Anticipated increases in the frequency, duration or intensity of high temperature events ('heat waves') have the potential to significantly impact forest form and functioning, but these events remain virtually unstudied in forest ecosystems. This thesis presents the results of an event-driven research effort into the impacts of three days of record-setting high temperatures in late May 2010 on key ecophysiological parameters in Sugar Maple (Acer saccharum. Marsh). High temperatures reduced photosynthetic capacity by ~66% versus previous years and total end-of-season leaf litter production by ~33% versus prior measurements. It is predicted that these reductions substantially reduced productivity for Sugar Maple in 2010. These results constitute the first description of the impacts of a short-duration heat wave on productivity-related parameters in a temperate forest tree. The predicted increase in high temperature events could make such impacts a significant, though so far overlooked, pathway of climate change impacts on temperate forests.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:TORONTO/oai:tspace.library.utoronto.ca:1807/30592 |
| Date | 07 December 2011 |
| Creators | Filewod, Benjamin A. |
| Contributors | Thomas, Sean C. |
| Source Sets | University of Toronto |
| Language | en_ca |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
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