Postglacial Climate Change, Paleoecological Dynamics and Carbon Accumulation in Pacific Canada

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Understanding and managing modern environments and ecosystems is informed by studies of the past. Lakes and peat bogs are sensitive recorders of environmental conditions and their sediments provide excellent archives of changes in climate and ecosystems since the last glaciation. In our research, we focus on three aspects of the ecological and environmental impacts of past climate change in order to understand the possible impacts of future climate change. The main objectives over the next five years are to: 1) understand the development of forests in Pacific Canada since the last ice age and determine how natural variability in climate affected plant communities in the past; 2) understand the genetic consequences of climate change for our forests; and 3) decipher how changes in climate and vegetation have influenced the accumulation and storage of carbon in peatlands. Peatlands are important because they store more carbon per unit area than any other terrestrial ecosystem and are therefore significant sinks for carbon dioxide. This research helps to determine the possible impacts of climate change on these important carbon sinks by identifying how past changes in climate and vegetation influenced carbon storage in peatlands. To do this, we analyze physical, chemical and biological evidence preserved in lake sediments and peat. We identify fossil plant remains such as pollen and seeds to determine how plant communities have changed over thousands of years. Ancient plant DNA is also preserved in these sediments and this can help us to understand the patterns of tree migration following deglaciation and ultimately the genetic consequences of climate change for our forests. We also analyze other fossils such as insect remains as well as the physical and chemical properties of the sediments to identify past changes in climate and carbon accumulation. By combining data from several sites, we can identify regional patterns in past climate change and use these to understand how forests and peatlands have responded and adapted to past changes in climate. This allows us to make predictions about the impacts of climate change and to prepare for these impacts by improving forest and environmental management practices.