Boreal ecology articles from across Nature Portfolio

The boreal forest transformed into a dry oak-pine ecosystem in the hemiboreal zone of North America 7000 years ago, probably as a result of rising temperatures and increased fire activity, according to an analysis of palaeoecological records, palaeoclimate simulations, and archaeological data.

The Arctic is dotted with lakes, including thermokarst lakes highly threatened by climate change. Here, the authors investigate 35 years of lake drainage events and related vegetation trends across the Arctic, finding differences between thermokarst and non-thermokarst lake drainage events.

Gray wolf hunting and feeding priorities shift throughout the breeding season in accordance with prey availability.

To link aboveground fire ecology with belowground microbial trait ecology, the authors conduct laboratory experiments followed by analysis of field data from northern Canada. Fast-growing species initially dominate but decline between 1 and 5 yr post-fire, while neither fire survival nor adaptation to a post-fire environment are strong determinants of success.

Wise management of ecosystem services merits considering their changes over time, but current practices are based on static maps. A new study highlights the importance of studying forest ecosystem service dynamics.

The Arctic stores vast amounts of soil carbon, much of which is likely to be lost to the atmosphere as the climate warms. A clever new analytical approach suggests that even carbon that has been stored for hundreds to thousands of years is vulnerable to warming.

Boreal forest fires tend to be more intense and lethal in North America than Eurasia. Differences in tree species composition explain these differences in fire regime, and lead to contrasting feedbacks to climate.