GROUP SELECTION EDGE EFFECTS ON THE VASCULAR PLANT COMMUNITY OF A SIERRA NEVADA OLD-GROWTH FOREST

A litter-bag technique was used to measure decay rates and assess changes in organic and inorganic constituents of ponderosa pine (Pinusponderosa Laws.) needle litter during decomposition over a 2-year period in old- and young-growth forests in the Sierra Nevada of California. Rates of mass loss were among the lowest reported for temperate and boreal forests, with annual decomposition constants of about 0.08 and 0.18 year−1 for the old- and young-growth forests, respectively. Apparently, the temporal separation of warm temperatures and moist conditions found in Mediterranean-type climates severely limits decomposition in these coniferous forests. In the old-growth forest, comparison of estimates of tree nutrient uptake with net releases of nutrients from fine litter during their 1st year of decomposition suggests that recent litter fall potentially acts as a significant source of P, Mg, and K for tree uptake in this forest; in contrast, recently fallen litter acts as a net sink for N, S, and Ca. Despite initially lower indices of litter quality for litter originating from the old–growth relative to the young–growth forest, no significant difference in decomposition rates of these two litter age-classes was found when placed at either site. This result does not support the hypothesis that decreases in decomposition rates during forest development are driven by decreases in the quality of litter fall.

Download Full-text

The role of dispersal in shaping plant community composition of wetlands within an old-growth forest

Journal of Ecology ◽

10.1111/j.1365-2745.2010.01708.x ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 98 (6) ◽

pp. 1292-1299 ◽

Cited By ~ 32

Author(s):

Kathryn M. Flinn ◽

Tarik C. Gouhier ◽

Martin J. Lechowicz ◽

Marcia J. Waterway

Keyword(s):

Community Composition ◽

Plant Community ◽

Plant Community Composition ◽

Old Growth ◽

Old Growth Forest

Download Full-text

Interrelationships among northern flying squirrels, truffles, and microhabitat structure in Sierra Nevada old-growth habitat

Canadian Journal of Forest Research ◽

10.1139/x02-002 ◽

2002 ◽

Vol 32 (6) ◽

pp. 1016-1024 ◽

Cited By ~ 35

Author(s):

Sanjay Pyare ◽

William S Longland

Keyword(s):

Sierra Nevada ◽

Forest Floor ◽

Woody Debris ◽

Fungal Growth ◽

Old Growth ◽

Flying Squirrels ◽

Old Growth Forest ◽

Northern Flying Squirrels ◽

Nesting Sites ◽

Microhabitat Structure

During 1997-1998, we investigated the influence of both the relative abundance of truffles, preferred food items, and microhabitat structure on the occurrence of northern flying squirrels (Glaucomys sabrinus Shaw) in old-growth forest habitat of the Sierra Nevada Range, U.S.A. Following live-trapping sessions, we searched the forest floor for truffle diggings and sampled the soil for truffles. Diggings were more abundant where flying squirrels were captured, suggesting squirrels were active near areas of the forest floor where truffles had recently been excavated. The frequency of sampling plots with truffles was higher where squirrels were captured, further suggesting preferences for microhabitats where truffles were more abundant. We also measured 15 microhabitat variables at trap stations to evaluate the influence of aboveground microhabitat characteristics on squirrel occurrence. Results indicated that flying squirrels preferred microhabitats with understory cover, which may minimize predation from aerial predators like spotted owls (Strix occidentalis Merriam). Neither abundance of coarse woody debris, a feature conducive to fungal growth, nor the abundance of potential nesting sites (i.e., snags) measurably influenced squirrel occurrence. While various aboveground forest-microhabitat characteristics affect the use of old-growth forests by flying squirrels, these animals refine their use of these forests based on fine-scale changes in the availability of a highly preferred and ephemeral food item.

Download Full-text

One large tree crown can be defined as a local hotspot for plant species diversity in a forest ecosystem: a case study in temperate old-growth forest

10.21203/rs.3.rs-164292/v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Wakana. A Azuma ◽

Natsuki Komada ◽

Yuya Ogawa ◽

Hiroaki Ishii ◽

Akira Nakanishi ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Species Diversity ◽

Plant Species ◽

Vascular Plant ◽

Plant Species Diversity ◽

Tree Crown ◽

Old Growth ◽

Terrestrial Species ◽

Large Tree ◽

Old Growth Forest ◽

Large Trees

Abstract Large trees have survived for a long time, and their complex crown structure serves as habitat for epiphytic plants. Canopy plants are not as well studied in the temperate zones as in the tropics, because many of them are accidental epiphytes, epiphytic individuals of normally terrestrial species. We hypothesized that the canopy can serve as a refuge for terrestrial species that have difficulty establishing on the ground (e.g., insufficient light, over-browsing), promoting and conserving forest species diversity. Terrestrial species may also vary in their ability to adapt to canopy growth conditions. Here, we investigated canopy vascular plants hosted on a large Cercidiphyllum japonicum tree in a temperate old-growth forest, Japan. The canopy plant community was diverse with 39 vascular plant species, including 31 accidental epiphytes and six threatened, obligate epiphytes. High numbers of canopy plant species, including most accidental epiphytes, were found where multiple, large reiterated trunks as well as on large horizontal branches. Canopy plants leaves exhibited higher water use efficiency and higher nitrogen concentration compared to plants on the ground, but were controlled by transpirational water loss rather than by investing in leaf nitrogen with increasing height. We found at least 14 species could escape over-browsing by establishing in the canopy and may function as seed-sources for future re-colonization on the ground. Our results show one large tree crown can be defined as a local hotspot for current and future plant species diversity in a temperate old-growth forest, reinforcing its ecological value for conservation purposes.

