by Claire Morin | 5 March 2019
Published in Quaternary Research: 91(2): 650-664 https://doi.org/10.1017/qua.2018.101
Paludification is the most common process of peatland formation in boreal regions. In this study, we investigated the autogenic (e.g., topography) and allogenic (fire and climate) factors triggering paludification in different geomorphological contexts (glaciolacustrine silty-clayey and fluvioglacial deposits) within the Québec black spruce (Picea mariana)-moss boreal forest. Paleoecological analyses were conducted along three toposequences varying from a forest on mineral soil to forested and semi-open peatlands. Plant macrofossil and charcoal analyses were performed on basal peat sections (less than or equal to 50 cm) and thick forest humus (less than 40 cm) to reconstruct local vegetation dynamics and fire history involved in the paludification process. Results show that primary paludification started in small topographic depressions after land emergence ca. 8000 cal yr BP within rich fens. Lateral peatland expansion and secondary paludification into adjacent forests occurred between ca. 5100 and 2300 cal yr BP and resulted from low-severity fires during a climatic deterioration. Fires that reduced or eliminated entirely the organic layer promoted the establishment of Sphagnum in microdepressions. Paludification resulted in the decline of some coniferous species such as Abies balsamea and Pinus banksiana. The paleoecological approach along toposequences allowed us to understand the spatiotemporal dynamics of paludification and its impacts on the vegetation dynamics over the Holocene.
by Claire Morin | 1 March 2019
Published in Environmental Science and Technology 49(22): 13103-13111. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.5b02904
Decreasing trends in acidic deposition levels over the past several decades have led to partial chemical recovery of surface waters. However, depletion of soil Ca from acidic deposition has slowed surface water recovery and led to the impairment of both aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. Nevertheless, documentation of acidic deposition effects on soils has been limited, and little is known regarding soil responses to ongoing acidic deposition decreases. In this study, resampling of soils in eastern Canada and the northeastern U.S. was done at 27 sites exposed to reductions in wet SO42− deposition of 5.7−76%, over intervals of 8−24 y. Decreases of exchangeable Al in the O horizon and increases in pH in the O and B horizons were seen at most sites. Among all sites, reductions in SO42− deposition were positively correlated with ratios (final sampling/initial sampling) of base saturation (P < 0.01) and negatively correlated with exchangeable Al ratios (P < 0.05) in the O horizon. However, base saturation in the B horizon decreased at one-third of the sites, with no increases. These results are unique in showing that the effects of acidic deposition on North American soils have begun to reverse.
by Claire Morin | 22 February 2019
Published in Remote Sensing 11(3): 273. https://doi.org/10.3390/rs11030273
Solar induced chlorophyll fluorescence has been shown to be increasingly an useful proxy for the estimation of gross primary productivity (GPP), at a range of spatial scales. Here, we explore the seasonality in a continuous time series of canopy solar induced fluorescence (hereafter SiF) and its relation to canopy gross primary production (GPP), canopy light use efficiency (LUE), and direct estimates of leaf level photochemical efficiency in an evergreen canopy. SiF was calculated using infilling in two bands from the incoming and reflected radiance using a pair of Ocean Optics USB2000+ spectrometers operated in a dual field of view mode, sampling at a 30 min time step using custom written automated software, from early spring through until autumn in 2011. The optical system was mounted on a tower of 18 m height adjacent to an eddy covariance system, to observe a boreal forest ecosystem dominated by Scots pine. (Pinus sylvestris) AWalz MONITORING-PAM, multi fluorimeter system, was simultaneously mounted within the canopy adjacent to the footprint sampled by the optical system. Following correction of the SiF data for O2 and structural effects, SiF, SiF yield, LUE, the photochemicsl reflectance index (PRI), and the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) exhibited a seasonal pattern that followed GPP sampled by the eddy covariance system. Due to the complexities of solar azimuth and zenith angle (SZA) over the season on the SiF signal, correlations between SiF, SiF yield, GPP, and LUE were assessed on SZA <50° and under strictly clear sky conditions. Correlations found, even under these screened scenarios, resulted around ~r2 = 0.3. The diurnal responses of SiF, SiF yield, PAM estimates of effective quantum yield (ΔF/Fm’), and meteorological parameters demonstrated some agreement over the diurnal cycle. The challenges inherent in SiF retrievals in boreal evergreen ecosystems are discussed.
by Marie-Claude Boileau | 22 February 2019
Published in BMC Genomics 19(1): 942. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12864-018-5247-z
Background Norway spruce [Picea abies (L.) Karst.] is ecologically and economically one of the most important conifer worldwide. Our main goal was to develop a large catalog of annotated high confidence gene SNPs that should sustain the development of genomic tools for the conservation of natural and domesticated genetic diversity resources, and hasten tree breeding efforts in this species.
Results Targeted sequencing was achieved by capturing P. abies exome with probes previously designed from the sequenced transcriptome of white spruce (Picea glauca (Moench) Voss). Capture efficiency was high (74.5%) given a high level of exome conservation between the two species. Using stringent criteria, we delimited a set of 61,771 high-confidence SNPs across 13,543 genes. To validate SNPs, a high-throughput genotyping array was developed for a subset of 5571 predicted SNPs representing as many different gene loci, and was used to genotype over 1000 trees. The estimated true positive rate of the resource was 84.2%, which was comparable with the genotyping success rate obtained for P. abies control SNPs recycled from previous genotyping efforts. We also analyzed SNP abundance across various gene functional categories. Several GO terms and gene families involved in stress response were found over-represented in highly polymorphic genes.
Conclusion The annotated high-confidence SNP catalog developed herein represents a valuable genomic resource, being representative of over 13 K genes distributed across the P. abies genome. This resource should serve a variety of population genomics and breeding applications in Norway spruce.
by equipewp | 22 February 2019
Published in Reforesta 6: 60-70. https://dx.doi.org/10.21750/REFOR.6.05.58. Stock types used in reforestation projects can influence plantation success, as they determine the morphological attributes of the planted seedlings. They can also interact with silviculture treatments to influence early seedling survival and growth. As nurseries develop and produce new stock types in response to -and in interaction with- manager needs, research efforts must be pursued to validate early seedling performance and long-term growth and yields. In this context, we aimed to evaluate the main and interactive effects of mechanical site preparation and stock type on planted black (<i>Picea mariana</i> [Mill.] BSP) and white spruce (<i>P. glauca</i> [Moench.] Voss) seedling dimensions at 16-y, and estimate the long-term impact of stock type on the merchantable volume at rotation age for white spruce. We hence compared medium (200 cm<sup>3</sup> root plug) and large (350 cm<sup>3</sup> root plug) containerized seedlings, as well as large bare-root seedlings of both species, in a field experiment established in Quebec (Canada), where there is a ban on the use of chemical herbicides for vegetation management treatments. Our results confirm that there is a significant, although limited impact of stock type on the size of black and white spruce at the juvenile stage, when medium and large stock types are compared, but that these small differences have a negligible effect on the estimated merchantable volume produced at rotation age (60 years). Mechanical site preparation does not promote seedling growth on these rich sites with thin humus. Therefore, selection of a medium or larger stock type for reforestation projects and application of mechanical site preparation in ecosystems similar to the one studied here should be based on other considerations than growth and yield, such as seedling availability, production and planting costs, or operational constraints.
