Diversity and abundance of bryophytes, lichens, and fungi in relation to woody substrate and successional stage in aspen mixedwood boreal forests

1998 ◽  
Vol 76 (4) ◽  
pp. 641-651 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susan Crites ◽  
Mark RT Dale
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Relative Abundance ◽  
Populus Tremuloides ◽  
Boreal Forests ◽  
Stand Age ◽  
Species Assemblages ◽  
Age Classes ◽  
Successional Stage ◽  
Woody Substrates ◽  
Mixedwood Stands

We examined the effects of woody substrate and stand age on diversity and relative abundance of bryophytes, lichens, and fungi in trembling aspen (Populus tremuloides Michx.) mixedwood boreal forests in Alberta. Point sampling was carried out on surfaces of downed woody material in young (23-26 years), mature (51-63 years), and old (122-146 years) aspen mixedwood stands. Downed woody material was categorized into one of seven decay stages. Diversity and relative abundance of bryophytes, lichens, and fungi were related to decay stage of the log and to stand age. Old aspen mixedwood stands had the highest nonvascular species richness and the greatest diversity of woody substrates in each of the decay stages. The seven decay stages shared many species. Species of bryophytes, lichens, and fungi on particular decay stages were different across the age-classes, indicating that time, as well as structural attributes, were important in determining species assemblages. These results suggest that both the presence of old aspen mixedwood stands and downed wood in different stages of decay are important to maintaining assemblages of bryophytes, lichens, and fungi.Key words: bryophytes, lichens, decay, aspen mixedwood, downed woody material.

scholarly journals Clearcut Stand Size and Scrub-Successional Bird Assemblages

The Auk ◽  
2000 ◽  
Vol 117 (4) ◽  
pp. 913-924 ◽  
Author(s):  
David G. Krementz ◽  
Jeffrey S. Christie
Keyword(s):  
South Carolina ◽  
Species Richness ◽  
Relative Abundance ◽  
Reproductive Effort ◽  
Negative Relationship ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Pinus Palustris ◽  
Stand Age ◽  
Bird Assemblage ◽  
Mist Net

Abstract We investigated the effects of clearcut stand size on species richness, reproductive effort, and relative abundance of scrub-successional birds and the entire bird assemblage at the Savannah River Site in South Carolina. We used standardized mist-net grids to mark and recapture birds in clearcuts replanted with longleaf pine (Pinus palustris) in stands of 2 to 57 ha that were two to six years old. Species richness for the entire bird assemblage was not explained by stand size (P = 0.67), stand age (P = 0.95), or the interaction of these two variables (P = 0.90). Similarly, species richness of scrub-successional birds was not explained by stand size (P = 0.63), stand age (P = 0.55), or the interaction of stand size and stand age (P = 0.35). Regressing species richness on clearcut stand size, we found a significant negative relationship between these variables for the entire bird assemblage (P = 0.01) and for scrub-successional birds (P = 0.02). The ratio of juveniles to adults in mist-net samples varied by year (P = 0.04), but neither clearcut size (P = 0.23) nor the interaction of clearcut size and year (P = 0.25) was related to the ratio of juveniles to adults in the sample. We found no relationship between the frequency of capture of any category of birds and stand size (scrub-successional, P = 0.52; woodland, P = 0.77; combined sample, P = 0.55). Neither bird-species richness, reproductive effort, nor relative abundance differed across clearcut stand sizes. Clearcut stand size does not appear to be an important management variable if variation in species richness, reproductive effort, or relative abundance are objectives. We suggest that even-aged forestry is a useful tool for managing birds in the southeastern United States.

scholarly journals Patterns of bryophyte succession in a 160-year chronosequence in deciduous and coniferous forests of boreal Alaska

2017 ◽  
Vol 47 (8) ◽  
pp. 1021-1032 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mélanie Jean ◽  
Heather D. Alexander ◽  
Michelle C. Mack ◽  
Jill F. Johnstone
Keyword(s):  
Leaf Litter ◽  
Populus Tremuloides ◽  
Boreal Forests ◽  
Coniferous Forests ◽  
Stand Age ◽  
Organic Layer ◽  
Layer Depth ◽  
Litter Cover ◽  
Canopy Composition ◽  
Compositional Patterns

