Drivers of shrub growth across the tundra, treeline, and boreal ecosystems ...

• Main Author: Jerome, Diana
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: unknown
• Published: The University of Edinburgh 2023
• Subjects: shrubs; tundra; shrubification; treeline; Boreal forests; northern ecosystems; shrub growth and temperature; climate sensitivity; Tundra
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.7488/era/5623; https://era.ed.ac.uk/handle/1842/43077

Rapid climate change in high northern latitudes has led to the expansion of shrubs across the tundra and at treeline (often termed “shrubification”). This widespread vegetation change has important consequences for community composition, soil nutrient cycling, and the global carbon cycle. While variation in shrub growth above treeline is well documented, there is far less research on how shrub growth below treeline, in boreal ecosystems, are responding to climate change. In this MPhil, I explore the drivers of shrub growth across northern ecosystems. Boreal forests are one of the largest global carbon sinks, and yet, their understory shrubs are understudied. I conducted a literature review of boreal shrubs to understand the variation and drivers of boreal shrub growth. I found that there are regional gaps in boreal shrub studies, particularly from boreal forests in Russia, China, and central Canada. Additionally, I found potentially diverging trends in the literature between boreal shrubs in North America, ...