Black spruce (Picea mariana) seed availability and viability in boreal forests after large wildfires - Archive ouverte HAL Accéder directement au contenu
Article Dans Une Revue Annals of Forest Science Année : 2023

Black spruce (Picea mariana) seed availability and viability in boreal forests after large wildfires

Kirsten A. Reid
Nicola J. Day
Raquel Alfaro-Sánchez
Jill F. Johnstone
Steven G. Cumming
Michelle C. Mack
Merritt R. Turetsky
Xanthe J. Walker
Jennifer L. Baltzer
Connectez-vous pour contacter l'auteur

Résumé

AbstractKey messageBlack spruce (Picea mariana (Mill.) B.S.P.) has historically self-replaced following wildfire, but recent evidence suggests that this is changing. One factor could be negative impacts of intensifying fire activity on black spruce seed rain. We investigated this by measuring black spruce seed rain and seedling establishment. Our results suggest that increases in fire activity could reduce seed rain meaning reductions in black spruce establishment.ContextBlack spruce is an important conifer in boreal North America that develops a semi-serotinous, aerial seedbank and releases a pulse of seeds after fire. Variation in postfire seed rain has important consequences for black spruce regeneration and stand composition.AimsWe explore the possible effects of changes in fire regime on the abundance and viability of black spruce seeds following a very large wildfire season in the Northwest Territories, Canada (NWT).MethodsWe measured postfire seed rain over 2 years at 25 black spruce-dominated sites and evaluated drivers of stand characteristics and environmental conditions on total black spruce seed rain and viability.ResultsWe found a positive relationship between black spruce basal area and total seed rain. However, at high basal areas, this increasing rate of seed rain was not maintained. Viable seed rain was greater in stands that were older, closer to unburned edges, and where canopy combustion was less severe. Finally, we demonstrated positive relationships between seed rain and seedling establishment, confirming our measures of seed rain were key drivers of postfire forest regeneration.ConclusionThese results indicate that projected increases in fire activity will reduce levels of black spruce recruitment following fire.
Fichier principal
Vignette du fichier
13595_2022_Article_1166.pdf (2.3 Mo) Télécharger le fichier
Origine : Publication financée par une institution

Dates et versions

hal-04423016 , version 1 (29-01-2024)

Identifiants

Citer

Kirsten A. Reid, Nicola J. Day, Raquel Alfaro-Sánchez, Jill F. Johnstone, Steven G. Cumming, et al.. Black spruce (Picea mariana) seed availability and viability in boreal forests after large wildfires. Annals of Forest Science, 2023, 80 (1), pp.4. ⟨10.1186/s13595-022-01166-4⟩. ⟨hal-04423016⟩
9 Consultations
1 Téléchargements

Altmetric

Partager

Gmail Facebook X LinkedIn More