EcosciencePub Date : 2021-04-26DOI: 10.1080/11956860.2021.1898775
A. Royer, F. Dominé, A. Roy, A. Langlois, N. Marchand, Gautier Davesne
{"title":"New Northern Snowpack Classification Linked to Vegetation Cover on a Latitudinal Mega-Transect Across Northeastern Canada","authors":"A. Royer, F. Dominé, A. Roy, A. Langlois, N. Marchand, Gautier Davesne","doi":"10.1080/11956860.2021.1898775","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/11956860.2021.1898775","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT Changes in mass, extent, duration, and physical properties of snow are key elements for studying associated climate change feedbacks in northern regions. In this study, we analyzed snowpack physical properties along a ‘mega’ transect from 47°N to 83°N (4,000 km) in northeastern Canada, which includes marked transitions between ecozones from boreal forest to subarctic and arctic ecosystems. Our unique dataset of 391 detailed snowpits acquired over the last 20 years, complemented with snow data from weather stations, shows that snowpack properties such as snow water equivalent, snow depth, density, grain size and basal depth hoar fraction (DHF) are strongly linked to vegetation type. Based on these results, we propose an updated classification of snow types in three classes: boreal forest snow (47–58°N), tundra snow (58–74°N) and polar desert snow (74–83°N), which is more appropriate to the study area than the general north hemisphere classification commonly used. We also show that shrub presence along the transect contributes to a significant increase in DHF development which contributes most strongly to the thermal insulation properties of the snowpack. Overall, our analysis suggests that snow–vegetation interactions have a positive feedback effect on warming at northern latitudes.","PeriodicalId":51030,"journal":{"name":"Ecoscience","volume":"28 1","pages":"225 - 242"},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2021-04-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1080/11956860.2021.1898775","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"42277266","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
EcosciencePub Date : 2021-04-26DOI: 10.1080/11956860.2021.1907975
Karine Langlais, N. Bhiry, M. Lavoie
{"title":"Holocene Dynamics of an Inland Palsa Peatland at Wiyâshâkimî Lake (Nunavik, Canada)","authors":"Karine Langlais, N. Bhiry, M. Lavoie","doi":"10.1080/11956860.2021.1907975","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/11956860.2021.1907975","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT This study examines the Holocene evolution of an inland subarctic permafrost peatland located on the north bank of Wiyâshâkimî Lake (Nunavik, northeastern Canada). The analysis of plant macrofossils allowed us to reconstruct the succession of the trophic conditions of a palsa and a filled thermokarst pond. The accumulation of organic matter began at around 6290 cal. y BP. The evolution of the site then followed three stages: a pond (6290–5790 cal. y BP), a minerotrophic peatland (5790–4350 cal. y BP) and an ombrotrophic peatland (from 4350 cal. y BP). The establishment of permafrost caused a palsa to form at around 170 cal. y BP, which corresponds to the coldest period of the Little Ice Age in northeastern Canada. A subsequent degradation of the palsa and the formation of a thermokarst pond were induced by the climate warming that began at the turn of the 20th century. The analysis of plant macrofossils from an adjacent filled thermokarst pond indicated three phases of development over a short 450-year period: subaquatic, minerotrophic, and ombrotrophic phases. When combined with previous studies of filled thermokarst ponds in northern Québec, this result indicates that ponds are rapidly filling in with vegetation and acting as carbon sinks.","PeriodicalId":51030,"journal":{"name":"Ecoscience","volume":"28 1","pages":"269 - 282"},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2021-04-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1080/11956860.2021.1907975","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"42450659","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
EcosciencePub Date : 2021-04-21DOI: 10.1080/11956860.2021.1907976
S. Pellerin, M. Lavoie, J. Talbot
{"title":"Rapid Broadleave Encroachment in a Temperate Bog Induces Species Richness Increase and Compositional Turnover","authors":"S. Pellerin, M. Lavoie, J. Talbot","doi":"10.1080/11956860.2021.1907976","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/11956860.2021.1907976","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT Numerous temperate peatlands are currently experiencing an accelerated process of woody encroachment. Such encroachment may have harmful impacts on peatland biodiversity and functions. Our objective was to investigate the recent history of woody encroachment in a temperate bog using plant macrofossil, testate amoeba, aerial photograph analyses, and plant inventories. We also explored some plausible triggering drivers of the phenomenon and its impacts on plant richness, composition, and beta diversity. We showed that the recent woody encroachment was mainly associated