The armoured mite fauna (Acari: Oribatida) from a long-term study in the Scots pine forest of the Northern Vidzeme Biosphere Reserve, Latvia

We investigated the relative changes in celluloses and lignin during decomposition of leaf and needle litters and wood in field experiments. The litter came from two different forest systems: one in the United States and one in Sweden. We found that the fraction of holocellulose in the total lignocellulose (Q) during decomposition approached an asymptotic value at which the disappearance of both the chemical components proceeded at the same rate. Different litter types approached different asymptotic values of Q. Possible implications of the finding are discussed.

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Lessons learned from a long‐term irrigation experiment in a dry Scots pine forest: Impacts on traits and functioning

Ecological Monographs ◽

10.1002/ecm.1507 ◽

2022 ◽

Author(s):

Arun K. Bose ◽

Andreas Rigling ◽

Arthur Gessler ◽

Frank Hagedorn ◽

Ivano Brunner ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Scots Pine ◽

Pine Forest ◽

Lessons Learned ◽

Scots Pine Forest

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Accumulation and release of plant nutrients in decomposing Scots pine needle litter. Long-term decomposition in a Scots pine forest II

Canadian Journal of Botany ◽

10.1139/b82-199 ◽

1982 ◽

Vol 60 (8) ◽

pp. 1561-1568 ◽

Cited By ~ 195

Author(s):

Håkan Staaf ◽

Björn Berg

Keyword(s):

Weight Loss ◽

Scots Pine ◽

Nutrient Dynamics ◽

Pine Forest ◽

Plant Nutrient ◽

Pine Needle ◽

Needle Litter ◽

Scots Pine Forest ◽

Net Release

Plant nutrient dynamics in decomposing needle litter were measured during a 5-year period in a Scots pine forest in central Sweden. As seen over the whole 5-year period, the nutrients were retained (to a litter weight loss of about 75%) in the order Mn < Ca < K < Mg < S < N < P. During the first 1.5 years there was a net increase of N and P whereafter a net release took place. A similar but less pronounced development could be seen for S, whereas Ca, K, Mn, and Mg were released from the start of the incubation. It is suggested that P was the most limiting element for microbial activity during this first phase. There appeared to be only little initial leaching from the litter and the different behaviours of the elements could largely be explained by their concentration in litter in relation to the needs of microorganisms and to their solubility. K and Mg were the elements that were released at rates most similar to organic matter weight loss.

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Decomposition of root litter and some factors regulating the process: Long-term root litter decomposition in a scots pine forest

Soil Biology and Biochemistry ◽

10.1016/0038-0717(84)90081-6 ◽

1984 ◽

Vol 16 (6) ◽

pp. 609-617 ◽

Cited By ~ 129

Author(s):

Björn Berg

Keyword(s):

Litter Decomposition ◽

Scots Pine ◽

Pine Forest ◽

Root Litter ◽

Scots Pine Forest

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Which Selective Logging Intensity is Most Suitable for the Maintenance of Soil Properties and the Promotion of Natural Regeneration in Highly Continental Scots Pine Forests?–Results 19 Years after Harvest Operations in Mongolia

Forests ◽

10.3390/f10020141 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 10 (2) ◽

pp. 141 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Gerelbaatar Sukhbaatar ◽

Baatarbileg Nachin ◽

Battulga Purevragchaa ◽

Batsaikhan Ganbaatar ◽

Khishigjargal Mookhor ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Organic Matter ◽

Soil Properties ◽

Total Nitrogen ◽

Scots Pine ◽

Natural Regeneration ◽

Pine Forest ◽

Selective Logging ◽

Forest Steppe ◽

Scots Pine Forest

Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) forests are one of the main vegetation types in the Asian forest-steppe zone. However, over-harvesting currently threatens the natural regeneration and sustainability of these forests. In this study, we examine the long-term effects of different logging intensities on soil properties and natural regeneration in a natural Scots pine forest in the West Khentii Mountains (Mongolia), 19 years after selective logging. Our experimental design included five treatments: clear cut (CC), treatments with high (HI), medium (MI), low (LI) intensities, and a reference parcel with no logging impact at all (RE). We described and quantified the harvest events and applied ANOVA and LMM modeling to analyze and explain the long-term impacts of the logging intensities on soil properties and natural regeneration. We found that logging has a significant negative influence on the physical and chemical properties of the soil because it increases soil compaction and reduces soil nutrients. The most critical impacts of logging were on soil bulk density, total porosity, organic matter, and total nitrogen and phosphorus. The LMM modeling showed that organic matter (OgM), total nitrogen (TN), available K (AK) and pH values are especially impacted by logging. Our study revealed that the values for all of these variables show a linear decrease with increasing selective logging intensity and have a level of significance of p < 0.05. Another finding of this study is that selective logging with low and medium intensities can promote natural regeneration of Scots pine to numbers above those of the reference site (RE). High intensity logging and clear-cuts, however, limit the regeneration of Scots pine, reduce overall seedling numbers (p < 0.05), and create conditions that are suitable only for the regeneration of deciduous tree species. This underlines the risk of Scots pine forest degradation, either by replacement by broad-leaf trees or by conversion into non-forest ecosystems.

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