Not all trees can make a forest: Tree species composition and competition control forest encroachment in a tropical savanna

AbstractCombined effect of environmental change and management variability leads to reduced soil diversity in homogenous forest stands. On the other hand, forest soil diversity is maintained with rich tree species composition. In this study, focus has been put on deriving urgency to change forest tree species composition in order to increase soil diversity in biogeographic regions with uneven impact of environmental change. The relation of forest tree species and soil diversities was compared between the periods of dominant sulphur deposition (1985–1994) and the period of regional environmental change (2003–2012) in the Czech Republic (Central Europe; 78 866 km2; 115–1602 m n.m.). Forest tree species and soil diversities were assessed using linear regression, discrimination analysis and geographically weighted regression including residue analysis. The effect of spatial differences of acid deposition on soil properties, though, decreased, still dependencies between the diversity of bedrock, soils and forest tree species increased significantly. Only 12.9 % of forests in the territory of the CR have optimum tree species diversity. The total of 65.9 % of forest require highly or moderately urgent transformation. An increase in spatial dependencies between soil and tree species diversities confirms the importance of site differentiation in forest transformation.

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Differences in Ecosystem Carbon Distribution and Nutrient Cycling Linked to Forest Tree Species Composition in a Mid-Successional Boreal Forest

Ecosystems ◽

10.1007/s10021-015-9912-7 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 18 (8) ◽

pp. 1472-1488 ◽

Cited By ~ 17

Author(s):

April M. Melvin ◽

Michelle C. Mack ◽

Jill F. Johnstone ◽

A. David McGuire ◽

Helene Genet ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Nutrient Cycling ◽

Species Composition ◽

Boreal Forest ◽

Tree Species ◽

Forest Tree ◽

Carbon Distribution ◽

Tree Species Composition ◽

Forest Tree Species ◽

Ecosystem Carbon

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Effects of clearcut logging and tree species composition on the diversity and community composition of epigeous fruit bodies formed by ectomycorrhizal fungi

Canadian Journal of Botany ◽

10.1139/b06-045 ◽

2006 ◽

Vol 84 (6) ◽

pp. 966-980 ◽

Cited By ~ 43

Author(s):

Daniel M. Durall ◽

Sharmin Gamiet ◽

Suzanne W. Simard ◽

Lenka Kudrna ◽

Stacey M. Sakakibara

Keyword(s):

Species Composition ◽

Community Composition ◽

Tree Species ◽

Forest Tree ◽

Douglas Fir ◽

Stand Age ◽

Fungal Community Composition ◽

Mixed Forests ◽

Tree Species Composition ◽

Russula Brevipes

The objective of this study was to examine the effects of stand age and tree species composition on the abundance, diversity, and community composition of epigeous fruit bodies formed by ectomycorrhizal (ECM) fungi in the Interior Cedar Hemlock zone of British Columbia. Fruit bodies were collected and identified in May, June, August, September, and October of 1996, 1997, 1998, and 1999 from transects located in new (5 year old) plantations and mature (75–125 year old) wild forests composed of relatively pure Betula papyrifera Marsh. (paper birch), relatively pure Pseudotsuga menziesii var. glauca (Beissn.) Franco (interior Douglas-fir), and mixtures of the two tree species. A total of 187 fungal taxa were collected during the study, of which 185 occurred in mature forests and only 17 occurred in the plantations. Thirty-four taxa were unique to mature predominantly birch forests, 35 were unique to mature predominantly Douglas-fir forests, 17 were unique to mixed mature forests, and 68 taxa were found in all three mature forest types. The abundance of fruit bodies in mature forests varied widely among sampling years and generally increased with annual precipitation. ECM species richness differed between stand ages but not among forest compositions in both plantations and mature forests. Lactarius glyciosmus , Hygrophorus eburneus var. eburneus , and Cortinarius armillatus were more abundant in mature birch than mature Douglas-fir forests. Lactarius torminosus , Leccinum scabrum var. scabrum , and Rozites caperatus were also found predominantly in mature birch and mixed forests, whereas Gomphidius subroseus was more abundant in Douglas-fir forests than in birch and mixed mature forests. Russula brevipes was also found predominantly in mature Douglas-fir and mixed forests. Our results indicate that clearcutting has a profound effect on abundance and composition of ECM fruit bodies, and that changes in forest tree species composition may lead to shifts in ECM fungal community composition.

