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Climate change

Michigan Technological University

Plant Sciences

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Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences

Common Garden Study Reveals Frost-Tolerant, Generalist Northern Seed Sources Are Best Suited To Expand Range Of Quercus Rubra, Emily Lindback Jan 2022

Common Garden Study Reveals Frost-Tolerant, Generalist Northern Seed Sources Are Best Suited To Expand Range Of Quercus Rubra, Emily Lindback

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Climate change is shifting the potential suitable range of northern red oak (Quercus rubra L.) faster than it can migrate, creating an adaptation lag. Quercus rubra is prominent in eastern North American forests and important for its carbon sequestration, ecological roles, and economic significance. Our study addresses which populations of Q. rubra are best suited for climatic conditions at the northern and central range limits. Our findings can inform forestry management policies such as assisted migration, where species are transferred within their native range to mitigate the effects of climate change. We planted over 800 Q. rubra seedlings …


Biogeochemical Response To Vegetation And Hydrologic Change In An Alaskan Boreal Fen Ecosystem, Danielle L. Rupp Jan 2019

Biogeochemical Response To Vegetation And Hydrologic Change In An Alaskan Boreal Fen Ecosystem, Danielle L. Rupp

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Boreal peatlands store approximately one third of the earth’s terrestrial carbon, locked away in currently waterlogged and frozen conditions. Peatlands of boreal and arctic ecosystems are affected increasingly by shifting hydrology caused by climate change. The consequences of these relatively rapid ecosystem changes on carbon cycling between the landscape and the atmosphere could provide an amplifying feedback to climate warming. Alternatively, the advancement of terrestrial vegetation into once waterlogged soils could uptake carbon as a sink. Previous work suggests that fens will become an increasingly dominant landscape feature in the boreal. However, studies investigating fens, their response to hydrologic and …


Effects Of In-Situ Leaf-Level Canopy Warming In A Northern Hardwood Forest, Kelsey Carter Jan 2017

Effects Of In-Situ Leaf-Level Canopy Warming In A Northern Hardwood Forest, Kelsey Carter

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Rising mean annual temperatures due to climate change have intensified the need to understand the effects of warming on plant physiological processes. Forest photosynthesis is the most important pathways of terrestrial carbon sequestration, yet continued warming could reduce this important carbon sink. Photosynthesis is highly sensitive to temperature and begins to decline after an optimum temperature (Topt) is reached, leading to reduced carbon uptake. To date, logistical difficulties have limited our ability to test photosynthetic responses to sustained warming in mature forest canopies. In order to understand how elevated temperatures will affect forest ecosystems, we need to be …


Instantaneous Photosynthetic Response To Temperature Of Mature Forest Canopies And Experimentally Warmed Seedlings, Alida C. Mau Jan 2015

Instantaneous Photosynthetic Response To Temperature Of Mature Forest Canopies And Experimentally Warmed Seedlings, Alida C. Mau

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports - Open

Tropical trees have been shown to be more susceptible to warming compared to temperate species, and have shown growth and photosynthetic declines at elevated temperatures as little as 3oC above ambient. However, regional and global vegetation models lack the data needed to accurately represent physiological response to increased temperatures in tropical forests. We compared the instantaneous photosynthetic responses to elevated temperatures of four mature tropical rainforest tree species in Puerto Rico and the temperate broadleaf species sugar maple (Acer saccharum) in Michigan. Contrary to expectations, leaves in the upper canopy of both temperate and tropical forests had temperature …


Investigating The Effects Of Short- And Long-Term Climatic Variation On The Water Use Of Three Northern Hardwood Tree Species, Alex R. Collins Jan 2015

Investigating The Effects Of Short- And Long-Term Climatic Variation On The Water Use Of Three Northern Hardwood Tree Species, Alex R. Collins

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports - Open

Many tree species are expected to decline in the northern Midwestern United States due to climate change increasing annual temperature 3-5º C by 2100. Sugar maple (Acer saccharum), an economically important timber and syrup species, is not expected to be sustainable in its current range under projected future climate, while trembling aspen (Populus tremuloides) and red maple (Acer rubrum) are expected to react more favorably to climate change. The success of individual tree species is dependent on how climate change will alter a species environment in regards to water use. Climate change could …