Article
Environmental Sciences
Valentina Butto, Siddhartha Khare, Pratiksha Jain, Gian de Lima Santos, Sergio Rossi
Summary: The increasing frequency of extreme weather events and their distinct spatial patterns have raised interest in tree susceptibility. This study investigates the spatial patterns and environmental drivers of spring leaf phenology in maple stands in eastern North America. The results show that the location of the stands and climate factors significantly affect spring phenology.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Yingyi Zhao, Calvin K. F. Lee, Zhihui Wang, Jing Wang, Yating Gu, Jing Xie, Ying Ki Law, Guangqin Song, Timothy C. Bonebrake, Xi Yang, Bruce W. Nelson, Jin Wu
Summary: In temperate forests, leaf phenology can serve as an indicator of climate change and is a key factor in seasonal carbon and water cycling. Conventional approaches for monitoring individual tree-scale leaf phenology are often limited in spatial extent and sample size, but the availability of PlanetScope satellite data presents an opportunity to overcome these limitations.
REMOTE SENSING OF ENVIRONMENT
(2022)
Article
Remote Sensing
Rong Ma, Xiangjin Shen, Jiaqi Zhang, Chunlin Xia, Yiwen Liu, Liyuan Wu, Yanji Wang, Ming Jiang, Xianguo Lu
Summary: This study analyzed the variations in end date of vegetation growing season (EOS) in temperate grasslands of China and their relationships with climate variations. The results showed that EOS was delayed by 1.62 days/decade. Increasing summer precipitation and autumn temperatures were crucial for delaying EOS. The study also found asymmetric influences of nighttime and daytime warming on EOS.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF APPLIED EARTH OBSERVATION AND GEOINFORMATION
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Adrianna C. Foster, Jacquelyn K. Shuman, Brendan M. Rogers, Xanthe J. Walker, Michelle C. Mack, Laura L. Bourgeau-Chavez, Sander Veraverbeke, Scott J. Goetz
Summary: Forest characteristics, structure, and dynamics in the North American boreal region are influenced by wildfire intensity, severity, and frequency. Increasing temperatures may result in more intense and frequent fires, but an increase in deciduous forest cover could decrease flammability. A forest model was used to analyze the bottom-up (fuels) and top-down (climate) controls on fire activity and project future dynamics. The model showed good agreement with observations and predicted changes in biomass and fire probability.
ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH LETTERS
(2022)
Article
Forestry
Yan Boucher, Isabelle Auger, Dominique Arseneault, Tasneem Elzein, Luc Sirois
Summary: Forest management over the past century has significantly altered the structure, composition, and above-ground biomass of a region in eastern North America. While there has been a major reorganization of forest structure and a sharp increase in stand density, above-ground biomass remains stable. This study highlights the potential impacts of forest management on biodiversity and resilience, emphasizing the importance of restoring more natural forest conditions.
FOREST ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT
(2021)
Article
Forestry
Michael A. Stefanuk, Ryan K. Danby
Summary: Forest phenology and productivity in the Algonquin-to-Adirondacks conservation corridor of eastern North America have shown responsiveness to seasonal heating and chilling accumulation, predominantly driven by accumulated heating and chilling degree days. Although anthropogenic climate change has not triggered widespread changes in forest phenology and productivity in the area, the sensitivity of forest growth to inter-annual variation in seasonal temperature accumulation suggests potential future impacts of climate change on temperate forest areas as warming continues.
Article
Forestry
Pierre-Luc Couillard, Serge Payette, Martin Lavoie, Mathieu Fregeau
Summary: The dynamics of boreal forests during the Holocene have been influenced by various disturbances, with stable environmental conditions favoring forest regeneration and potential shifts to alternative states if post-disturbance recovery fails. Although fire is a major disturbance factor, the long-term resilience of most forest ecosystems remains largely unknown. Most closed-crown forests show resilience post-fire, but some forests have transformed into lichen woodlands after fire, indicating precarious resilience.
FOREST ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Serge Payette, Pierre-Luc Couillard, Mathieu Fregeau, Jason Laflamme, Martin Lavoie
Summary: The Earth's climate has been rapidly warming since the beginning of the industrial era, leading to the need for terrestrial organisms to adapt. Migration is an effective method for survival and growth, but the rate at which tree species migrate due to climate change remains uncertain. This study used radiocarbon-dated macrofossils to examine the past migration velocity of jack pine and black spruce in North American boreal forest. The results showed that the migration velocity of jack pine varied based on different climatic conditions, while black spruce migrated at a faster rate.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2022)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Brice B. Hanberry
Summary: By modeling North American grasslands under different climate conditions, it was found that wind speed is a key factor influencing the formation and maintenance of grasslands, with stable boundaries over time and matching recent wind models. Additional research on wind models is needed to verify these results and understand their global implications on grassland ecosystems.
