Northeastern Quebec Research Articles

The surficial geology record of ice stream catchment dynamics and ice-divide migration in the Quebec-Labrador sector of the Laurentide Ice Sheet

The surficial geology of an approximately 30 000 km2 region in northeastern Quebec and western Labrador was mapped to elucidate the glacial dynamics of a region that experienced ice divide migrations and determine the net effect of this evolution on the glacial landscape. This region is located in one of the major inner-ice dispersal centres of the Laurentide Ice Sheet, the Quebec-Labrador Sector, and therefore provides important information on the overall dynamics of the interior of an ice sheet throughout a glaciation. Along with detailed surficial mapping, landform analysis was conducted to assess changes in ice stream catchments and related ice divide migration and understand their impact on the overall landform record. This work is a synthesis of a four-year mapping program that resulted in the completion of eight 1:100 000 scale surficial geology maps that included three years of field-based investigations. Mapping has revealed a complex landscape with a diverse suite of surficial deposits and a fragmented and overprinted mosaic of landforms, which provides evidence for polythermal subglacial conditions that evolved throughout glaciation.

STICS Soil–Crop Model Performance for Predicting Biomass and Nitrogen Status of Spring Barley Cropped for 31 Years in a Gleysolic Soil from Northeastern Quebec (Canada)

Spring barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) is an increasingly important cash crop in the province of Quebec (Canada). Soil–crop models are powerful tools for analyzing and supporting sustainable crop production. STICS model has not yet been tested for spring barley grown over several decades. This study was conducted to calibrate and evaluate the STICS model, without annual reinitialization, for predicting aboveground biomass and N nutrition attributes at harvest during 31 years of successive cropping of spring barley grown in soil (silty clay, Humic Gleysol) from the Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean region (northeastern Quebec, Canada). There is a good agreement between observed and predicted variables during the 31 successive barley cropping years. STICS predicted well biomass accumulation and plant N content with a low relative bias (|normalized mean error| = 0–13%) and small prediction error (normalized root mean square error = 6–25%). Overall, the STICS outputs reproduced the same trends as the field-observed data with various tillage systems and N sources. Predictions of crop attributes were more accurate in years with rainfall close to the long-term average. These ‘newly calibrated’ parameters in STICS for spring barley cropped under continental cold and humid climates require validation using independent observation datasets from other sites.

Dissolved organic matter concentration and composition discontinuity at the peat–pool interface in a boreal peatland

Abstract. Pools are common features of peatlands and can represent from 5 % to 50 % of the peatland ecosystem's surface area. Pools play an important role in the peatland carbon cycle by releasing carbon dioxide and methane to the atmosphere. However, the origin of this carbon is not well constrained. A hypothesis is that the majority of the carbon emitted from pools predominantly originates from mineralized allochthonous (i.e., plant-derived) dissolved organic matter (DOM) from peat rather than in situ primary production. To test this hypothesis, this study examined the origin, composition, and degradability of DOM in peat porewater and pools of an ombrotrophic boreal peatland in northeastern Quebec (Canada) for 2 years over the growing season. The temporal evolution of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentration, the optical properties, molecular composition (THM-GC-MS), stable isotopic signature (δ13C-DOC), and degradability of DOM were determined. This study demonstrates that DOM, in both peat porewater and pools, presents a diverse composition and constitutes highly dynamic components of peatland ecosystems. The molecular and isotopic analyses showed that DOM in pools was derived from plants. However, DOM compositions in the two environments were markedly different. Peat porewater DOM was more aromatic, with a higher molecular weight and DOC : DON (dissolved organic nitrogen) ratio compared to pools. The temporal dynamics of DOC concentration and DOM composition also differed. In peat porewater, the DOC concentration followed a strong seasonal increase, starting from 9 mg L−1 and reaching a plateau above 20 mg L−1 in summer and autumn. This was explained by seasonal peatland vegetation productivity, which is greater than microbial DOM degradation. In pools, DOC concentration also increased but remained 2 times lower than in the peat porewaters at the end of the growing season (∼ 10 mg L−1). Those differences might be explained by a combination of physical, chemical, and biological factors. The limited hydraulic conductivity in deeper peat horizons and associated DOM residence time might have favored both DOM microbial transformation within the peat and the interaction of DOM aromatic compounds with the peat matrix, explaining part of the shift of DOM compositions between peat porewater and pools. This study did not report any photolability of DOM and only limited microbial degradability. Thus, it is likely that the DOM might have been microbially transformed at the interface between peat and pools. The combination of DOM quantitative and qualitative analyses presented in this study demonstrates that most of the carbon present within and released from the pools originates from peat vegetation. These results demonstrate that pools represent a key component of the peatland ecosystem ecological and biogeochemical functioning.

