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Evidence of a physiological basis for the boreal-deciduous forest ecotone in North America

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Abstract

The observed northern limit of the deciduous forest formation in North America is shown to agree closely with the reported −40°C average annual minimum temperature isotherm. This indicates that supercooling as a means of resisting freezing stresses may set a physiological limit on the northern expansion of the deciduous forest formation.

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Abbreviations

LTE=:

Low Temperature Exotherm

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Civil Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 02139, Cambridge, MA, USA

    Lelani L. Arris & Peter S. Eagleson

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  1. Lelani L. Arris
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  2. Peter S. Eagleson
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Arris, L.L., Eagleson, P.S. Evidence of a physiological basis for the boreal-deciduous forest ecotone in North America. Vegetatio 82, 55–58 (1989). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00217982

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00217982

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