Changes in structure and composition of maple–beech stands following sugar maple decline in Québec, Canada

Duchesne, Louis; Ouimet, Rock; Moore, Jean-David; Paquin, Raynald

doi:10.1016/j.foreco.2004.12.003

Cited by 69 publications

(65 citation statements)

References 44 publications

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“…Moreover, the Portneuf region was not hit by the ice storm, but still showed the same 1990s increase in release frequency. A third potential cause of the U-shaped pattern that can be ruled out is the inXuence of beech bark disease (Krasny and DiGregorio 2001); the disease has not yet signiWcantly impacted Quebec's deciduous forests (Duchesne et al 2005). Finally, the U-shaped pattern of release frequency was not related to the decline episode that aVected southern Quebec forests during the 1980s (Payette et al 1996), since the 1980s correspond in our record to the period with the lowest frequency of release.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 74%

“…Our results suggest that large-scale temporal variations in canopy gap dynamics could at least partly explain the recent increase in FGR in the understory of eastern North American temperate deciduous forests (Duchesne et al 2005;Gravel 2007). FGR may have had a more favorable response than ASA to the rising frequency of release during 1990-2000.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 75%

“…FGR may have had a more favorable response than ASA to the rising frequency of release during 1990-2000. Increased FGR growth during this period likely allowed a rapid transition from the seedling to the sapling stage, a possible explanation for the doubling of FGR sapling density recorded in the last ten years in the Quebec forest inventory data (Gravel 2007) and reported by Duchesne et al (2005). The decreased ASA abundance at sites which had few release events during 1975-1985 is similar to the phenomenon observed in an old-growth forest in Quebec where extended periods of low light conditions resulted in a recruitment failure of ASA in the sapling layer, despite extremely high densities of ASA seedlings (Beaudet et al 1999).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 91%

“…In the case of ASA and FGR, short-and long-term changes in their relative abundance have been reported in both managed and old-growth forests, some in favor of ASA (e.g., Runkle 1990;Fain et al 1994;Poulson and Platt, 1996), and others in favor of FGR (e.g., Brisson et al 1994;Woods 2000;Duchesne et al 2005). These changes have been attributed to site-level and exogenous temporal variations in canopy gap dynamics (Poulson and Platt 1996;Beaudet et al 1999).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…These changes have been attributed to site-level and exogenous temporal variations in canopy gap dynamics (Poulson and Platt 1996;Beaudet et al 1999). Numerous reports over the last few decades have indicated an unexpected increase in the abundance of FGR saplings relative to sugar maple in various regions of the ranges of these species (Ostrofsky and McCormack 1986;Schwarcz et al 2001;Forrester et al 2003;Hane 2003;Duchesne et al 2005). While changes in soil properties have been hypothesized to be responsible for changes in the recruitment dynamics of ASA and FGR at some sites (Kobe et al 2002;Lovett and Mitchell 2004;Duchesne et al 2005), this hypothesis was not supported by Gravel et al (unpublished manuscript) for these same study sites.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Large-scale synchrony of gap dynamics and the distribution of understory tree species in maple–beech forests

2009

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Large-scale synchronous variations in community dynamics are well documented for a vast array of organisms, but are considerably less understood for forest trees. Because of temporal variations in canopy gap dynamics, forest communities-even old-growth ones-are never at equilibrium at the stand scale. This paucity of equilibrium may also be true at the regional scale. Our objectives were to determine (1) if nonequilibrium dynamics caused by temporal variations in the formation of canopy gaps are regionally synchronized, and (2) if spatiotemporal variations in canopy gap formation aVect the relative abundance of tree species in the understory. We examined these questions by analyzing variations in the suppression and release history of Acer saccharum Marsh. and Fagus grandifolia Ehrh. from 481 growth series of understory saplings taken from 34 mature stands. We observed that (1) the proportion of stems in release as a function of time exhibited a U-shaped pattern over the last 35 years, with the lowest levels occurring during 1975-1985, and that (2) the response to this in terms of species composition was that A. saccharum became more abundant at sites that had the highest proportion of stems in release during [1975][1976][1977][1978][1979][1980][1981][1982][1983][1984][1985]. We concluded that the understory dynamics, typically thought of as a stand-scale process, may be regionally synchronized.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 74%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 75%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 91%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Large-scale synchrony of gap dynamics and the distribution of understory tree species in maple–beech forests

