The influence of postfire recovery and environmental conditions on boreal vegetation
Abstract Climate change is increasing the frequency and extent of fires in the boreal biome of North America. These changes can alter the recovery of both canopy and understory vegetation. There is uncertainty about plant and lichen recovery patterns following fire, and how they are mediated by envi...
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crwiley:10.1002/ecs2.4605 2024-09-09T20:00:08+00:00 The influence of postfire recovery and environmental conditions on boreal vegetation Jorgensen, Alexis Gardiner Alfaro‐Sánchez, Raquel Cumming, Steven G. White, Alison L. Degré‐Timmons, Geneviève Éliane Day, Nicola Turetsky, Merritt Johnstone, Jill F. Walker, Xanthe J. Baltzer, Jennifer L. 2023 http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/ecs2.4605 https://esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/ecs2.4605 en eng Wiley http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Ecosphere volume 14, issue 7 ISSN 2150-8925 2150-8925 journal-article 2023 crwiley https://doi.org/10.1002/ecs2.4605 2024-06-25T04:18:07Z Abstract Climate change is increasing the frequency and extent of fires in the boreal biome of North America. These changes can alter the recovery of both canopy and understory vegetation. There is uncertainty about plant and lichen recovery patterns following fire, and how they are mediated by environmental conditions. Here, we aim to address these knowledge gaps by studying patterns of postfire vegetation recovery at the community and individual species level over the first 100+ years following fire. Data from vegetation surveys collected from 581 plots in the Northwest Territories, Canada, ranging from 1 to 275 years postfire, were used to assess the influence of time after fire and local environmental conditions on plant community composition and to model trends in the relative abundance of several common plant and lichen species. Time after fire significantly influenced vegetation community composition and interacted with local environmental conditions, particularly soil moisture. Soil moisture individually (in the absence of interactions) was the most commonly significant variable in plant and lichen recovery models. Patterns of postfire recovery varied greatly among species. Our results provide novel information on plant community recovery after fire and highlight the importance of soil moisture to local vegetation patterns. They will aid northern communities and land managers to anticipate the impacts of increased fire activity on both local vegetation and the wildlife that relies on it. Article in Journal/Newspaper Northwest Territories Wiley Online Library Canada Northwest Territories Ecosphere 14 7 |
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Abstract Climate change is increasing the frequency and extent of fires in the boreal biome of North America. These changes can alter the recovery of both canopy and understory vegetation. There is uncertainty about plant and lichen recovery patterns following fire, and how they are mediated by environmental conditions. Here, we aim to address these knowledge gaps by studying patterns of postfire vegetation recovery at the community and individual species level over the first 100+ years following fire. Data from vegetation surveys collected from 581 plots in the Northwest Territories, Canada, ranging from 1 to 275 years postfire, were used to assess the influence of time after fire and local environmental conditions on plant community composition and to model trends in the relative abundance of several common plant and lichen species. Time after fire significantly influenced vegetation community composition and interacted with local environmental conditions, particularly soil moisture. Soil moisture individually (in the absence of interactions) was the most commonly significant variable in plant and lichen recovery models. Patterns of postfire recovery varied greatly among species. Our results provide novel information on plant community recovery after fire and highlight the importance of soil moisture to local vegetation patterns. They will aid northern communities and land managers to anticipate the impacts of increased fire activity on both local vegetation and the wildlife that relies on it. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Jorgensen, Alexis Gardiner Alfaro‐Sánchez, Raquel Cumming, Steven G. White, Alison L. Degré‐Timmons, Geneviève Éliane Day, Nicola Turetsky, Merritt Johnstone, Jill F. Walker, Xanthe J. Baltzer, Jennifer L. |
spellingShingle |
Jorgensen, Alexis Gardiner Alfaro‐Sánchez, Raquel Cumming, Steven G. White, Alison L. Degré‐Timmons, Geneviève Éliane Day, Nicola Turetsky, Merritt Johnstone, Jill F. Walker, Xanthe J. Baltzer, Jennifer L. The influence of postfire recovery and environmental conditions on boreal vegetation |
author_facet |
Jorgensen, Alexis Gardiner Alfaro‐Sánchez, Raquel Cumming, Steven G. White, Alison L. Degré‐Timmons, Geneviève Éliane Day, Nicola Turetsky, Merritt Johnstone, Jill F. Walker, Xanthe J. Baltzer, Jennifer L. |
author_sort |
Jorgensen, Alexis Gardiner |
title |
The influence of postfire recovery and environmental conditions on boreal vegetation |
title_short |
The influence of postfire recovery and environmental conditions on boreal vegetation |
title_full |
The influence of postfire recovery and environmental conditions on boreal vegetation |
title_fullStr |
The influence of postfire recovery and environmental conditions on boreal vegetation |
title_full_unstemmed |
The influence of postfire recovery and environmental conditions on boreal vegetation |
title_sort |
influence of postfire recovery and environmental conditions on boreal vegetation |
publisher |
Wiley |
publishDate |
2023 |
url |
http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/ecs2.4605 https://esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/ecs2.4605 |
geographic |
Canada Northwest Territories |
geographic_facet |
Canada Northwest Territories |
genre |
Northwest Territories |
genre_facet |
Northwest Territories |
op_source |
Ecosphere volume 14, issue 7 ISSN 2150-8925 2150-8925 |
op_rights |
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1002/ecs2.4605 |
container_title |
Ecosphere |
container_volume |
14 |
container_issue |
7 |
_version_ |
1809931273278324736 |