Find research datasets worth reusing
Search datasets from major research repositories and use ShareScore to quickly assess how well each record supports discovery, access, and reuse.
64
datasets available to search
ShareScore release 0.9.0
Dataset results
64 results for “Boreal Canada”
Snowpack temperature profile dataset from a boreal forest watershed in eastern Canada.
<p>This dataset presents snow temperature profiles from nine different boreal forest sites in eastern Canada collected over two consecutive winters, 2016-17 and 2017-18. The dataset includes snowpack temperature profiles, snow depth, air temperature, and soil temperature. In addition, the two flux towers provided us with the additional heat and water vapour fluxes. We also present data extracted from intensive snow coring and snowpit surveys, conducted on a weekly and bi-weekly basis. Additionally, stable water isotope data collected from individual snowpack are presented here. </p> <p>To learn more about the additional information about the data, please read the "Readme.txt" file. </p>
Reproductive maturity in boreal trees, Northwest Territories, Canada
<p>In boreal North America, much of the landscape is covered by fire-adapted forests dominated by serotinous conifers. For these forests, reductions in fire return interval could limit reproductive success, owing to insufficient time for stands to reach reproductive maturity i.e., to initiate cone production. Improved understanding of the drivers of reproductive maturity can provide important information about the capacity of these forests to self-replace following fire. Here, we assessed the drivers of reproductive maturity in two dominant and widespread conifers, semi-serotinous black spruce and serotinous jack pine. Presence or absence of female cones were recorded in approximately 15,000 individuals within old and recently burned stands in two distinct ecozones of the Northwest Territories (NWT), Canada. Our results show that reproductive maturity was triggered by a minimum tree size threshold rather than an age threshold, with trees reaching reproductive maturity at smaller sizes where environmental conditions were more stressful. The number of reproductive trees per plot increased with stem density, basal area, and at higher latitudes (colder locations). The harsh climatic conditions present at these higher latitudes, however, limited the recruitment of jack pine at the treeline ecotone. The number of reproductive black spruce trees increased with deeper soils, whereas the number of reproductive jack pine trees increased where soils were shallower. We examined the reproductive efficiency i.e., the number of seedlings recruited per reproductive tree, linking pre-fire reproductive maturity of recently burned stands and post-fire seedling recruitment (recorded up to 4 years after the fires) and found that a reproductive jack pine can recruit on average three times more seedlings than a reproductive black spruce. We suggest that the higher reproductive efficiency of jack pine can explain the greater resilience of this species to wildfire compared with black spruce. Overall, these results help link life history characteristics such as reproductive maturity to variation in post-fire recruitment of dominant serotinous conifers.</p>
Data from: Beaver activity and red squirrel presence predict bird assemblages in boreal Canada
<p class="MsoNormal">Wetlands and predation in boreal ecosystems play essential roles throughout the breeding season for bird assemblages. We found a positive association of beaver activity and a negative influence of American red squirrels (<em>Tamiasciurus hudsonicus</em>) on bird assemblages. We used a multispecies hierarchical model to investigate whether bird communities differ between two major wetland habitats in boreal Canada: beaver ponds and peatland ponds. In addition to including variables such as forest cover and latitude, we adopted a structural equation model approach to estimate the occupancy of American red squirrels and its potential influence on bird communities. Using automated recording stations deployed at 50 ponds, we detected 96 bird species in 2018 and 2019. Bird species were grouped into four taxonomic guilds according to their habitat successional requirements: early successional species, late successional species, generalists, and wetland species. Beaver ponds harbored higher species richness, a pattern driven primarily by early successional species. The occupancy of almost a quarter of the species was lower in the presence of red squirrels. Late successional species responded positively to the cover of forest surrounding the pond. Our results highlight the value of considering acoustic data of red squirrels to quantify habitat quality in boreal forests. We conclude that beaver activity shapes bird assemblages through modification of their habitat, and that some bird guilds are associated negatively with the presence of American red squirrels.</p>
Reproductive maturity in boreal trees, Northwest Territories, Canada
Open the record for dataset details and reuse information.
Data from: Beaver activity and red squirrel presence predict bird assemblages in boreal Canada
Open the record for dataset details and reuse information.
Cyanobacterial blooms in a warming climate: Paleolimnological assessments of three Boreal Shield lakes in central Ontario, Canada
Open the record for dataset details and reuse information.
