Spruce-seedbed interactions: is there facilitation of recruitment in the boreal forest-alpine tundra ecotone? (Mealy mountains, Labrador, Canada)
As climates warm, black spruce (Picea mariana) is expected to expand its range into alpine tundra. Ecological factors such as seedbed and predation may influence recruitment on regional scales. In the boreal forest, seedbed-seedling competition dominates but in the climatically-stressed Mealy Mounta...
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Memorial University of Newfoundland
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ftmemorialuniv:oai:research.library.mun.ca:9296 2023-10-01T03:59:55+02:00 Spruce-seedbed interactions: is there facilitation of recruitment in the boreal forest-alpine tundra ecotone? (Mealy mountains, Labrador, Canada) Wheeler, Julia A. C. 2009 application/pdf https://research.library.mun.ca/9296/ https://research.library.mun.ca/9296/1/Wheeler_JuliaAC.pdf en eng Memorial University of Newfoundland https://research.library.mun.ca/9296/1/Wheeler_JuliaAC.pdf Wheeler, Julia A. C. <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Wheeler=3AJulia_A=2E_C=2E=3A=3A.html> (2009) Spruce-seedbed interactions: is there facilitation of recruitment in the boreal forest-alpine tundra ecotone? (Mealy mountains, Labrador, Canada). Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland. thesis_license Thesis NonPeerReviewed 2009 ftmemorialuniv 2023-09-03T06:47:19Z As climates warm, black spruce (Picea mariana) is expected to expand its range into alpine tundra. Ecological factors such as seedbed and predation may influence recruitment on regional scales. In the boreal forest, seedbed-seedling competition dominates but in the climatically-stressed Mealy Mountains forest-tundra ecotone (Labrador, Canada) the Stress Gradient Hypothesis (SGH) predicts facilitation as the dominant plant interaction. We investigated mechanisms of seedbed facilitation (temperature, water, nutrients, physical structure) in Pleurozium schreberi, Cladina spp., and mineral soil, and examined links between predation and seedbed. Pleurozium seedbeds had strong positive effects on seedling growth (30.9%) and survival (55%). Conversely, seedlings recruited poorly on mineral soil, with lowest growth (20.5%) and survival (26%). Seed emergence was highest on Pleurozium (6.3%), and lowest on Cladina (0.3%). The physical structure of Pleurozium likely protects seedlings from exposure, temperatures extremes and predators. As climates warm and seed availability increases, Pleurozium may facilitate black spruce expansion. Thesis Tundra Memorial University of Newfoundland: Research Repository Canada Mealy Mountains ENVELOPE(-59.465,-59.465,53.383,53.383) |
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Memorial University of Newfoundland: Research Repository |
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English |
description |
As climates warm, black spruce (Picea mariana) is expected to expand its range into alpine tundra. Ecological factors such as seedbed and predation may influence recruitment on regional scales. In the boreal forest, seedbed-seedling competition dominates but in the climatically-stressed Mealy Mountains forest-tundra ecotone (Labrador, Canada) the Stress Gradient Hypothesis (SGH) predicts facilitation as the dominant plant interaction. We investigated mechanisms of seedbed facilitation (temperature, water, nutrients, physical structure) in Pleurozium schreberi, Cladina spp., and mineral soil, and examined links between predation and seedbed. Pleurozium seedbeds had strong positive effects on seedling growth (30.9%) and survival (55%). Conversely, seedlings recruited poorly on mineral soil, with lowest growth (20.5%) and survival (26%). Seed emergence was highest on Pleurozium (6.3%), and lowest on Cladina (0.3%). The physical structure of Pleurozium likely protects seedlings from exposure, temperatures extremes and predators. As climates warm and seed availability increases, Pleurozium may facilitate black spruce expansion. |
format |
Thesis |
author |
Wheeler, Julia A. C. |
spellingShingle |
Wheeler, Julia A. C. Spruce-seedbed interactions: is there facilitation of recruitment in the boreal forest-alpine tundra ecotone? (Mealy mountains, Labrador, Canada) |
author_facet |
Wheeler, Julia A. C. |
author_sort |
Wheeler, Julia A. C. |
title |
Spruce-seedbed interactions: is there facilitation of recruitment in the boreal forest-alpine tundra ecotone? (Mealy mountains, Labrador, Canada) |
title_short |
Spruce-seedbed interactions: is there facilitation of recruitment in the boreal forest-alpine tundra ecotone? (Mealy mountains, Labrador, Canada) |
title_full |
Spruce-seedbed interactions: is there facilitation of recruitment in the boreal forest-alpine tundra ecotone? (Mealy mountains, Labrador, Canada) |
title_fullStr |
Spruce-seedbed interactions: is there facilitation of recruitment in the boreal forest-alpine tundra ecotone? (Mealy mountains, Labrador, Canada) |
title_full_unstemmed |
Spruce-seedbed interactions: is there facilitation of recruitment in the boreal forest-alpine tundra ecotone? (Mealy mountains, Labrador, Canada) |
title_sort |
spruce-seedbed interactions: is there facilitation of recruitment in the boreal forest-alpine tundra ecotone? (mealy mountains, labrador, canada) |
publisher |
Memorial University of Newfoundland |
publishDate |
2009 |
url |
https://research.library.mun.ca/9296/ https://research.library.mun.ca/9296/1/Wheeler_JuliaAC.pdf |
long_lat |
ENVELOPE(-59.465,-59.465,53.383,53.383) |
geographic |
Canada Mealy Mountains |
geographic_facet |
Canada Mealy Mountains |
genre |
Tundra |
genre_facet |
Tundra |
op_relation |
https://research.library.mun.ca/9296/1/Wheeler_JuliaAC.pdf Wheeler, Julia A. C. <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Wheeler=3AJulia_A=2E_C=2E=3A=3A.html> (2009) Spruce-seedbed interactions: is there facilitation of recruitment in the boreal forest-alpine tundra ecotone? (Mealy mountains, Labrador, Canada). Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland. |
op_rights |
thesis_license |
_version_ |
1778534447715450880 |