Uncovering patterns and trait-based mechanisms of vegetation recovery over three time periods after low-impact seismic line construction in boreal uplands of northern Alberta
4 affiliations
- 1Natural Resources Canada, Canadian Forest Service, 580 Booth Street, Ottawa, ON K1A 0E4, Canada
- 2Natural Resources Canada, Canadian Forest Service, 580 Booth Street, Ottawa, ON K1A 0E4, Canada; Natural Resources Canada, Canadian Forest Service, Northern Forestry Centre, 5320 122 St NW, Edmonton, AB T6H 3S5, Canada; Corresponding author at: Natural Resources Canada, Canadian Forest Service, 580 Booth Street, Ottawa, ON K1A 0E4, Canada.
- 3Natural Resources Canada, Canadian Forest Service, Northern Forestry Centre, 5320 122 St NW, Edmonton, AB T6H 3S5, Canada
- 4Natural Resources Canada, Canadian Forest Service, Great Lakes Forestry Centre, 1219 Queen Street, Sault Ste. Marie, ON, P6A 2E5, Canada
Abstract
Disturbance acts as an important environmental filter determining which species will persist or establish, depending on their functional traits. We characterize the successional trajectory in the understory plant community three-, eight-, and thirteen-years after low-impact seismic (LIS) line construction through the consideration of both taxonomic and functional trait composition. Our research site is in an upland boreal forest in the Swan Hills region in northwestern Alberta. Three years post-construction, we found phanerophyte shrubs, chamaephytes (mostly low shrubs), and bryophytes all declined drastically in cover. Over eight years, chamaephytes and bryophytes recovered to the levels similar to those in the adjacent forest. Herbaceous species, hemicryptophytes and geophytes, intially showed no declines in cover on seismic lines compared to the adjacent forest and, later, hemicryptophytes increased in cover. We found no differences in the interspecific trait composition of the chamaephyte and herbaceous plant communities in all sampling periods between disturbed and forested conditions. However, intraspecific trait variation (ITV) was found 13 years after line construction. Two dominant understory species, Cornus canadensis and Vaccinium vitis-idaea , had lower specific leaf area (SLA) under the higher light conditions found on the seismic line than in the adjacent forest. This information contributes to a better understanding of the impact of the disturbance caused by LIS line construction and the mechanisms underpinning their regeneration processes in an upland forested ecosystem.
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BibTeX
@article{higgins2026uncovering,
title = {{Uncovering patterns and trait-based mechanisms of vegetation recovery over three time periods after low-impact seismic line construction in boreal uplands of northern Alberta}},
author = {Kellina L. Higgins and Anna Dabros and Daniel Belland and Jennifer Buss and Kierann Santala},
journal = {Ecological Indicators},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1016/j.ecolind.2026.115465},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolind.2026.115465},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Uncovering patterns and trait-based mechanisms of vegetation recovery over three time periods after low-impact seismic line construction in boreal uplands of northern Alberta
AU - Kellina L. Higgins
AU - Anna Dabros
AU - Daniel Belland
AU - Jennifer Buss
AU - Kierann Santala
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/23
JO - Ecological Indicators
DO - 10.1016/j.ecolind.2026.115465
UR - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolind.2026.115465
AB - Disturbance acts as an important environmental filter determining which species will persist or establish, depending on their functional traits. We characterize the successional trajectory in the understory plant community three-, eight-, and thirteen-years after low-impact seismic (LIS) line construction through the consideration of both taxonomic and functional trait composition. Our research site is in an upland boreal forest in the Swan Hills region in northwestern Alberta. Three years post-construction, we found phanerophyte shrubs, chamaephytes (mostly low shrubs), and bryophytes all declined drastically in cover. Over eight years, chamaephytes and bryophytes recovered to the levels similar to those in the adjacent forest. Herbaceous species, hemicryptophytes and geophytes, intially showed no declines in cover on seismic lines compared to the adjacent forest and, later, hemicryptophytes increased in cover. We found no differences in the interspecific trait composition of the chamaephyte and herbaceous plant communities in all sampling periods between disturbed and forested conditions. However, intraspecific trait variation (ITV) was found 13 years after line construction. Two dominant understory species, Cornus canadensis and Vaccinium vitis-idaea , had lower specific leaf area (SLA) under the higher light conditions found on the seismic line than in the adjacent forest. This information contributes to a better understanding of the impact of the disturbance caused by LIS line construction and the mechanisms underpinning their regeneration processes in an upland forested ecosystem.
SN - 1470-160X
SN - 1872-7034
ER -