2009

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Increased tree water use with the development of a dense understory layer in a North American hardwood forest

Rasoanaivo,

Mekontchou,

Rochon

et al. 2024

Ecohydrology

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The formation of a single species, recalcitrant understory vegetation layer can limit tree regeneration and, in the long term, modify the composition of forests. Few studies have investigated how recalcitrant vegetation influences competition for water resources although the formation of a dense understory is likely to modify the forest water balance. In eastern North American hardwood forests, the development of a dense understory layer of American beech (Fagus grandifolia) has been observed in stands dominated by sugar maple (Acer saccharum), a phenomenon that shares many characteristics associated with recalcitrant vegetation. Given that water availability is generally negatively correlated with stand density, we hypothesized that the formation of a dense understory beech layer increased competition for water resources, thus leading to reduced water use by sugar maple trees in beech‐dominated stands. Using thermal dissipation sensors, we measured sap flux density (Fd) of two sugar maple trees at three beech‐dominated sites and three control sites. During the growing season, Fd of sugar maple trees was significantly larger at beech‐dominated sites compared to control sites, indicating a greater rate of water use by sugar maples in stands with a dense understory beech layer. We provide two hypotheses to explain our results at the tree scale: (i) reduced cover by forest floor vegetation could limit transpiration by this layer, thus allowing increased water availability to supply transpiration by overstory trees, or (ii) increased tree transpiration rate could be a mechanism to satisfy nutrient requirements in beech‐dominated stands often associated with lower soil fertility.

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Mechanisms of nitrogen deposition effects on temperate forest lichens and trees

et al. 2017

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Abstract. We review the mechanisms of deleterious nitrogen (N) deposition impacts on temperate forests, with a particular focus on trees and lichens. Elevated anthropogenic N deposition to forests has varied effects on individual organisms depending on characteristics both of the N inputs (form, timing, amount) and of the organisms (ecology, physiology) involved. Improved mechanistic knowledge of these effects can aid in developing robust predictions of how organisms respond to either increases or decreases in N deposition. Rising N levels affect forests in micro-and macroscopic ways from physiological responses at the cellular, tissue, and organism levels to influencing individual species and entire communities and ecosystems. A synthesis of these processes forms the basis for the overarching themes of this paper, which focuses on N effects at different levels of biological organization in temperate forests. For lichens, the mechanisms of direct effects of N are relatively well known at cellular, organismal, and community levels, though interactions of N with other stressors merit further research. For trees, effects of N deposition are better understood for N as an acidifying agent than as a nutrient; in both cases, the impacts can reflect direct effects on short time scales and indirect effects mediated through long-term soil and belowground changes. There are many gaps on fundamental N use and cycling in ecosystems, and we highlight the most critical gaps for understanding potential deleterious effects of N deposition. For lichens, these gaps include both how N affects specific metabolic pathways and how N is metabolized. For trees, these gaps include understanding the direct effects of N deposition onto forest canopies, the sensitivity of different tree species and mycorrhizal symbionts to N, the influence of soil properties, and the reversibility of N and acidification effects on plants and soils. Continued study of how these N response mechanisms interact with one another, and with other dimensions of global change, remains essential for predicting ongoing changes in lichen and tree populations across North American temperate forests.

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Changes in structure and composition of maple–beech stands following sugar maple decline in Québec, Canada

Cited by 69 publications

References 44 publications

Large-scale synchrony of gap dynamics and the distribution of understory tree species in maple–beech forests

Large-scale synchrony of gap dynamics and the distribution of understory tree species in maple–beech forests

Increased tree water use with the development of a dense understory layer in a North American hardwood forest

Mechanisms of nitrogen deposition effects on temperate forest lichens and trees

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