs). Invertebrate predation of seeds and seedlings was highest (19% and 12%) in recent burns, indicating that invertebrate predation may significantly influence black spruce regeneration in these sites.

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.

Benomyl-tolerant microfungi associated with mycorrhizae of black spruce

1988 ◽  
Vol 66 (3) ◽  
pp. 553-557 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard C. Summerbell
Keyword(s):  
Picea Mariana ◽  
Soil Fungi ◽  
Black Spruce ◽  
Root Tips ◽  
Trichoderma Spp ◽  
Isolation Medium ◽  
Mycorrhizal Root ◽  
Mycorrhiza Formation ◽  
Potential Inhibitors

The population of microfungi associated with mycorrhizal root tips of Picea mariana was sampled to determine which species were able to grow on isolation medium amended with the selective fungicide benomyl. Benomyl significantly favoured the isolation of soil Zygomycetes, including members of the genera Mortierella and Micromucor, but inhibited the growth of most soil fungi of ascomycetous affinities. Since some of the inhibited taxa, e.g., Trichoderma spp., are potential inhibitors of mycorrhiza formation in vivo, these results may explain instances where the application of benomyl has been shown to increase mycorrhiza formation in the field.

Mechanisms of interaction between Kalmia angustifolia cover and Picea mariana seedlings

2002 ◽  
Vol 32 (11) ◽  
pp. 2022-2031 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Wallstedt ◽  
Andrew Coughlan ◽  
Alison D Munson ◽  
Marie-Charlotte Nilsson ◽  
Hank A Margolis
Keyword(s):  
Picea Mariana ◽  
Black Spruce ◽  
Water Soluble ◽  
Organic Layer ◽  
Belowground Competition ◽  
Soil Microbial ◽  
Kalmia Angustifolia ◽  
Seedling Biomass ◽  
Soluble Phenols ◽  
Different Levels

Sites dominated by Kalmia angustifolia L. are often associated with slow decomposition of organic matter, decreased nitrogen (N) mineralization rates, and low black spruce (Picea mariana (Mill.) BSP) productivity. The objective of this study was to separate the effects of belowground competition by Kalmia from the effects of water-soluble soil phenols on black spruce seedlings growing under different levels of Kalmia cover. A factorial greenhouse bioassay was established in which black spruce seedlings were grown for 6 months in intact blocks of soil with three different levels of Kalmia cover. The soil was treated with charcoal to reduce the amounts of water-soluble phenols, and (or) tubes were inserted to exclude Kalmia roots. At low Kalmia cover, reducing the level of belowground competition increased seedling biomass by 134%. However, reducing belowground competition did not increase seedling biomass at the two higher levels of Kalmia cover. It is possible that seedling biomass remained low because of an increased immobilization of N in the organic layer. Furthermore, the proportion of ectomycorrhiza morphotypes differed among seedlings growing under different levels of Kalmia cover. The effect of water-soluble phenols on seedling growth remains uncertain, since we observed a confounding effect of the charcoal treatment on soil microbial biomass and seedling response.

scholarly journals Wood density and wood shrinkage in relation to initial spacing and tree growth in black spruce (Picea mariana)

2021 ◽  
Vol 67 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Shu Yin Zhang ◽  
Haiqing Ren ◽  
Zehui Jiang
Keyword(s):  
Path Analysis ◽  
Wood Density ◽  
Tree Growth ◽  
Picea Mariana ◽  
Black Spruce ◽  
Planting Density ◽  
Longitudinal Shrinkage ◽  
Eastern Canada ◽  
Initial Spacing ◽  
Transverse Shrinkage

AbstractThis study has quantified basic wood density and various types of wood shrinkage in relation to initial spacing (or initial planting density) and tree growth based on a 48-year-old black spruce (Picea mariana) spacing trial in eastern Canada. A total of 139 sample trees were collected from four initial spacings (3086, 2500, 2066, 1372 trees/ha) for this study. Analyses of variance (ANOVA) show that initial spacing is the most important parameter affecting wood density significantly, followed by tree diameter at breast height (DBH) class. With increasing spacing, wood density, radial and volumetric shrinkage tend to decrease, whereas longitudinal shrinkage tends to increase gradually. The largest spacing has the lowest wood density, the smallest transverse shrinkage and the largest longitudinal shrinkage. Path analysis indicates that wood density is the most important parameter affecting transverse shrinkage, followed by the distance from the pith. Furthermore, much of the variation of the transverse shrinkage with wood density may be due to the initial spacing and tree DBH class. Path analysis also reveals that longitudinal shrinkage is mainly related to log height and tree DBH class. With increasing log height, longitudinal shrinkage tends to increase, and transverse shrinkage tends to decrease. With increasing DBH class, the trees tend to have an increasing longitudinal shrinkage and a decreasing transverse shrinkage. Overall, this study suggests that a large increase in the initial spacing (e.g., 1372 trees/ha) might lead to a significant reduction in both wood density and transverse shrinkage, and a significant increase in longitudinal shrinkage in black spruce.

scholarly journals Complete Chloroplast Genome Sequence of a Black Spruce (Picea mariana) from Eastern Canada

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (39) ◽  
Author(s):  
Theodora Lo ◽  
Lauren Coombe ◽  
Diana Lin ◽  
René L. Warren ◽  
Heather Kirk ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Chloroplast Genome ◽  
Genome Sequence ◽  
Picea Mariana ◽  
Boreal Forests ◽  
Genetic Basis ◽  
Black Spruce ◽  
Eastern Canada ◽  
Complete Chloroplast Genome ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Chloroplast Genome Sequence

ABSTRACT Here, we present the chloroplast genome sequence of black spruce (Picea mariana), a conifer widely distributed throughout North American boreal forests. This complete and annotated chloroplast sequence is 123,961 bp long and will contribute to future studies on the genetic basis of evolutionary change in spruce and adaptation in conifers.

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