The effects of habitat parameters and forest age on the ground dwelling spiders of lowland poplar forests (Hungary)

The natural mountain forests in northwest China are recognized as a substantial carbon pool and play an important role in local fragile ecosystems. This study used inventory data and detailed field measurements covering different forest age groups (young, middle-aged, near-mature, mature, old-growth forest), structure of forest (tree, herb, litter and soil layer) and trees (leaves, branches, trunks and root) to estimate biomass, carbon content ratio, carbon density and carbon storage in Altai forest ecosystems. The results showed that the average biomass of the Altai Mountains forest ecosystems was 126.67 t·hm−2, and the descending order of the value was tree layer (120.84 t·hm−2) > herb layer (4.22 t·hm−2) > litter layer (1.61 t·hm−2). Among the tree parts, trunks, roots, leaves and branches accounted for 50%, 22%, 16% and 12% of the total tree biomass, respectively. The average carbon content ratio was 0.49 (range: 0.41–0.52). The average carbon density of forest ecosystems was 205.72 t·hm−2, and the carbon storage of the forest ecosystems was 131.35 Tg (standard deviation: 31.01) inside study area. Soil had the highest carbon storage (65.98%), followed by tree (32.81%), herb (0.78%) and litter (0.43%) layers. Forest age has significant effect on biomass, carbon content ratio, carbon density and carbon storage. The carbon density of forest ecosystems in study area was spatially distributed higher in the south and lower in north, which is influenced by climate, topography, soil types and dominant tree species.

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Relationships between macro-fungal dark diversity and habitat parameters using LiDAR

Fungal Ecology ◽

10.1016/j.funeco.2021.101054 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 51 ◽

pp. 101054

Author(s):

Jose W. Valdez ◽

Ane Kirstine Brunbjerg ◽

Camilla Fløjgaard ◽

Lars Dalby ◽

Kevin K. Clausen ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Habitat Parameters

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Effect of tree species identity and related habitat parameters on understorey bryophytes – interrelationships between bryophyte, soil and tree factors in a 50-year-old experimental forest

Plant and Soil ◽

10.1007/s11104-021-05074-w ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Kaja Rola ◽

Vítězslav Plášek ◽

Katarzyna Rożek ◽

Szymon Zubek

Keyword(s):

Species Richness ◽

Tree Species ◽

Forest Floor ◽

Vascular Plant ◽

Soil Parameters ◽

Species Identity ◽

Habitat Factors ◽

Positive Correlations ◽

Old Trees ◽

Habitat Parameters

Abstract Aim Overstorey tree species influence both soil properties and microclimate conditions in the forest floor, which in turn can induce changes in ground bryophyte communities. The aim of the study was to investigate the effect of tree species identity and the most important habitat factors influencing understorey bryophytes. Methods We assessed the effect of 14 tree species and related habitat parameters, including soil parameters, vascular plant presence and light intensity on bryophytes in monospecific plots covered by nearly fifty-year-old trees in the Siemianice Experimental Forest (Poland). Results The canopy tree species determined bryophyte species richness and cover. The strongest differences were observed between plots with deciduous and coniferous trees. Soils with a more acidic pH and lower content of macronutrients supported larger bryophyte coverage. We also found a positive correlations between vascular plants and availability of light as well as bryophyte species richness. Conclusion Tree species identity and differences in habitat conditions in the forest floor lead to changes of ground bryophyte richness, cover and species composition. Consequently, the changes in the dominant tree species in the stand may result in significant repercussions on ground bryophyte communities. We indicated that the introduction of alien tree species, i.e. Quercus rubra, has an adverse effect on bryophyte communities and suggested that the selection of tree species that contribute to the community consistent with the potential natural vegetation is highly beneficial for maintaining ground bryophyte biodiversity.

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Effects of Forest Age on Soil Fungal Community in a Northern Temperate Ecosystem

Indian Journal of Microbiology ◽

10.1007/s12088-016-0577-5 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 56 (3) ◽

pp. 328-334 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Han Zhiguang ◽

Sui Xin ◽

Li Mengsha

Keyword(s):

Fungal Community ◽

Forest Age ◽

Soil Fungal Community

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Characterisation of Beaver Habitat Parameters That Promote the Use of Culverts as Dam Construction Sites: Can We Limit the Damage to Forest Roads?

