The Impact of Drought on Natural Forest Ecosystems

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

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

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

The impact of historic land use and modern forestry on nutrient relations of Central European forest ecosystems

Fertilizer Research ◽

10.1007/bf01048603 ◽

1991 ◽

Vol 27 (1) ◽

pp. 1-8 ◽

Cited By ~ 95

Author(s):

Gerhard Glatzel

Keyword(s):

Land Use ◽

Forest Ecosystems ◽

Central European ◽

Historic Land Use ◽

European Forest ◽

The Impact ◽

Nutrient Relations

Download Full-text

Effect of the Gabčíkovo Waterworks (Slovakia) on riparian floodplain forest ecosystems in the Danube inland delta: vegetation dynamics and trends

Biologia ◽

10.1515/biolog-2017-0082 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 72 (7) ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Mária Petrášová-Šibíková ◽

Igor Matečný ◽

Eva Uherčíková ◽

Peter Pišút ◽

Silvia Kubalová ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Species Composition ◽

Forest Ecosystems ◽

Supply System ◽

Floodplain Forest ◽

Soil Conditions ◽

Plant Species Composition ◽

Forest Species ◽

The Past ◽

The Impact ◽

Rare Opportunity

AbstractHuman alteration of watercourses is global phenomenon that has had significant impacts on local ecosystems and the services they provide. Monitoring of abiotic and biotic changes is essential to mitigating long-lasting effects, and the 23-year dataset from the Gabčíkovo Waterworks provided a rare opportunity to assess the impact of groundwater regimes on vegetation. The main aim of this study was to describe the effect of the Gabčíkovo Waterworks on vegetation structure and species composition of the adjacent riparian floodplain forests over the past 23 years. The results are based on studies of three permanent monitoring plots (PMPs) located in the Danube inland delta – two outside (PMP 1 and 3) and one (PMP 2) fully under the influence of the artificial supply system. Our results demonstrate that the Danube inland delta was negatively affected by the Gabčíkovo construction, particularly for sites outside of the artificial supply system. There was a significant decrease in soil moisture and increase in nitrogen at both external PMPs (1 and 3). Alter soil conditions were accompanied by negative changes in plant species composition demonstrated by decreases in the number of typical floodplain forest species that are characteristic for the alliance

Download Full-text

Modeling of Forest Ecosystem Degradation Due to Anthropogenic Stress: The Case of Rohingya Influx into the Cox’s Bazar–Teknaf Peninsula of Bangladesh

Environments ◽

10.3390/environments8110121 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 8 (11) ◽

pp. 121

Author(s):

Mohammad Emran Hasan ◽

Li Zhang ◽

Riffat Mahmood ◽

Huadong Guo ◽

Guoqing Li

Keyword(s):