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Langfristige Entwicklung von zwei Waldgesellschaften im Białowieża-Urwald

Schweizerische Zeitschrift fur Forstwesen ◽

10.3188/szf.2008.0080 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 159 (4) ◽

pp. 80-90 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Bogdan Brzeziecki ◽

Feliks Eugeniusz Bernadzki

Keyword(s):

Species Composition ◽

Tree Species ◽

Stand Structure ◽

Temporal Dynamics ◽

Structural Parameters ◽

Forest Communities ◽

Natural Forests ◽

Tree Species Composition ◽

Strong Trend ◽

Long Term Study

The results of a long-term study on the natural forest dynamics of two forest communities on one sample plot within the Białowieża National Park in Poland are presented. The two investigated forest communities consist of the Pino-Quercetum and the Tilio-Carpinetum type with the major tree species Pinus sylvestris, Picea abies, Betula sp., Quercus robur, Tilia cordata and Carpinus betulus. The results reveal strong temporal dynamics of both forest communities since 1936 in terms of tree species composition and of general stand structure. The four major tree species Scots pine, birch, English oak and Norway spruce, which were dominant until 1936, have gradually been replaced by lime and hornbeam. At the same time, the analysis of structural parameters indicates a strong trend towards a homogenization of the vertical stand structure. Possible causes for these dynamics may be changes in sylviculture, climate change and atmospheric deposition. Based on the altered tree species composition it can be concluded that a simple ≪copying≫ (mimicking) of the processes taking place in natural forests may not guarantee the conservation of the multifunctional character of the respective forests.

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Light and Water in Relation to Growth and Competition of Piedmont Forest Tree Species

Ecological Monographs ◽

10.2307/1943536 ◽

1949 ◽

Vol 19 (3) ◽

pp. 207-231 ◽

Cited By ~ 77

Author(s):

Theodore T. Kozlowski

Keyword(s):

Tree Species ◽

Forest Tree ◽

Forest Tree Species

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Identification of spectral features in the longwave infrared (LWIR) spectra of leaves for the discrimination of tropical dry forest tree species

International Journal of Applied Earth Observation and Geoinformation ◽

10.1016/j.jag.2020.102286 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 97 ◽

pp. 102286

Author(s):

Yaqian Long ◽

Benoit Rivard ◽

Arturo Sanchez-Azofeifa ◽

Russell Greiner ◽

Dominica Harrison ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Tree Species ◽

Tropical Dry Forest ◽

Forest Tree ◽

Dry Forest ◽

Spectral Features ◽

Forest Tree Species

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A case of gender equality: absence of sex-related costs in a dioecious tropical forest tree species

Plant Ecology ◽

10.1007/s11258-020-01105-1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Valéria Forni Martins ◽

Rafaela Letícia Brito Bispo ◽

Priscilla de Paula Loiola

Keyword(s):

Tropical Forest ◽

Gender Equality ◽

Tree Species ◽

Forest Tree ◽

Forest Tree Species

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Fire suppression and seed dispersal play critical roles in the establishment of tropical forest tree species in southeastern Africa

Scientific Reports ◽

10.1038/s41598-021-95752-7 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Tomohiro Fujita

Keyword(s):

Seed Dispersal ◽

Tree Species ◽

Seedling Survival ◽

Fire Suppression ◽

Forest Tree ◽

Tree Seedlings ◽

Seedling Mortality ◽

Forest Tree Species ◽

Seed Deposition ◽

Syzygium Guineense

AbstractThis study examined the mechanisms of facilitation and importance of seed dispersal during establishment of forest tree species in an Afrotropical woodland. Seedling survival of Syzygium guineense ssp. afromontanum was monitored for 2.5 years at four different microsites in savannah woodland in Malawi (southeastern Africa) under Ficus natalensis (a potential nurse plant), Brachystegia floribunda (a woodland tree), Uapaca kirkiana (a woodland tree), and at a treeless site. The number of naturally established forest tree seedlings in the woodland was also counted. Additionally, S. guineense ssp. afromontanum seed deposition was monitored at the four microsites. Insect damage (9% of the total cause of mortality) and trampling by ungulates (1%) had limited impact on seedling survival in this area. Fire (43%) was found to be the most important cause of seedling mortality and fire induced mortality was especially high under U. kirkiana (74%) and at treeless site (51%). The rate was comparatively low under F. natalensis (4%) and B. floribunda (23%), where fire is thought to be inhibited due to the lack of light-demanding C4 grasses. Consequently, seedling survival under F. natalensis and B. floribunda was higher compared with the other two microsites. The seedling survival rate was similar under F. natalensis (57%) and B. floribunda (59%). However, only a few S. guineense ssp. afromontanum seedlings naturally established under B. floribunda (25/285) whereas many seedlings established under F. natalensis (146/285). These findings indicate that the facilitative mechanism of fire suppression is not the only factor affecting establishment. The seed deposition investigation revealed that most of the seeds (85%) were deposited under F. natalensis. As such, these findings suggest that in addition to fire suppression, dispersal limitations also play a role in forest-savannah dynamics in this region, especially at the community level.

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