Contrasting Diaspore and Vegetation Attributes of Grasses From Natural and Disturbed Habitats in an Urban Eucalypt Forest Reserve

1993 ◽  
Vol 41 (6) ◽  
pp. 637 ◽  
Author(s):  
BM Odgers ◽  
RW Rogers
Keyword(s):  
Grass Species ◽  
Forest Species ◽  
Forest Reserve ◽  
Morphological Attributes ◽  
The Road ◽  
Eucalypt Forest ◽  
Disturbed Areas ◽  
Undisturbed Forest ◽  
Mowing Regime ◽  
Disturbed Habitats

Forty one species of grasses from a eucalypt forest reserve near Brisbane, Australia, were allocated to groups characteristic of undisturbed forest, regularly mown areas, and road banks. Morphological attributes of diaspores, height and growth habit of mature plants, species origin, flowering times and life history were determined for each species. Species characteristic of the mown areas had lighter diaspores than the forest gasses and did not possess awns; if a callus was present it was blunt and did not have antrorse hairs. Species from mown areas also differed from the forest species in being mainly short stoloniferous exotics which flowered for longer than the forest species. Species characteristic of the natural forest and road bank areas had diaspores of similar mass, similar diaspores attributes (awns, callus and antrorse hairs) and species of both habitats were mainly tall and tufted. The road bank species differed from the forest species in being mainly of exotic origin and in flowering for up to 9 months per year longer than the forest species. That grass species of mown areas successfully compete with forest species in mown areas may be because of a mowing regime which selects for short, mainly stoloniferous, species which have longer periods of diaspore production than the forest species. As road banks are not subjected to regular mowing, an extended pattern of flowering which ensures a continuous supply of diaspores may account for road bank species successfully competing with forest species in disturbed areas.

Seasonal Variation in Buried Germinable Seed Banks of Grass Species in an Urban Eucalypt Forest Reserve

1999 ◽  
Vol 47 (4) ◽  
pp. 623 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. M. Odgers
Keyword(s):  
Seasonal Variation ◽  
Seed Banks ◽  
Grass Species ◽  
Seasonal Patterns ◽  
Forest Reserve ◽  
Native Grass ◽  
Eucalypt Forest ◽  
Disturbed Forest ◽  
Exotic Grass ◽  
Germinable Seed

Grass species in the buried germinable seed banks of selected forest, mown and road-bank sites in the Mt Coot-tha Reserve, south-eastern Queensland were quantified for five consecutive seasons to determine seasonal patterns in the seed banks, and differences in seasonal patterns between native and exotic grass species, and between grasses in natural and disturbed forest areas. Ten types of seed banks were identified. While native and exotic species had similar seed banks most native grass species had transient seed banks whereas most exotic grass species had persistent seed banks.

scholarly journals Human Influences on Tree Diversity and Composition of a Coastal Forest Ecosystem: The Case of Ngumburuni Forest Reserve, Rufiji, Tanzania

2013 ◽  
Vol 2013 ◽  
pp. 1-7 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Kimaro ◽  
L. Lulandala
Keyword(s):  
Species Diversity ◽  
Forest Ecosystem ◽  
Anthropogenic Activities ◽  
Coastal Forests ◽  
Useful Plants ◽  
Economic Activities ◽  
Forest Reserve ◽  
Disturbed Areas ◽  
Undisturbed Forest ◽  
Ecological Functioning

This paper reports on the findings of an ecological survey conducted in Ngumburuni Forest Reserve, a biodiversity rich forest reserve within the coastal forests of Tanzania. The main goal of this study was to determine the influence of uncontrolled anthropogenic activities on tree species diversity and composition within the forest ecosystem. It was revealed that economic activities including logging, charcoaling, and shifting cultivation were the most important disturbing activities affecting ecological functioning and biodiversity integrity of the forest. Further to this, we noted that the values of species diversity, composition, and regeneration potential within the undisturbed forest areas were significantly different from those in heavily disturbed areas. These observations confirm that the ongoing human activities have already caused size quality degradation of useful plants, enhanced species diversification impacts to the forest ecosystem, and possibly negatively affected the livelihoods of the adjacent local communities. Despite these disturbances, Ngumburuni forest reserve still holds important proportions of both endemic and threatened animal and plant species. The study suggests urgent implementation of several conservation measures in order to limit accessibility to the forest resources so as to safeguard the richness and abundance of useful biodiversity stocks in the reserve.

