Ecological gradients driving the distribution of four Ericaceae in boreal Quebec, Canada. Issue 9 (9th April 2015)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Thiffault, Nelson; Grondin, Pierre; Noël, Jean; Poirier, Véronique
• Is Part Of: Ecology and evolution. Volume 5:Issue 9(2015:May)
• Page Start: 1837
• Page End: 1853
• Publication Date: 2015-04-09
• Subjects: Boreal forest -- Chamaedaphne calyculata -- ecological drivers -- Kalmia angustifolia -- landscape ecology -- redundancy analysis -- Rhododendron groenlandicum -- Vaccinium angustifolium -- Vaccinium myrtilloides; Ecology -- Periodicals; Evolution -- Periodicals; 577.05
• DOI: 10.1002/ece3.1476
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 2045-7758

Abstract

Abstract: Understory species play a significant role in forest ecosystem dynamics. As such, species of the Ericaceae family have a major effect on the regeneration of tree species in boreal ecosystems. It is thus imperative to understand the ecological gradients controlling their distribution and abundance, so that their impacts can be taken into account in sustainable forest management. Using innovative analytical techniques from landscape ecology, we aimed to position, along ecological gradients, four Ericaceae found in the boreal forest of Quebec (Canada) ( Rhododendron groenlandicum, Kalmia angustifolia, Chamaedaphne calyculata, and Vaccinium spp), to regionalize these species into landscape units relevant to forest management, and to estimate the relative importance of several ecological drivers (climate, disturbances, stand attributes, and physical environment) that control the species distribution and abundance. We conducted our study in boreal Quebec, over a study area covering 535, 355 km 2 . We used data from 15, 339 ecological survey plots and forest maps to characterize 1422 ecological districts covering the study region. We evaluated the relative proportion of each ericaceous species and explanatory variables at the district level. Vegetation and explanatory variables matrices were used to conduct redundancy, cluster, and variation partitioning analyses. We observed that ericaceous species are mainly distributed in the western part of the study area and each species has a distinct latitudinal and longitudinal gradient distribution. On the basis of these gradients, we delimited 10 homogeneous landscape units distinct in terms of ericaceous species abundance and environmental drivers. The distribution of the ericaceous species along ecological gradients is closely related to the overlaps between the four sets of explanatory variables considered. We conclude that the studied Ericaceae occupy specific positions along ecological gradients and possess a specific abundance and distribution controlled by the integration of multiple explanatory variables. Abstract : We wanted to verify if the large‐scale distribution of seemingly ubiquitous understory ericaceous species is rather heterogeneous and driven by interactions between forest stands, physical environment, disturbances and climatic variables. Using data from ecological survey plots distributed over 535, 355 km 2, we used numerical ecology to position, along ecological gradients, four ericaceous species of the boreal forest of Quebec (Canada). We then regionalised these ericaceous species into homogeneous landscape units, and estimated the relative importance of the ecological drivers (climate, disturbances, physical environment, tree cover) that control the species distribution and abundance.