Download Full-text

Tradable Disturbance Permits for Old-growth Forest Conservation: Experimental Evaluation of Implementation Options

Strategic Behavior and the Environment ◽

10.1561/102.00000074 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 7 (1-2) ◽

pp. 73-107

Author(s):

Orsolya Perger ◽

Curtis Rollins ◽

Marian Weber ◽

Wiktor Adamowicz ◽

Peter Boxall

Keyword(s):

Experimental Evaluation ◽

Forest Conservation ◽

Old Growth ◽

Old Growth Forest

Download Full-text

Southeast Alaska old-growth forest stem map data collected in 1964 on ten 1.42 hectare plots

Forest Service Research Data Archive ◽

10.2737/rds-2020-0025 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Eryn E. Schneider ◽

Justin S. Crotteau ◽

Andrew J. Larson

Keyword(s):

Old Growth ◽

Southeast Alaska ◽

Old Growth Forest ◽

Map Data

Download Full-text

Old-growth forest reserves in Slovenia: the past, present, and future

Schweizerische Zeitschrift fur Forstwesen ◽

10.3188/szf.2012.0240 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 163 (6) ◽

pp. 240-246 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Thomas A. Nagel ◽

Jurij Diaci ◽

Dusan Rozenbergar ◽

Tihomir Rugani ◽

Dejan Firm

Keyword(s):

Stand Structure ◽

Growth Conditions ◽

Ecosystem Functions ◽

Future Research ◽

Old Growth ◽

Forest Reserves ◽

The Past ◽

Old Growth Forest ◽

Forest Remnants ◽

Basic Characteristics

Old-growth forest reserves in Slovenia: the past, present, and future Slovenia has a small number of old-growth forest remnants, as well as many forest reserves approaching old-growth conditions. In this paper, we describe some of the basic characteristics of these old-growth remnants and the history of their protection in Slovenia. We then trace the long-term development of research in these old-growth remnants, with a focus on methodological changes. We also review some of the recent findings from old-growth research in Slovenia and discuss future research needs. The conceptual understanding of how these forests work has slowly evolved, from thinking of them in terms of stable systems to more dynamic and unpredictable ones due to the influence of natural disturbances and indirect human influences. In accordance with this thinking, the methods used to study old-growth forests have changed from descriptions of stand structure to studies that address natural processes and ecosystem functions.

Download Full-text

Late Pleistocene Vegetation of Kings Canyon, Sierra Nevada, California

Quaternary Research ◽

10.1016/0033-5894(83)90031-5 ◽

1983 ◽

Vol 19 (1) ◽

pp. 117-129 ◽

Cited By ~ 35

Author(s):

Kenneth Cole

Keyword(s):

Plant Community ◽

Sierra Nevada ◽

Late Pleistocene ◽

Coniferous Forest ◽

Pollen Grains ◽

Mean Annual Precipitation ◽

Juniperus Occidentalis ◽

Sequoiadendron Giganteum ◽

Western Side ◽

Modern Sample

AbstractSeven packrat midden samples make possible a comparison between the modern and late Pleistocene vegetation in Kings Canyon on the western side of the southern Sierra Nevada. One modern sample contains macrofossils and pollen derived from the present-day oak-chaparral vegetation. Macrofossils from the six late Pleistocene samples record a mixed coniferous forest dominated by the xerophytic conifers Juniperus occidentalis, Pinus cf. ponderosa, and P. monophylla. The pollen spectra of these Pleistocene middens are dominated by Pinus sp., Taxodiaceae-Cupressaceae-Taxaceae (TCT), and Artemisia sp. Mesophytic conifers are represented by low macrofossil concentrations. Sequoiadendron giganteum is represented by a few pollen grains in the full glacial. Edaphic control and snow dispersal are the most likely causes of these mixed assemblages.The dominant macrofossils record a more xeric plant community than those that now occur on similar substrates at higher elevations or latitudes in the Sierra Nevada. These assemblages suggest that late Wisconsin climates were cold with mean annual precipitation not necessarily greater than modern values. This conclusion supports a model of low summer ablation allowing for the persistence of the glaciers at higher elevations during the late Wisconsin. The records in these middens also suggest that S. giganteum grew at lower elevations along the western side of the range and that P. monophylla was more widely distributed in cismontane California during the Pleistocene.

Download Full-text