Forest Ecosystem ◽

Forest Ecosystems ◽

Forest Vegetation ◽

Rapid Decline ◽

Sudden Increase ◽

Refugee Crisis ◽

Anthropogenic Stress ◽

Ecosystem Integrity ◽

Humanitarian Response ◽

The Impact

Overdependence and cumulative anthropogenic stresses have caused world forests to decrease at an unprecedented rate, especially in Southeast Asia. The Cox’s Bazar–Teknaf Peninsula of Bangladesh is not an exception and follows the global deforestation trend. Despite being one of the country’s richest forest ecosystems with multiple wildlife sanctuaries, reserve forests, and influential wildlife habitats, the peninsula is now providing shelter for nearly one million Rohingya refugees. With the global deforestation trend coupled with excessive anthropogenic stresses from the Rohingya population, the forests in the peninsula are continuously deteriorating in terms of quality and integrity. In response to deforestation, the government invested in conservation efforts through afforestation and restoration programs, although the peninsula faced a refugee crisis in August 2017. The impact of this sudden increase in population on the forest ecosystem is large and has raised questions and contradictions between the government’s conservation efforts and the humanitarian response. Relocation of the refugees seems to be a lengthy process and the forest ecosystem integrity needs to be preserved; therefore, the degree of stresses, level of impacts, and pattern of deforestation are crucial information for forest conservation and protection strategies. However, there are a lack of quantitative analyses on how the forest ecosystem is deteriorating and what future results would be in both space and time. In this study, the impact of the sudden humanitarian crisis (i.e., Rohingya refugees) as anthropogenic stress in Cox’s Bazar–Teknaf peninsula has been spatiotemporally modeled and assessed using Sentinel-2 satellite imagery and other collateral data. Using the density and accessibility of the Rohingya population along with the land cover and other physiographic data, a multi-criteria evaluation (MCE) technique was applied through the Markov cellular automata technique to model the forest vegetation status. The impact of deforestation differs in cost due to variability of the forest vegetation covers. The study, therefore, developed and adopted three indices for assessment of the forest ecosystem based on the variability and weight of the forest cover loss. The spatial severity of impact (SSI) index revealed that out of 5415 ha of total degraded forest lands, 650 ha area would have the highest cost from 2017 to 2027. In the case of the ecosystem integrity (EI) index, a rapid decline in ecosystem integrity in the peninsula was observed as the integrity value fell to 1190 ha (2019) from 1340 ha (2017). The integrity is expected to further decline to 740 ha by 2027, if the stress persists in a similar fashion. Finally, the findings of ecosystem integrity depletion (EID) elucidated areas of 540 and 544 hectares that had a severe EID score of (−5) between 2017 and 2019 and 2017 and 2027, respectively. The displacement and refugee crisis is a recurrent world event that, in many cases, compromises the integrity and quality of natural space. Therefore, the findings of this study are expected to have significant global and regional implications to help managers and policymakers of forest ecosystems make decisions that have minimal or no impact to facilitate humanitarian response.

Download Full-text

Population survey of Milicia excelsa, Pouteria adolfi-fridercii, Antiaris toxicaria and Prunus africana in south and south-western Ethiopia: implications for domesticating and establishing Seed Production Areas

MOJ Ecology & Environmental Sciences ◽

10.15406/mojes.2020.05.00188 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 5 (4) ◽

pp. 153-162

Author(s):

Mohammed Adefa Seid ◽

Yigardu Mulatu ◽

Agena Anjulo ◽

Semaigzer Ayalew ◽

Hailu Belay ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Seed Production ◽

Forest Ecosystems ◽

Natural Forest ◽

Target Species ◽

Stem Height ◽

Prunus Africana ◽

Milicia Excelsa ◽

Western Ethiopia ◽

Tree Stem

The population dynamics and genetic qualities of stem height and dbh of the populations of Milicia excelsa, Pouteria adolfi-fridercii, Antiaris toxicaria and Prunus africana were assessed and studied in 14 forest ecosystems in south and south-western Ethiopia. A systematic random quadrat sampling technique was employed to identify potential habitat area for selected timber species in south and south-western Ethiopia. So, a total of 10 parallel transect lines were set out across each forest habitat. Milicia excelsa was assessed in four forest ecosystems; Bebeka -Duduka natural forest (45 tree stem ha-1) and Yayu coffee mixed forest (40 tree stem ha-1) appeared to have relatively denser population of M. excelsa compared to the other pilot forests. Similarly, statistically larger stem height (m) is observed in Bebeka-Duduka natural forest (x̅=29.5, SD=4.2) and larger dbh size (cm) in Bebeka 1 coffee mixed forest (x̅=48.5, SD=25.2) at p<0.05. Hence, Bebeka-Duduka natural forest and Bebeka 1 coffee mixed forests are identified for in-situ SPA establishment project of the target species. Pouteria adolfi-fridercii was assessed in eight forest ecosystems; Masha-Gora shewi forest appeared to have dense population of P. adolfi-fridercii (150 tree stem ha-1) followed by Bebeka-Kebereta (80 tree stem ha-1) as compared to the remaining pilot forests. However, statistically larger stem height (m) is scored in Bebeka 2 natural forest (x̅=30.6, SD=2.98) and Bebeka-kebereta forest (x̅=30.0, SD=4.4) and larger dbh size (cm) in Bebeka 2 natural forest (x̅=96.5, SD=19.9) at p<0.05. So, Bebeka 2 natural forest and Bebeka-kebereta forest are identified for SPA establishment project of the target species. Antiaris toxicaria was assessed in two forest ecosystems where both forest habitats appeared to have the same density of Antiaris toxicaria in hectare. Moreover, analyses of mean stem height (cm) of Bebeka 1 forest (x̅=21.4, SD=5.2) and Bebeka-kebereta forest (x̅=22.4, SD=2.7), and mean dbh size (cm) of Bebeka 1 forest (x̅=48, SD=16.4) and Bebeka-kebereta forest (x̅=48, SD=8.2) appeared to have not significantly different at p<0.05. Prunus africana was assessed in five forest ecosystems; Masha-Gora shewi forest appeared to have dense population of Prunus africana (150 tree stem ha-1) followed by Kaho-shemeta forest (130 tree stem ha-1) as compared to the remaining pilot forests. However, statistically larger stem height (m) is scored in Kaho-shemeta natural forest (x̅=31, SD=7.6) and larger dbh (cm) in Masha-Gora shewi forest (x̅=64.7, SD=28.2) at p<0.05. As the result, Kaho-shemeta natural forest and Bonga-Teja-adela forest are identified for establishment of seed production area of the target species in-situ. Hence, while implementing the project of domestication and seed production area establishment in south and south-western Ethiopia, in-situ and ex-situ areas must be selected and delineated in accordance with this preliminary information of the population dynamics and genetic qualities of stem height and diameter at breast height. The survey data generated in this study would bridge the research gap in relation to the population status of the target tree species in the designated area.

