Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Jiejie Wang, Anthony R. Taylor, Loic D'Orangeville
Summary: Large projected increases in forest disturbance pose a major threat to the Canadian boreal forest ecosystem. However, contrary to previously conflicting results, this study reveals that increasing thermal energy could lead to significant growth and offset the negative impacts of drought and wildfire in wood supply and carbon sequestration. The findings have important implications for ecological forecasts and the global economy.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2023)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Soumendra N. Bhanja, Junye Wang
Summary: This study introduced microbially mediated carbon cycle processes to investigate the influence of environmental factors on autotrophic respiration (Ra), soil respiration (Rs), and ecosystem respiration (Reco). The results revealed that air and soil temperature, as well as dissolved oxygen levels, are the major factors impacting Ra, Rs, and Reco, while water-filled pore space (WFPS) has the least influence on respiration estimation. This analysis provides insights for future Earth System Models (ESMs) development regarding the crucial roles of environmental drivers in respiration estimation.
ECOLOGICAL INDICATORS
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Yunyun Li, Hongyan Liu, Xinrong Zhu, Yongyu Yue, Jiaxin Xue, Liang Shi
Summary: The study found that forests in different topographies showed varied responses to climate change. Slope forests exhibited positive correlations with increases in temperature and precipitation, while wetland forests responded negatively to temperature. Additionally, the forests in different topographies had different responses to precipitation.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2021)
Article
Agronomy
Eduardo Martinez-Garcia, Mats B. Nilsson, Hjalmar Laudon, Tomas Lundmark, Johan E. S. Fransson, Jorgen Wallerman, Matthias Peichl
Summary: The forest floor acts as a source of CO2, with emissions increasing with stand age. Tree species and soil type have minimal effects on CO2 fluxes. Pine stands have higher understory production rates than spruce stands. Tree biomass is the major driver of CO2 flux variations.
AGRICULTURAL AND FOREST METEOROLOGY
(2022)
Article
Forestry
Ange-Marie Botroh, David Par, Xavier Cavard, Nicole Fenton, Osvaldo Valeria, Philippe Marchand, Yves Bergeron
Summary: Silvicultural treatments can increase tree growth and carbon storage, but also accelerate decomposition of soil organic matter. The study found that mechanical site preparation can accelerate moss decomposition but has limited impact on total soil carbon stocks.
FOREST ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT
(2023)
Article
Forestry
Antonio J. Molina, Inmaculada Bautista, Cristina Lull, Antonio del Campo, Maria Gonzalez-Sanchis, Antonio Lidon
Summary: The objective of this study was to investigate the mid-term effects of thinning intensity on forest floor and soil properties. The results showed that thinning had significant impacts on organic carbon content, different organic carbon fractions, and basal respiration in the forest floor. However, only basal respiration and C/N ratio in the mineral soil were affected by thinning intensity.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Simone M. Stuenzi, Julia Boike, Anne Gaedeke, Ulrike Herzschuh, Stefan Kruse, Luidmila A. Pestryakova, Sebastian Westermann, Moritz Langer
Summary: Forest density and composition have a significant impact on the thermal and hydrological state of underlying permafrost, leading to changes in ground surface temperatures and active layer thickness. This study highlights the importance of considering forest dynamics in predicting permafrost persistence and ecosystem shifts under future warming scenarios.
ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH LETTERS
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Soumendra N. Bhanja, Junye Wang, Roland Bol
Summary: This study investigates the microbial enzyme-mediated decomposition of litter and soil organic matter in boreal forest regions through modeling and compares the results with field observations and satellite estimates. The findings are important for understanding future climate change feedbacks and reducing uncertainties.
FRONTIERS IN ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Agronomy
Jinshu Chi, Peng Zhao, Anne Klosterhalfen, Georg Jocher, Natascha Kljun, Mats B. Nilsson, Matthias Peichl
Summary: The study reveals the important role of forest floor CO2 fluxes in regulating the boreal forest carbon balance, with significant differences in contributions to net CO2 sources between different forest stands. NFFE acts as the main driver for the differences in NEE between contrasting stands, highlighting the need for high spatio-temporal resolution data acquisition to improve predictions of global change impacts on forest carbon cycles.
