scholarly journals Mite Communities (Acari, Mesostigmata) in the Initially Decomposed ‘Litter Islands’ of 11 Tree Species in Scots Pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) Forest

Forests ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (5) ◽  
pp. 403 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jacek Kamczyc ◽  
Marcin K. Dyderski ◽  
Paweł Horodecki ◽  
Andrzej M. Jagodziński

Replacement of native deciduous forests by coniferous stands was a common result of former European afforestation policies and paradigms of forest management and led to considerable ecological consequences. Therefore, the most popular management strategy nowadays in multi-functional forestry is the re-establishment of mixed or broadleaved forests with native species on suitable habitats. However, our knowledge about the effects of tree species introduced into coniferous monocultures on soil mesofauna communities is scarce. We investigated abundance, species richness and diversity of Mesostigmata mite communities in decomposed litter of seven broadleaved (Acer platanoides L., A. pseudoplatanus L., Carpinus betulus L., Fagus sylvatica L., Tilia cordata Mill., Quercus robur L., Q. rubra L.) and four coniferous (Abies alba Mill., Larix decidua Mill., Picea abies [L.] Karst., Pinus sylvestris L.) species. We collected 297 litterbags after 6, 12 and 18 months of exposition in Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) monocultures in Siemianice Experimental Forest (SW Poland). Generally, species richness and diversity in litter samples were much lower than in the soil mite pool. The highest abundance was found in P. sylvestris and A. alba litter, while the lowest was found in A. platanoides. The most abundant families were Zerconidae, Parasitidae, Veigaiidae, and Trachytidae. Our study revealed that neither species richness nor diversity were affected, but that mite abundance was affected, by the tree species (litter quality). The mite communities were similarly comprised in both high- and low-quality litter and mite abundance decreased during the decomposition process in nutrient-poor Scots pine forests. Moreover, few mite species benefited from the decomposed litter. Additionally, a litter of various tree species was inhabited mainly by eu- and hemiedaphic mite species. Mite assemblages in A. alba, P. sylvestris, and Q. robur litter had higher abundances. Exposition time seems to be an important driver in shaping the mite community during the early stages of litter decomposition.

2012 ◽  
Vol 58 (No. 11) ◽  
pp. 503-512 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Foit

A total of 320 Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) low stumps were analysed within two stands (one stand was thinned, and the other stand was subjected to clear-cut final felling) in the Drahanská Highlands in the Czech Republic. Each stand was divided into four parts, and the felling of each part was performed on different dates during 2006 (February, May, August and November). The fauna of early-arriving saproxylic beetles inhabiting the stumps was investigated by peeling the bark in two vegetation periods after the felling. A total of 17 species of beetles were found. The felling type and date affected the species composition of the recorded assemblages, with the felling date being considerably more important than the type. The species richness and diversity did not differ significantly between the felling types, but significant differences were found among the felling dates. Several associations of particular species with certain felling types or dates were also found.


Scientifica ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 2015 ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Toma Buba

This study was aimed at finding the impacts of different tree species and individual trees of different sizes on species richness, diversity, and composition of the herbaceous layer. All the three tree species have greatly increased species richness and diversity both within and outside their crown zones compared with the open grassland. Both species richness and diversity were found to be higher under all the three tree species than outside their crowns, which was in turn higher than the open field.Daniella oliverihas the highest species richness and diversity both within and outside its crown zone followed byVitellaria paradoxaand thenParkia biglobosa. The result also revealed that the same tree species with different sizes leads to different herbaceous species richness, diversity, and composition under and around the trees’ crowns.P. biglobosaandV. paradoxatrees with smaller sizes showed higher species richness and diversity under their crowns than the bigger ones. The dissimilarity of species composition differs between the inside and outside crown zones of the individuals of the same tree species and among the different trees species and the open field.


