Environmental factors responsible for shaping an open peatland – forest complex on the hypermaritime north coast of British Columbia

Abstract

The relationships between the distribution of plant communities and environmental factors were studied in an open peatland – forest complex of the hypermaritime north coast of British Columbia. The entire vegetation gradient, from open through forested peatlands to upland forest, was primarily explained by slope and minimum level of groundwater table. Environmental conditions in the upland Tsuga–Rhytidiadelphus forest were considerably different from those of the other communities; differences were small among the Sphagnum open peatland, the Pinus–Sphagnum woodland, the Chamaecyparis–Fauria forest, and the Thuja–Gaultheria forest. Highest level of groundwater table, conductivity minimum, pH, and dissolved oxygen merely helped distinguish the upland Tsuga–Rhytidiadelphus forest from all other communities. The wet Thuja–Gaultheria forest could be more vulnerable than the upland Tsuga–Rhytidiadelphus forest to local hydrological changes caused by harvesting. Consecutive intraannual measurements of environmental variables are important in clarifying the relationships between distribution of plant communities and environmental variables, especially for communities with peat accumulation.