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<p>By causing widespread tree mortality, spruce budworm outbreaks significantly affect the structural and functional dynamics of northeastern boreal forests. This study examined the understory plant community’s response during the 2005–2020 outbreak in the northeastern boreal forest of Canada. Using a trait-based approach, we analyzed functional diversity, dominance, and resilience across fir-dominated, mixed, and spruce-dominated stands. Results revealed an increase in functional diversity and a decrease in Simpson dominance, particularly in fir-dominated and mixed stands. Changes in soil fertility, light availability, and tree basal area, driven by defoliation and tree mortality, were identified as key factors influencing understory vegetation. Trait shifts, especially the increase in shade-tolerant, mesic, and medium nutrient species and the decline of hydric water preferences and non-vascular growth form, reflected niche-based selection processes under altered conditions. However, the variability in trait distributions and species turnover across stand types also pointed to the role of neutral processes, such as stochastic colonization and dispersal limitation. Functional redundancy varied across stand types, with fir-dominated stands showing greater resilience, likely due to higher trait plasticity and pre-disturbance composition. These findings highlight the complex interplay between niche-driven and stochastic mechanisms in shaping understory dynamics and provide insights for sustainable forest management during and after spruce budworm outbreaks.</p>

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Understanding the Understory Plant Community’s Response During a Spruce Budworm Outbreak in the Northeastern Boreal Forest of Canada

  • 期刊论文

  • 出版模式：

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  • 发表日期：

    2025年7月25日

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  • Fidèle Bognounou,
  • Dominique Boucher,
  • Louis De Grandpré,
  • Kaysandra Waldron

摘要

By causing widespread tree mortality, spruce budworm outbreaks significantly affect the structural and functional dynamics of northeastern boreal forests. This study examined the understory plant community’s response during the 2005–2020 outbreak in the northeastern boreal forest of Canada. Using a trait-based approach, we analyzed functional diversity, dominance, and resilience across fir-dominated, mixed, and spruce-dominated stands. Results revealed an increase in functional diversity and a decrease in Simpson dominance, particularly in fir-dominated and mixed stands. Changes in soil fertility, light availability, and tree basal area, driven by defoliation and tree mortality, were identified as key factors influencing understory vegetation. Trait shifts, especially the increase in shade-tolerant, mesic, and medium nutrient species and the decline of hydric water preferences and non-vascular growth form, reflected niche-based selection processes under altered conditions. However, the variability in trait distributions and species turnover across stand types also pointed to the role of neutral processes, such as stochastic colonization and dispersal limitation. Functional redundancy varied across stand types, with fir-dominated stands showing greater resilience, likely due to higher trait plasticity and pre-disturbance composition. These findings highlight the complex interplay between niche-driven and stochastic mechanisms in shaping understory dynamics and provide insights for sustainable forest management during and after spruce budworm outbreaks.