Bryophytes are dominant components of boreal forest understories and play a large role in regulating soil microclimate and nutrient cycling. Therefore, shifts in bryophyte communities have the potential to affect boreal forests’ ecosystem processes. We investigated how bryophyte communities varied in 83 forest stands in interior Alaska that ranged in age (since fire) from 8 to 163 years and had canopies dominated by deciduous broadleaf (Populus tremuloides Michx. or Betula neoalaskana Sarg.) or coniferous trees (Picea mariana Mill B.S.P.). In each stand, we measured bryophyte community composition, along with environmental variables (e.g., organic layer depth, leaf litter cover, moisture). Bryophyte communities were initially similar in deciduous vs. coniferous forests but diverged in older stands in association with changes in organic layer depth and leaf litter cover. Our data suggest two tipping points in bryophyte succession: one at the disappearance of early colonizing taxa 20 years after fire and another at 40 years after fire, which corresponds to canopy closure and differential leaf litter inputs in mature deciduous and coniferous canopies. Our results enhance understanding of the processes that shape compositional patterns and ecosystem services of bryophytes in relation to stand age, canopy composition, and changing disturbances such as fire that may trigger changes in canopy composition.

scholarly journals BEETLE DIVERSITY ASSOCIATED WITH FOREST STRUCTURE INCLUDING DEADWOOD IN SOFTWOOD AND HARDWOOD STANDS IN NOVA SCOTIA

2004 ◽  
Vol 42 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Kehler ◽  
Soren Bondrup-Nielsen ◽  
Cristine Corkum
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Nova Scotia ◽  
Forest Structure ◽  
Forest Stand ◽  
Stand Age ◽  
Species Assemblages ◽  
Total Species Richness ◽  
Total Species ◽  
Bois Mort ◽  
Stand Characteristics

Associations between beetles and forest stand characteristics, as well as beetle diversity, were investigated for 41 forest stands in Nova Scotia, Canada. Over 200 morphospecies from 45 Families of beetles were caught using window flight-intercept traps. In both years, correspondence analysis revealed distinct groupings of softwood and hardwood stands based on species assemblages. Multiple regression analysis was used to determine associations between forest variables and total species richness. Analyses were conducted for all stands combined and for hardwood and softwood stands separately. Hardwood stands had greater beetle richness than softwood stands. Within hardwood stands, volume of intermediate-sized deadwood was the best predictor of total species richness. Within softwood stands, volume of well-decayed deadwood was the best predictor of total beetle richness. Deadwood volume was associated with stand age in softwoods, and it appears that over 140 years is required for deadwood volume to reach pre-disturbance levels.On a étudié des associations entre les coléoptères et les caractéristiques des peuplements ainsi que la diversité des coléoptères pour 41 peuplements de la Nouvelle-Écosse, au Canada. Plus de 200 morpho-espèces appartenant à 45 familles de coléoptères ont été capturées à l’aide de pièges-fenêtres. Pour les deux années, des analyses de correspondance ont révélé des regroupements distincts dans les peuplements de résineux et de feuillus, d’après les assemblages d’espèces. On s’est servi d’une analyse de régression multiple pour établir des associations entre des variables des forêts et la richesse totale en espèces. Des analyses ont été effectuées pour l’ensemble des1 peuplements et séparément pour les peuplements de feuillus et pour les peuplements de résineux. La richesse en coléoptères était plus grande dans les peuplements de feuillus, pour lesquels le volume de bois mort de taille moyenne constituait le meilleur indicateur de la richesse totale en espèces. En ce qui concerne les peuplements de résineux, c’était le volume de bois mort bien décomposé qui était le meilleur indicateur de la richesse totale en coléoptères. Dans le cas des résineux, le volume de bois mort était associé à l’âge du peuplement, et il semble qu’il faille plus de 140 ans pour retrouver les niveaux pré-perturbation.

Aquatic and semi aquatic Hemiptera community of Sonebeel, the largest wetland of Assam, northeastern India

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (13) ◽  
pp. 12792-12799
Author(s):  
Anupama Saha ◽  
Susmita Gupta
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Pest Control ◽  
Relative Abundance ◽  
Species Distribution ◽  
Diversity Indices ◽  
Environmental Data ◽  
Northeastern India ◽  
Ecological Roles

Aquatic and semiaquatic Hemiptera bugs play significant ecological roles, and they are important indicators and pest control agents.  Little information is currently available concerning its populations in southern Assam.  This study assessed hemipterans in four sites of Sonebeel, the largest wetland in Assam (3458.12 ha at full storage level), situated in Karimganj District.  The major inflow and outflow of the wetland are the rivers Singla and Kachua, respectively (the Kachua drains into the Kushiyara River).  Samples were trapped with pond nets and were seasonally recorded.  This study recorded a total of 28 species of aquatic and semiaquatic hemipterans belonging to 20 genera under nine families.  Population, geographical and environmental data (e.g., rainfall) were used to assess the relative abundance of species, species richness and different diversity indices, and species distribution. 

scholarly journals Do carabids (Coleoptera: Carabidae) and chironomids (Diptera: Chironomidae) exhibit similar diversity and distributional patterns along a spatio-temporal gradient on a glacier foreland?

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mauro Gobbi ◽  
Valeria Lencioni
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Species Turnover ◽  
Aquatic Insect ◽  
Taxonomic Diversity ◽  
Carabid Beetles ◽  
Species Assemblages ◽  
Glacier Foreland ◽  
Distributional Patterns ◽  
Glacier Front ◽  
Spatio Temporal

Carabid beetles and chironomid midges are two dominant cold-adapted taxa, respectively on glacier forefiel terrains and in glacial-stream rivers. Although their sensitivity to high altitude climate warming is well known, no studies compare the species assemblages exhibited in glacial systems. Our study compares diversity and distributional patterns of carabids and chironomids in the foreland of the receding Amola glacier in central-eastern Italian Alps. Carabids were sampled by pitfall traps; chironomids by kick sampling in sites located at the same distance from the glacier as the terrestrial ones. The distance from the glacier front was considered as a proxy for time since deglaciation since these variables are positively correlated. We tested if the distance from the glacier front affects: i) the species richness; ii) taxonomic diversity; and iii) species turnover. Carabid species richness and taxonomic diversity increased positively from recently deglaciated sites (those c. 160 m from the glacier front) to sites deglaciated more than 160yrs ago (those located >1300 m from glacier front). Species distributions along the glacier foreland were characterized by mutually exclusive species. Conversely, no pattern in chironomid species richness and turnover was observed. Interestingly, taxonomic diversity increased significantly: closely related species were found near the glacier front, while the most taxonomically diverse species assemblages were found distant from the glacier front. Increasing glacial retreat differently affect epigeic and aquatic insect taxa: carabids respond faster to glacier retreat than do chironomids, at least in species richness and species turnover patterns.

Influence of Stand Age And Structure on the Epiphytic Lichen Vegetation in the Middle-Boreal Forests of Finland

1992 ◽  
Vol 24 (2) ◽  
pp. 165-180
Author(s):  
M. Hyvärinen ◽  
P. Halonen ◽  
M. Kauppi
Keyword(s):  
Boreal Forests ◽  
Environmental Variables ◽  
Competitive Ability ◽  
Lichen Species ◽  
Tree Canopy ◽  
Stand Age ◽  
Ecological Strategy ◽  
Epiphytic Lichen ◽  
Vertical Location ◽  
Community Variation

Abstract The epiphytic lichen vegetation on the trunks of Pinus sylvestris and Picea abies was studied and analysed by canonical correspondence analysis in relation to a number of environmental variables. The distribution and abundance of epiphytic lichen species proved to be dependent on the age of the stand, showing divergent responses in relation to phorophyte species and environmental variables such as acidity of the bark and vertical location on the trunk. The importance of stand age in the pattern of community variation is concluded to be an outcome of interaction between changes in the structure of the tree canopy, microclimate and properties of the bark. The responses of single lichen species to changes in the environment seem to vary considerably, indicating differences in competitive ability and ecological strategy between the species.

Lack of congruence between terrestrial and epiphytic lichen strata in boreal forests

2021 ◽  
Vol 53 (1) ◽  
pp. 149-158
Author(s):  
Robert J. Smith ◽  
Sarah Jovan ◽  
Susan Will-Wolf
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Boreal Forests ◽  
Environmental Gradients ◽  
Ground Layer ◽  
Global Changes ◽  
Layer Versus ◽  
Epiphytic Lichen ◽  
Incremental Change ◽  
Compositional Gradients ◽  
Environmental Responses

AbstractLichens occupy diverse substrates across tremendous ranges of environmental variation. In boreal forests, lichen communities co-occur in ‘strata’ defined by terrestrial or arboreal substrates, but these strata may or may not be interchangeable as bioindicators. Do co-occurring lichen strata have similar community structures and environmental responses? Could one stratum serve as a proxy for the other? We assessed variation in species richness and community compositions between ground-layer versus epiphyte-layer lichen strata in boreal forests and peatlands of interior Alaska. Species richness was lower and more spatially structured in the ground layer than the epiphyte layer. Richness of strata was not correlated. The most compositionally unique ground-layer communities were species-poor but contained regionally rare species not common in other plots. Variation in community compositions (ordination scores) were not congruent between strata (Procrustes congruence < 0.16 on 0–1 scale); the largest departures from congruence occurred where ground layers were species-poor. The best predictors of ground-layer community compositions were hydrological and topographic, whereas epiphytes were most associated with macroclimate and tree abundances. We conclude that lichens on different substrates ‘move in different circles’: compositional gradients did not agree and the environmental gradients most important to each lichen stratum were not the same. The conditions which strongly influence one vegetation stratum may have little bearing upon another. As global changes modify habitats, an incremental change in environment may lead community trajectories to diverge among lichen strata.

scholarly journals Stand age and species richness dampen interannual variation of ecosystem-level photosynthetic capacity

2017 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Talie Musavi ◽  
Mirco Migliavacca ◽  
Markus Reichstein ◽  
Jens Kattge ◽  
Christian Wirth ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Interannual Variation ◽  
Photosynthetic Capacity ◽  
Stand Age ◽  
Ecosystem Level

Saproxylic insect assemblages in Canadian forests: diversity, ecology, and conservation

2008 ◽  
Vol 140 (4) ◽  
pp. 453-474 ◽  
Author(s):  
David W. Langor ◽  
H.E. James Hammond ◽  
John R. Spence ◽  
Joshua Jacobs ◽  
Tyler P. Cobb
Keyword(s):  
Forest Management ◽  
Boreal Forests ◽  
Dead Wood ◽  
Sustainable Forest Management ◽  
Forest Harvesting ◽  
Stand Age ◽  
Managed Forests ◽  
Saproxylic Insects ◽  
Associated Species ◽  
Experimental Burns

AbstractSaproxylic insect assemblages inhabiting dead wood in Canadian forests are highly diverse and variable but quite poorly understood. Adequate assessment of these assemblages poses significant challenges with respect to sampling, taxonomy, and analysis. Their assessment is nonetheless critical to attaining the broad goals of sustainable forest management because such species are disproportionately threatened elsewhere by the reductions in dead wood generally associated with commercial exploitation of northern forests. The composition of the saproxylic fauna is influenced by many factors, including tree species, degree of decay, stand age, and cause of tree death. Wildfire and forest harvesting have differential impacts on saproxylic insect assemblages and on their recovery in postdisturbance stands. Exploration of saproxylic insect responses to variable retention harvesting and experimental burns is contributing to the development of prescriptions for conserving saproxylic insects in boreal forests. Understanding of processes that determine diversity patterns and responses of saproxylic insects would benefit from increased attention to natural history. Such work should aim to provide a habitat-classification system for dead wood to better identify habitats (and associated species) at risk as a result of forest management. This tool could also be used to improve strategies to better maintain saproxylic organisms and their central nutrient-cycling functions in managed forests.

scholarly journals Structure of three subtropical bat assemblages (Chiroptera) in the Andean rainforests of Argentina

Mammalia ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 80 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mariano S. Sánchez
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Relative Abundance ◽  
Seasonal Changes ◽  
Common Species ◽  
Guild Structure ◽  
Trophic Guild ◽  
Long Tail ◽  
Mist Net ◽  
Yungas Forests

AbstractI evaluated bat assemblages in terms of species richness, relative abundance, trophic guild structure, and seasonal changes at three sites along of the Southern Yungas forests. A total of 854 individuals were captured, representing 25 species of three families, with an effort of 27,138 m of mist net opened per hour. Subtropical assemblages showed a similar structure to those from tropical landmark, with a dominance of frugivorous Phyllostomid; in addition, a few species were abundant, followed by a long tail of less common species. However, subtropical sites differed due to the dominance of the genus

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