Persistent Effects of Historical Selective Logging on a Vascular Epiphyte Assemblage in the Forest Canopy of the Western Ghats, India

Forest canopies have been dubbed the last biological frontier and continue to remain underexplored. Vascular epiphytes form a rich assemblage of plants within the forest canopy and apart from sustaining diverse taxa, they also fulfill critical ecological functions. Vascular epiphytes are particularly sensitive to perturbations of microclimate and microhabitat within the canopy, especially from anthropogenic changes such as logging. The forests of the megadiverse Western Ghats in India harbor a rich assemblage of vascular epiphytes, but their ecology has not been examined systematically. We compared the diversity, abundance, and composition of a vascular epiphyte assemblage between an unlogged and a historically selectively logged forest in the southern Western Ghats, India, and identified factors affecting the epiphyte assemblage. Canopies of 100 trees each in selectively logged and unlogged forests were accessed using the single-rope technique. We found 20 species of vascular epiphytes with the assemblage dominated by members of Orchidaceae. The diversity and abundance of epiphytes were significantly greater in the selectively logged forest. One host tree, Cullenia exarillata, supported the greatest number of epiphytes in both forest stands. The niche widths of epiphyte species, computed with host tree species as a resource, were similar between the two stands but a greater number of species pairs overlapped in the selectively logged forest. Overall, epiphyte abundance was negatively associated with unlogged forests. Host tree species, tree height, and presence of moss on branches were positively associated with the abundance of epiphytes. Despite being ecologically important, no study has thus far examined the impact of selective logging on the epiphyte assemblage in the Western Ghats. Our findings contribute to the knowledge of vascular epiphytes from South and Southeast Asia and set the stage for future research and conservation.

Download Full-text

Selective logging in tropical forests decreases the robustness of liana–tree interaction networks to the loss of host tree species

Proceedings of The Royal Society B Biological Sciences ◽

10.1098/rspb.2015.3008 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 283 (1826) ◽

pp. 20153008 ◽

Cited By ~ 12

Author(s):

Ainhoa Magrach ◽

Rebecca A. Senior ◽

Andrew Rogers ◽

Deddy Nurdin ◽

Suzan Benedick ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Species Richness ◽

Tree Species ◽

Forest Degradation ◽

Species Interaction ◽

Selective Logging ◽

Interaction Networks ◽

Host Tree ◽

Host Tree Species ◽

Local Species ◽

New Type

Selective logging is one of the major drivers of tropical forest degradation, causing important shifts in species composition. Whether such changes modify interactions between species and the networks in which they are embedded remain fundamental questions to assess the ‘health’ and ecosystem functionality of logged forests. We focus on interactions between lianas and their tree hosts within primary and selectively logged forests in the biodiversity hotspot of Malaysian Borneo. We found that lianas were more abundant, had higher species richness, and different species compositions in logged than in primary forests. Logged forests showed heavier liana loads disparately affecting slow-growing tree species, which could exacerbate the loss of timber value and carbon storage already associated with logging. Moreover, simulation scenarios of host tree local species loss indicated that logging might decrease the robustness of liana–tree interaction networks if heavily infested trees (i.e. the most connected ones) were more likely to disappear. This effect is partially mitigated in the short term by the colonization of host trees by a greater diversity of liana species within logged forests, yet this might not compensate for the loss of preferred tree hosts in the long term. As a consequence, species interaction networks may show a lagged response to disturbance, which may trigger sudden collapses in species richness and ecosystem function in response to additional disturbances, representing a new type of ‘extinction debt’.

Download Full-text

DNA barcoding of important fruit tree species of agronomic interest in the genus Garcinia L. from the Western Ghats

Genetic Resources and Crop Evolution ◽

10.1007/s10722-021-01177-6 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Jayesh Anerao ◽

Vikas Jha ◽

Nishaat Shaikh ◽

Apurva Shivalkar ◽

Aishwarya Nityanand ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Dna Barcoding ◽

Tree Species ◽

Western Ghats ◽

Fruit Tree ◽

The Western Ghats

Download Full-text

Impact of Harvest Conditions and Host Tree Species on Chemical Composition and Antioxidant Activity of Extracts from Viscum album L.

