Deer as a natural disturbance that supports landscape and herbaceous plant diversity

Abstract Growing emphasis on sustainability has increased the demand for information on effects of forest management on species diversity. We investigated the hypothesis that plant diversity is a function of microsite heterogeneity by documenting plant diversity and heterogeneity in canopy cover, light, and soil moisture produced by four silvicultural treatments during the first growing season following treatment: prescribed burning, wildlife retention cut with prescribed burning, wildlife retention cut, and shelterwood cutting. Treatments and controls were randomly assigned within four relatively undisturbed, 70–90-year-old oak-hickory stands. Heterogeneity in canopy cover and photosynthetically active radiation was greatest after shelterwood cutting, whereas the wildlife retention cut resulted in less removal of canopy trees and a smaller increase in heterogeneity of these factors. The addition of prescribed burning enhanced the effects of the wildlife retention cut. Prescribed burning alone had the least impact on heterogeneity of these factors. Soil moisture variability appeared to be independent of treatments. Shelterwood cutting increased first-year herbaceous plant diversity, and this increase was likely due, in part, to increased heterogeneity in canopy cover, light, and seedbed condition. These first-year results partially support the hypothesis that plant diversity is a function of microsite diversity in these forests. Long-term monitoring is underway.

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Response of herbaceous plant diversity to reduced structural diversity in maple-dominated (Acer saccharum Marsh.) forests managed for sap extraction

Forest Ecology and Management ◽

10.1016/j.foreco.2006.05.024 ◽

2006 ◽

Vol 231 (1-3) ◽

pp. 94-104 ◽

Cited By ~ 26

Author(s):

Alexandre Lenière ◽

Gilles Houle

Keyword(s):

Plant Diversity ◽

Acer Saccharum ◽

Structural Diversity ◽

Herbaceous Plant

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Herbaceous Plant Diversity and Identification of Indicator Species in Olive Groves in Central Greece

Communications in Soil Science and Plant Analysis ◽

10.1080/00103624.2013.741926 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 44 (1-4) ◽

pp. 320-330

Author(s):

Alexandra D. Solomou ◽

Athanassios I. Sfougaris

Keyword(s):

Plant Diversity ◽

Indicator Species ◽

Herbaceous Plant ◽

Central Greece ◽

Olive Groves

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Herbaceous plant diversity and soil physicochemical properties on the regeneration slash of Pinus sylvestris var. mongolica

Acta Ecologica Sinica ◽

10.5846/stxb201610162093 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 37 (24) ◽

Author(s):

吕刚 LÜ Gang ◽

王婷 WANG Ting ◽

李叶鑫 LI Yexin ◽

魏忠平 WEI Zhongping ◽

王凯 WANG Kai

Keyword(s):

Pinus Sylvestris ◽

Physicochemical Properties ◽

Plant Diversity ◽

Herbaceous Plant ◽

Soil Physicochemical Properties

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Effects of simulated post-harvest light availability and soil compaction on deciduous forest herbs

Canadian Journal of Forest Research ◽

10.1139/x02-099 ◽

2002 ◽

Vol 32 (10) ◽

pp. 1753-1762 ◽

Cited By ~ 29

Author(s):

Christine J Small ◽

Brian C McCarthy

Keyword(s):

Soil Compaction ◽

Deciduous Forest ◽

Light Availability ◽

Natural Disturbance ◽

Deciduous Forests ◽

Herbaceous Plant ◽

Eastern Deciduous Forest ◽

Forest Herbs ◽

Successional Species ◽

Eastern Deciduous Forests

To better understand the response of eastern deciduous forest herbs to microenvironmental changes associated with logging, the effects of experimental light and soil compaction treatments were examined in six herbaceous plant species characteristic of varying successional stages. We found severe growth reductions and increased mortality of Osmorhiza claytonii (Michx.) C.B. Clarke, a shade-tolerant forest perennial, when grown in full sun and greater soil compaction. Deeply shaded conditions, similar to those beneath regenerating forests, resulted in reduced growth of early successional species such as Galium aparine L., and Eupatorium rugosum Houtt. Growth of other species such as Geum canadense Jacq., and Elymus hystrix L. appeared to increase in the patchy, intermediate light treatment mimicking mature eastern deciduous forests. Soil compaction caused severe reductions in height and biomass of Eupatorium rugosum and O. claytonii, early- and late-successional species, respectively. While harvested stands experience relatively uniform light environments, canopy gaps and sunflecks in mature eastern deciduous forests create heterogeneous light environments often correlated with recruitment, growth, and diversity of understory herbs. Therefore, management approaches that minimize alteration of forest environments and mimic natural disturbance patterns may be important to the maintenance and regeneration of forest herbs.

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