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Life Sciences Commons

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Utah State University

Wildland Resources Faculty Publications

Series

2019

Populus tremuloides

Articles 1 - 2 of 2

Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences

Decline Of An Ecotone Forest: 50 Years Of Demography In The Southern Boreal Forest, Joseph D. Birch, James A. Lutz, E. H. Hogg, Suzanne W. Simard, Rick Pelletier, George H. Laroi, Justine Karst Apr 2019

Decline Of An Ecotone Forest: 50 Years Of Demography In The Southern Boreal Forest, Joseph D. Birch, James A. Lutz, E. H. Hogg, Suzanne W. Simard, Rick Pelletier, George H. Laroi, Justine Karst

Wildland Resources Faculty Publications

Variation in tree recruitment, mortality, and growth can alter forest community composition and structure. Because tree recruitment and mortality events are generally infrequent, long‐time scales are needed to confirm trends in forests. We performed a 50‐yr demographic census of a forest plot located on the southern edge of the Canadian boreal forest, a region currently experiencing forest die‐back in response to direct and indirect effects of recent severe droughts. Here, we show that over the last 30 yr biomass, basal area, growth, and recruitment have decreased along with a precipitous rise in mortality across the dominant tree species. The stand …


Genetic And Spatial Structuring Of Populus Tremuloides In A Mixed-Species Forest Of Southwestern Utah, Usa, Matthew Bishop, Tucker J. Furniss, Karen E. Mock, Jim A. Lutz Apr 2019

Genetic And Spatial Structuring Of Populus Tremuloides In A Mixed-Species Forest Of Southwestern Utah, Usa, Matthew Bishop, Tucker J. Furniss, Karen E. Mock, Jim A. Lutz

Wildland Resources Faculty Publications

Populus tremuloides Michx. (aspen) is an iconic species of the southwestern United States, where it is known for its extensive clonality. The size of clones and pattern of clonal distribution within and among stands can provide important clues to the species' evolution and ecology, but there are very few studies that have conducted the type of sampling necessary to define these features. We examined the genetic composition and habitat associations of aspen in a mixed-species forest in Cedar Breaks National Monument on the Markagunt Plateau, southwestern Utah. Genetic analysis of 94 stems ≥1 cm diameter at breast height (dbh) selected …