The vascular flora of Terra Nova National Park, Newfoundland, Canada: a biodiversity analysis from a biogeographical and life form perspective

Charest, René; Brouillet, Luc; Bouchard, André; Hay, Stuart G.

doi:10.1139/cjb-78-5-629

Cited by 4 publications

(1 citation statement)

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“…, 1997). The fourth‐corner method tests for the association between biological traits to habitat at locations where the corresponding species are found, a common issue in community ecology, although it has seldom been used in vegetation studies (but see Charest et al. , 2000).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Floristic patterns and plant traits of Mediterranean communities in fragmented habitats

Chust

Pérez‐Haase²,

Chave

et al. 2006

Journal of Biogeography

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Unveiling the processes that determine the spatial distribution of species is a central goal for community ecology and biogeography. Hubbell (1997Hubbell ( , 2001 suggested that the dispersal history of biological assemblages, rather than habitat specialization, provides the main explanation for spatial variation. Neutral theory predicts that among-site floristic similarity (beta-diversity or commonality) should decrease logarithmically with increasing geographical distance because ABSTRACT Aim To contrast floristic spatial patterns and the importance of habitat fragmentation in two plant communities (grassland and scrubland) in the context of ecological succession. We ask whether plant assemblages are affected by habitat fragmentation and, if so, at what spatial scale? Does the relative importance of the niche differentiation and dispersal-limitation mechanisms change throughout secondary succession? Is the dispersal-limitation mechanism related to plant functional traits?Location A Mediterranean region, the massif of Albera (Spain).Methods Using a SPOT satellite image to describe the landscape, we tested the effect of habitat fragmentation on species composition, determining the spatial scale of the assemblage response. We then assessed the relative importance of dispersal-related factors (habitat fragmentation and geographical distance) and environmental constraints (climate-related variables) influencing species similarity. We tested the association between dispersal-related factors and plant traits (dispersal mode and life form). ResultsIn both community types, plant composition was partially affected by the surrounding vegetation. In scrublands, animal-dispersed and woody plants were abundant in landscapes dominated by closed forests, whereas winddispersed annual herbs were poorly represented in those landscapes. Scrubby assemblages were more dependent on geographical distance, habitat fragmentation and climate conditions (temperature, rainfall and solar radiation); grasslands were described only by habitat fragmentation and rainfall. Plant traits did not explain variation in spatial structuring of assemblages.Main conclusions Plant establishment in early Mediterranean communities may be driven primarily by migration from neighbouring established communities, whereas the importance of habitat specialization and community drift increases over time. Plant life forms and dispersal modes did not explain the spatial variation of species distribution, but species richness within the community with differing plant traits was affected by habitat patchiness.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Floristic patterns and plant traits of Mediterranean communities in fragmented habitats

Chust

Pérez‐Haase²,

Chave

et al. 2006

Journal of Biogeography

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The extent of the North American boreal zone

2009

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The circumpolar boreal zone is one of the world’s major biogeoclimatic zones, covering much of North America and Eurasia with forests, woodlands, wetlands, and lakes. It regulates climate, acts as a reservoir for biological and genetic diversity, plays a key role in biogeochemical cycles, and provides renewable resources, habitat, and recreational opportunities. Poor agreement exists amongst scientists regarding this zone’s delimitation and the areal extent of boreal forests, even though the zone has been well-studied. This paper reviews the literature on the phytogeography of the zone and makes use of a geographic information system (GIS) and published maps to delineate a current map of the North American boreal zone and the hemiboreal subzone, which is a transitional area lying immediately to the south of the boreal zone that is usually included in the boreal zone by Europeans but excluded by North Americans. On the basis of the map described here, the boreal zone covers about 627 million ha, or 29% of the North American continent north of Mexico. If the hemiboreal subzone, at 116 million ha, is included, then 34% of the same area is covered. Forests and other wooded land (362 million ha) cover 58% of the North American boreal zone on the basis of current forest inventory data. With forests and other wooded land of the hemiboreal subzone (68 million ha) factored in, this percentage remains basically unchanged. Values reported in this paper are compared with other published statistics. Important sources of error contributing to differences in areal statistics are discussed.

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Plant diversity, composition, and rarity in the southern boreal peatlands of Manitoba, Canada

Locky

Bayley

2006

Can. J. Bot.

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Plant diversity and rarity have been relatively well studied for bryophytes in Canadian western boreal peatlands, but little information exists for vascular plants. Diversity, community composition, and rarity of bryophytes and vascular plants were determined and relationships examined among these and environmental variables in five peatland types at Duck Mountain, Manitoba: wooded bogs, black spruce swamps, wooded moderate-rich fens, open moderate-rich fens, and open extreme-rich fens. Total diversity was 298 species comprising 86 bryophytes and 212 vascular plants. Mean diversity followed a unimodal distribution over a bog – rich fen gradient. Wooded moderate-rich fens (59.0) and black spruce swamps (53.4) had the highest mean diversity, whereas wooded bogs (32.3) and open extreme-rich fens (34.7) had the lowest mean diversity. Occurrences of locally rare species followed the same general pattern, and provincially rare vascular plants were found primarily in wooded moderate-rich fens and black spruce swamps and were mostly orchids. Reasons for these patterns are complex, but high diversity appears to be related to high habitat heterogeneity and moderate environmental variables, e.g., pH and alkalinity, and low diversity appears to be related to environmental extremes, e.g., pH and alkalinity. Boreal wooded moderate-rich fens and black spruce swamps have comparatively high plant diversity and rarity and require consideration if the focus is biodiversity conservation. This will become increasingly important in landscapes where development pressures are high.

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The vascular flora of Terra Nova National Park, Newfoundland, Canada: a biodiversity analysis from a biogeographical and life form perspective

Cited by 4 publications

References 0 publications

Floristic patterns and plant traits of Mediterranean communities in fragmented habitats

Floristic patterns and plant traits of Mediterranean communities in fragmented habitats

The extent of the North American boreal zone

Plant diversity, composition, and rarity in the southern boreal peatlands of Manitoba, Canada

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