Seed Banks and Vegetation of Three Contrasting Sites in an Urban Eucalypt Forest Reserve

1994 ◽  
Vol 42 (4) ◽  
pp. 371 ◽  
Author(s):  
BM Odgers
Keyword(s):  
Seed Bank ◽  
Native Species ◽  
Seed Banks ◽  
Species Density ◽  
Grass Species ◽  
Forest Site ◽  
The Road ◽  
Eucalypt Forest ◽  
Exotic Grass ◽  
Germinable Seed

Grass species, sedges and dicotyledons in the vegetation and the buried germinable seed of a natural subtropical eucalypt forest, a mown and a road bank site were identified in four consecutive seasons and the data pooled to give a more precise assessment of taxa present each year. Differences in the relative proportions of taxa, differences in species density, origin and life history of grass species in the seed bank and vegetation, as well as differences in biomass and rate of germination of buried germinable grass seed, in the three sites were investigated. In all three sites, grasses were the dominant taxa of the ground stratum of the vegetation with each site having its own group of mainly perennial grasses. The seed banks were dominated by grasses in the forest site, sedges in the mown site and dicotyledons in the road bank site. There were significant differences in species density of grasses in both the vegetation and buried germinable seed between sites, with the forest site having a significantly lower species density in its seed bank than the mown and road bank sites, and the vegetation of the forest and mown sites having a lower species density than the road bank site. However, there was a high correlation between the grass species of the vegetation and the buried germinable seed in each of the three sites - the species which dominated the vegetation also dominated the biomass of buried germinable seed in each site. The mown and road bank sites had larger numbers and biomass of buried germinable grass seed than the natural forest site. There were no differences in the number of days to first germination and the number of days to 50% germination of the buried germinable seed between any of the sites. Exotic grass species were present in the seed banks of the forest, mown and road bank sites. Exotics were prevalent in the vegetation of the mown and road bank sites but not evident in the vegetation of the forest site. Exotic species with higher buried germinable seed numbers and similar germination rates to the native species are likely to have a competitive advantage over the native species. It appears that the mown and road bank sites, may act as reservoirs for the more competitive exotic grass species, enabling them to invade the seed banks of the forest areas.

Fire, Buried Germinable Seed Banks and Grass Species Establishment in an Urban Eucalypt Forest Reserve

1996 ◽  
Vol 44 (4) ◽  
pp. 413 ◽  
Author(s):  
BM Odgers
Keyword(s):  
Seed Banks ◽  
Grass Species ◽  
Similar Species ◽  
Forest Reserve ◽  
Eucalypt Forest ◽  
Open Forest ◽  
Forest Sites ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Species Establishment ◽  
Germinable Seed

The buried germinable seed banks of two natural contrasting savanna open-forest sites were investigated before and after a wildfire. It was found that while the number of buried germinable grass and sedge seeds remained the same, the number of buried germinable dicotyledon seeds in both sites increased after the fire. It was also found that there were similar species of grasses present in the buried germinable seed banks before and after the fire. When germinating grass seedlings in the burnt and unburnt sites were compared, similar species of grasses were found in the germinating seedlings at both sites; however, more grass seedlings germinated in the burnt site than in the unburnt site.

Contrasting effects of fire on populations of two small rodent species in fragments of Atlantic Forest in Brazil

2004 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
pp. 225-228 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marcos de Souza Lima Figueiredo ◽  
Fernando Antonio dos Santos Fernandez
Keyword(s):  
Atlantic Forest ◽  
Feedback System ◽  
Rodent Species ◽  
Primary Forest ◽  
Small Rodent ◽  
Forest Species ◽  
The Core ◽  
Higher Temperature ◽  
Disturbed Habitats

Habitat fragmentation causes a sharp increase in the forested area affected by edge effects (Murcia 1995). Compared with the core of the forest, edges present higher litterfall rates, air and soil humidity reduction, higher temperature and increased wind incidence (Bierregaard et al. 1992, Didham & Lawton 1999, Laurance et al. 1998, Matlack 1993). These features of edges may increase the probability of fire occurrence, especially if the surrounding vegetation is composed of grasses (D'Antonio & Vitousek 1992, Freifelder et al. 1998). After a fire, the damaged edge will grow substantial amounts of herbaceous vegetation, extending the inflammable area into the forest, and thereby creating a positive feedback system of fire susceptibility and intensity (Cochrane & Schulze 1999, Cochrane et al. 1999). Fires may affect the structure and composition of the vegetation (Cochrane & Schulze 1999, Didham & Lawton 1999, Sanaiotti & Magnusson 1995), favouring, in the long-term, the dominance of the community by species characteristic of disturbed habitats and making the habitat unsuitable to primary forest species (Malcolm 1994, Possingham et al. 1994). Unfortunately, there are few studies on the effects of fires on neotropical small-mammal populations (Borchert & Hansen 1983, Ojeda 1989, Vieira & Marinho-Filho 1998). The objective of this study was to analyse the influence of a fire on populations of two rodent species, Akodon cursor (Winge) and Oecomys concolor (Wagner) in two fragments of Atlantic Forest in Brazil.