2017 ◽  
Vol 2017 ◽  
pp. 1-7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Süleyman Gülcü ◽  
Nebi Bilir

Tree height, basal diameter, and survival were examined in thirteen-year-old provenance test established by 30 seed sources of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestrisL.) at two exotic sites of the species in Southern part of Turkey. Variations within provenance and among provenances and relations among the traits were estimated to compare Scots pine provenance and two other native species. Averages of tree height and basal diameter were 350 cm and 52.7 mm in Aydogmus site and 385 cm and 51.2 mm in Kemer site, respectively. There were large differences within and among provenances for the characters. Sites were similar (p>0.05) for the characters, while there were significant differences (p≤0.05) among provenances within site according to results of variance analysis (ANOVA). Scots pine provenances were higher and had more thickness than that of black pine (Pinus nigraArnold) and Taurus cedar (Cedrus libaniA. Rich.) which were natural species of the region. There were positive and significant (p<0.05) correlations between height and basal diameter in the species. Average survivals were 56% and 35% of the provenances in the sites. They were 71% and 11% in black pine and 53% in Taurus cedar for the sites respectively.


2013 ◽  
Vol 43 (1) ◽  
pp. 103-107 ◽  
Author(s):  
Björn Berg ◽  
Chunjiang Liu ◽  
Ryszard Laskowski ◽  
Matthew Davey

Using literature data, we investigated coniferous and broadleaf litter from 58 tree species using a database encompassing concentrations of N and acid-unhydrolyzable residue (AUR) (gravimetric lignin) in newly shed litter, mean annual temperature, and mean annual precipitation. Our aims were to (i) demonstrate any large-scale relationships between concentrations of N and AUR in foliar litter and (ii) determine differences in this respect among litter from Pinus and Quercus. To this end, we had collected foliar litter data for Asia and Europe, forming a climate gradient. Litter from broadleaf and coniferous trees differed significantly in concentrations of N (p < 0.0001, 9.64 versus 5.50 mg/g, respectively) and AUR (p < 0.0001, 219 versus 292 mg/g, respectively). There were highly significant positive linear relationships between concentrations of N and AUR for broadleaf (p < 0.0001) and coniferous litter (p < 0.0001). There were also significant positive relationships for AUR as a function of N concentration for the genera Pinus and Quercus but not within species. That for Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) was negative and that for common oak (Quercus robur L.) not significant.


2017 ◽  
Vol 59 (2) ◽  
pp. 110-122
Author(s):  
Anna Ilek ◽  
Jarosław Kucza ◽  
Karolina Morkisz

AbstractThe subject of the present research is the water storage capacity of bark of seven forest tree species: Pinus sylvestris L., Larix decidua Mill., Abies alba Mill., Pinus sylvestris L., Quercus robur L., Betula pendula Ehrh. and Fagus sylvatica L. The aim of the research is to demonstrate differences in the formation of bark water storage capacity between species and to identify factors influencing the hydrological properties of bark. The maximum water storage capacity of bark was determined under laboratory conditions by performing a series of experiments simulating rainfall and by immersing bark samples in containers filled with water. After each single experiment, the bark samples were subjected to gravity filtration in a desiccator partially filled with water. The experiments lasted from 1084 to 1389 hours, depending on the bark sample. In all the studied species, bark sampled from the thinnest trees is characterized by the highest water storage capacity expressed in mm H2O · cm-3, while bark sampled from the thickest trees - by the lowest capacity. On the other hand, bark sampled from the thickest trees is characterized by the highest water storage capacity expressed in H2O · cm-2whereas bark from the thinnest trees - by the lowest capacity. In most species tested, as the tree thickness and thus the bark thickness and the coefficient of development of the interception surface of bark increase, the sorption properties of the bark decrease with bark depth, and the main role in water retention is played by the outer bark surface. The bark of European beech is an exception because of the smallest degree of surface development and because the dominant process is the absorption of water. When examining the hydrological properties of bark and calculating its parameters, one needs to take into account the actual surface of the bark of trees. Disregarding the actual bark surface may lead to significant errors in the interpretation of research results.