Download Full-text

Effects of reindeer grazing and recovery after cessation of grazing on the ground-dwelling spider assemblage in Finnish Lapland

PeerJ ◽

10.7717/peerj.7330 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 7 ◽

pp. e7330

Author(s):

Teemu Saikkonen ◽

Varpu Vahtera ◽

Seppo Koponen ◽

Otso Suominen

Keyword(s):

Species Richness ◽

Rangifer Tarandus ◽

Forest Ecosystems ◽

Grazing Pressure ◽

Ground Vegetation ◽

Total Abundance ◽

Finnish Lapland ◽

Species Specific ◽

The Impact

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

Aspects Concerning the Impact of Climate Aridization on Forest Ecosystems (Case Study)

Present Environment and Sustainable Development ◽

10.1515/pesd-2017-0025 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 11 (2) ◽

pp. 63-75

Author(s):

Nedealcov Maria ◽

Donica Ala ◽

Brașoveanu Valeriu ◽

Grigoraș Nicolae ◽

Deomidova Cristina

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Forest Ecosystems ◽

Temporal Dynamics ◽

Negative Impact ◽

Local Level ◽

Aridity Index ◽

Climatic Conditions ◽

Study Region ◽

Climate Aridization ◽

The Impact

Abstract Assessment activity and surveillance of the forests health, held at the global, regional and local level, has continuously developed, culminating in the current period with interdisciplinary and extensive scientific researches, that evaluate the effects of the main factors on forest ecosystems state, in particular, air pollution and climate change. Scientific researches have shown that among trees ecophysiological processes, forest life processes and meteorological parameters there are direct dependences, particularly in the case of trees supply with water during the growing period (May-July), with major influences for critical months (July and August), which have a decisive impact on growth, vitality and production of organic matter in forests. Dry years, from the beginning of the third millennium can lead to a decrease of mesophilic forests area (beech, sessile oak and penduculate oak), which will tend to retreat towards the center of the area (central Europe) in favor of thermophilic forests with pubescent oak. It was determined that a most significant negative impact of climate aridization will feel the forest ecosystems from Southern and central regions of country (conditioned by the mean air temperature (July-August), monthly rainfall (May-August), evapotranspiration and geographic latitude), and less - the Northern part of the country (Forestry Aridity Index calculated for 3 experimental stations revealed variations of this index between 7.8 - 8.3 - in the Central part of country, and 8.4 - 8.6 - for Southern part of country). At the same time the impact of climate change will determine the spatial and temporal dynamics of pests and pathogenic species. The phenomenon of climate aridization was expressed also through the impact of the Microsphaera alphitoides disease, intensity of “mildew” attack being based on the climatic conditions of the study region. Obtained data, for confirmation, were correlated with indications of bioindicators, present in the study region.

Download Full-text