1
|
Przepióra F, Ciach M. Profile of tree-related microhabitats in the primeval Białowieża Forest: A benchmark for temperate woodlands. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 905:167273. [PMID: 37741397 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.167273] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2023] [Revised: 09/20/2023] [Accepted: 09/20/2023] [Indexed: 09/25/2023]
Abstract
Tree-related Microhabitats (TreMs) are a key structural element having a significant impact on the biodiversity and functioning of forest ecosystems. Although forests enjoying long-term protection host richer and more abundant TreMs compared to managed stands, the quantity and quality of such microstructures in primeval temperate forests are unknown. This study investigates for the first time the assemblage of TreMs in the Białowieża Forest (BF), which is regarded as the last surviving fragment of pristine lowland forests in the temperate zone of Europe. Relatively undisturbed by human activity since the last glacial period, the BF ecosystem has remained remarkably intact, which may have given rise to its unique TreM assemblage. Here, we show that a primeval forest is characterized by an exceptionally high richness and density of TreMs compared to previously studied natural forests, and that the richness, density and diversity of TreMs are spatially heterogeneous at the micro-scale but homogeneous at the macro-scale. This indicates that adjacent small fragments of habitat (0.05 ha) may have different TreM profiles, but large patches of forest (several ha) host similar assemblages of TreMs. Our profile of TreMs depends on the basal area and density of living trees, the basal area of dead standing trees and the dominance of specific TreM-hosting tree species in a stand. Our study suggests that both the ecological continuity and complexity of a forest supporting many different tree species and the diversity of TreM-forming biota that typically occurs in primeval temperate forests are factors that appear to contribute to the observed profile of TreMs. The results of our study set a benchmark for the quantity and quality of TreMs in broadleaved temperate forests and indicate that the long-term spontaneous natural processes occurring in primeval forests lead to the emergence of ultra-rich, complex assemblages of TreMs.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Fabian Przepióra
- Department of Forest Biodiversity, Faculty of Forestry, University of Agriculture in Kraków, al. 29 Listopada 46, 31-425 Kraków, Poland
| | - Michał Ciach
- Department of Forest Biodiversity, Faculty of Forestry, University of Agriculture in Kraków, al. 29 Listopada 46, 31-425 Kraków, Poland.
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Kozák D, Svitok M, Zemlerová V, Mikoláš M, Lachat T, Larrieu L, Paillet Y, Buechling A, Bače R, Keeton WS, Vítková L, Begovič K, Čada V, Dušátko M, Ferenčík M, Frankovič M, Gloor R, Hofmeister J, Janda P, Kameniar O, Kníř T, Majdanová L, Mejstřík M, Pavlin J, Ralhan D, Rodrigo R, Roibu CC, Synek M, Vostarek O, Svoboda M. Importance of conserving large and old trees to continuity of tree-related microhabitats. CONSERVATION BIOLOGY : THE JOURNAL OF THE SOCIETY FOR CONSERVATION BIOLOGY 2023; 37:e14066. [PMID: 36751977 DOI: 10.1111/cobi.14066] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2022] [Revised: 10/19/2022] [Accepted: 11/15/2022] [Indexed: 05/30/2023]
Abstract
Protecting structural features, such as tree-related microhabitats (TreMs), is a cost-effective tool crucial for biodiversity conservation applicable to large forested landscapes. Although the development of TreMs is influenced by tree diameter, species, and vitality, the relationships between tree age and TreM profile remain poorly understood. Using a tree-ring-based approach and a large data set of 8038 trees, we modeled the effects of tree age, diameter, and site characteristics on TreM richness and occurrence across some of the most intact primary temperate forests in Europe, including mixed beech and spruce forests. We observed an overall increase in TreM richness on old and large trees in both forest types. The occurrence of specific TreM groups was variably related to tree age and diameter, but some TreM groups (e.g., epiphytes) had a stronger positive relationship with tree species and elevation. Although many TreM groups were positively associated with tree age and diameter, only two TreM groups in spruce stands reacted exclusively to tree age (insect galleries and exposed sapwood) without responding to diameter. Thus, the retention of trees for conservation purposes based on tree diameter appears to be a generally feasible approach with a rather low risk of underrepresentation of TreMs. Because greater tree age and diameter positively affected TreM development, placing a greater emphasis on conserving large trees and allowing them to reach older ages, for example, through the establishment of conservation reserves, would better maintain the continuity of TreM resource and associated biodiversity. However, this approach may be difficult due to the widespread intensification of forest management and global climate change.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Kozák
- Department of Forest Ecology, Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Marek Svitok
- Department of Forest Ecology, Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Prague, Czech Republic
- Department of Biology and General Ecology, Faculty of Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Technical University in Zvolen, Zvolen, Slovakia
| | - Veronika Zemlerová
- Department of Forest Ecology, Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Martin Mikoláš
- Department of Forest Ecology, Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Thibault Lachat
- Bern University of Applied Sciences, School of Agricultural, Forest and Food Sciences HAFL, Zollikofen & Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSL, Birmensdorf, Switzerland
| | - Laurent Larrieu
- Université de Toulouse, INRAE, UMR DYNAFOR, Castanet-Tolosan, France & CNPF-CRPF Occitanie, Tarbes, France
| | - Yoan Paillet
- Univ. Grenoble Alpes, INRAE, UR Lessem, Lessem, France
| | - Arne Buechling
- Department of Forest Ecology, Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Radek Bače
- Department of Forest Ecology, Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - William S Keeton
- University of Vermont, Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources, Burlington, Vermont, USA
| | - Lucie Vítková
- Department of Forest Ecology, Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Krešimir Begovič
- Department of Forest Ecology, Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Vojtěch Čada
- Department of Forest Ecology, Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Martin Dušátko
- Department of Forest Ecology, Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Matej Ferenčík
- Department of Forest Ecology, Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Michal Frankovič
- Department of Forest Ecology, Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Rhiannon Gloor
- Department of Forest Ecology, Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Jeňýk Hofmeister
- Department of Forest Ecology, Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Pavel Janda
- Department of Forest Ecology, Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Ondrej Kameniar
- Department of Forest Ecology, Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Tomáš Kníř
- Department of Forest Ecology, Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Linda Majdanová
- Department of Forest Ecology, Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Marek Mejstřík
- Department of Forest Ecology, Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Jakob Pavlin
- Department of Forest Ecology, Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Dheeraj Ralhan
- Department of Forest Ecology, Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Ruffy Rodrigo
- Department of Forest Ecology, Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Catalin-Constantin Roibu
- Forest Biometrics Laboratory-Faculty of Forestry, 'Stefan cel Mare' University of Suceava, Suceava, Romania
| | - Michal Synek
- Department of Forest Ecology, Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Ondřej Vostarek
- Department of Forest Ecology, Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Miroslav Svoboda
- Department of Forest Ecology, Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Prague, Czech Republic
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Zemlerová V, Kozák D, Mikoláš M, Svitok M, Bače R, Smyčková M, Buechling A, Martin M, Larrieu L, Paillet Y, Roibu CC, Petritan IC, Čada V, Ferenčík M, Frankovič M, Gloor R, Hofmeister J, Janda P, Kameniar O, Majdanová L, Markuljaková K, Matula R, Mejstřík M, Rydval M, Vostarek O, Svoboda M. Natural Disturbances are Essential Determinants of Tree-Related Microhabitat Availability in Temperate Forests. Ecosystems 2023. [DOI: 10.1007/s10021-023-00830-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/29/2023]
Abstract
AbstractAssessing the impacts of natural disturbance on the functioning of complex forest systems are imperative in the context of global change. The unprecedented rate of contemporary species extirpations, coupled with widely held expectations that future disturbance intensity will increase with warming, highlights a need to better understand how natural processes structure habitat availability in forest ecosystems. Standardised typologies of tree-related microhabitats (TreMs) have been developed to facilitate assessments of resource availability for multiple taxa. However, natural disturbance effects on TreM diversity have never been assessed. We amassed a comprehensive dataset of TreM occurrences and a concomitant 300-year disturbance history reconstruction that spanned large environmental gradients in temperate primary forests. We used nonlinear analyses to quantify relations between past disturbance parameters and contemporary patterns of TreM occurrence. Our results reveal that natural forest dynamics, characterised by fluctuating disturbance intervals and variable severity levels, maintained structurally complex landscapes rich in TreMs. Different microhabitat types developed over time in response to divergent disturbance histories. The relative abundance of alternate TreMs was maximised by unique interactions between past disturbance severity and elapsed time. Despite an unequal distribution of individual TreMs, total microhabitat diversity was maintained at constant levels, suggesting that spatially heterogeneous disturbances maintained a shifting mosaic of habitat types over the region as a whole. Our findings underscore the fundamental role of natural processes in promoting conditions that maximise biodiversity potential. Strict conservation and management systems that preserve natural disturbance outcomes, including associated biological legacies, may therefore safeguard biodiversity at large scales.
Collapse
|