Molecules ◽

10.3390/molecules26123741 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 26 (12) ◽

pp. 3741

Author(s):

Wioleta Pietrzak ◽

Renata Nowak

Keyword(s):

Antioxidant Activity ◽

Biological Activity ◽

Chemical Composition ◽

Tree Species ◽

Plant Material ◽

Plant Secondary Metabolites ◽

Host Tree ◽

Host Tree Species ◽

High Antioxidant Activity ◽

Mistletoe Extracts

The content of plant secondary metabolites is not stable, and factors such as the region/location effect and seasonal variations have an impact on their chemical composition, especially in parasitic plants. Research in this area is an important step in the development of quality parameter standards of medicinal plants and their finished products. The effects of the time and place of harvest and the host tree species on the chemical composition and antioxidant activity of mistletoe extracts were investigated. Statistical tools were used to evaluate the results of the spectrophotometric and LC-ESI-MS/MS studies of the phenolic composition and antioxidant activity. The investigations indicate that the qualitative and quantitative composition, influencing the biological activity of mistletoe extracts, largely depends on the origin of the plant. The mistletoe extracts exhibited a rich phenol profile and high antioxidant activity. The chemometric analysis indicated that mistletoe collected from conifers (Viscum abietis and Viscum austriacum) had the most advantageous chemical composition and antioxidant activity. Moreover, the chemical profile and biological activity of the plant material were closely related to the climatic conditions and location of the harvested plant. Higher levels of phenolic compounds and high antioxidant activity were found in extracts obtained from plant material collected in cold weather with the presence of snow and less sunshine (autumn–winter period).

Download Full-text

Wood-inhabiting fungal responses to forest naturalness vary among morpho-groups

Scientific Reports ◽

10.1038/s41598-021-93900-7 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Purhonen Jenna ◽

Abrego Nerea ◽

Komonen Atte ◽

Huhtinen Seppo ◽

Kotiranta Heikki ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Tree Species ◽

Boreal Forests ◽

Negative Impact ◽

Important Variable ◽

Host Tree ◽

Conservation Areas ◽

Fungal Community Composition ◽

Forest Sites ◽

Protected Forests ◽

Host Tree Species

AbstractThe general negative impact of forestry on wood-inhabiting fungal diversity is well recognized, yet the effect of forest naturalness is poorly disentangled among different fungal groups inhabiting dead wood of different tree species. We studied the relationship between forest naturalness, log characteristics and diversity of different fungal morpho-groups inhabiting large decaying logs of similar quality in spruce dominated boreal forests. We sampled all non-lichenized fruitbodies from birch, spruce, pine and aspen in 12 semi-natural forest sites of varying level of naturalness. The overall fungal community composition was mostly determined by host tree species. However, when assessing the relevance of the environmental variables separately for each tree species, the most important variable varied, naturalness being the most important explanatory variable for fungi inhabiting pine and aspen. More strikingly, the overall species richness increased as the forest naturalness increased, both at the site and log levels. At the site scale, the pattern was mostly driven by the discoid and pyrenoid morpho-groups inhabiting pine, whereas at the log scale, it was driven by pileate and resupinate morpho-groups inhabiting spruce. Although our study demonstrates that formerly managed protected forests serve as effective conservation areas for most wood-inhabiting fungal groups, it also shows that conservation planning and management should account for group- or host tree -specific responses.