scholarly journals Analysis of Pattern and Extent of Deforestation in Akure Forest Reserve, Ondo State, Nigeria

2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 1-11
Author(s):  
Isaac Adelakun Gbiri ◽  
Nathaniel Olugbade Adeoye
Keyword(s):  
Anthropogenic Activities ◽  
Remote Sensing Data ◽  
Satellite System ◽  
Optical Remote Sensing ◽  
Human Beings ◽  
Southwestern Nigeria ◽  
Forest Reserve ◽  
Forest Depletion ◽  
Undisturbed Forest ◽  
The Government

Abstract Forest Reserves in Southwestern Nigeria have been threatened by urbanization and anthropogenic activities and the rate of deforestation is not known. This study examined the vegetation characteristics of Akure Forest Reserve using optical remote sensing data. It also assessed the changing pattern in the forest reserve between 1986 and 2017. Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) receiver was used to capture the location of the prominent settlements that surrounded the Forest Reserve in order to evaluate their effects on the forest. Landsat TM 1986, Landsat ETM+ 2002 and Landsat OLI_TIRS 2017 with 30m resolution were classified to assess the spatio-temporal changing pattern of the forest reserve. The results showed different composition of vegetation, which include undisturbed forest, secondary regrowth and farmlands. The study further revealed that in 1986, 2002 and 2017, undisturbed forest constituted 63.3%, 32.4% and 32.1% of the entire land area respectively, while secondary regrowth occupied 8.3% in 1986, 9.5% in 2002 and 15.6% in 2017. The farmlands had erratic growth between 1986 and 2017. It was 16.9% in 1986, 22.1% in 2002 and 17.5% in 2017. The bare ground exhibited inconsistency in the coverage. In 1986 the areal extent was 11.5%, when it increased to 36% in 2002 and decreased to 31.9% in 2017. In conclusion, the study revealed the extent of forest depletion at Akure Forest Reserve and it is therefore important that the residents, the government and the researchers show major concern about some of the critical factors to human beings that are responsible for forest depletion.

scholarly journals Predation of the Buffy-fronted Seedeater Sporophila frontalis (Aves: Emberizidae) on Merostachys neesii (Poaceae: Babusoideae) seeds during a masting event in the Atlantic forest

2011 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 407-411 ◽  
Author(s):  
César Cestari ◽  
Cláudio João Bernardi
Keyword(s):  
Atlantic Forest ◽  
Predation Rate ◽  
The Other ◽  
Southeastern Brazil ◽  
Forest Species ◽  
Forest Reserve ◽  
Point Counts ◽  
Other Hand ◽  
Predatory Impact

The Buffy-fronted Seedeater Sporophila frontalis (Verreaux, 1869) is frequently found foraging on seeds during ephemeral masting events of bamboos in the Atlantic forest. In the present study, we analyzed the predation activity of S. frontalis on seeds of Merostachys neesii Rupr. during a masting event in an Atlantic forest reserve on southeastern Brazil. We conducted point counts in spots with M. neesii and in spots without bamboos along trails to determine the presence of S. frontalis on M. neesii clumps. Additionally, focal observations on bamboo clumps and seed traps were used to verify the predatory impact of S. frontalis on M. neesii seeds. S. frontalis was present in 6 out 18 point counts in M. neesii clumps. The seedeater behaved territorially in bamboo clumps and presented a mean predation rate of 1.10 bamboo seeds/minute. Seed traps had up to 80% of the seeds predated. The large amount of seeds available during bamboo masting events probably contributes to the maintenance of wandering populations of S. frontalis in the Atlantic forest. On the other hand, the predation of seeds by S. frontalis may reduce the reproductive germination and the propagation of the bamboos whose growth may in turn negatively affect the establishment of other forest species.