Expression signature of the Leigh syndrome French-Canadian type

As a result of a founder effect, a Leigh syndrome variant called Leigh syndrome, French-Canadian type (LSFC, MIM / 220,111) is more frequent in Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean (SLSJ), a geographically isolated region on northeastern Quebec, Canada. LSFC is a rare autosomal recessive mitochondrial neurodegenerative disorder due to damage in mitochondrial energy production. LSFC is caused by pathogenic variants in the nuclear gene leucine-rich pentatricopeptide repeat-containing (LRPPRC). Despite progress understanding the molecular mode of action of LRPPRC gene, there is no treatment for this disease.The present study aims to identify the biological pathways altered in the LSFC disorder through microarray-based transcriptomic profile analysis of twelve LSFC cell lines compared to twelve healthy ones, followed by gene ontology (GO) and pathway analyses.A set of 84 significantly differentially expressed genes were obtained (p ≥ 0.05; Fold change (Flc) ≥ 1.5). 45 genes were more expressed (53.57%) in LSFC cell lines compared to controls and 39 (46.43%) had lower expression levels. Gene ontology analysis highlighted altered expression of genes involved in the mitochondrial respiratory chain and energy production, glucose and lipids metabolism, oncogenesis, inflammation and immune response, cell growth and apoptosis, transcription, and signal transduction. Considering the metabolic nature of LSFC disease, genes included in the mitochondrial respiratory chain and energy production cluster stood out as the most important ones to be involved in LSFC mitochondrial disorder. In addition, the protein-protein interaction network indicated a strong interaction between the genes included in this cluster. The mitochondrial gene NDUFA4L2 (NADH dehydrogenase [ubiquinone] 1 alpha subcomplex, 4-like 2), with higher expression in LSFC cells, represents a target for functional studies to explain the role of this gene in LSFC disease.This work provides, for the first time, the LSFC gene expression profile in fibroblasts isolated from affected individuals. This represents a valuable resource to understand the pathogenic basis and consequences of LRPPRC dysfunction.

The role of glacial dynamics in the development of ice divides and the Horseshoe Intersection Zone of the northeastern Labrador Sector of the Laurentide Ice Sheet

The Labrador Sector of the Laurentide Ice Sheet is characterized by a complex network of ice divides and an extensive landform record outlining two broad and opposing ice flows that are separated by a narrow Horseshoe Intersection Zone (HIZ). This geomorphic system gave rise to contrasting reconstructions, which reflect uncertainties on the temporal evolution of ice divides, the nature and age of the main landform systems and the overall pattern of ice retreat during the last deglaciation. Here, we address these issues through systematic mapping of glacial landforms and ice-flow indicators in a large area of northeastern Quebec and Labrador. The application of cosmogenic (10Be and 26Al) dating to esker-fed glaciomarine deltas and different rock surfaces brings new constraints on the chronological framework and insights on the subglacial thermal regime. Our results outline four main landform assemblages, two of which relating to a major system of opposite ice flows that delineate the position of the eastern Ancestral Labrador ice divide. Our reconstruction shows that the HIZ occurs several tens of km to the west of this divide and that these two features are genetically distinct. The HIZ relates to the late-glacial development of ice streams showing a massive convergent ice flow into Ungava Bay. The upstream extent of this ice flow system shows a strong coupling with the outline of Ungava Bay drainage divide, suggesting that the configuration of the HIZ could be the expression of a topographic control on the late-glacial ice sheet dynamics. Landforms also indicate a significant shift in the deglaciation mode, which evolved from an overall warm-based to an areally-confined cold-based ice retreat near the center of the former ice mass – a change in dynamics that also played a role in the configuration of the HIZ. Overall, areas indicative of cold-based ice conditions are limited to highly elevated terrains, thus ruling out models arguing for an extensive cold-based ice cover over Ungava Bay throughout the last deglaciation.