AGRICULTURAL AND FOREST METEOROLOGY
(2021)
Review
Plant Sciences
Kristine Y. Crous, Johan Uddling, Martin G. De Kauwe
Summary: This study reviewed and analyzed the responses of photosynthesis and respiration to warming in 101 evergreen species. The results showed that temperature changes affected gas exchange rates and responsiveness differently across different climates. Tropical climates experienced larger decreases in net photosynthesis with warming. Gymnosperms were more sensitive to warming than broadleaved evergreens, with significant reductions in photosynthesis and respiration. The findings suggest that the acclimation of photosynthesis and increasing respiration rates may lead to a reduced carbon sink in future warmer climates. The predictable patterns of thermal acclimation provide a strong basis to improve modeling predictions of the future terrestrial carbon sink.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Mirindi Eric Dusenge, Jeffrey M. Warren, Peter B. Reich, Eric J. Ward, Bridget K. Murphy, Artur Stefanski, Raimundo Bermudez, Marisol Cruz, David A. McLennan, Anthony W. King, Rebecca A. Montgomery, Paul J. Hanson, Danielle A. Way
Summary: Acclimation of tree photosynthesis to warming may be affected by elevated CO2. Mature boreal conifers demonstrated the ability to maintain leaf-level C uptake under warming and elevated CO2, even if the optimum temperature of photosynthesis does not track increased temperature. Warming shifts the thermal optimum of net photosynthesis (T-optA) to higher temperatures, but it is uncertain whether field-grown trees can keep pace with predicted temperatures in the future. This study found that T-optA of mature boreal conifers increased with warming but did not match the rate of warming, implying that these trees can thermally acclimate photosynthesis to maintain carbon uptake in future air temperatures.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Mirindi E. Dusenge, Eric J. Ward, Jeffrey M. Warren, Joseph R. Stinziano, Stan D. Wullschleger, Paul J. Hanson, Danielle A. Way
Summary: The study found that tamarack and black spruce exhibit divergent responses to climate warming in terms of leaf nitrogen content, with an increase in leaf nitrogen leading to higher photosynthesis in tamarack but not in black spruce. Surprisingly, dark respiration in black spruce did not acclimate to warming, and thermal acclimation of respiration was only observed in tamarack after considering changes in leaf nitrogen. This highlights the different stomatal responses to warming in co-occurring species, impacting vegetation carbon and water dynamics.
GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Forestry
Enzai Du, Yang Tang
Summary: Climate change has profound impacts on boreal forests worldwide. Trees in the southern boreal forest and the temperate-boreal forest ecotone show distinct responses to climate change. The growth of trees in northeast China was found to be significantly affected by inter-annual climate variations, with temperature and precipitation playing important roles at both the boreal and temperate-boreal forest ecotone.
Article
Ecology
Aijun Xing, Enzai Du, Haihua Shen, Longchao Xu, Mengying Zhao, Xiuyuan Liu, Jingyun Fang
Summary: This study, based on a decade-long fertilisation experiment in a boreal larch forest, found that the influence of nitrogen additions on soil respiration showed a temporal shift from positive to negative effect, with high-level nitrogen applications accelerating the reduction in soil respiration. The results suggest that experimental high nitrogen applications may overestimate the contribution of nitrogen deposition to soil carbon sequestration in a boreal forest.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Matthias Peichl, Eduardo Martinez-Garcia, Johan E. S. Fransson, Jorgen Wallerman, Hjalmar Laudon, Tomas Lundmark, Mats B. Nilsson
Summary: This study investigates the variations of annual net ecosystem production (NEP) in a managed boreal forest landscape in northern Sweden using extensive biometric and chamber-based carbon flux data. The results highlight the role of net primary production in regulating the spatio-temporal variations of NEP in the managed boreal forest landscape. Additionally, divergent successional patterns of NEP were observed in the managed forests compared to naturally regenerating boreal forests.
GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Laura Castaneda-Gomez, Kate Lajtha, Richard Bowden, Fathima Nahidha Mohammed Jauhar, Juan Jia, Xiaojuan Feng, Myrna J. Simpson
Summary: Forest ecosystems as global soil carbon reservoirs are affected by climate change factors that change carbon inputs. This study integrated molecular composition data sets of soil organic matter and microbial communities to investigate the effects of detrital input and removal treatments on forest soil carbon dynamics. The results showed that long-term litter additions did not increase soil carbon content, while litter reductions negatively impacted soil carbon concentrations. This highlights the sensitivity of soil carbon biogeochemistry to changes in litter deposition.
GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Lisa M. Labine, Erico Oliveira A. Pereira, Sonya Kleywegt, Karl J. Jobst, Andre J. Simpson, Myrna J. Simpson
Summary: The study investigates the metabolic perturbations of PFAS on Daphnia, highlighting that different PFAS chain lengths and polar functional groups can induce unique metabolic responses while also sharing a common underlying toxic mode of action.
ENVIRONMENTAL TOXICOLOGY AND CHEMISTRY
(2023)
Article
Forestry
Charles Marty, Olivier Fradette, Patrick Faubert, Sylvie Bouchard, Claude Villeneuve
Summary: Choosing suitable tree species for afforestation in the Canadian boreal forests is crucial. This study assessed the growth of four boreal coniferous species in two areas with different soil fertility. The results suggest that jack pine and tamarack may be good candidates for afforestation in the boreal forests.
FOREST ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT
(2023)
Article
Agronomy
Antoine Harel, Jean-Daniel Sylvain, Guillaume Drolet, Evelyne Thiffault, Nelson Thiffault, Sylvie Tremblay
Summary: This study modelled the seasonal, intra-seasonal, and spatial variability of soil CO2 emissions using climate variables and remote sensing data in a boreal forest in eastern Canada. The results showed that spatial and intra-seasonal variations have a greater impact on soil CO2 efflux than seasonal variation.
AGRICULTURAL AND FOREST METEOROLOGY
(2023)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Luciano Rodrigues Viana, Pierre-Luc Dessureault, Charles Marty, Jean-Francois Boucher, Maxime C. Pare
Summary: Canada is a major producer of oat grains and oat flakes, generating significant amounts of residue during production. This study used life cycle assessment (LCA) to evaluate the environmental impacts of oat flake production in northeastern Canada and compared two agro-industrial symbiosis scenarios for disposing of agricultural residues. The results showed that the production and use of synthetic fertilizers contributed the most to the environmental impacts of oat flake production. Transforming residues into animal feed was found to have environmental advantages in certain provinces, but this could vary depending on factors such as electricity sources and assumptions made for avoided products. The choice of industrial symbiosis chains should consider regional economic characteristics and methodological parameters.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Iuliana Stoica, Maryam Tabatabaei Anaraki, Thomas Muratore, Melissa Knorr, Serita D. Frey, Myrna J. Simpson
Summary: By analyzing soil samples from the Harvard Forest Soil Warming and Nitrogen Addition experiment, this study found that increasing global temperatures and atmospheric nitrogen deposition threaten carbon storage in forest soils. The study emphasizes the importance of observing environmental stressors using molecular-level approaches to understand how anthropogenic activity will alter forest soil systems.
ACS EARTH AND SPACE CHEMISTRY
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Jessica C. D'eon, Brian P. Lankadurai, Andre J. Simpson, Eric J. Reiner, David G. Poirier, Greg C. Vanlerberghe, Myrna J. Simpson
Summary: Environmental metabolomics is an effective method for studying pollutant impacts on target organisms. Both NMR and MS-based methods are used for amino acid profiling in environmental metabolomic studies. In this study, we compared the quantification of amino acids in different model organisms using both H-1 NMR and LC-MS/MS methods. The results showed that both NMR and LC-MS/MS measurements were reliable for amino acid profiling, demonstrating the compatibility of these two analytical platforms in environmental metabolomics.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Istvan Fekete, Ornella Francioso, Myrna J. Simpson, Paola Gioacchini, Daniela Montecchio, Imre Berki, Norbert Moricz, Katalin Juhos, Aron Beni, Zsolt Kotroczo
Summary: Climate models predict warming and drying of Hungarian forests, raising concerns about their carbon storage capacity. To assess future changes, precipitation gradient studies were conducted on oak forests in Central Europe, investigating the quality parameters of soil organic matter (SOM). The results showed lower soil organic carbon (SOC) in humid forests due to increased decomposition and leaching of Ca, but the decrease in easily degradable SOM compounds. In dry forests, the amount of recalcitrant SOM increased, but so did the easily degradable SOM. Overall, SOC may increase in drier forests, partially offsetting the decrease in biomass.
