Drivers of understory species richness in reconstructed boreal ecosystems: a structural equation modeling analysis.

ABSTRACT: Understory vegetation accounts for the most diverse part of the plant community in boreal forests and plays a critical role in stand dynamics and ecosystem functions. However, the ecological processes that drive understory species diversity are poorly understood and largely unexplored for reconstructed boreal ecosystems. The current study explored the relationships between understory species richness and biotic and abiotic factors in sites reclaimed after oil sands mining in northern Alberta, Canada, three and six growing seasons post-reclamation. Reclaimed sites with two main surface soils, forest floor mineral soil mix (FFMM) and peat mineral soil mix (PMM), were used along with post-fire benchmarks. A number of soil physicochemical (including nutrients) and vegetation properties were me

SUBMITTER: Das Gupta S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7360749 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature