scholarly journals Respiration of wood ant nest material affected by material and forest stand characteristics

Biologia ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 68 (6) ◽  
Author(s):  
Veronika Jilkova ◽  
Timo Domisch ◽  
Zuzana Horicka ◽  
Jan Frouz
Keyword(s):  
Carbon Content ◽  
C:N Ratio ◽  
Mineral Soil ◽  
Forest Stand ◽  
Nest Material ◽  
Forest Stands ◽  
Ant Nests ◽  
Ant Nest ◽  
Different Parts ◽  
Stand Characteristics

AbstractWe studied differences in respiration of materials from different parts of wood ant nest (top, bottom, and rim) and from the nest surroundings (humus layer and mineral soil). Samples were taken from 8 wood ant (Formica aquilonia) nests in each of the two types of forest (birch and pine) in eastern Finland. The differences were related to material and forest stand characteristics (i.e., moisture, pH, carbon content, and C:N ratio). As a result, the highest respiration per g DW was measured at the top of ant nests in the birch forest. However, respiration did not significantly differ between the parts of ant nests in the pine forest. Respiration of the humus layers in both forest stands was on average higher, whereas respiration of the mineral soils in both forest stands was lower in comparison with respiration of the nest materials. The respiration per g C did not show any significant differences between different parts of nests and surrounding soil. The most important factors influencing respiration of the materials appeared to be moisture, carbon content, and pH. In conclusion, respiration of wood ant nest material is affected by the specific material and forest stand characteristics.

scholarly journals Regeneration under a shelterwood system of spruce-dominated forest stands at middle altitudes

2008 ◽  
Vol 53 (No. 10) ◽  
pp. 467-475 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Souček
Keyword(s):  
Forest Stand ◽  
Control Plot ◽  
Annual Rings ◽  
Forest Stands ◽  
Pronounced Increase ◽  
Diameter Increment ◽  
Varied Structure ◽  
Mature Stand ◽  
Commercial Species ◽  
Stand Characteristics

An experiment with regeneration under the shelterwood of spruce-dominated mature stand was established at middle altitudes of the Žďárské vrchy Hills in 1971. The paper brings a comparison of the development of basic forest stand characteristics for the plot under shelterwood and for the control plot. Analyses of annual rings demonstrated a higher diameter increment of sample trees on the plot under shelterwood, a more pronounced increase in the increment being however observed only 12 years after release. A subsequent forest from the combined regeneration occurs on 88% of the plot under shelterwood and on 67% of the control plot. The required proportion of beech and fir is established on both plots with spruce as the main commercial species having been retained. The subsequent forest stand is differentiated in terms of height and diameter and the two plots exhibit a rather varied structure.

scholarly journals Determining basic forest stand characteristics using airborne laser scanning in mixed forest stands of Central Europe

2018 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 181-188 ◽  
Author(s):  
R Smreček ◽  
Z Michnová ◽  
I Sačkov ◽  
Z Danihelová ◽  
M Levická ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Central Europe ◽  
Laser Scanning ◽  
Mixed Forest ◽  
Forest Stand ◽  
Airborne Laser Scanning ◽  
Forest Stands ◽  
Airborne Laser ◽  
Stand Characteristics

Modelling growing stock volume of forest stands with various ALS area-based approaches

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karolina Parkitna ◽  
Grzegorz Krok ◽  
Stanisław Miścicki ◽  
Krzysztof Ukalski ◽  
Marek Lisańczuk ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Laser Scanning ◽  
Mean Squared Error ◽  
Prediction Method ◽  
Forest Stand ◽  
Boosted Regression Trees ◽  
Forest Stands ◽  
Individual Tree ◽  
Growing Stock ◽  
Modelling Techniques ◽  
Stock Volume

Abstract Airborne laser scanning (ALS) is one of the most innovative remote sensing tools with a recognized important utility for characterizing forest stands. Currently, the most common ALS-based method applied in the estimation of forest stand characteristics is the area-based approach (ABA). The aim of this study was to analyse how three ABA methods affect growing stock volume (GSV) estimates at the sample plot and forest stand levels. We examined (1) an ABA with point cloud metrics, (2) an ABA with canopy height model (CHM) metrics and (3) an ABA with aggregated individual tree CHM-based metrics. What is more, three different modelling techniques: multiple linear regression, boosted regression trees and random forest, were applied to all ABA methods, which yielded a total of nine combinations to report. An important element of this work is also the empirical verification of the methods for estimating the GSV error for individual forest stand. All nine combinations of the ABA methods and different modelling techniques yielded very similar predictions of GSV for both sample plots and forest stands. The root mean squared error (RMSE) of estimated GSV ranged from 75 to 85 m3 ha−1 (RMSE% = 20.5–23.4 per cent) and from 57 to 64 m3 ha−1 (RMSE% = 16.4–18.3 per cent) for plots and stands, respectively. As a result of the research, it can be concluded that GSV modelling with the use of different ALS processing approaches and statistical methods leads to very similar results. Therefore, the choice of a GSV prediction method may be more determined by the availability of data and competences than by the requirement to use a particular method.

scholarly journals Disentangling the Ecological Determinants of Species and Functional Trait Diversity in Herb-Layer Plant Communities in European Temperate Forests

Forests ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (5) ◽  
pp. 552
Author(s):  
Janez Kermavnar ◽  
Lado Kutnar ◽  
Aleksander Marinšek
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Species Composition ◽  
Plant Communities ◽  
Functional Trait ◽  
Forest Stand ◽  
Relative Importance ◽  
Herb Layer ◽  
Bud Bank ◽  
Tree Species Composition ◽  
Stand Characteristics

Forest herb-layer vegetation responds sensitively to environmental conditions. This paper compares drivers of both taxonomic, i.e., species richness, cover and evenness, and functional herb-layer diversity, i.e., the diversity of clonal, bud bank and leaf-height-seed plant traits. We investigated the dependence of herb-layer diversity on ecological determinants related to soil properties, climatic parameters, forest stand characteristics, and topographic and abiotic and biotic factors associated with forest floor structure. The study was conducted in different forest types in Slovenia, using vegetation and environmental data from 50 monitoring plots (400 m2 each) belonging to the ICP Forests Level I and II network. The main objective was to first identify significant ecological predictors and then quantify their relative importance. Species richness was strongly determined by forest stand characteristics, such as richness of the shrub layer, tree layer shade-casting ability as a proxy for light availability and tree species composition. It showed a clear positive relation to soil pH. Variation in herb-layer cover was also best explained by forest stand characteristics and, to a lesser extent, by structural factors such as moss cover. Species evenness was associated with tree species composition, shrub layer cover and soil pH. Various ecological determinants were decisive for the diversity of below-ground traits, i.e., clonal and bud bank traits. For these two trait groups we observed a substantial climatic signal that was completely absent for taxonomy-based measures of diversity. In contrast, above-ground leaf-height-seed (LHS) traits were driven exclusively by soil reaction and nitrogen availability. In synthesis, local stand characteristics and soil properties acted as the main controlling factors for both species and trait diversity in herb-layer communities across Slovenia, confirming many previous studies. Our findings suggest that the taxonomic and functional facets of herb-layer vegetation are mainly influenced by a similar set of ecological determinants. However, their relative importance varies among individual taxonomy- and functional trait-based diversity measures. Integrating multi-faceted approaches can provide complementary information on patterns of herb-layer diversity in European forest plant communities.

The optimal rotation of a flammable forest stand

1980 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 30-34 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. L. Martell
Keyword(s):  
Stochastic Model ◽  
Fire Management ◽  
Jack Pine ◽  
Forest Stand ◽  
Timber Production ◽  
Forest Stands ◽  
Rotation Interval ◽  
Optimal Rotation

The author describes a stochastic model of forest stand rotation which can be used to determine the optimal planned rotation interval for flammable forest stands. The model can also be used to estimate the value of fire management activities in terms of the potential enhanced value of timber production. The use of the model is illustrated by applying it to a simplified case of jack pine (Pinusbanksiana, Lamb.) management.

scholarly journals The effect of forest stand characteristics on spider diversity and species composition in deciduous-coniferous mixed forests

2014 ◽  
Vol 42 (2) ◽  
pp. 135 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ferenc Samu ◽  
Gábor Lengyel ◽  
Éva Szita ◽  
András Bidló ◽  
Péter Ódor
Keyword(s):  
Species Composition ◽  
Forest Stand ◽  
Mixed Forests ◽  
Stand Characteristics

The effect of litter type and macrofauna community on litter decomposition and organic matter accumulation in post-mining sites

Biologia ◽  
2008 ◽  
Vol 63 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jan Frouz
Keyword(s):  
Litter Quality ◽  
C:N Ratio ◽  
Mineral Soil ◽  
Alnus Glutinosa ◽  
Soil Macrofauna ◽  
Salix Caprea ◽  
Mining Sites ◽  
Soil Mixing ◽  
Fauna Composition ◽  
One Year

AbstractField microcosms consisting of mineral soil (spoil substrate) and two types of litter taken either from an unreclaimed site with spontaneously developed vegetation (mostly Salix caprea) or from an alder plantation (a mixture of Alnus glutinosa and A. incana) were exposed in spontaneously developed or reclaimed sites at a post-mining heap near Sokolov (Czech Republic) for one year. The litter types differed remarkably in C:N ratio which was 29 for spontaneous litter and 14 for alder litter. The two microcosm types were either accessible or not accessible to soil macrofauna. The effect of macrofauna exclusion on soil mixing was complex and depended on litter quality and the site that determined soil fauna composition. In reclaimed sites where macrofauna was dominated by saprophags, mainly earthworms, the macrofauna access increased soil mixing. In sites where predators dominated, the macrofauna exclusion probably suppressed fragmentation and mixing activity of the mesofauna.

Regulation der Temperatur in Waldameisen- Nestern (Formica polyctena Förster) / Temperature Regulation in Wood Ant Nests (Formica polyctena Förster)

1983 ◽  
Vol 38 (5-6) ◽  
pp. 508-510 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. Horstmann
Keyword(s):  
Temperature Regulation ◽  
Temperature Increase ◽  
Heating Power ◽  
Nest Material ◽  
Formica Polyctena ◽  
Ant Nests ◽  
Additional Heating

The interior of wood ant nests (Hymenoptera, Formicidae, Formica polyctena Förster) and artificial piles of nest material has been heated with heating wires in the field. In the artificial piles a heating power of 1 - 5 Watt is suffi­cient to cause a temperature increase equivalent to that caused by ants in their nests without additional heating. Whereas in artificial piles temperatures increase with in­creasing heating power, the ants prevent temperatures to exceed 34.6 degrees C in their natural nests, even if these are heated with a power of more than 20 Watt.

Relationships among burn severity, forest canopy structure and bat activity from spring burns in oak–hickory forests

2017 ◽  
Vol 26 (11) ◽  
pp. 963 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael J. Lacki ◽  
Luke E. Dodd ◽  
Nicholas S. Skowronski ◽  
Matthew B. Dickinson ◽  
Lynne K. Rieske
Keyword(s):  
Laser Scanning ◽  
Forest Canopy ◽  
Management Practice ◽  
Canopy Structure ◽  
Forest Stand ◽  
Burn Severity ◽  
Prescribed Fires ◽  
Insectivorous Bats ◽  
Conflicting Objectives ◽  
Stand Characteristics

The extent to which prescribed fires affect forest structure and habitats of vertebrate species is an important question for land managers tasked with balancing potentially conflicting objectives of vegetation and wildlife management. Many insectivorous bats forage for insect prey in forested habitats, serving as the primary predators of nocturnal forest insects, and are potentially affected by structural changes in forests resulting from prescribed fires. We compared forest-stand characteristics of temperate oak–hickory forests, as measured with airborne laser scanning (light detection and ranging, LiDAR), with categorical estimates of burn severity from prescribed fires as derived from Landsat data and field-based Composite Burn Indices, and used acoustic monitoring to quantify activity of insectivorous bats in association with varying degrees of burn severity (unburned habitat, low severity and medium severity). Forest-stand characteristics showed greatest separation between low-severity and medium-severity classes, with gap index, i.e. open-air space, increasing with degree of burn severity. Greater mid-storey density, over-storey density and proportion of vegetation in the understorey occurred in unburned habitat. Activity of bats did not differ with burn severity for high-frequency (clutter-adapted or closed-space foragers) or low-frequency (edge or open-space foragers) bats. Results indicate that differing degrees of burn severity from prescribed fires produced spatial variation in canopy structure within stands; however, bats demonstrated no shifts in activity levels to this variation in canopy structure, suggesting prescribed fire during the dormant season, used as a management practice targeting desired changes in vegetation, is compatible with sustaining foraging habitat of insectivorous bats.

scholarly journals Structure and development of forest stands on permanent research plots in the Krkonoše Mts.

2010 ◽  
Vol 56 (No. 11) ◽  
pp. 518-530
Author(s):  
S. Vacek ◽  
Z. Vacek ◽  
L. Bílek ◽  
I. Nosková ◽  
O. Schwarz
Keyword(s):  
Species Composition ◽  
Tree Species ◽  
Vertical Structure ◽  
Forest Stand ◽  
Forest Stands ◽  
Vegetation Zone ◽  
Aggregation Index ◽  
Tree Species Composition ◽  
Results Management ◽  
Management Recommendations

The research is focused on structure and development of forest stands from 5th to 8th forest vegetation zone in the Krkonoše Mts. The forest stand diversity according to tree species composition and representation, horizontal and vertical structure was evaluated by using following indices: Clark-Evans aggregation index (Clark, Evans 1954), standardised Arten-profil index (Pretsch 2005) and index of complex diversity after Jaehne, Dohrenbusch (1997). Growth model SIBYLA (Fabrika, Ďurský 2005) was used for visualizations and growth predictions of forest stands on particular plots. Based on research results, management recommendations were evaluated.

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