A GIS‐based multi‐proxy analysis of the evolution of subglacial dynamics of the Quebec–Labrador ice dome, northeastern Quebec, Canada

AbstractThe glacial records of the inner‐core regions of the Laurentide Ice Sheet (LIS) document complex yet coherent patterns reflecting ice‐sheet change (e.g. ice‐divide migration), providing unique insights into past glacial conditions. This study develops a conceptual model of subglacial dynamics evolution within a major ice‐dispersal centre of the LIS in northeastern Quebec, Canada using a GIS‐based analysis of the surficial geologic record. Multiple proxies of subglacial conditions (subglacial streamlined landforms, lake density and lake area over thin drift/bedrock) were analysed through grid‐overlay techniques and then classified based on different proxy variables ranging from highly mobile warm‐based to immobile cold‐based conditions. An additional proxy (till blanket) was used to identify areas of thick till deposition, but with few proxies (few lake or landform metrics). Based on local ice‐flow reconstructions, the most ‘relict’ glacial terrain zone (GTZ1) has warm‐based conditions over 66% of its area and is remarkably well preserved, suggesting laterally extensive warm‐based conditions during the oldest identified ice‐flow phase. This relict glacial terrain is partially overprinted by two subsequent ice‐flow phases in spatially restricted zones in the northeast (73% warm‐based), east‐central (41% warm‐based), and northwest (33% warm‐based) of the study area. A zone of more sluggish conditions (only 3% warm‐based) was identified in the highlands at the centre of the study area, characterized by thin till cover, few landforms, yet with large patches of relatively abundant small lakes, indicative of areal scouring. No clear evidence of sustained cold‐based conditions (i.e. high chemical index of alteration values or high 10Be abundances) was found in the study area. These results suggest that warm‐based conditions (active erosion and/or deposition) were uniformly widespread during the earliest ice‐flow phase, later becoming more spatially restricted with broader sluggish ice conditions. These spatially restricted regions of warm‐based subglacial regimes were likely controlled by surrounding and down‐flow ice streaming. © 2020 The Authors. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd

Comparing fall migration of three Catharus species using a radio-telemetry network

AbstractMigration routes vary greatly among small passerine species and populations. It is now possible to determine the routes over great distances and long periods of time with emerging monitoring networks. We tracked individual Swainson’s Thrush (Catharus ustulatus), Bicknell’s Thrush (Catharus bicknelli) and Gray-cheeked Thrush (Catharus minimus) in northeastern Quebec and compared their migration routes and paces across an array of radio-telelemetry stations in North America. Swainson’s Thrush migrated further inland than the other two species. Individuals from all three species slowed their migration pace in the southeastern United States, and Swainson’s Thrush was more likely to stopover than Bicknell’s Thrush. Although individuals were tagged in a small area within or close to their breeding range, the results document the variability of migration routes between species with similar ecological characteristics and provide detailed material to be used for migration studies with broader taxonomic or ecological scope.

