Alaska's Changing Boreal Forest (The Long-Term Ecological Research Network Series)

369 Pages·2006·0.32 MB·English

by  F. Stuart Chapin

Alaska’s Changing
Boreal Forest
F. Stuart Chapin III, et al.,
Editors
OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS
ALASKA’S CHANGING BOREAL FOREST
LONG-TERM ECOLOGICAL RESEARCH NETWORK SERIES
LTER Publications Committee
Grassland Dynamics: Long-Term Ecological Research in Tallgrass Prairie
Edited by
Alan K. Knapp, John M. Briggs,
David C. Hartnett, and Scott L. Collins
Standard Soil Methods for Long-Term Ecological Research
Edited by
G. Philip Robertson, David C. Coleman,
Caroline S. Bledsoe, and Phillip Sollins
Structure and Function of an Alpine Ecosystem: Niwot Ridge, Colorado
Edited by
William D. Bowman and Timothy R. Seastedt
Climate Variability and Ecosystem Response
in Long-Term Ecological Research Sites
Edited by
David Greenland, Douglas G. Goodin, and Raymond C. Smith
Biodiversity in Drylands: Toward a Unified Framework
Edited by
Moshe Shachak, James R. Gosz, Steward T. A. Pickett,
and Avi Perevolotsky
Long-Term Dynamics of Lakes in the Landscape:
Long-Term Ecological Research on North Temperate Lakes
Edited by
John J. Magnuson, Timothy K. Kratz, and Barbara J. Benson
Alaska’s Changing Boreal Forest
Edited by
F. Stuart Chapin III, Mark W. Oswood, Keith Van Cleve,
Leslie A. Viereck, and David L. Verbyla
Structure and Function of a Chihuahuan Desert Ecosystem:
The Jornada Basin Long-Term Ecological Research Site
Edited by
Kris M. Havstad, Laura F. Huenneke, and William H. Schlesinger
ALASKA’S CHANGING
BOREAL FOREST
Edited by
F. Stuart Chapin III
Mark W. Oswood
Keith Van Cleve
Leslie A. Viereck
David L. Verbyla
Illustration Editor
Melissa C. Chapin
1
2006
3
Oxford University Press, Inc., publishes works that further
Oxford University’s objective of excellence
in research, scholarship, and education.
Oxford New York
Auckland Cape Town Dar es Salaam Hong Kong Karachi
Kuala Lumpur Madrid Melbourne Mexico City Nairobi
New Delhi Shanghai Taipei Toronto
With offices in
Argentina Austria Brazil Chile Czech Republic France Greece
Guatemala Hungary Italy Japan Poland Portugal Singapore
South Korea Switzerland Thailand Turkey Ukraine Vietnam
Copyright © 2006 by Oxford University Press, Inc.
Published by Oxford University Press, Inc.
198 Madison Avenue, New York, New York 10016
www.oup.com
Oxford is a registered trademark of Oxford University Press
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced,
stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means,
electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise,
without the prior permission of Oxford University Press.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Alaska’s changing boreal forest / edited by F. Stuart Chapin III . . . [et al.] ;
illustration editor, Melissa C. Chapin.
p. cm.—(Long-Term Ecological Research Network series)
ISBN-10: 0-19-515431-2
ISBN-13: 978-0-19-515431-3
1. Taiga ecology—Alaska. I. Chapin, F. Stuart, III. II. Series.
QH105.A4A743 2005
577.3'7'09798—dc22
2004030988
9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Printed in the United States of America
on acid-free paper
Preface
The boreal forest is the northern-most forested biome, whose organisms and dy-
namics have been shaped by low temperature and other features of a high-latitude
environment. The Alaskan boreal forest is now warming as rapidly as any place on
Earth, providing an unprecedented opportunity to examine a biome as it adjusts to
change. This book is written to provide an understanding of the processes that have
shaped the development and current dynamics of Alaska’s boreal forest. These
processes will constrain its response to future change. Therefore, understanding how
Alaskan boreal ecosystems function is essential to guide sound management in a
changing climate. We also hope to provide insights for those parts of the world where
climate is changing more slowly.
The book is intended to provide a synthesis of understanding about Alaska’s
boreal forest. It also provides the most complete bibliography currently available
for the Alaskan boreal forest and will be a useful guide for those who want to know
additional details. It is written in a style that we hope is both scientifically accurate
and accessible to general readers who have a curiosity about the North.
The first part of the book provides a geographic and historical context for un-
derstanding the boreal forest. In the second part, we describe the dynamics of plant
and animal communities that inhabit this forest. The third part of the book delves
into the biogeochemical processes that link these organisms. The fourth part of the
