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Spatial pattern of the shrub layer across Churchill Manitoba landscapes

Metadata

File Identifier: 12103_iso.xml
Metadata Language: eng; CAN
: utf8
Resource Type: Dataset
Responsible Party: Individual Name: Polar Data Catalogue Organisation Name: Canadian Cryospheric Information Network Role: Point Of Contact Contact Info: Voice: (519) 888-4567 x32689 Street Address: 200 University Avenue West, University of Waterloo City: Waterloo Province/State: Ontario Postal Code/ZIP: N2L 3G1 Country: Canada E-Mail Address: pdc@uwaterloo.ca
Metadata Date: 2015-03-17
Metadata Standard Name: North American Profile of ISO 19115:2003
Metadata Standard Version: 2009-01-01

Data Identification

Abstract: Context: Shrubs provide important habitat throughout arctic landscapes. Taller shrubs are expanding and changing habitat conditions, yet fine-scale patterns of shrubs are not well-known. Objectives: We determined the pattern of shrubs across tundra and forest-tundra ecotone landscapes. We related shrub patterns to environmental variables. Methods: Data were collected in 1x1 m contiguous quadrats along two ~500 m transects across tundra and ecotone near Churchill, Canada. We recorded the cover and height of shrubs, and sampled soil pH and microtopography. We used wavelet analysis to determine locations of patches and to assess relationships between shrubs and trees. Results: The shrub layer was more diverse and taller at lakeshore edges. Large shrub patches were distributed relatively uniformly throughout the tundra. The ecotone had a more complex vegetation structure with greater variation in tall shrub and tree cover, shrub height, and microtopography. Patches of individual species partly depended on height, and were more congregated in the ecotone. Shrub richness and some species were positively correlated with microtopography and pH to a lesser extent, and with tall shrubs in the tundra and trees in the ecotone, but negatively correlated with taller vegetation at fine scales. Conclusions: Proximity to edges of water bodies, microtopography, and correlations with trees or tall shrubs explained the patterns of shrubs across tundra and forest-tundra ecotone landscapes. With climate warming, shrub richness and heterogeneity may first increase, but then decrease as tall shrubs and trees dominate.
Purpose: We focused on the spatial pattern of the shrub layer across two subarctic landscapes in central Canada: arctic tundra and forest-tundra ecotone. We examined environmental factors that influence the spatial pattern of shrubs on a landscape level. We addressed three research questions: (1) Are there distinct patterns of shrub species richness at transition zones or edges? (2) What is the spatial pattern of shrub species throughout arctic tundra and forest-tundra ecotone landscapes? (3) How do existing landscape features and sampled explanatory variables relate to the spatial pattern of shrubs? Understanding the spatial pattern of the shrub layer will be useful for inferring relationships between shrub distributions and environmental factors that facilitate shrub growth.
Language: eng; CAN
Citation:
Contact Info: Title: Spatial pattern of the shrub layer across Churchill Manitoba landscapes Date: Date: 2015-03-17 Date Type: Publication Date Individual Name: Harper, Karen Role: Principal Investigator Individual Name: Lavallee, Amanda Role: Individual Name: Dodonov, Pavel Role:
Point Of Contact:
Individual Name: Polar Data Catalogue Organisation Name: Canadian Cryospheric Information Network Role: Point Of Contact Contact Info: Voice: (519) 888-4567 x32689 Street Address: 200 University Avenue West, University of Waterloo City: Waterloo Province/State: Ontario Postal Code/ZIP: N2L 3G1 Country: Canada E-Mail Address: pdc@uwaterloo.ca Online Resource: polardata.ca
Topic Category: Environment and Conservation
Keyword Collection:
Keyword: Forest-tundra Keyword: Manitoba Keyword: Shrubification Keyword: Shrubs Keyword: Spatial data Keyword: Spatial Distribution Keyword: Transect Keyword: Tundra Associated Thesaurus: Polar Data Catalogue Thesaurus (Canada) Keyword: Churchill, Manitoba, Canada
Spatial Extent:
West Bounding Longitude: -93.5 East Bounding Longitude: -93.47 North Bounding Latitude: 58.43 South Bounding Latitude: 58.43
Legal Constraints:
Access Constraints: Other Restrictions Use Constraints: Other Restrictions Other Constraints: Terms of Use of the Polar Data Catalogue: https://www.polardata.ca/pdcinput/public/termsofuse

Distribution

Distribution Format:
Format Name: Digital file Format Version: 1.0
Distributor:
Distributor Contact: Individual Name: Polar Data Catalogue Organisation Name: Canadian Cryospheric Information Network Role: Distributor Contact Info: Voice: (519) 888-4567 x32689 Street Address: 200 University Avenue West, University of Waterloo City: Waterloo Province/State: Ontario Postal Code/ZIP: N2L 3G1 Country: Canada E-Mail Address: pdc@uwaterloo.ca

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