The importance of ecological constraints on the control of multi‐species treeline dynamics in eastern Nunavik, Québec
• Premise of the study: Treelines are temperature‐sensitive ecotones that should be able to expand in response to global warming; however, they are also controlled by ecological constraints. These constraints can create bottlenecks for tree regeneration, hindering treeline advances. Near Kangiqsualu...
Published in: | American Journal of Botany |
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crwiley:10.3732/ajb.1200279 2024-09-09T19:49:31+00:00 The importance of ecological constraints on the control of multi‐species treeline dynamics in eastern Nunavik, Québec Dufour‐Tremblay, Geneviève De Vriendt, Laurent Lévesque, Esther Boudreau, Stéphane Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada 2012 http://dx.doi.org/10.3732/ajb.1200279 https://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/tdm/v1/articles/10.3732%2Fajb.1200279 http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/wol1/doi/10.3732/ajb.1200279/fullpdf en eng Wiley http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/termsAndConditions#vor American Journal of Botany volume 99, issue 10, page 1638-1646 ISSN 0002-9122 1537-2197 journal-article 2012 crwiley https://doi.org/10.3732/ajb.1200279 2024-06-18T04:16:49Z • Premise of the study: Treelines are temperature‐sensitive ecotones that should be able to expand in response to global warming; however, they are also controlled by ecological constraints. These constraints can create bottlenecks for tree regeneration, hindering treeline advances. Near Kangiqsualujjuaq (Nunavik, subarctic Québec), previous studies suggested successful recruitment of Larix laricina above the altitudinal treeline, while Picea mariana establishment remains scarce. We studied regeneration of both species to identify factors responsible for such contrasting responses. • Methods: We measured seeds and wings to evaluate species dispersal potential. We compared seed viability and tolerance to shrub leachates with germination trials. To evaluate seedbed preferences, we compared seedling occurrence on the different seedbeds with seedbed relative abundance in the field. • Key results: Seed germination was similar between L. laricina and P. mariana , whereas dispersal potential was higher for the latter. Germination of P. mariana seeds was more strongly inhibited by shrub leachates than were L. laricina seeds. In the field, we found only a few Picea seedlings, but numerous seedlings of Larix had established disproportionally on several seedbeds. While Betula glandulosa , mosses, and Vaccinium uliginosim impeded Larix establishment, numerous seedlings were found on lichens, mineral soil, and liverworts. The low occurrence of suitable seedbeds for Picea , mainly mineral soil, could explain the seedling scarcity of this species. • Conclusions: This study highlighted that allelopathy and unsuitable seedbeds could contribute to regeneration failure of P. mariana in eastern Nunavik and emphasizes the need to consider ecological preferences of species before predicting treeline expansion under a warmer climate. Article in Journal/Newspaper Kangiqsualujjuaq Subarctic Nunavik Wiley Online Library Kangiqsualujjuaq ENVELOPE(-65.948,-65.948,58.684,58.684) Nunavik American Journal of Botany 99 10 1638 1646 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Wiley Online Library |
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crwiley |
language |
English |
description |
• Premise of the study: Treelines are temperature‐sensitive ecotones that should be able to expand in response to global warming; however, they are also controlled by ecological constraints. These constraints can create bottlenecks for tree regeneration, hindering treeline advances. Near Kangiqsualujjuaq (Nunavik, subarctic Québec), previous studies suggested successful recruitment of Larix laricina above the altitudinal treeline, while Picea mariana establishment remains scarce. We studied regeneration of both species to identify factors responsible for such contrasting responses. • Methods: We measured seeds and wings to evaluate species dispersal potential. We compared seed viability and tolerance to shrub leachates with germination trials. To evaluate seedbed preferences, we compared seedling occurrence on the different seedbeds with seedbed relative abundance in the field. • Key results: Seed germination was similar between L. laricina and P. mariana , whereas dispersal potential was higher for the latter. Germination of P. mariana seeds was more strongly inhibited by shrub leachates than were L. laricina seeds. In the field, we found only a few Picea seedlings, but numerous seedlings of Larix had established disproportionally on several seedbeds. While Betula glandulosa , mosses, and Vaccinium uliginosim impeded Larix establishment, numerous seedlings were found on lichens, mineral soil, and liverworts. The low occurrence of suitable seedbeds for Picea , mainly mineral soil, could explain the seedling scarcity of this species. • Conclusions: This study highlighted that allelopathy and unsuitable seedbeds could contribute to regeneration failure of P. mariana in eastern Nunavik and emphasizes the need to consider ecological preferences of species before predicting treeline expansion under a warmer climate. |
author2 |
Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Dufour‐Tremblay, Geneviève De Vriendt, Laurent Lévesque, Esther Boudreau, Stéphane |
spellingShingle |
Dufour‐Tremblay, Geneviève De Vriendt, Laurent Lévesque, Esther Boudreau, Stéphane The importance of ecological constraints on the control of multi‐species treeline dynamics in eastern Nunavik, Québec |
author_facet |
Dufour‐Tremblay, Geneviève De Vriendt, Laurent Lévesque, Esther Boudreau, Stéphane |
author_sort |
Dufour‐Tremblay, Geneviève |
title |
The importance of ecological constraints on the control of multi‐species treeline dynamics in eastern Nunavik, Québec |
title_short |
The importance of ecological constraints on the control of multi‐species treeline dynamics in eastern Nunavik, Québec |
title_full |
The importance of ecological constraints on the control of multi‐species treeline dynamics in eastern Nunavik, Québec |
title_fullStr |
The importance of ecological constraints on the control of multi‐species treeline dynamics in eastern Nunavik, Québec |
title_full_unstemmed |
The importance of ecological constraints on the control of multi‐species treeline dynamics in eastern Nunavik, Québec |
title_sort |
importance of ecological constraints on the control of multi‐species treeline dynamics in eastern nunavik, québec |
publisher |
Wiley |
publishDate |
2012 |
url |
http://dx.doi.org/10.3732/ajb.1200279 https://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/tdm/v1/articles/10.3732%2Fajb.1200279 http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/wol1/doi/10.3732/ajb.1200279/fullpdf |
long_lat |
ENVELOPE(-65.948,-65.948,58.684,58.684) |
geographic |
Kangiqsualujjuaq Nunavik |
geographic_facet |
Kangiqsualujjuaq Nunavik |
genre |
Kangiqsualujjuaq Subarctic Nunavik |
genre_facet |
Kangiqsualujjuaq Subarctic Nunavik |
op_source |
American Journal of Botany volume 99, issue 10, page 1638-1646 ISSN 0002-9122 1537-2197 |
op_rights |
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/termsAndConditions#vor |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.3732/ajb.1200279 |
container_title |
American Journal of Botany |
container_volume |
99 |
container_issue |
10 |
container_start_page |
1638 |
op_container_end_page |
1646 |
_version_ |
1809918910504370176 |