Exploring rare and low-frequency variants in the Saguenay\u2013Lac-Saint-Jean population identified genes associated with asthma and allergy traits

The Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean (SLSJ) region is located in northeastern Quebec and is known for its unique demographic history and founder effect. As founder populations are enriched with population-specific variants, we characterized the variants distribution in SLSJ and compared it with four European populations (Finnish, Sweden, United Kingdom and France), of which the Finnish population is another founder population. Targeted sequencing of the coding and non-coding immune regulatory regions of the SLSJ asthma familial cohort and the four European populations were performed. Rare and low-frequency coding and non-coding regulatory variants identified in the SLSJ population were then investigated for variant- and gene-level associations with asthma and allergy-related traits (eosinophil percentage, immunoglobulin (Ig) E levels and lung function). Our data showed that (1) rare or deleterious variants were not enriched in the two founder populations as compared with the three non-founder European populations; (2) a larger proportion of founder population-specific variants occurred with higher frequencies; and (3) low-frequency variants appeared to be more deleterious. Furthermore, a rare variant, rs1386931, located in the 3ʹ-UTR of CXCR6 and intron of FYCO1 was found to be associated with eosinophil percentage. Gene-based analyses identified NRP2, MRPL44 and SERPINE2 to be associated with various asthma and allergy-related traits. Our study demonstrated the usefulness of using a founder population to identify new genes associated with asthma and allergy-related traits; thus better understand the genes and pathways implicated in pathophysiology.

Indigenous Peoples, Political Economists and the Tragedy of the Commons

Abstract In “The Tragedy of the Commons,” Garrett Hardin implicitly moved from bounded commons — a pasture or a tribe’s territory — to the case of boundless commons — the ocean, the atmosphere and planet Earth. He insisted on the need for imposing limits on the use of these resources, blurring the difference between communal property and open access regimes. The success of his paper is due in great measure to his neglect of economic, scientific, legal and anthropological literature. His main lifelong focus was on limiting population growth. He could have avoided the conceptual confusion he created by turning to well-known political economists such as John Locke and Adam Smith or, for that matter, jurists, such as Blackstone. Instead, he simply envisioned indigenous lands as an unbounded wilderness placed at the disposal of frontiersmen. Though he eventually acknowledged the existence of managed commons, he had little interest in community rules pertaining to resource exploitation. For him, these were simply moral norms which inevitably became ineffective after a community reached a certain level of population. He also took economists to task for failing to include in their analysis the true environmental and social costs of public decisions. Still, the famous example of the indigenous people of Northeastern Quebec illustrates a shortcoming of his analysis: community members did not act in total isolation from each other. On the contrary, communal norms could prevent an overexploitation of resources or allow for the adoption of corrective measures.

Forced-Vibration Tests and Numerical Modeling of the Daniel-Johnson Multiple-Arch Dam

Forced-vibration tests were conducted on the Daniel-Johnson multiple-arch dam located in northeastern Quebec, Canada. This outstanding structure for its size and complexity is the largest multiple-arch dam in America. The tests aimed to determine the dynamic properties of the dam-reservoir-foundation (DRF) system to be used as a basis for the update of a finite-element model of the system required for further seismic performance assessment. The test procedure is described and the modal properties derived from the recordings are presented together with the extraction procedure, which was particularly complicated because of the coupling of the numerous global and local modes of such a complex structure. Several linear three-dimensional finite-element models were developed to be correlated with the measured dynamic properties. A parametric study on the dam-foundation elasticity was first performed, and the influence of the reservoir water modeling was then extensively studied. The selected model properties resulting from the numerical correlation study enabled reproduction with good accuracy of eight of the measured vibration modes, making the model suitable for seismic analyses.

Interview with Louie Palu, Canadian award-winning photojournalist who examined communities in the Hard Rock Mining Belt, one of the richest mining regions in the world located in Northwestern Ontario and Northeastern Quebec

Louie Palu is a documentary photographer and filmmaker whose work has appeared in festivals, publications, and exhibitions internationally, including the 2012-2013 landmark exhibition “War/Photography: Images of Armed Conflict and Its Aftermath.” His work examines social political issues such as human rights, conflict and poverty. In addition to being the recipient of numerous awards including a Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting Grant, he is a 2016 John Simon Guggenheim Foundation Fellow an...