Article
Forestry
Kaysandra Waldron, Nelson Thiffault, Lisa Venier, Fidele Bognounou, Dominique Boucher, Elizabeth Campbell, Ellen Whitman, Lucas Brehaut, Sylvie Gauthier
Summary: Studying post-disturbance recovery is crucial for predicting forest ecosystem resistance and resilience. However, research on recovery after natural disturbances is relatively scarce, with a strong focus on forest harvesting. Long-term research, chronosequences, and consecutive disturbance studies are important for establishing sustainable forest management strategies.
CANADIAN JOURNAL OF FOREST RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Forestry
Morgane Urli, Catherine Perie, Nelson Thiffault, Marie R. Coyea, Steeve Pepin, Travis Logan, Alison D. Munson
Summary: The future climate in northern temperate forests is expected to become drier and warmer by the end of this century. This will lead to an increase in drought-induced forest dieback events in northeastern North America. Therefore, it is crucial to assess the vulnerability of dominant tree species to drought in order to understand the future composition of these forests.
FOREST ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT
(2023)
Article
Forestry
Par Claudie-Maude Canuel, Evelyne Thiffault, Ayaovi Locoh, Nelson Thiffault
Summary: In order to meet climate targets, the Quebec government plans to increase forest bioenergy production to support the energy transition. However, the use of forest biomass for energy purposes presents social, economic, and environmental challenges. A collaborative workshop in winter 2022 brought together professionals and stakeholders to discuss the sustainable development of forest bioenergy in Quebec. Key factors for the success of forest bioenergy projects include biomass availability, cost of supply and production, value and life cycle of products, and stakeholder behavior.
FORESTRY CHRONICLE
(2023)
Article
Forestry
Nelson Thiffault, Michael Hoepting, Maryse Marchand, Marie Moulin, Holly Deighton
Summary: The shelterwood system is an appropriate method for regenerating Pinus strobus. The quantity of harvesting damage, the amount of overstory removed during removal harvests, and the pre-harvest regeneration are important factors to consider. The study found that higher harvest intensity led to declines in stocking and density, mostly due to skid trails coverage, but high pre-harvest densities helped offset some of the losses. Damage to regenerating trees was not significantly influenced by the percentage of basal area harvested. Minimizing skid trail coverage is the most effective way to reduce regeneration losses and damage during shelterwood harvests.
FORESTRY CHRONICLE
(2023)
Article
Forestry
Par Claudie-Maude Canuel, Evelyne Thiffault, Ayaovi Locoh, Nelson Thiffault
Summary: To meet climate targets, the Quebec government plans to increase forest bioenergy production. However, the use of forest biomass presents challenges in the social, economic, and environmental aspects. During a collaborative workshop, professionals and stakeholders discussed the sustainable development of forest bioenergy in Quebec. The paper aims to identify biomass sources, practices, and conversion pathways for the success of this emerging sector. Discussions revealed the need for varied business models, considering factors such as biomass availability, cost, product value, stakeholder behavior, value chain coherence, and community acceptability.
FORESTRY CHRONICLE
(2023)
Article
Endocrinology & Metabolism
Grace V. Mercer, Nikita E. Harvey, Katherine L. Steeves, Celine M. Schneider, John G. Sled, Christopher K. Macgowan, Ahmet A. Baschat, John C. Kingdom, Andre J. Simpson, Myrna J. Simpson, Karl J. Jobst, Lindsay S. Cahill
Summary: Exposure to polystyrene nanoplastics during pregnancy caused abnormal fetal brain metabolism in mice, including decreased concentrations of gamma-aminobutyric acid, creatine, and glucose. The change in relative concentration of asparagine was dependent on fetal sex.
Article
Forestry
Baptiste Brault, Jean-Pierre Tremblay, Nelson Thiffault, Alejandro A. Royo, Steeve D. Cote
Summary: Browsing can be an environmental stress to forest ecosystems, and tree planting may not be sufficient for forest restoration when browsing pressure is ongoing. Factors such as browsing intensity and density of neighboring tree species can affect balsam fir growth.
FOREST ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT
(2023)