A Floristic Comparison of Vascular Species in Tasmanian Oldgrowth Mixed Forest With Regeneration Resulting From Logging and Wildfire

1994 ◽  
Vol 42 (4) ◽  
pp. 383 ◽  
Author(s):  
JE Hickey
Keyword(s):  
Life Span ◽  
Vascular Plant ◽  
Mixed Forest ◽  
Critical Factor ◽  
Eucalypt Forest ◽  
Disturbed Areas ◽  
Fern Species ◽  
Eucalypt Forests ◽  
Or Fires ◽  
Epiphytic Fern

About 20% of Tasmania's wet eucalypt forest is mixed forest, i.e. having a rainforest understorey and a eucalypt overstorey. While one-third of the mixed forest is formally reserved, much of the remainder is subject to logging on an 80-100 year rotation which is insufficient for the redevelopment of mature mixed forest. The routine silvicultural regeneration treatment for wet eucalypt forests is to clearfell, burn and sow with eucalypt seed. A comparison of the Vascular floristics of 20-30-year-old silvicultural and wildfire regeneration with oldgrowth mixed forest showed that most species common in oldgrowth mixed forest were represented in approximately similar frequencies in silvicultural regeneration and wildfire regeneration. The major floristic difference between the two regeneration types was the much lower frequency of oldgrowth epiphytic fern species in silvicultural regeneration and a higher frequency of a sedge species often associated with disturbed areas. However, after a single logging treatment, the vascular plant floristics of silvicultural regeneration were sufficiently similar to wildfire regeneration to assume that, in the absence of further logging or fires, the silvicultural regeneration could become mature mixed forest and eventually rainforest. Further work is required to determine whether regrowth mixed forest can be logged at 80-100 years and still retain sufficient rainforest elements to eventually return to mixed forest within the life span of the dominant eucalypts. The critical factor in the silvicultural perpetuation of mixed forest may be rotation length rather than regeneration treatment.

Impact of distance to mature forest on the recolonisation of bryophytes in a regenerating Tasmanian wet eucalypt forest

2013 ◽  
Vol 61 (8) ◽  
pp. 633 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas P. Baker ◽  
Gregory J. Jordan ◽  
Patrick J. Dalton ◽  
Susan C. Baker
Keyword(s):  
Edge Effect ◽  
Dispersal Distance ◽  
Mature Forest ◽  
Eucalypt Forest ◽  
Native Forests ◽  
Disturbed Areas ◽  
Disturbed Forest ◽  
Microclimate Conditions ◽  
Ideal Group

Forest influence is a type of edge effect that occurs when mature forests affect the recolonisation of adjacent disturbed areas. This can be driven by changes in microclimate conditions near the edge or by an increase in establishment ability with proximity to a propagule source. Bryophyte recolonisation is sensitive to both microclimate and dispersal distance, therefore they are an ideal group to examine how strong forest influence is and over what distance it operates. Responses to forest influence are known to be highly species dependent; therefore, we tested whether distance affects the recolonisation ability of a range of bryophytes. As well as examining a range of species, we tested whether forest influence operated differently on two types of substrate used by bryophytes (logs and ground). For most of the species examined, establishment rates in disturbed forest diminished further away from the mature edge. The influence of unlogged mature forest on bryophyte establishment in harvested forest occurred up to 50 m. Species varied in their response to distance, and the relationships with distance were stronger on the ground compared with log substrates. These results support the concept of forest influence, with areas closer to mature forest experiencing more substantial re-establishment. These findings are relevant to conservation of bryophytes in managed native forests.

scholarly journals Calorific Value of Leaves of Selected Dipterocarp Trees Species in Piah Forest Reserve, Perak

2021 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 132-134
Author(s):  
Dayang Nur Sakinah Musa ◽  
Ahmad Ainuddin Nuruddin
Keyword(s):  
Forest Fire ◽  
Fire Management ◽  
Calorific Value ◽  
Management Plan ◽  
Forest Species ◽  
Forest Reserve ◽  
Forest Fire Management ◽  
The Mean ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Shorea Leprosula

Information on calorific value is very important factor in fuel evaluation. The objective of the study was to investigate the calorific values of the leaves of five (5) selected trees species of dipterocarp in Piah Forest Reserve, Perak, Malaysia. The species are Hopea sp., Shorea parvifolia, Shorea leprosula, Shorea macroptera and Dipterocarpus sp. The calorific values were determined using the Adiabatic Bomb Calorimeter. The difference of calorific value between the five species were also examined. It was found that, the mean calorific value for the dipterocarp species were within the range of 4041.28 Cal g-1 to 4820.78 Cal g-1. The leaves of the Shorea macroptera contain higher calorific value compared to other four species. The findings will be useful in the preparation of forest fire management plan, and also in the development of bioenergy project of wood-based biomass from forest species.

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