Variation in nitrogen and water relations traits between two boreal spruce species from an interacting resource gradient in northern British Columbia ...

• Main Author: Patterson, Thomas B.
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: University of British Columbia 2009
• Subjects: Fort Nelson
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.14288/1.0087559; https://doi.library.ubc.ca/10.14288/1.0087559

A comparative study of resource-use efficiency traits was made between two spruce species which grow across an interacting resource gradient in northern British Columbia. Near Fort Nelson BC, black spruce (Picea mariana (Moench) Voss) grows in the muskegs which are characteristically high in soil water content, and are extremely low in nutrient availability. In contrast, white spruce (Picea glauca (Mill.) B.S.P.) grows on drier sites which are not as limited in nutrient availability. Mixed stands containing these two species have not been reported in this area, suggesting strong selection pressures. Five contiguous populations of black and white spruce were sampled from the Fort Nelson region and grown in a growth chamber under varying water and nitrogen regimes. It was hypothesized that genetically based differences in character means, plasticity, and/or trade-offs associated with adaptation to nutrient or water limitation may contribute to maintaining these species’ unique distribution patterns. The ...