with the native Betula populifolia and the exotic Frangula alnus. It began in the 1960s at the bog margins following a decrease in the water table and recurrent fire events, both likely associated with agricultural activities in the surrounding catchment. We found an increase in species richness with tree cover and basal area, but no effect of tree encroachment on beta diversity. Still, we found a significant compositional turnover from light-demanding bog specialists to terrestrial, exotic or ruderal species with tree basal area. It seems unlikely that the bog will naturally come back to its previous unforested state on a human life's timescale as the observed changes are related to regional factors rather than in situ disturbance.","PeriodicalId":51030,"journal":{"name":"Ecoscience","volume":"28 1","pages":"283 - 300"},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2021-04-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1080/11956860.2021.1907976","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"48809587","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
EcosciencePub Date : 2021-04-03DOI: 10.1080/11956860.2021.1916213
Carlos Campos-Vargas, Daniela Vargas-Sanabria
{"title":"Assessing the Probability of Wildfire Occurrences in a Neotropical Dry Forest","authors":"Carlos Campos-Vargas, Daniela Vargas-Sanabria","doi":"10.1080/11956860.2021.1916213","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/11956860.2021.1916213","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT In tropical dry forests, wildfires are likely to become a major disturbance as a result of anthropogenic pressures and dryer conditions due to climate warming. Based on remote sensing techniques, this paper assesses the probability of fires occurring in the dry region of the Guanacaste Conservation Area (GCA), northwestern Costa Rica, testing the roles as fire determinants of topography, early successional forest stages, between-area susceptibility, and accessibility to human (roads and trails). Probability of fire occurrence and fire danger were determined based on a machine learning algorithm. Fire occurrence model was inferred from burned areas and fire line density; while fire danger was inferred from the probability of fire occurrence, the proportion of burned areas, and the number of fires per area. Results indicate that the presence of early successional vegetation on flat lowlands highly accessible by roads and trails are key components of fire occurrence. Three of the six investigated sectors show high probability of fire occurrence and fire danger, indicating the spatial heterogeneity of fire risk in the landscape. The results could be useful for the management of the conservation area.","PeriodicalId":51030,"journal":{"name":"Ecoscience","volume":"28 1","pages":"159 - 169"},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2021-04-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1080/11956860.2021.1916213","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"48229988","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
EcosciencePub Date : 2021-04-03DOI: 10.1080/11956860.2021.1916216
M. R. Mohanta, R. Mohanty, S. C. Sahu
{"title":"Phenology and Regeneration Status of Terminalia tomentosa (Roxb.) Wight & Arn.: A Tropical Tree Species of Indian Forests","authors":"M. R. Mohanta, R. Mohanty, S. C. Sahu","doi":"10.1080/11956860.2021.1916216","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/11956860.2021.1916216","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT Terminalia tomentosa (Roxb.) Wight & Arn., an important tree species in the tropical forests of India, is often reported to have poor or no regeneration in many parts of the country. The present study was conducted to evaluate the population structure and regeneration status of the species in three different forest types of the Similipal Biosphere Reserve, along with phenological behaviours for two consecutive years. Leaf initiation was positively correlated with fruit senescence (r = 0.76, p < 0.01) and flower initiation (r = 0.63, p < 0.01). However, a negative correlation was found between leaf initiation (LF2) and leaf senescence (LF5) (r = –0.42, p < 0.05). Principal Component Analysis showed that maximum temperature and rainfall in a given month are the main factors for pre-monsoon events (leaf senescence and fruit senescence) and post-monsoon events (growth and maturation of leaves and fruits). The results also revealed that regeneration failure of T. tomentosa was not due to phenological intensity but possibly to wrong phenological timing of fruit maturation. This study on regeneration status and phenological information of T. tomentosa could help develop strategies for conservation and management of this tropical tree species in its natural ecosystem.","PeriodicalId":51030,"journal":{"name":"Ecoscience","volume":"28 1","pages":"171 - 183"},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2021-04-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1080/11956860.2021.1916216","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"47033520","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
