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Comparison Of Net Primary Production And Light-Use Dynamics Of Two Boreal Black Spruce Forest Communities

  • Sites: CA-Obs
  • O'Connell, K. E., Gower, S. T., Norman, J. M. (2003/06) Comparison Of Net Primary Production And Light-Use Dynamics Of Two Boreal Black Spruce Forest Communities, Ecosystems, 6(3), 236-247. https://doi.org/10.1007/pl00021510
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    • Black spruce (Picea mariana [Mill.] BSP) is the most dominant forest ecosystem in the North American boreal region. There are at least two contrasting boreal black spruce forest communities: open-canopy black spruce overstory with Sphagnum ground cover (BSSP) and closed-canopy black spruce overstory with feathermoss ground cover (BSFM). The objectives of this study were (a) to compare net primary production (NPP) and light-use efficiency (LUE) for the two contrasting black spruce communities, and (b) to quantify the contribution of different vegetation strata (bryophytes, understory, overstory, and belowground) to total NPP and LUE in a mature black spruce forest stand in central Saskatchewan, Canada.Total NPP for the BSFM community (446 g biomass m2 y1 ) was signifi- cantly greater (P 0.04) than the BSSP community (276 g biomass m2 y1 ). Bryophyte and understory NPP together comprised the greatest fraction