Author(s):  
Piotr Gruba ◽  
Mateusz Kania ◽  
Dawid Kupka ◽  
Marcin Pietrzykowski

Forest soils are the main source of mercury (Hg) in stream water. Stocks of Hg in forest soils are related to several factors, including forest species composition. In this study, the potential source of Hg pollution was a relatively new roadway traversing forested areas. We compared Hg accumulation in soils of two coniferous species: Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) and silver fir (Abies alba Mill.). The experimental plots were located near the S7 expressway in Central Poland. The stands differed in the length of time they had been exposed to Hg, because different parts of the roadway were built and opened to traffic at different times. We analyzed 480 soil samples from organic horizons (O) and the top 10 cm of mineral soil (A) sampled from six plots. The overall average Hg concentrations (irrespective of forest stand, n = 240) was 0.225 mg kg−1 in the O horizons and 0.075 mg kg−1 in the mineral horizons. The Hg concentration in the O horizons was more than three times greater in fir stands than that in pine stands. The average Hg:C ratios in the O and A horizons were 1.0 and 2.3 mg Hg kg−1 C, respectively. Our data does not clearly show the effect of road on Hg accumulation near the road. The concentrations of Hg in investigated soils adjacent to the roadway were only slightly higher than ranges reported for unpolluted areas, and no clearly affected by the vicinity of roadway. In contrast to the other reports, our data indicate a significant impact of tree species on Hg concentrations in both the O and A horizons. Moreover, the average Hg:C ratio was strongly dependent on the tree species.


2012 ◽  
pp. 157-172
Author(s):  
Branko Stajic ◽  
Milivoj Vuckovic

In our forest science and forest operations, the tree species richness and diversity of woody species in forest stands are most often evaluated based on the total number of tree species, which is a methodologically partly inadequate approach. For this reason, the quantification and the evaluation of diversity of woody species in mixed forests of beech with valuable broadleaves in the area of the National Park ?Djerdap? were analyzed by five different indices of tree species richness: number of species (S index), two indices of the species richness (R1 and R2), expected number of species in the sample with equal numbers of trees (E(S84)), and expected number of species in the sample with equal areas (E(S0,25ha)). The results showed that the level of woody species diversity in forest stands depended on the applied index characterizing the tree species richness. It was concluded that the tree species richness and diversity were the highest in the stands of ecological unit B (E(S84)=8.6 species) and in the stands of ecological unit G (E(S0,25ha)=9.4 species), and they were the lowest in the stands of ecological unit V (E(S84)=5.8 species, E(S0,25ha)=5.5 species).


2020 ◽  
Vol 25 (9) ◽  
pp. 1576-1588
Author(s):  
Jacek Kamczyc ◽  
Daniel Szemis ◽  
Cezary K. Urbanowski ◽  
Jacek Malica ◽  
Emilia Pers-kamczyc

The European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) is a dominant tree species in European forests and it has a huge ecological significance and high economic value. Due to its large dimensions, it can produce large amounts of decayed wood (CWD) which may be critical for maintaining the population of many rare species including mites. Many studies focused on mite (Mesostigmata) abundance, species richness, or diversity in CWD, however, our knowledge on mite biomass is still scarce. Therefore, the main aim of that study was to recognize the Mesostigmata biomass in logs and adjacent soil. In total, 90 samples (125 cm3, 5 cm depth) were collected from European beech logs and soil with litter thickness. Soil samples were collected from ecotone zone (soil near the log) and further three distances—0.5 m, 1.0 m, 1.5 m away from the log. Body length and width were measured for each individual of rare species and in the case of common species at least for 10 individuals. Our study revealed the highest mite biomass in CWD and soil near to the log (ecotone). Total male biomass was the highest in CWD and differed significantly from all other soil microhabitats. Female biomass did not differ between soil and CWD, whereas deutonymphs biomass differed between CWD and soil 1.0 m away from the log. Mean abundance, species richness, and diversity did not differ between the microhabitats. Decaying logs were dominated by Janietella pulchella whereas soil by Veigaia nemorensis. In conclusion, decayed European beech logs maintain the highest male and deutonymph biomass when compared to adjacent soil. Beech logs are important microhabitats for Mesostigmata mite communities, where they reached the highest abundance. 


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