The Impact of Changes in Species Richness and Species Replacement on Patterns of Taxonomic Homogenization in the Carpathian Forest Ecosystems

The effect of reindeer Rangifer tarandus L. grazing on the ground-dwelling spider assemblage in Northern Finland was studied. Changes in species richness, abundance and evenness of spider assemblages were analyzed in relation to changes in vegetation and environmental factors in long term grazed and ungrazed sites as well as sites that had recently switched from grazed to ungrazed and vice versa. Grazing was found to have a significant impact on height and biomass of lichens and other ground vegetation. However, it seemed not to have an impact on the total abundance of spiders. This is likely caused by opposing family and species level responses of spiders to the grazing regime. Lycosid numbers were highest in grazed and linyphiid numbers in ungrazed areas. Lycosidae species richness was highest in ungrazed areas whereas Linyphiidae richness showed no response to grazing. Four Linyphiidae, one Thomisidae and one Lycosidae species showed strong preference for specific treatments. Sites that had recovered from grazing for nine years and the sites that were grazed for the last nine years but were previously ungrazed resembled the long term grazed sites. The results emphasize the importance of reindeer as a modifier of boreal forest ecosystems but the impact of reindeer grazing on spiders seems to be family and species specific. The sites with reversed grazing treatment demonstrate that recovery from strong grazing pressure at these high latitudes is a slow process whereas reindeer can rapidly change the conditions in previously ungrazed sites similar to long term heavily grazed conditions.

Download Full-text

Determination of multi pesticide residues in leaf and needle samples using a modified QuEChERS approach and gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry

Analytical Methods ◽

10.1039/d0ay02329a ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Arnelle Löbbert ◽

Sonja Schanzer ◽

Henrik Krehenwinkel ◽

Franz Bracher ◽

Christoph Müller

Keyword(s):

Mass Spectrometry ◽

Gas Chromatography ◽

Tandem Mass Spectrometry ◽

Forest Ecosystems ◽

Tandem Mass ◽

Modified Quechers ◽

Chromatography Tandem Mass Spectrometry ◽

The Impact ◽

Impact Of Pesticides

A novel, validated QuEChERS-based GC-MS/MS method was developed, which will allow the assessment of the impact of pesticides on forest ecosystems.

Download Full-text

Spatial distribution patterns of soil total phosphorus influenced by climatic factors in China’s forest ecosystems

Scientific Reports ◽

10.1038/s41598-021-84166-0 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Jie Zhu ◽

Anchi Wu ◽

Guoyi Zhou

Keyword(s):

Spatial Distribution ◽

Forest Ecosystems ◽

Climatic Factors ◽

Critical Role ◽

Effect Of Temperature ◽

P Concentration ◽

Single Effect ◽

The Impact ◽

P Distribution ◽

Total P

AbstractPhosphorus (P) is an important element in terrestrial ecosystems and plays a critical role in soil quality and ecosystem productivity. Soil total P distributions have undergone large spatial changes as a result of centuries of climate change. It is necessary to study the characteristics of the horizontal and vertical distributions of soil total P and its influencing factors. In particular, the influence of climatic factors on the spatial distribution of soil total P in China’s forest ecosystems remain relatively unknown. Here, we conducted an intensive field investigation in different forest ecosystems in China to assess the effect of climatic factors on soil total P concentration and distribution. The results showed that soil total P concentration significantly decreased with increasing soil depth. The spatial distribution of soil total P increased with increasing latitude and elevation gradient but decreased with increasing longitude gradient. Random forest models and linear regression analyses showed that the explanation rate of bioclimatic factors and their relationship with soil total P concentration gradually decreased with increasing soil depths. Variance partitioning analysis demonstrated that the most important factor affecting soil total P distribution was the combined effect of temperature and precipitation factor, and the single effect of temperature factors had a higher explanation rate compare with the single effect of precipitation factors. This work provides a new farmework for the geographic distribution pattern of soil total P and the impact of climate variability on P distribution in forest ecosystems.

Download Full-text

Facilitation Effects of Haloxylon salicornicum Shrubs on Associated Understory Annuals, and a Modified “Stress-Gradient” Hypothesis for Droughty Times

Plants ◽

10.3390/plants9121726 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 9 (12) ◽

pp. 1726

Author(s):

Nasr H. Gomaa ◽

Ahmad K. Hegazy ◽

Arafat Abdel Hamed Abdel Latef

Keyword(s):

Species Richness ◽

Water Availability ◽

Stress Gradient ◽

Growing Season ◽

Annual Species ◽

Negative Effects ◽

Growing Seasons ◽

Dry Seasons ◽

The Impact ◽

Haloxylon Salicornicum

Perennial shrub-annual plant interactions play key roles in desert regions influencing the structure and dynamics of plant communities there. In the present study, carried out in northwestern Saudi Arabia, we examined the effect of Haloxylon salicornicum shrubs on their associated understory annual species across four consecutive growing seasons, along with a record of the seasonal rainfall patterns. We measured density and species richness of all the annual species in permanent quadrats located beneath individual shrubs, as well as in the spaces between shrubs. During wet growing season H. salicornicum shrubs significantly enhanced the density and species richness of sub-canopy species, whereas in the relatively dry seasons they exerted negative effects on the associated species. In all growing seasons, the presence of shrubs was associated with enhanced soil properties, including increased organic carbon content, silt + clay, and levels of nutrients (N, P and K). Shrubs improved soil moisture content beneath their canopies in the wet growing season, while in the dry seasons they had negative effects on water availability. Differences in effects of H. salicornicum on understory plants between growing seasons seem due to the temporal changes in the impact of shrubs on water availability. Our results suggest the facilitative effects of shrubs on sub-canopy annuals in arid ecosystems may switch to negative effects with increasing drought stress. We discuss the study in light of recent refinements of the well-known “stress-gradient hypothesis”.

Download Full-text

Plant species richness in riparian forests: Comparison to other forest ecosystems, longitudinal patterns, role of rare species and topographic factors

Forest Ecology and Management ◽

10.1016/j.foreco.2021.119400 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 496 ◽

pp. 119400

Author(s):

Remigiusz Pielech

Keyword(s):

Species Richness ◽

Plant Species ◽

Rare Species ◽

Forest Ecosystems ◽

Plant Species Richness ◽

Riparian Forests ◽

Longitudinal Patterns ◽

Topographic Factors

Download Full-text

Multi-Scale Spatiotemporal Change Characteristics Analysis of High-Frequency Disturbance Forest Ecosystem Based on Improved Spatiotemporal Cube Model

Remote Sensing ◽

10.3390/rs13132537 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (13) ◽

pp. 2537

Author(s):

Yangcen Zhang ◽

Xiangnan Liu ◽

Meiling Liu ◽

Xinyu Zou ◽

Qian Zhang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

High Frequency ◽

Forest Ecosystems ◽

Satellite Image ◽

Vegetation Indices ◽

Anthropogenic Factors ◽

Residential Areas ◽

Short Term ◽

Spatiotemporal Changes ◽

Spatiotemporal Scales ◽

The Impact

High-frequency disturbance forest ecosystems undergo complex and frequent changes at various spatiotemporal scales owing to natural and anthropogenic factors. Effectively capturing the characteristics of these spatiotemporal changes from satellite image time series is a powerful and practical means for determining their causes and predicting their trends. Herein, we combined the spatiotemporal cube and vegetation indices to develop the improved spatiotemporal cube (IST-cube) model. We used this to acquire the spatiotemporal dynamics of forest ecosystems from 1987 to 2020 in the study area and then classified it into four spatiotemporal scales. The results showed that the cube-core only exists in the increasing IST-cubes, which are distributed in residential areas and forests. The length of the IST-cube implies the duration of triggers. Human activities result in long-term small-scope IST-cubes, and the impact in the vicinity of residential areas is increasing while there is no change within. Meteorological disasters cause short-term, large scope, and irregular impacts. Land use type change causes short-term small scope IST-cubes and a regular impact. Overall, we report the robustness and strength of the IST-cube model in capturing spatiotemporal changes in forest ecosystems, providing a novel method to examine complex changes in forest ecosystems via remote sensing.

Download Full-text

Monitoring of small rock pools reveals differential effects of chronic anthropogenic disturbance on birds and mammals in the Calakmul region, southern Mexico

Journal of Tropical Ecology ◽

10.1017/s0266467421000547 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-10

Author(s):

Carlos M. Delgado-Martínez ◽

Fredy Alvarado ◽

Melanie Kolb ◽

Eduardo Mendoza

Keyword(s):

Species Richness ◽

Anthropogenic Disturbance ◽

Forest Cover ◽

Biosphere Reserve ◽

Bird Diversity ◽

Small Scale ◽

Rock Pools ◽

Southern Mexico ◽

Wildlife Species ◽

The Impact

Abstract Great attention has been drawn to the impacts of habitat deforestation and fragmentation on wildlife species richness. In contrast, much less attention has been paid to assessing the impacts of chronic anthropogenic disturbance on wildlife species composition and behaviour. We focused on natural small rock pools (sartenejas), which concentrate vertebrate activity due to habitat’s water limitation, to assess the impact of chronic anthropogenic disturbance on the species richness, diversity, composition, and behaviour of medium and large-sized birds and mammals in the highly biodiverse forests of Calakmul, southern Mexico. Camera trapping records of fauna using sartenejas within and outside the Calakmul Biosphere Reserve (CBR) showed that there were no effects on species richness, but contrasts emerged when comparing species diversity, composition, and behaviour. These effects differed between birds and mammals and between species: (1) bird diversity was greater outside the CBR, but mammal diversity was greater within and (2) the daily activity patterns of birds differed slightly within and outside the CBR but strongly contrasted in mammals. Our study highlights that even in areas supporting extensive forest cover, small-scale chronic anthropogenic disturbances can have pervasive negative effects on wildlife and that these effects contrast between animal groups.

Download Full-text

Geospatial technology perspectives for mining vis-a-vis sustainable forest ecosystems

Present Environment and Sustainable Development ◽

10.1515/pesd-2017-0020 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

pp. 219-238 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Laxmi Goparaju ◽

P. Rama Chandra Prasad ◽

Firoz Ahmad

Keyword(s):

Forest Ecosystems ◽

Anthropogenic Activities ◽

Biogeochemical Cycles ◽

Mining Activities ◽

Forest Environment ◽

Mining Operations ◽

Geospatial Technology ◽

The Status ◽

The Impact

Abstract Forests, the backbone of biogeochemical cycles and life supporting systems, are under severe pressure due to varied anthropogenic activities. Mining activities are one among the major reasons for forest destruction questioning the survivability and sustainability of flora and fauna existing in that area. Thus, monitoring and managing the impact of mining activities on natural resources at regular intervals is necessary to check the status of their depleted conditions, and to take up restoration and conservative measurements. Geospatial technology provides means to identify the impact of different mining operations on forest ecosystems and helps in proposing initiatives for safeguarding the forest environment. In this context, the present study highlights the problems related to mining in forest ecosystems and elucidates how geospatial technology can be employed at various stages of mining activities to achieve a sustainable forest ecosystem. The study collates information from various sources and highlights the role of geospatial technology in mining industries and reclamation process.

Download Full-text

Response of dry grassland vegetation to fluctuations in weather conditions: a 9-year case study in Prague (Czech Republic)

Biologia ◽

10.2478/s11756-011-0079-1 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 66 (5) ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Jiří Dostálek ◽

Tomáš Frantík

Keyword(s):

Species Richness ◽

Czech Republic ◽

Weather Conditions ◽

Grass Species ◽

Individual Species ◽

Weather Variability ◽

Grassland Vegetation ◽

Dry Grassland ◽

Local Climate ◽

The Impact

AbstractThe extreme habitats of dry grasslands are suitable for investigations of the response of vegetation to local climate changes. The impact of weather variability on the dynamics of a plant community in a dry grassland was studied. Correlations were found between different functional groups of species and individual species and weather variability. During a 9-year study in five nature reserves in Prague (Czech Republic), the following responses of dry grassland vegetation to weather conditions were observed: (i) wetter conditions, especially in the winter, affected the dominance and species richness of perennial grass species and the decline of rosette plants; (ii) the year-to-year higher temperatures in the winter produced a decline in the dominance of short graminoids and creeping forbs; (iii) spring drought adversely impacted the overall abundance, especially the abundance of dicotyledonous species, and the species richness. However, these relationships may be manifested in different ways in different locations, and in some cases the vegetation of different locations may respond to weather conditions in opposite manners.

Download Full-text