book explores landscape phenomena that operate at larger temporal and spatial scales
and integrates the processes described in earlier sections.
We are grateful to our co-investigators for the team effort that made this synthe-
sis possible. We also thank the many graduate and undergraduate students, post-
doctoral fellows, technicians, and colleagues who participated in the research that
is synthesized in this book. We particularly thank the site managers (Phyllis Adams,
vi Preface
Wendy Davis, and Jamie Hollingsworth) and data managers (Darrell Blodgett,
Phyllis Adams, Scott Miller, and Brian Riordan), whose dedication and hard work
have kept the Bonanza Creek LTER site functioning over the long term. We also
recognize the inspiration provided by Keith Van Cleve, Les Viereck, and Ted
Dyrness, who initiated the Bonanza Creek LTER program and provided much of
its current intellectual focus. We thank the National Science Foundation Long-Term
Ecological Research program and the USDA Forest Service Pacific Northwest
Experiment Station, which provided the major funding for this research. Finally,
we thank the Alaskan boreal forest itself for providing such a magnificent place to
work.
Contents
Contributors xi
Part I. Alaska’s Past and Present Environment
1. The Conceptual Basis of LTER Studies in the Alaskan
Boreal Forest 3
F. Stuart Chapin III, John Yarie, Keith Van Cleve,
and Leslie A. Viereck
2. Regional Overview of Interior Alaska 12
James E. Begét, David Stone, and David L. Verbyla
3. State Factor Control of Soil Formation in Interior Alaska 21
Chien-Lu Ping, Richard D. Boone, Marcus H. Clark,
Edmond C. Packee, and David K. Swanson
4. Climate and Permafrost Dynamics of the Alaskan Boreal Forest 39
Larry D. Hinzman, Leslie A. Viereck, Phyllis C. Adams,
Vladimir E. Romanovsky, and Kenji Yoshikawa
5. Holocene Development of the Alaskan Boreal Forest 62
Andrea H. Lloyd, Mary E. Edwards, Bruce P. Finney, Jason A. Lynch,
Valerie Barber, and Nancy H. Bigelow
viii Contents
Part II. Forest Dynamics
6. Floristic Diversity and Vegetation Distribution in the Alaskan
Boreal Forest 81
F. Stuart Chapin III, Teresa Hollingsworth, David F. Murray,
Leslie A. Viereck, and Marilyn D. Walker
7. Successional Processes in the Alaskan Boreal Forest 100
F. Stuart Chapin III, Leslie A. Viereck, Phyllis C. Adams,
Keith Van Cleve, Christopher L. Fastie, Robert A. Ott, Daniel Mann,
and Jill F. Johnstone
8. Mammalian Herbivore Population Dynamics in the Alaskan
Boreal Forest 121
Eric Rexstad and Knut Kielland
9. Dynamics of Phytophagous Insects and Their Pathogens
in Alaskan Boreal Forests 133
Richard A. Werner, Kenneth F. Raffa, and Barbara L. Illman
10. Running Waters of the Alaskan Boreal Forest 147
Mark W. Oswood, Nicholas F. Hughes, and Alexander M. Milner
Part III. Ecosystem Dynamics
11. Controls over Forest Production in Interior Alaska 171
John Yarie and Keith Van Cleve
12. The Role of Fine Roots in the Functioning of Alaskan
Boreal Forests 189
Roger W. Ruess, Ronald L. Hendrick, Jason G. Vogel,
and Bjartmar Sveinbjörnsson
13. Mammalian Herbivory, Ecosystem Engineering, and Ecological
Cascades in Alaskan Boreal Forests 211
Knut Kielland, John P. Bryant, and Roger W. Ruess
14. Microbial Processes in the Alaskan Boreal Forest 227
Joshua P. Schimel and F. Stuart Chapin III
15. Patterns of Biogeochemistry in Alaskan Boreal Forests 241
David W. Valentine, Knut Kielland, F. Stuart Chapin III,
A. David McGuire, and Keith Van Cleve
Contents ix
Part IV. Changing Regional Processes
16. Watershed Hydrology and Chemistry in the Alaskan Boreal Forest:
The Central Role of Permafrost 269
Larry D. Hinzman, W. Robert Bolton, Kevin C. Petrone,
Jeremy B. Jones, and Phyllis C. Adams
17. Fire Trends in the Alaskan Boreal Forest 285
Eric S. Kasischke, T. Scott Rupp, and David L. Verbyla
18. Timber Harvest in Interior Alaska 302
Tricia L. Wurtz, Robert A. Ott, and John C. Maisch
19. Climate Feedbacks in the Alaskan Boreal Forest 309
A. David McGuire and F. Stuart Chapin III
20. Communication of Alaskan Boreal Science with
Broader Communities 323
Elena B. Sparrow, Janice C. Dawe, and F. Stuart Chapin III
21. Summary and Synthesis: Past and Future Changes
in the Alaskan Boreal Forest 332
F. Stuart Chapin III, A. David McGuire, Roger W. Ruess,
Marilyn W. Walker, Richard D. Boone, Mary E. Edwards,
Bruce P. Finney, Larry D. Hinzman, Jeremy B. Jones, Glenn P. Juday,
Eric S. Kasischke, Knut Kielland, Andrea H. Lloyd, Mark W. Oswood,
Chien-Lu Ping, Eric Rexstad, Vladimir E. Romanovsky,
Joshua P. Schimel, Elena B. Sparrow, Bjartmar Sveinbjörnsson,
David W. Valentine, Keith Van Cleve, David L. Verbyla, Leslie A.
Viereck, Richard A. Werner, Tricia L. Wurtz, and John Yarie
Index 339