Seed sources and safe sites as drivers of Larix cajanderi regeneration following wildfire in the Siberian Arctic

Abstract Larix cajanderi forests, which occupy vast regions of Siberia, grow atop and protect carbon‐rich permafrost. Regeneration of these forests has important implications for long‐term feedbacks into the climate system and their regeneration is strongest following stand‐replacing fires. The goal...

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Published in:Ecosphere
Main Authors: Eric B. Borth, Heather D. Alexander, Nikita Zimov, Ryan W. McEwan
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2023
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1002/ecs2.4617
https://doaj.org/article/c029ef95d5674ecb9c6264a1c9c30b52
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spelling ftdoajarticles:oai:doaj.org/article:c029ef95d5674ecb9c6264a1c9c30b52 2023-08-20T04:04:25+02:00 Seed sources and safe sites as drivers of Larix cajanderi regeneration following wildfire in the Siberian Arctic Eric B. Borth Heather D. Alexander Nikita Zimov Ryan W. McEwan 2023-07-01T00:00:00Z https://doi.org/10.1002/ecs2.4617 https://doaj.org/article/c029ef95d5674ecb9c6264a1c9c30b52 EN eng Wiley https://doi.org/10.1002/ecs2.4617 https://doaj.org/toc/2150-8925 2150-8925 doi:10.1002/ecs2.4617 https://doaj.org/article/c029ef95d5674ecb9c6264a1c9c30b52 Ecosphere, Vol 14, Iss 7, Pp n/a-n/a (2023) climate change fire larch permafrost regeneration vegetation dynamics Ecology QH540-549.5 article 2023 ftdoajarticles https://doi.org/10.1002/ecs2.4617 2023-07-30T00:36:56Z Abstract Larix cajanderi forests, which occupy vast regions of Siberia, grow atop and protect carbon‐rich permafrost. Regeneration of these forests has important implications for long‐term feedbacks into the climate system and their regeneration is strongest following stand‐replacing fires. The goal of this project was to assess sources of regeneration limitation in L. cajanderi forests in northeastern Siberia. We focused on (1) regeneration potential of stands varying in tree density and (2) analyzing seedling establishment patterns in relationship to microsite conditions (safe sites) in the landscape. Seed sources were assessed through cone counts and stand surveys in the summers of 2017 and 2018 in 17 mature L. cajanderi stands. L. cajanderi recruitment patterns in relationship to safe site availability were assessed in 15 areas, spanning approximately 800 km2 along the northern portion of the Kolyma River (69.5477° N, 161.3641° E). Density of trees in a stand was negatively related to the number of cones that the average tree produced and stands of moderate density produced more cones per area than either high‐ or low‐density stands. L. cajanderi seedling establishment was facilitated by safe sites in the landscape. We discovered strong evidence that safe sites are considerably more important for seedling establishment in lowland sites than upland areas. The biological explanation for this pattern is presently unknown; however, we hypothesize this pattern is driven by persistently wet (marshy) soils in some lowland sites as a limiter of seedling establishment. Overall, these data suggest the potential for complex linkages between forest density, propagule availability, fire, safe sight colonization, and seedling establishment that may regulate long‐term dynamics in the understudied L. cajanderi forests of the Siberian Arctic. Article in Journal/Newspaper Arctic Climate change kolyma river permafrost Siberia Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles Arctic Kolyma ENVELOPE(161.000,161.000,69.500,69.500) Ecosphere 14 7
institution Open Polar
collection Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles
op_collection_id ftdoajarticles
language English
topic climate change
fire
larch
permafrost
regeneration
vegetation dynamics
Ecology
QH540-549.5
spellingShingle climate change
fire
larch
permafrost
regeneration
vegetation dynamics
Ecology
QH540-549.5
Eric B. Borth
Heather D. Alexander
Nikita Zimov
Ryan W. McEwan
Seed sources and safe sites as drivers of Larix cajanderi regeneration following wildfire in the Siberian Arctic
topic_facet climate change
fire
larch
permafrost
regeneration
vegetation dynamics
Ecology
QH540-549.5
description Abstract Larix cajanderi forests, which occupy vast regions of Siberia, grow atop and protect carbon‐rich permafrost. Regeneration of these forests has important implications for long‐term feedbacks into the climate system and their regeneration is strongest following stand‐replacing fires. The goal of this project was to assess sources of regeneration limitation in L. cajanderi forests in northeastern Siberia. We focused on (1) regeneration potential of stands varying in tree density and (2) analyzing seedling establishment patterns in relationship to microsite conditions (safe sites) in the landscape. Seed sources were assessed through cone counts and stand surveys in the summers of 2017 and 2018 in 17 mature L. cajanderi stands. L. cajanderi recruitment patterns in relationship to safe site availability were assessed in 15 areas, spanning approximately 800 km2 along the northern portion of the Kolyma River (69.5477° N, 161.3641° E). Density of trees in a stand was negatively related to the number of cones that the average tree produced and stands of moderate density produced more cones per area than either high‐ or low‐density stands. L. cajanderi seedling establishment was facilitated by safe sites in the landscape. We discovered strong evidence that safe sites are considerably more important for seedling establishment in lowland sites than upland areas. The biological explanation for this pattern is presently unknown; however, we hypothesize this pattern is driven by persistently wet (marshy) soils in some lowland sites as a limiter of seedling establishment. Overall, these data suggest the potential for complex linkages between forest density, propagule availability, fire, safe sight colonization, and seedling establishment that may regulate long‐term dynamics in the understudied L. cajanderi forests of the Siberian Arctic.
format Article in Journal/Newspaper
author Eric B. Borth
Heather D. Alexander
Nikita Zimov
Ryan W. McEwan
author_facet Eric B. Borth
Heather D. Alexander
Nikita Zimov
Ryan W. McEwan
author_sort Eric B. Borth
title Seed sources and safe sites as drivers of Larix cajanderi regeneration following wildfire in the Siberian Arctic
title_short Seed sources and safe sites as drivers of Larix cajanderi regeneration following wildfire in the Siberian Arctic
title_full Seed sources and safe sites as drivers of Larix cajanderi regeneration following wildfire in the Siberian Arctic
title_fullStr Seed sources and safe sites as drivers of Larix cajanderi regeneration following wildfire in the Siberian Arctic
title_full_unstemmed Seed sources and safe sites as drivers of Larix cajanderi regeneration following wildfire in the Siberian Arctic
title_sort seed sources and safe sites as drivers of larix cajanderi regeneration following wildfire in the siberian arctic
publisher Wiley
publishDate 2023
url https://doi.org/10.1002/ecs2.4617
https://doaj.org/article/c029ef95d5674ecb9c6264a1c9c30b52
long_lat ENVELOPE(161.000,161.000,69.500,69.500)
geographic Arctic
Kolyma
geographic_facet Arctic
Kolyma
genre Arctic
Climate change
kolyma river
permafrost
Siberia
genre_facet Arctic
Climate change
kolyma river
permafrost
Siberia
op_source Ecosphere, Vol 14, Iss 7, Pp n/a-n/a (2023)
op_relation https://doi.org/10.1002/ecs2.4617
https://doaj.org/toc/2150-8925
2150-8925
doi:10.1002/ecs2.4617
https://doaj.org/article/c029ef95d5674ecb9c6264a1c9c30b52
op_doi https://doi.org/10.1002/ecs2.4617
container_title Ecosphere
container_volume 14
container_issue 7
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