Summary
The northward expansion of the boreal forest vegetation zone is generally predicted under a warmer doubled CO 2, but the delay associated with vegetation development processes often has been overlooked. In the subarctic forest-tundra of northern Québec, reforestation of tundra uplands appears curren...
| Main Authors: | , |
|---|---|
| Other Authors: | |
| Format: | Text |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
2004
|
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary?doi=10.1.1.523.8391 http://www.nordiquecrsng.chaire.ulaval.ca/chaire_fr/PDF/GamachePayette2004.pdf |
| Summary: | The northward expansion of the boreal forest vegetation zone is generally predicted under a warmer doubled CO 2, but the delay associated with vegetation development processes often has been overlooked. In the subarctic forest-tundra of northern Québec, reforestation of tundra uplands appears currently limited by the poor reproductive capacity of shrubby black spruce ( Picea mariana), and the development of erect stems through accelerated height growth should be the first registered response to 20th century climate warming. The subarctic forest-tundra is characterized by small- and large-scale heterogeneity in topography, vegetation structure and climate. This spatial heterogene-ity, added to the complexity of tree growth–climate relationships, can cause various growth responses of subarctic tree line black spruce to 20th century climate change. 2 Twenty spruce populations at subarctic tree lines and seven isolated clones at the species limit were sampled along a> 300-km latitudinal transect from the southern |
|---|