EcosciencePub Date : 2021-03-25DOI: 10.1080/11956860.2021.1885803
Christina Frederick, C. Girard, Gary Wong, M. Lemire, Alexandra Langwieder, Marie-Claude Martin, P. Legagneux
{"title":"Communicating with Northerners on the Absence of SARS-CoV-2 in Migratory Snow Geese","authors":"Christina Frederick, C. Girard, Gary Wong, M. Lemire, Alexandra Langwieder, Marie-Claude Martin, P. Legagneux","doi":"10.1080/11956860.2021.1885803","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/11956860.2021.1885803","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT The COVID-19 pandemic has raised many concerns among Indigenous communities about virus transmission risks from wild food, particularly migratory birds. Snow geese contribute significantly to food security in Indigenous contexts, which is precarious in many communities. The risk to goose hunters is very unlikely as coronaviruses found in birds are from different genera than that of SARS-CoV -2, the etiologic agent responsible for COVID-19. Nevertheless, little is currently known about the host tropism range of SARS-CoV-2. To address the concerns raised by Northern communities, we captured 500 snow geese in May 2020 at their stopover along the St Lawrence estuary. We took oropharyngeal and cloacal samples before releasing the birds. All samples were tested for SARS-CoV-2 within one week and were found to be PCR-negative, allowing us to communicate rapidly with Northern communities. The current pandemic has shown that the importance of understanding animals as potential viral reservoirs, and that a better understanding of these viruses will better prepare us for future spillover events. This project demonstrates that researchers can be quickly and efficiently mobilized to respond to concerns from Indigenous communities.","PeriodicalId":51030,"journal":{"name":"Ecoscience","volume":"28 1","pages":"217 - 223"},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2021-03-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1080/11956860.2021.1885803","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"45340521","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
EcosciencePub Date : 2021-02-26DOI: 10.1080/11956860.2021.1888522
Franceli Macedo-Santan, Mayra Flores-Tolentino, R. Hernández-Guzmán
{"title":"Diversity Patterns of Palms in Mexico Using Species Distribution Models","authors":"Franceli Macedo-Santan, Mayra Flores-Tolentino, R. Hernández-Guzmán","doi":"10.1080/11956860.2021.1888522","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/11956860.2021.1888522","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT The family of palms (Arecaceae) comprises around 2,400 species distributed throughout the world, from which nearly 100 species have been reported to occur in Mexico. Given their importance and the lack of information about their distribution patterns in the country, we applied stacked species distribution models to estimate the current distribution patterns of palms in Mexico. Only 47 species had enough presence records for their modeling. About 50% of the models showed that Annual Precipitation had the greatest contribution to the potential distribution. From the species analyzed, 63% are distributed in the southeast of the country with Roystonea regia as the species with the greatest extent (367,550 km2) and Coccothrinax readii occupying the smaller potential distribution (9,850 km2). It was possible to identify regions of the country with high species richness and where the establishment of new natural protected areas would help to the conservation of palm trees in Mexico. The southeast of Mexico represents the highest richness (>10 species) with about 130,000 km2, and the central slope of the Mexican Pacific, a fragmented landscape with a medium potential distribution (>5 species). Our results represent an important step to guide the establishment of conservation areas for the family Arecaceae in Mexico.","PeriodicalId":51030,"journal":{"name":"Ecoscience","volume":"28 1","pages":"137 - 147"},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2021-02-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1080/11956860.2021.1888522","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"48497057","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
EcosciencePub Date : 2021-02-25DOI: 10.1080/11956860.2021.1885802
M. Bouchard, C. Hébert
{"title":"Habitat and Climate Influence Beetle and Spider Communities in Boreal Forests","authors":"M. Bouchard, C. Hébert","doi":"10.1080/11956860.2021.1885802","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/11956860.2021.1885802","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT Separating the influence of climate and habitat characteristics on forest communities could help better understand their potential sensitivity to environmental change. In this study, we sampled spiders and beetles in similar forest types, located along a ca. 4°C mean annual temperature spatial gradient in the boreal forest zone in Quebec, Canada. Specifically, we aimed to separate the effect on arthropod communities of two habitat-related factors that can be influenced by forest management (stand composition and stand age), and another one that cannot (climate). Overall, spider assemblages tended to be more abundant and species-rich in younger forest stands, while beetle assemblages were more abundant and species-rich in deciduous forest stands. Eight beetle and six spider species were significantly influenced by climate, independently from forest type, whereas 11 beetle and seven spider species were significantly influenced by both forest type and climate. While most of the beetle species affected by climate were associated with warmer locations, several spider species were more abundant in colder locations. By helping to ensure the retention of key forest types along potential dispersal pathways at the landscape level, forest management activities could help the conservation of species belonging to relatively cryptic taxa such as arthropods in a climate change context.","PeriodicalId":51030,"journal":{"name":"Ecoscience","volume":"28 1","pages":"115 - 126"},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2021-02-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1080/11956860.2021.1885802","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"43464115","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The Responses of Spinifex littoreus to Sand Burial on the Coastal Area of Pingtan Island, Fujian Province, South China","authors":"Shuang Song, Jianhui Du, Qirui Wu, Mingyang Ni, Yijia Wang, Yingling Zhang","doi":"10.1080/11956860.2021.1888523","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/11956860.2021.1888523","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT The adaptive capacity of psammophytes to sand burial is crucial for the ecological restoration of coastal dune systems. The responses of Spinifex littoreus to different sand burial depths and levels were examined on the coast of Pingtan Island, Fujian Province, South China. The results indicated that, compared with the control group (CG), sand burial on the S. littoreus stolons had no significant impact on the vertical growth of its conjoint ramets. However, the horizontal growth of S. littoreus stolons was stimulated and significantly increased in half-intense (HI) and complete-intense (CI) sand burial treatments by 24.56% and 40.79%, respectively. Throughout the experiment, about 96% of adventitious roots were observed on the base section of stolons, while no roots in the control group (CG). After 20-day artificial sand burial treatments, the dry weight ratio between stem and leaf of S. littoreus was decreased in all three sections of stolons, especially for the top sections. Overall, S. littoreus can adapt to the complete and intense sand burial in growing season by rapid growth of stolons, abundant production of adventitious roots on the stolon base, and more germination of leaves on the stolon top.","PeriodicalId":51030,"journal":{"name":"Ecoscience","volume":"28 1","pages":"149 - 158"},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2021-02-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1080/11956860.2021.1888523","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"44370020","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
EcosciencePub Date : 2021-02-16DOI: 10.1080/11956860.2021.1885804
Philip Bell-Doyon, S. Selva, Troy R. McMullin
{"title":"Calicioid Fungi and Lichens from an Unprotected Intact Forest Ecosystem in Québec","authors":"Philip Bell-Doyon, S. Selva, Troy R. McMullin","doi":"10.1080/11956860.2021.1885804","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/11956860.2021.1885804","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT Calicioid lichens and fungi form a diverse polyphyletic group whose species richness is often associated with old-growth forests and ecological continuity. One of the last intact forest landscapes south of the 50th parallel in Québec includes the Ya'nienhonhndeh territory, which has been the focus of a protected area project directed by the Huron-Wendat First Nation for more than ten years. To contribute to the characterization of its conservation value, we report the calicioids from the area. We identified 34 species in eight genera from 187 samples collected in old-growth stands of balsam fir, black spruce and yellow birch. Our four most remarkable discoveries are Chaenotheca nitidula Tibell (n = 11), Chaenothecopsis australis Tibell (n = 1), and C. tsugae Rikkinen (n = 2), which are reported for the first time from the province, as well as Sclerophora coniophaea (Norman) Mattsson & Middelb. (n = 18), which is rare in North America and was previously reported only once in Québec. As a result of this inventory, the Ya'nienhonhndeh is now the second richest area known for calicioids in Québec, after Parc national de la Gaspésie. We conclude that it is an ancient forest ecosystem whose conservation value is high based on its unique biodiversity, and that it warrants protection.","PeriodicalId":51030,"journal":{"name":"Ecoscience","volume":"28 1","pages":"127 - 136"},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2021-02-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1080/11956860.2021.1885804","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"44693853","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}