Forests ◽

10.3390/f8120494 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 8 (12) ◽

pp. 494 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Geneviève Tremblay ◽

Osvaldo Valeria ◽

Louis Imbeau

Keyword(s):

Dam Construction ◽

Construction Sites ◽

Forest Roads ◽

Habitat Parameters

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Effects of topography, soil type and forest age on the frequency and size distribution of canopy gap disturbances in a tropical forest

Biogeosciences ◽

10.5194/bg-10-6769-2013 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 10 (11) ◽

pp. 6769-6781 ◽

Cited By ~ 16

Author(s):

E. Lobo ◽

J. W. Dalling

Keyword(s):

Tropical Forest ◽

Size Distribution ◽

Soil Type ◽

Scale Up ◽

Area Fraction ◽

Environmental Drivers ◽

Gap Size ◽

Forest Age ◽

Gap Formation ◽

Canopy Disturbance

Abstract. Treefall gaps are the major source of disturbance in most tropical forests. The frequency and size of these gaps have important implications for forest ecosystem processes as they can influence the functional trait distribution of tree communities, stand-level aboveground biomass and productivity. However, we still know little about the relative importance of environmental drivers of gap disturbance regimes because existing studies vary greatly in criteria used for defining gaps, in the spatial extent of the study area, and the spatial resolution of canopy height measurements. Here we use lidar (light detecting and ranging) to explore how forest age, topography and soil type affect canopy disturbance patterns across a 1500 ha tropical forest landscape in central Panama. We characterize disturbance based on the frequency distribution of gap sizes (the "gap size distribution"), and the area of the forest affected by gaps (the "gap area fraction"). We found that slope and forest age had significant effects on the gap size distribution, with a higher frequency of large gaps associated with old-growth forests and more gentle slopes. Slope and forest age had similar effects on the gap area fraction, however gap area fraction was also affected by soil type and by aspect. We conclude that variation in disturbance patterns across the landscape can be linked to factors that act at the fine scale (such as aspect or slope), and factors that show heterogeneity at coarser scales (such as forest age or soil type). Awareness of the role of different environmental factors influencing gap formation can help scale up the impacts of canopy disturbance on forest communities measured at the plot scale to landscape and regional scales.

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Canopy Leaf Traits, Basal Area, and Age Predict Functional Patterns of Regenerating Communities in Secondary Subtropical Forests

Frontiers in Forests and Global Change ◽

10.3389/ffgc.2021.572864 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 4 ◽

Author(s):

Sandra Cristina Müller ◽

Rodrigo Scarton Bergamin ◽

Kauane Maiara Bordin ◽

Joice Klipel ◽

Milena Fermina Rosenfield

Keyword(s):

Functional Diversity ◽

Functional Traits ◽

Natural Regeneration ◽

Basal Area ◽

Leaf Traits ◽

Leaf Nitrogen ◽

Ecosystem Functions ◽

Secondary Forests ◽

Functional Composition ◽

Forest Age

Secondary forests originate from natural regeneration after fallow (succession) or restoration. Species assembly in these communities, which can affect ecosystem functions and successional trajectories, is very unpredictable. Trait-based trajectories can shed light on the recovery of ecosystem functions and enable predictions of how the regenerating communities will change with forest age. Regeneration communities are affected by initial conditions and also by canopy structure and functional traits that alter dispersers' attractiveness and coexistence mechanisms. Here we evaluated how community functional traits change over time and tested if functional diversity and composition of the established canopy, as well as the structure of the canopy and forest age, influence the functional structure of regenerating tree communities when compared to their reference forests. For this, we calculated dissimilarity in trait composition (community-weighted means) and in functional diversity of regenerating communities of each succession/restoration stand, using the tree stratum of nearby mature forests as baseline values. Functional trait information comprises leaf, wood density, and reproductive traits from tree species. Our community data contain information from natural successional forests and restoration sites, in the South-Brazilian Atlantic Forest. Predictor variables of functional dissimilarities were forest age, canopy structural variables, canopy functional composition, and functional diversity. Results showed leaf traits (leaf dry matter content, leaf nitrogen content, leaf nitrogen-phosphorus ratio) and seed mass varying with forest age. Canopy functional composition based on leaf traits and total basal area significantly predicted multiple trait functional dissimilarity between the regeneration component of secondary forests and their reference community values. Dissimilarity increased when the canopy was composed of species with more acquisitive traits. Difference in functional diversity was only influenced by forest age. Mid-stage secondary forests showed lower functional diversity than early-stage forests. Our results indicated the importance of canopy traits on the natural regeneration of secondary subtropical forests. If functional similarity with reference forests is a desired objective in order to recover ecosystem functions through natural regeneration, leaf functional traits of canopy trees that establish or are planted in degraded areas must be considered in the successional processes.