Windthrow modelling in old-growth and multi-layered boreal forests

Windthrow is a recurring disturbance process in regions that are influenced by maritime climates, including boreal forests. Within the circumboreal region, forest management approaches have been adapted to emulate natural disturbance in order to promote biodiversity and ecosystem resilience. Few studies have evaluated windthrow outcomes in natural or managed old-growth boreal mixed-species stands, and these studies are primarily empirical. The objective of this study was to adapt the hybrid empirical-mechanistic ForestGALES_BC model, to investigate windthrow dynamics in natural and managed boreal old-growth stands, under various wind regimes. ForestGALES_BC was updated by adding biomechanical data for balsam fir (Abies balsamea (L.) Mill.) and black spruce (Picea mariana (Mill.) B.S.P.). The model has the ability to simulate damage propagation during wind events by recalculating wind loading on a subject tree after failure of upwind trees. The number of iterations of this recalculation provides insights into the potential for propagation during longer duration storms. A simulation space made up of 500, 20m×20m cells, was created using tree-lists from silviculture systems experiments in north eastern Quebec. The tree-lists for cells within the simulation space were edited to represent the plot conditions at the Quebec experimental sites, allowing simulation of a range of cell- (plot) and matrix-level (landscape) partial harvesting regimes. Above-canopy winds of various speeds were applied in order to test the initiation and propagation of damage within the simulated forest. Simulated outcomes were compared to observations of windthrow 6–7 years after partial harvesting at the field experimental site. Observed damage at the experimental site ranged from 1 to 40% of plot total basal area (mean=14%, se=1.96). For above-canopy wind speeds within the range expected for the experimental site, simulated windthrow levels in partial cuts ranged from 7 to 32% (mean=12%, se=1.94). When the combined effects of wind speed and number of iterations (∼event duration) were investigated, event duration was more important for wind speeds over 20m/s. By enabling simulation of outcomes at the tree, plot (cell) and stand (simulation space) levels, the model allows investigation of a wide range of harvesting strategies, and sets the stage for inclusion of wind disturbance in ecosystem succession models and other stand or landscape-level decision-support tools for forests in windy climates.

Seismic Fragility of Concrete Gravity Dams with Spatial Variation of Angle of Friction: Case Study

AbstractConcrete gravity dams are essential infrastructure components and because of earlier design practices, they may be vulnerable to future earthquake events. Therefore, their vulnerability is important to characterize, particularly given the large societal consequences of dam failure. Seismic fragility curves allow a rational safety and vulnerability assessment of existing structures under earthquake hazards offering statements of the conditional probability of reaching a limit state. This paper evaluates the seismic fragility of a case study concrete dam located in northeastern Quebec, improving on existing approaches by including spatial variation of the angle of friction and offering insights regarding the significance of modeling parameters, importance of spatial variation, and overall vulnerability of the dam to two failure modes. Finite-element techniques are used to model the dam system and to fully account for dam-reservoir-foundation interactions. Uncertainties in the ground motions and mode...

Effect of three partial cutting practices on stand structure and growth of residual black spruce trees in north-eastern Quebec