ECOLOGICAL INDICATORS
(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
Geography, Physical
John A. F. Wendt, David B. McWethy, Chris Widga, Bryan N. Shuman
Summary: This study integrates archaeological and paleontological data with simulated climate data to investigate the long-term drivers of bison distribution and abundance in North America. The results show that the distribution and abundance of bison were influenced by large-scale temperature and precipitation trends, and the abundance of bison in the Holocene was affected by hydroclimatic shifts.
QUATERNARY SCIENCE REVIEWS
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Carlos Lara, Gonzalo S. Saldias, Bernard Cazelles, Marcelo M. Rivadeneira, Richard Munoz, Alexander Galan, Alvaro L. Paredes, Pablo Fierro, Bernardo R. Broitman
Summary: This study utilized 19 years of remote sensing data to analyze the effects of climatic variability on terrestrial vegetation in six protected areas of southwestern South America. The results showed that different climate oscillations had varying impacts on phenological activity of vegetation at different latitudes. Further long-term studies are needed to improve our understanding of the influence of climate change on vegetation condition and phenological variability in the region.
Article
Forestry
Qianhuai Xue, Xiu Zeng, Yanjun Du, Wenxing Long
Summary: The timing of flowering and fruiting is crucial for the reproduction, population size, and range of fruit-eating animals. A regression analysis was conducted to understand the impact of climate on the timing and availability of fruits for the endangered Hainan gibbon in China. Significant seasonal and inter-annual variations were observed in the reproductive phenology of fruiting species, with severe food scarcity for the gibbons between January and April. Sunshine affected flowering time, while temperature influenced fruiting phenology. The restoration of gibbon habitat should include planting fruit trees that bear fruit during the low food availability period from January to April.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Richard Massey, Brendan M. Rogers, Logan T. Berner, Sol Cooperdock, Michelle C. Mack, Xanthe J. Walker, Scott J. Goetz
Summary: Deciduous tree cover is expected to increase in North American boreal forests with climate warming and wildfire, potentially generating biophysical cooling. However, recent decades have seen a small net decrease in deciduous fraction and near-neutral net biophysical change in radiative forcing associated with albedo, indicating no systematic negative feedbacks to climate warming.
NATURE CLIMATE CHANGE
(2023)
Article
Water Resources
Ionut Minea, Oana Elena Chelariu
Summary: This study used methods such as the quantile perturbation method and the partial trend method to analyze the anomalies and trends of high flow in rivers in Eastern Romania. The results showed a decreasing trend in annual high flow and different variations in seasonal high flow in different seasons.
JOURNAL OF WATER AND CLIMATE CHANGE
(2021)
Article
Forestry
Maneesha T. Jayasuriya, John C. Stella, Rene H. Germain
Summary: This study identified a floristically based riparian boundary for headwater streams, with the most species richness closest to the stream gradually decreasing within 6-12 meters. Riparian indicator species were found to have limited practical use. The study recommends a 12-meter zone to maintain forest cover and minimize the impact of logging equipment in riparian areas.
JOURNAL OF FORESTRY
(2021)
Article
Forestry
Katie L. Beeles, Jordon C. Tourville, Martin Dovciak
Summary: This study compared two popular methods for measuring canopy openness and found that the traditional spherical densiometer can effectively characterize canopy openness across diverse canopy conditions, while providing calibration for these two popular methods across diverse canopies.
JOURNAL OF FORESTRY
(2022)
Article
Geography, Physical
Sharon Bywater-Reyes, Rebecca M. Diehl, Andrew C. Wilcox, John C. Stella, Li Kui
Summary: The strength of interactions between plants and river processes is influenced by plant traits and fluvial conditions. The differential effects of Tamarix and Populus on hydraulics, sediment transport, and river morphology were examined using flume, field, and modelling approaches. Differences in crown morphology, stem density, and flexibility favored aggradation associated with Tamarix, leading to faster geomorphic adjustments compared to Populus. These findings provide a basis for predicting changes in alluvial riverine systems and highlight the importance of considering plant traits and community structure in addition to flow and sediment supply.
EARTH SURFACE PROCESSES AND LANDFORMS
(2022)
Article
Forestry
Margaret Woodbridge, Martin Dovciak
Summary: Altered disturbance regimes in forest ecosystems can result in the formation of dense understory vegetation, which can limit tree seedling recruitment, decrease biodiversity, and alter forest ecosystem structure and functioning. Pervasive logging in the southern Appalachians may have contributed to the formation of a dense understory shrub layer that suppresses plant diversity and tree recruitment, although the evidence for this idea is mixed.
FOREST ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT
(2022)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Jared Williams, John C. Stella, Steven L. Voelker, Adam M. Lambert, Lissa M. Pelletier, John E. Drake, Jonathan M. Friedman, Dar A. Roberts, Michael Bliss Singer
Summary: This study analyzed riparian cottonwood stands along the largest remaining free-flowing river in Southern California and found that the rate of groundwater decline is the primary driver of drought stress for these woodlands. The trees were more sensitive to temperature at sites with faster groundwater decline. The study also identified a threshold of tolerance to groundwater decline at 0.5 m year(-1), beyond which drought stress becomes increasingly evident and severe.
GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Plant Sciences
Jordon C. Tourville, Jay W. Wason, Martin Dovciak
Summary: This study examines the role of forest canopy gaps in driving tree species range shifts in response to climate change. The results show that high-elevation conifer forests with canopy gaps facilitate the upslope shift of conifer seedlings, while gaps at lower elevations have limited impact on seedling recruitment or the downslope shift of deciduous species. Climate and soil are important predictors of seedling distributions, while climate alone is the dominant predictor of adult tree distributions.
JOURNAL OF ECOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Mariano G. Arias, Gregory McGee, Martin Dovciak
Summary: The past land-use history can affect the community composition of plants and ants in forested landscapes. However, there are limited studies on the combined effects of past disturbance on the spatial distributions of mutualistic guilds across different scales.
BIODIVERSITY AND CONSERVATION
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Monica B. Berdugo, Martin Dovciak, Robin W. Kimmerer, Charles T. Driscoll
Summary: The success of tree seedlings in future forests is crucial, but they are experiencing increasing physiological stress. This study found that the moss layer can reduce environmental stress and enhance the establishment and growth of balsam fir seedlings in high-elevation forests. The microsite effects of the moss layer should be taken into consideration when predicting forest regeneration and dynamics under increased drought stress associated with climate warming.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Romy Sabathier, Michael Bliss Singer, John C. Stella, Dar A. Roberts, Kelly K. Caylor, Kristin L. Jaeger, Julian D. Olden
Summary: Intermittent and ephemeral streams in dryland environments are important habitats for diverse aquatic and terrestrial life. Understanding the availability of water and its response to external factors is crucial for predicting the impacts of climate change and human activities. This paper analyzes conductivity data from sensors distributed along streams in Arizona, providing insights into flow permanence and its response to seasonal rainfall.
RIVER RESEARCH AND APPLICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Dylan Finley, Martin Dovciak, Jennifer Dean
Summary: Natural resource managers often struggle with prioritizing invasive species for management and surveys. This article presents a data-driven approach to create regionally specific invasive species lists based on management priorities, improving objectivity and consistency. The approach can be replicated in other regions and provide a common language for invasive species management.
BIOLOGICAL INVASIONS
(2023)
Article
Agronomy
Jordon C. Tourville, Michael R. Zarfos, Gregory B. Lawrence, Todd C. McDonnell, Timothy J. Sullivan, Martin Dovciak
Summary: Climate change may cause climatic envelopes of temperate tree species to shift into boreal forests with unsuitable soil conditions. This study found that both mycorrhizal colonization and soil pH can limit seedling establishment of temperate tree species. Among the species, sugar maple is more sensitive to soil chemistry, while American beech is more sensitive to soil pH. Mycorrhizal colonization of sugar maple is positively correlated with soil pH and conspecific overstory basal area. In montane conifer forests, the establishment of sugar maple is impeded by both biotic and abiotic soil components, while in temperate deciduous forests, it is hindered by soil acidity.
Article
Plant Sciences
Jordon Tourville, Martin Dovciak
Summary: Migration lags in tree response to climate change can be caused by preferential granivory by small mammals. A seed choice experiment showed that nocturnal small mammals preferentially consume seeds with high nutritional value. This study highlights the importance of granivory in modeling future tree species distributions under climate change scenarios.
Article
Ecology
Matthew J. Hecking, Jenna M. Zukswert, John E. Drake, Martin Dovciak, Julia I. Burton
Summary: Trait-based analyses provide powerful tools for understanding how forest communities respond to environmental changes. The challenges lie in selecting representative traits and determining the variability within and across species.
FRONTIERS IN FORESTS AND GLOBAL CHANGE
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Melissa M. Rohde, John C. Stella, Dar A. Roberts, Michael Bliss Singer
Summary: The analysis reveals that riparian woodlands exhibit a stress response to deeper groundwater, with a decline in greenness. In water-limited regions, there is greater seasonal coupling of canopy greenness to natural streamflow compared to anthropogenically altered streams.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2021)
Article
Geography, Physical
Sharon Bywater-Reyes, Rebecca M. Diehl, Andrew C. Wilcox, John C. Stella, Li Kui
Summary: The interaction between riparian vegetation and river processes is influenced by plant traits and fluvial conditions, with Tamarix and Populus species having differing effects on hydraulics, sediment transport, and river morphology. Differences in plant traits between the two species influence river adjustments at various scales, highlighting the importance of considering plant characteristics in river management and invasive species control.
EARTH SURFACE PROCESSES AND LANDFORMS
(2022)