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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2023
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ftdoajarticles:oai:doaj.org/article:b14549223c06454bbddf3b9948647cf7 2023-08-20T04:08:49+02:00 The influence of postfire recovery and environmental conditions on boreal vegetation Alexis Gardiner Jorgensen Raquel Alfaro‐Sánchez Steven G. Cumming Alison L. White Geneviève Éliane Degré‐Timmons Nicola Day Merritt Turetsky Jill F. Johnstone Xanthe J. Walker Jennifer L. Baltzer 2023-07-01T00:00:00Z https://doi.org/10.1002/ecs2.4605 https://doaj.org/article/b14549223c06454bbddf3b9948647cf7 EN eng Wiley https://doi.org/10.1002/ecs2.4605 https://doaj.org/toc/2150-8925 2150-8925 doi:10.1002/ecs2.4605 https://doaj.org/article/b14549223c06454bbddf3b9948647cf7 Ecosphere, Vol 14, Iss 7, Pp n/a-n/a (2023) boreal forest fire natural disturbance Northwest Territories plant recovery soil moisture Ecology QH540-549.5 article 2023 ftdoajarticles https://doi.org/10.1002/ecs2.4605 2023-07-30T00:36:59Z 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 Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles Canada Northwest Territories Ecosphere 14 7 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles |
op_collection_id |
ftdoajarticles |
language |
English |
topic |
boreal forest fire natural disturbance Northwest Territories plant recovery soil moisture Ecology QH540-549.5 |
spellingShingle |
boreal forest fire natural disturbance Northwest Territories plant recovery soil moisture Ecology QH540-549.5 Alexis Gardiner Jorgensen Raquel Alfaro‐Sánchez Steven G. Cumming Alison L. White Geneviève Éliane Degré‐Timmons Nicola Day Merritt Turetsky Jill F. Johnstone Xanthe J. Walker Jennifer L. Baltzer The influence of postfire recovery and environmental conditions on boreal vegetation |
topic_facet |
boreal forest fire natural disturbance Northwest Territories plant recovery soil moisture Ecology QH540-549.5 |
description |
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 |
Alexis Gardiner Jorgensen Raquel Alfaro‐Sánchez Steven G. Cumming Alison L. White Geneviève Éliane Degré‐Timmons Nicola Day Merritt Turetsky Jill F. Johnstone Xanthe J. Walker Jennifer L. Baltzer |
author_facet |
Alexis Gardiner Jorgensen Raquel Alfaro‐Sánchez Steven G. Cumming Alison L. White Geneviève Éliane Degré‐Timmons Nicola Day Merritt Turetsky Jill F. Johnstone Xanthe J. Walker Jennifer L. Baltzer |
author_sort |
Alexis Gardiner Jorgensen |
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 |
https://doi.org/10.1002/ecs2.4605 https://doaj.org/article/b14549223c06454bbddf3b9948647cf7 |
geographic |
Canada Northwest Territories |
geographic_facet |
Canada Northwest Territories |
genre |
Northwest Territories |
genre_facet |
Northwest Territories |
op_source |
Ecosphere, Vol 14, Iss 7, Pp n/a-n/a (2023) |
op_relation |
https://doi.org/10.1002/ecs2.4605 https://doaj.org/toc/2150-8925 2150-8925 doi:10.1002/ecs2.4605 https://doaj.org/article/b14549223c06454bbddf3b9948647cf7 |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1002/ecs2.4605 |
container_title |
Ecosphere |
container_volume |
14 |
container_issue |
7 |
_version_ |
1774721353507667968 |