Partial cutting practices are increasingly used in boreal forests for two major reasons: (1) maintaining age structure and tree diameter distribution according to the principles of ecosystem-based management and (2) increasing tree growth by decreasing competition. This study evaluated the effects of three different partial cutting treatments applied to even- and uneven-aged black spruce (Picea mariana (Mill.) B.S.P.) stands in north-eastern Quebec, Canada. The effect of partial cutting was assessed by comparing treated and control plots in terms of age structure, diameter and spatial distribution, amount of deadwood and tree radial growth. Age structure and diameter distribution were not different from control plots after partial cuttings applied in both uneven-aged and even-aged stands, but lower deadwood basal area was observed. Tree radial growth generally increased in uneven-aged stands but can be limited by tree age and inter-tree competition. In even-aged stands, tree removal was more uniformly distributed and the overall reduction in inter-tree competition resulted in an increased tree radial growth. Overall, these results suggest that the studied partial cuttings were adequate for maintaining structural attributes and increasing tree growth, but adjustments should be made to treatments to increase the amount of deadwood to a level observed in natural forests and to lower inter-tree competition.

The Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean asthma familial collection: the genetics of asthma in a young founder population

To study the genetics of asthma, a familial collection was built in the Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean (SLSJ) region, which is localized in northeastern Quebec, Canada, and which is characterized by a young founder effect. Recruitment was performed through probands with a specific asthma phenotype. The collection includes 1394 individuals distributed in 271 families. A phenotypic profile including more than 75 phenotypic characteristics was defined for each participant using a standardized questionnaire, respiratory measures and allergic tests. A genome-wide association study on 1214 of these samples for asthma-related phenotypes (asthma, atopy and rhinitis) and for white blood cell types was performed. These analyses allowed associating 10 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) with P<1 × 10(-5) with asthma-related phenotypes and 11 SNPs with white blood cell counts. Among them, four SNPs are located in or near genes with functions related to asthma or allergy. Moreover, several loci were identified as 5q31.1 that includes 22 SNPs associated with atopy (P<1 × 10(-3)) and located near a cytokine cluster, and 17q21.2 with seven SNPs associated with asthma. This study highlights the value of a familial collection with a fine phenotypic description and characterized by a young founder effect in the search of the genetic determinants involved in complex traits such as asthma.

Porsild spruce in Canada – an update

Several new developments are noted since publication of “Porsild spruce in Canada” in The Forestry Chronicle in January 2013. Firstly, Porsild spruce has been found in northeastern Quebec. Secondly, although researchers were unaware of the fact until now, the Porsild spruce phenotype has been found to be a common component in the New Brunswick tree improvement program’s second-generation seed orchard in support of reforestation. Thirdly, a wild tree discovered in New Brunswick displays morphological features of Engelmann spruce and, based on observed similarities between Yukon Beringia Porsild spruce phenotypes and the accepted Engelmann spruce phenotype, it is possible that the New Brunswick Engelmann spruce tree was derived from the local Porsild spruce population.

121 ARSACS: a novel phenotype causing peripheral neuropathy, ataxia and spasticity with supranuclear gaze palsy, myoclonus and epilepsy

The phenotype of Autosomal Recessive Spastic Ataxia of Charlevoix-Saguenay (ARSACS) was initially reported as early-onset limb ataxia, spastic paraparesis and sensorimotor neuropathy with dysarthria, retinal abnormalities, horizontal nystagmus, urinary dysfunction...

Verbal Classifiers in Innu

This article reports on verbal classifier affixes in Innu (also known as Montagnais), an Algonquian language spoken in northeastern Quebec and Labrador, Canada. Verbal classifiers are normally characterized as a form of semantic agreement whereby an affix on the verb (the classifier) categorizes the shape or substance of the referent of an argument. The analysis of a corpus of natural speech data reveals that in a significant number of cases the classifier actually introduces a new semantic argument and is the sole reference to it in the clause or discourse. Such stand-alone classifiers refer to parts of a whole, identify the theme of an impersonal verb, or express a peripheral argument.

Life on the Fertile Frontier

A study reported at the meeting has found that the first waves of European settlers to push into the wilderness of northeastern Quebec in the 17th and 18th centuries had more children than people who came later or stayed in central towns.

Genetic and histologic evidence for autophagy in asthma pathogenesis

Genetic and histologic evidence for autophagy in asthma pathogenesis