A 249-year chronosequence of forest plots from eight successive fires in the eastern Canada boreal mixedwoods
<p>A combination of wildfires and defoliating insect outbreaks play an important role in the natural successional dynamics of North American boreal forests, which, in the long term, change the post-disturbance composition and structure of forest stands. After stand-replacing disturbances (mainly wildfires), early successional hardwoods typically dominate the affected areas in boreal forests. Provided sufficient time following disturbances, the increasing recruitment of mid- to late-successional softwoods as well as the mortality of hardwoods gradually change forest composition from hardwoods to admixtures of hardwood-conifer species and conifer-dominated stands in mid and late successional stages, respectively. Such mixed woods are abundant across the southern Canadian boreal forest. In boreal Canada, mixed woods are the most structurally heterogeneous forest ecosystems, are highly productive, and form an important source of timber supply. Here we present the EASTERN BOREAL MIXEDWOODS CANADA dataset, which documents the changes in composition and structure of stands originating from eight successive wildfires representing a chronosequence of 249 years in eastern Canada. This dataset has been used in several different projects to study and model the influence of natural (e.g., insect outbreaks) and anthropogenic disturbances (e.g., harvesting) on the dynamics of post-fire stands. The data covers a high range of variability in stand composition and structure, explained by species establishment, dominance and mixture. It thus constitutes a useful source of information to trace the dynamics of the main boreal tree species of eastern north America, from their establishment to their replacement at different spatial scales (e.g., from stand to landscape level).</p>
Repeated measure plant community data after fire in boreal forest, Taiga Shield, Northwest Territories, Canada, 1998-2018
<p>10 transects were established in the years following fire in boreal forest stands on the Taiga Shield, Northwest Territories, Canada in 1998-1999. These were remeasured annually. Six transects were returned to on 2018 for another measurement. At each measurement, we recorded ground covers, species identities, and counted tree stems (seedlings).</p>
Data for the detection of the boreal chorus frog (Pseudacris maculata) using environmental DNA and call surveys at 180 ponds sampled in 2017-2018 in southeastern Québec, Canada
<p>The boreal chorus frog (<em>Pseudacris maculata</em>) is at risk of extinction in parts of its range in Canada. Our objectives were to quantify the influence of local and landscape characteristics on the occurrence of the species in wetlands in southern Québec. We hypothesized that site occupancy depends on local characteristics and landscape characteristics contributing to site connectivity. We developed an environmental DNA (eDNA) method to detect the species and compared the detection probability of this method to traditional call surveys. We collected water samples at a total of 180 sites (90 in 2017, 110 in 2018), whereas we surveyed a subset of 63 sites using both eDNA and call surveys in 2018. Site occupancy varied across years, but was higher in sites where the species had been previously detected during the last 12 years by other studies. Site occupancy did not vary with other local and landscape characteristics, in part due to an apparent decrease in the number of sites occupied by the species since the last 12 years. Detection probability via eDNA (0.81; 95% CI: [0.31; 0.98]) did not differ from that of call surveys (0.62; 95% CI: [0.25; 0.89]). To identify the optimal sampling period for the boreal chorus frog, future studies should estimate the detection probability of eDNA during the breeding season and the larval development period of the species.</p>
Rove beetle (Staphylinidae) assemblages following the cumulative effect of wildfire and linear footprint in Boreal treed peatlands of northeastern Alberta (Canada)
<p>Cumulative effects of anthropogenic and natural disturbances have become increasingly relevant in the context of biodiversity conservation. Oil and gas (OG) exploration and extraction activities have created thousands of kilometers of linear footprints in boreal ecosystems of Alberta, Canada. Among these disturbances, seismic lines (narrow corridors cut through the forest) are one of the most common footprints and have become a significant landscape feature influencing the maintenance of forest interior habitats and biodiversity. <a name="_Hlk118288505"></a>Wildfire is a common stand-replacing natural disturbance in the boreal forest, and as such, it is hypothesized that its effects can mitigate the linear footprint associated with OG exploration, but only a few studies have examined its effectiveness. We studied the short-term (1 year post-fire) response of rove beetle assemblages to the combined effects of wildfire and linear footprint in forest, edge and seismic line habitats at burned and unburned peatlands along the southwest perimeter of the 2016 Horse River wildfire (Fort McMurray). While rove beetle species richness was higher in seismic lines in both burned and unburned habitats compared to the adjacent peatland, diversity was greater only in seismic lines of burned areas. Abundance was lower in the burned adjacent peatland but similarly higher in the remaining habitats. Assemblage composition on seismic lines was significantly different from that in the adjacent forest and edge habitats within both burned and unburned sites. Moreover, species composition in burned seismic lines was different to either unburned lines or burned forest and edge. <a name="_Hlk89787659"></a><em>Euaesthethus laeviusculus</em> and <em>Gabrius picipennis</em> were indicator species of burned line habitats, are sensitive to post-fire landscape and can occupy wet habitats with moss cover more efficiently than when these habitats are surrounded by unburned forest. Although these results are based on short-term responses, they suggest that wildfire did not reduce the linear footprint, and instead, the cumulative effect of these two disturbances had a more complex influence on rove beetle recovery at the landscape level than for other invertebrates. Therefore, continued monitoring of these sites can become useful to evaluate changes over time and to better understand longer-term biodiversity responses to the cumulative effects of wildfire and linear disturbances in boreal treed peatlands, given the long-lasting effect of such disturbances.</p>
Data for the detection of the boreal chorus frog (Pseudacris maculata) using environmental DNA and call surveys at 180 ponds sampled in 2017-2018 in southeastern Québec, Canada
Open the record for dataset details and reuse information.
