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Type: Journal Article
Author(s): Rik Van Bogaert; Sylvie Gauthier; Igor Drobyshev; Karelle Jayen; David F. Greene; Yves Bergeron
Publication Date: November 2015

Disturbance plays an important role in the distributional range of species by affecting their colonization potential and persistence. Short disturbance intervals have been linked to reduced seedbank sizes of some species, but the effects of long intervals are largely unknown. To explore the potential existence of seedbank sizes that may also be limited by long disturbance intervals, we studied an area in boreal eastern North America where time since fire (TSF) coincides with an increase in environmental stress (accumulating organic matter measured as depth of the soil organic layer (SOL)). Along a chronosequence dating back about 710 years, we counted the number of seeds cone-1 of black spruce (Picea mariana) and then estimated the number of seeds tree-1 and site-1 by upscaling. Younger sites [TSF 60-150 years] with mature first regeneration trees had average-sized seedbanks for black spruce [12.0-17.9 (105) seeds ha-1], whereas subsequent pulse trees that established in SOL depths greater than 35 cm showed highly reduced seed numbers. Sites with second- to fourth-regeneration pulse individuals [TSF c. 350-710 years] had exceptionally small seedbanks of 0.90 (105) and 0.46 (105) seeds ha-1, respectively. Radial tree growth rate showed a similarly negative response to SOL depth and could potentially be used as an indicator of seed output in plant species. Because the decline in seedbank size was possibly caused by more general environmental stress factors such as reduced nutrient availability, we suggest exploring whether other examples of ecosystems exist where long time since disturbance may lead to reduced seedbank sizes. © 2015 Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada.

Online Links
Citation: Van Bogaert, R., S. Gauthier, I. Drobyshev, K. Jayen, D. F. Greene, and Y. Bergeron. 2015. Prolonged absence of disturbance associated with increased environmental stress may lead to reduced seedbank size in Picea mariana in boreal eastern North America. Ecosystems, v. 18, no. 7, p. 1135-1150. 10.1007/s10021-015-9888-3.

Cataloging Information

Topics:
Regions:
Alaska    California    Eastern    Great Basin    Hawaii    Northern Rockies    Northwest    Rocky Mountain    Southern    Southwest    International    National
Keywords:
  • black spruce
  • black spruce
  • boreal forests
  • Canada
  • disturbance
  • environmental stress
  • fire cycle
  • fire frequency
  • fire management
  • forest management
  • Life History of a Species
  • Long Disturbance Intervals
  • paludification
  • Picea mariana
  • plant growth
  • seed dormancy
  • Seedbank Size
  • soil organic matter
  • Tree Growth Rate
  • watershed management
  • wildfires
Tall Timbers Record Number: 32048Location Status: Not in fileCall Number: AvailableAbstract Status: Fair use, Okay, Reproduced by permission
Record Last Modified:
Record Maintained By: FRAMES Staff (https://www.frames.gov/contact)
FRAMES Record Number: 54358

This bibliographic record was either created or modified by Tall Timbers and is provided without charge to promote research and education in Fire Ecology. The E.V. Komarek Fire Ecology Database is the intellectual property of Tall Timbers.