Download Full-text

Discrimination among host tree species by the ambrosia beetlePlatypus quercivorus

Journal of Forest Research ◽

10.1007/s10310-011-0280-7 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 17 (2) ◽

pp. 149-155 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Michimasa Yamasaki ◽

Kazuyoshi Futai

Keyword(s):

Tree Species ◽

Host Tree ◽

Host Tree Species

Download Full-text

Northernmost distribution of five tree species to the Western Ghats from the sacred groves of Pune District, Maharashtra, India

Journal of Threatened Taxa ◽

10.11609/jott.o3644.6093-100 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 6 (8) ◽

pp. 6093-6100

Author(s):

Aboli Kulkarni ◽

Mandar N. Datar ◽

Umesh Awasarkar ◽

Anuradha Upadhye

Keyword(s):

Tree Species ◽

Western Ghats ◽

Sacred Groves ◽

The Western Ghats

Download Full-text

Forest age and management effects on epiphytic bryophyte communities in Adirondack northern hardwood forests, New York, U.S.A.

Canadian Journal of Forest Research ◽

10.1139/x02-083 ◽

2002 ◽

Vol 32 (9) ◽

pp. 1562-1576 ◽

Cited By ~ 54

Author(s):

Gregory G McGee ◽

Robin W Kimmerer

Keyword(s):

New York ◽

Community Composition ◽

Tree Species ◽

Large Diameter ◽

Hardwood Forests ◽

Host Tree ◽

Old Growth ◽

Northern Hardwood Forests ◽

Northern Hardwood ◽

Host Tree Species

The objective of this study was to assess the influence of substrate heterogeneity on epiphytic bryophyte communities in northern hardwood forests of varying disturbance histories. Specifically, we compared bryophyte abundance (m2·ha1) and community composition among partially cut; maturing, 90- to 100-year-old, even-aged; and old-growth northern hardwood stands in Adirondack Park, New York, U.S.A. Total bryophyte cover from 0 to 1.5 m above ground level on trees [Formula: see text]10 cm diameter at breast height (DBH) did not differ among the three stand types. However, bryophyte community composition differed among host tree species and among stand types. Communities in partially cut and maturing stands were dominated by xerophytic bryophytes (Platygyrium repens, Frullania eboracensis, Hypnum pallescens, Brachythecium reflexum, Ulota crispa), while old-growth stands contained a greater representation of calcicoles and mesophytic species (Brachythecium oxycladon, Anomodon rugelii, Porella platyphylloidea, Anomodon attenuatus, Leucodon brachypus, Neckera pennata). This mesophyte-calcicole assemblage occurred in all stand types but was limited by the abundance of large-diameter (>50 cm DBH), thick-barked, hardwood host trees (Acer saccharum Marsh., Tilia americana L., Fraxinus americana L.). This study suggested that epiphytic bryophyte diversity can be sustained and enhanced in managed northern hardwood forests by maintaining host tree species diversity and retaining large or old, thick-barked residual hardwood stems when applying even-aged and uneven-aged silviculture systems.

Download Full-text

Clonal propagation through stem cuttings and air layering in Syzygium caryophyllatum (L.) Alston an endemic tree Species of the Western Ghats and Sri Lanka

Journal of Non Timber Forest Products ◽

10.54207/bsmps2000-2016-h8a59h ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 23 (2) ◽

pp. 85-87

Author(s):

Abdul Hussain ◽

C. Anilkumar

Keyword(s):

Sri Lanka ◽

Tree Species ◽

Western Ghats ◽

Clonal Propagation ◽

Stem Cuttings ◽

Resource Base ◽

Natural Habitats ◽

Ideal Tool ◽

First Time ◽

The Western Ghats

Rooting trials conducted with stem cuttings and air layering in Syzygium caryophyllatum (L.) Alston, an important medicinal and fruit plant gave promising results after treatment with auxins such as IAA, IBA and NAA in different concentrations. Both stem cuttings and air layering from 10 year old plants have resulted a maximum rooting of 80% and 70% respectively through the application of IBA-1000ppm, in their natural habitats. The plants developed from stem cuttings and air layering was also survived with 90% success. Thus the standardized clonal propagation method in S. caryophyllatum through stem cutting and air layering reported for the first time can be taken as an ideal tool for the multiplication and subsequent resource base utilization of the species since the populations are prone to endangerment in its habitats.

Download Full-text