Patterns of shrub abundance and relationships with other plant types within the forest–tundra ecotone in northern Canada

Throughout the forest–tundra ecotone where trees and tall shrubs are becoming more abundant, knowledge of associations between shrubs and surrounding vegetation could inform predictions of their changing relationships. We assessed shrubs in 1 m × 1 m contiguous quadrats along two ∼450 m transects ac...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Arctic science 2018-12, Vol.4 (4), p.691-709
Main Authors: Harper, Karen A., Lavallee, Amanda A., Dodonov, Pavel
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Biodiversity
Bivariate analysis
Climate change
Configurations
Correlation
Forbs
forest–tundra ecotone
Habitat selection
Height
heterogeneous landscapes
Lake shores
Lichens
Microtopography
Plants
Rayon
shrub expansion
Shrubs
Soil chemistry
Soil pH
spatial pattern
Taiga & tundra
Trees
Tundra
Vegetation
Wavelet analysis
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Summary:Throughout the forest–tundra ecotone where trees and tall shrubs are becoming more abundant, knowledge of associations between shrubs and surrounding vegetation could inform predictions of their changing relationships. We assessed shrubs in 1 m × 1 m contiguous quadrats along two ∼450 m transects across tundra and ecotone landscapes near Churchill, Canada to determine patterns in relation to lakeshore edges, soil pH, microtopography, and other plant groups. We used wavelet analysis to assess patterns and generalized least squares for relationships with environmental variables. Shrubs were taller and more diverse at edges, particularly in tundra. The ecotone was more complex than tundra with greater variation in tall shrub and tree cover, shrub height, and microtopography. Shrub richness was positively correlated with microtopography but exhibited no relationship with pH. Bivariate relationships of shrubs with other plant groups varied for different scales. In tundra, shrub richness was negatively correlated with graminoids, forbs, and moss, but positively correlated with lichens within 1 m; opposite relationships were found at 4–60 m scales. Relationships in the ecotone were reversed and more complex at different scales. As trees encroach in the tundra, the spatial pattern of shrubs will become more complex at a variety of scales, likely with cascading effects on other plant types.
ISSN:2368-7460
2368-7460
DOI:10.1139/as-2017-0028