Boreal conifer swamp carbon stocks and fluxes, Alberta, Canada
Open the record for dataset details and reuse information.
Data from: Topographic and vegetation drivers of thermal heterogeneity along the boreal–grassland transition zone in western Canada: implications for climate change refugia
Open the record for dataset details and reuse information.
Repeated measure plant community data after fire in boreal forest, Taiga Shield, Northwest Territories, Canada, 1998-2018
Open the record for dataset details and reuse information.
A 249-year chronosequence of forest plots from eight successive fires in the eastern Canada boreal mixedwoods
Open the record for dataset details and reuse information.
Rove beetle (Staphylinidae) assemblages following the cumulative effect of wildfire and linear footprint in Boreal treed peatlands of northeastern Alberta (Canada)
Open the record for dataset details and reuse information.
Projected effects of climate change on boreal bird community accentuated by anthropogenic disturbances in western boreal forest, Canada
<p><b>Aim</b></p> <p>Climate change<b> </b>is expected to influence boreal bird communities significantly, notably through changes in forest habitat (composition and age structure),<b> </b>in the coming decades. How these changes will accumulate and interact with anthropogenic disturbances remains an open question for most species.</p> <p><b>Location</b></p> <p>Northeastern Alberta, Canada.</p> <p><b>Methods </b></p> <p>We used the LANDIS-II forest landscape model to project changes in forest landscapes, and associated bird populations (72 passerine species), according to three climatic scenarios (baseline, RCP 4.5, RCP 8.5) and three forest harvesting scenarios of differing intensity.</p> <p><b>Results</b></p> <p>Both forest harvesting and climate-related drivers were projected to have large impacts on bird communities in this region. As a result of climate-induced increases in fire activity as well as decreased conifer productivity, our simulations projected that an important proportion of Alberta's boreal forests would transition to treeless habitat (i.e. grass-, or shrub-dominated vegetation) while many conifer-dominated stands would likely be replaced by broadleaf tree cover. Consequently, the abundance of bird species associated with open and deciduous habitats were projected to increase. With a strong anthropogenic climate forcing scenario (RCP 8.5), sharp declines in abundance of coniferous trees were also projected, particularly in mature and old forest stands, triggering major declines for bird species associated with coniferous and mixedwood forest types.</p> <p><b>Main Conclusions</b></p> <p><a>As the most comprehensive simulation of climate change and harvesting impacts on avian habitats in the North American boreal region to date</a>, our study <a>reveals</a> the importance of considering key habitat characteristics like forest age structure and composition through forest landscape modeling, and identifies 18 bird species particularly sensitive to climate change. Our simulations suggest that a change in forest management practices could play an important role in the conservation of boreal bird species vulnerable to climate change. The intensive forest harvesting simulated accelerated declines in bird abundance compared to a "no harvesting" scenario.</p> <div> <div> <div class="msocomtxt"> </div> </div> </div>
Occupancy and detection probability of American Three-toed Woodpecker in a heavily-managed boreal forest of eastern Canada
<p>The southern extent of the boreal forest in North America has experienced intensive human disturbance in recent decades. Among these, forest harvesting leads to the substantial loss of late-successional stands that include key habitat attributes for several avian species. The American Three-toed Woodpecker, <em>Picoides dorsalis</em>, is associated with continuous old spruce forests in the eastern part of its range. In this study, we assessed the influence of habitat characteristics at different scales on the occupancy of American Three-toed Woodpecker in a heavily-managed boreal landscape of northeastern Canada, and we inferred species occupancy at the regional scale. We conducted 185<br> playback stations over two breeding seasons and modelled the occupancy of the species while taking into account the probability of detection. American Three-toed Woodpecker occupancy was lower in stands with large areas recently clear-cut, and higher in landscapes with large extents of old-growth forest dominated by black spruce. At the regional scale, areas with high probability of occupancy were scarce and mostly within protected areas. Habitat requirements of the American Three-toed Woodpecker during the breeding season, coupled with overall low occupancy rate in our study area, challenge its long-term sustainability in such heavily managed landscapes. Additionally, the scarcity of areas of high probability of occupancy in the region suggests that the ecological role of old forest outside protected areas could be compromised.</p>
Data from: Exploiting Poisson additivity to predict fire frequency from maps of fire weather and land cover in boreal forests of Québec, Canada