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Effects of topography, soil type and forest age on the frequency and size distribution of canopy gap disturbances in a tropical forest

Biogeosciences Discussions ◽

10.5194/bgd-10-7103-2013 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 10 (4) ◽

pp. 7103-7133 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

E. Lobo ◽

J. W. Dalling

Keyword(s):

Tropical Forest ◽

Size Distribution ◽

Soil Type ◽

Scale Up ◽

Area Fraction ◽

Environmental Drivers ◽

Gap Size ◽

Forest Age ◽

Gap Formation ◽

Canopy Disturbance

Abstract. Treefall gaps are the major source of disturbance in most tropical forests. The frequency and size of these gaps have important implications for forest ecosystem processes as they can influence the functional trait distribution of tree communities, stand-level above-ground biomass and productivity. However, we still know little about the relative importance of environmental drivers of gap disturbance regimes because existing studies vary greatly in criteria used for defining gaps, in the spatial extent of the study area, and the spatial resolution of canopy height measurements. Here we use LiDAR (light detecting and ranging) to explore how forest age, topography and soil type affect canopy disturbance patterns across a 1500 ha tropical forest landscape in central Panama. We characterize disturbance based on the frequency distribution of gap sizes (the "gap size distribution"), and the area of the forest affected by gaps (the "gap area fraction"). We found that slope and forest age had significant effects on the gap size distribution, with a higher frequency of large gaps associated with old-growth forests and more gentle slopes. Slope and forest age had similar effects on the gap area fraction, however gap area fraction was also affected by soil type and by aspect. We conclude that variation in disturbance patterns across the landscape can be linked to factors that act at the fine scale (such as aspect or slope), and factors that show heterogeneity at coarser scales (such as forest age or soil type). Awareness of the role of different environmental factors influencing gap formation can help scale-up the impacts of canopy disturbance on forest communities measured at the plot scale to landscape and regional scales.

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Emulating boreal forest disturbance dynamics: Can we maintain timber supply, aboriginal land use, and woodland caribou habitat?

The Forestry Chronicle ◽

10.5558/tfc2013-011 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 89 (01) ◽

pp. 54-65 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Narayan Dhital ◽

Frédéric Raulier ◽

Hugo Asselin ◽

Louis Imbeau ◽

Osvaldo Valeria ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Boreal Forest ◽

Age Structure ◽

Aboriginal People ◽

Natural Disturbance ◽

Forest Age ◽

Woodland Caribou ◽

Timber Supply ◽

Policy Issues ◽

Potential Interest ◽

Forest Age Structure

The effects on timber supply incurred by implementing an ecosystem-based management strategy were evaluated in an eastern Canadian boreal forest management unit. Standard linear programming was used to test the effects of four key policy issues: (1) aim for a targeted forest age structure inspired by natural fire regime and forest dynamics (multi-cohort approach), (2) agglomerate harvest blocks in operating areas to reproduce natural disturbance patterns at the landscape scale, (3) maintain cumulated clearcutting and natural disturbance rates inside the historical range of variability, and (4) exclude from harvest areas of potential interest to aboriginal people. The targeted forest age structure was achieved with a minimum reduction of periodic timber supply, but only after 50 years. Compared to a “business-as-usual” scenario, inclusion of the first three policy issues resulted in a 3% to 11% reduction in planned timber supply and a restoration period requiring that 43% to 67% of the productive area be excluded from clearcutting activities for the next 50 years. Such results require that partial cutting not be confined to operating areas eligible for clearcutting. Further exclusion of forest areas of potential interest to aboriginal people resulted in an additional 4% to 10% decrease in planned timber supply. Validation of the coarse filters used in this study (first three policy issues) was done using habitat requirements of woodland caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou). Almost all scenarios induced a disturbance rate likely to allow a self-sustaining woodland caribou population within 25 years.

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