Predictive models of fire frequency conditional on weather and land cover are essential to assess how future cover-type distributions and weather conditions may influence fire regimes. We modelled the effects of bottom-up variables (e.g. land cover) and top-down variables (e.g. fire weather) simultaneously with data aggregated or interpolated to spatial and temporal units of 100 km2 and 1yr in the boreal forest of Québec, Canada. For models of human-caused fires, we used road density as a surrogate for human access and behaviour. We exploited the additive property of Poisson distributions to estimate cover-type specific fire count rates, which would normally not be possible with data of this spatial resolution. We used piecewise linear functions to model nonlinear relations between fire weather and fire frequency for each cover-type simultaneously. The estimated conditional rates may be considered as expected mean counts per unit area and time. It follows that these rates can be rescaled to arbitrary spatial and temporal extents. Our results showed fire frequency increased nonlinearly as aridity increased and more quickly in disturbed areas than other types. Road density exerted the strongest influence on the frequency of human-caused fires, which were positively correlated with road density. The estimates may be used to parameterize the fire ignition component of spatial simulation models, which often have a resolution different from that at which the data were collected. This is an essential step in incorporating biotic and abiotic feedbacks, land-cover dynamics, and climate projections into ecological forecasting. The insight into the power of Poisson additivity to reveal high-resolution ecological processes from low-resolution data could have applications in other areas of ecology.
Data from: Edge influence on vegetation at natural and anthropogenic edges of boreal forests in Canada and Fennoscandia
1. Although anthropogenic edges are an important consequence of timber harvesting, edges due to natural disturbances or landscape heterogeneity are also common. Forest edges have been well-studied in temperate and tropical forests, but less so in less productive, disturbance-adapted boreal forests. 2. We synthesized data on forest vegetation at edges of boreal forests and compared edge influence among edge types (fire, cut, lake/wetland; old vs. young), forest types (broadleaf vs. coniferous) and geographic regions. Our objectives were to quantify vegetation responses at edges of all types and to compare the strength and extent of edge influence among different types of edges and forests. 3. Research was conducted using the same general sampling design in Alberta, Ontario and Quebec in Canada, and in Sweden and Finland. We conducted a meta-analysis for a variety of response variables including forest structure, deadwood abundance, regeneration, understorey abundance and diversity, and nonvascular plant cover. We also determined the magnitude and distance of edge influence using randomization tests. 4. Some edge responses (lower tree basal area, tree canopy and bryophyte cover; more logs; higher regeneration) were significant overall across studies. Edge influence on ground vegetation in boreal forests was generally weak, not very extensive (distance of edge influence usually < 20 m) and decreased with time. We found more extensive edge influence at natural edges, at younger edges and in broadleaf forests. The comparison among regions revealed weaker edge influence in Fennoscandian forests. 5. Synthesis. Edges created by forest harvesting do not appear to have as strong, extensive or persistent influence on vegetation in boreal as in tropical or temperate forested ecosystems. We attribute this apparent resistance to shorter canopy heights, inherent heterogeneity in boreal forests and their adaptation to frequent natural disturbance. Nevertheless, notable differences between forest structure responses to natural (fire) and anthropogenic (cut) edges raise concerns about biodiversity implications of extensive creation of anthropogenic edges. By highlighting universal responses to edge influence in boreal forests that are significant irrespective of edge or forest type, and those which vary by edge type, we provide a context for the conservation of boreal forests.
ScienceDex guides
Understand access before you commit
These curated guides explain access requirements, typical timelines, costs, and reuse considerations for widely used research datasets.
Allen Brain Atlas
Allen Brain Atlas is an Allen Institute collection of brain map atlases, datasets, APIs, and analysis tools covering mouse, human, and non-human primate brain resources.
Annotated Behaviour and Observability Dataset (ABODe)
ABODe is a University of Edinburgh DataShare dataset for behavior classification in group-housed mice using home-cage video, identities, bounding boxes, ground-plate positions, and annotator labels.
DANDI Archive for NWB datasets
DANDI is a BRAIN Initiative archive for publishing and sharing neurophysiology data, including electrophysiology, optophysiology, and behavioral data packaged as NWB and related standards.
International Brain Laboratory public data
The International Brain Laboratory public data releases expose standardized mouse decision-making experiments, including Neuropixels recordings, widefield calcium imaging, behavior, and session metadata accessed through the ONE API.
OpenNeuro
OpenNeuro is a free, open platform for sharing neuroimaging datasets, with public search, dataset pages, and download paths for web, S3, DataLad, and the OpenNeuro CLI.