1
|
Fritsch C, Berny P, Crouzet O, Le Perchec S, Coeurdassier M. Wildlife ecotoxicology of plant protection products: knowns and unknowns about the impacts of currently used pesticides on terrestrial vertebrate biodiversity. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2024:10.1007/s11356-024-33026-1. [PMID: 38639904 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-024-33026-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2023] [Accepted: 03/17/2024] [Indexed: 04/20/2024]
Abstract
Agricultural practices are a major cause of the current loss of biodiversity. Among postwar agricultural intensification practices, the use of plant protection products (PPPs) might be one of the prominent drivers of the loss of wildlife diversity in agroecosystems. A collective scientific assessment was performed upon the request of the French Ministries responsible for the Environment, for Agriculture and for Research to review the impacts of PPPs on biodiversity and ecosystem services based on the scientific literature. While the effects of legacy banned PPPs on ecosystems and the underlying mechanisms are well documented, the impacts of current use pesticides (CUPs) on biodiversity have rarely been reviewed. Here, we provide an overview of the available knowledge related to the impacts of PPPs, including biopesticides, on terrestrial vertebrates (i.e. herptiles, birds including raptors, bats and small and large mammals). We focused essentially on CUPs and on endpoints at the subindividual, individual, population and community levels, which ultimately linked with effects on biodiversity. We address both direct toxic effects and indirect effects related to ecological processes and review the existing knowledge about wildlife exposure to PPPs. The effects of PPPs on ecological functions and ecosystem services are discussed, as are the aggravating or mitigating factors. Finally, a synthesis of knowns and unknowns is provided, and we identify priorities to fill gaps in knowledge and perspectives for research and wildlife conservation.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Clémentine Fritsch
- Laboratoire Chrono-Environnement, UMR 6249 CNRS/Université de Franche-Comté, 16 Route de Gray, F-25000, Besançon, France
| | - Philippe Berny
- UR-ICE, Vetagro Sup, Campus Vétérinaire, 69280, Marcy L'étoile, France
| | - Olivier Crouzet
- Direction de La Recherche Et de L'Appui Scientifique, Office Français de La Biodiversité, Site de St-Benoist, 78610, Auffargis, France
| | | | - Michael Coeurdassier
- Laboratoire Chrono-Environnement, UMR 6249 CNRS/Université de Franche-Comté, 16 Route de Gray, F-25000, Besançon, France.
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Kormann UG, Stokely TD, Verschuyl J, Kroll AJ, Harris S, Maguire D, Mainwaring D, Rivers JW, Betts MG. Reconciling biodiversity with timber production and revenue via an intensive forest management experiment. ECOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS : A PUBLICATION OF THE ECOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2021; 31:e02441. [PMID: 34374167 DOI: 10.1002/eap.2441] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2020] [Revised: 11/30/2020] [Accepted: 01/15/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Understanding how land-management intensification shapes the relationships between biodiversity, yield, and economic benefit is critical for managing natural resources. Yet, manipulative experiments that test how herbicides affect these relationships are scarce, particularly in forest ecosystems where considerable time lags exist between harvest revenue and initial investments. We assessed these relationships by combining 7 yr of biodiversity surveys (>800 taxa) and forecasts of timber yield and economic return from a replicated, large-scale experiment that manipulated herbicide application intensity in operational timber plantations. Herbicides reduced species richness across trophic groups (-18%), but responses by higher-level trophic groups were more variable (0-38% reduction) than plant responses (-40%). Financial discounting, a conventional economic method to standardize past and future cash flows, strongly modified biodiversity-revenue relationships caused by management intensity. Despite a projected 28% timber yield gain with herbicides, biodiversity-revenue trade-offs were muted when opportunity costs were high (i.e., economic discount rates ≥7%). Although herbicides can drive biodiversity-yield trade-offs, under certain conditions, financial discounting provides opportunities to reconcile biodiversity conservation with revenue.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Urs G Kormann
- Department of Forest Ecosystems and Society, Forest Biodiversity Research Network, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon, 97331, USA
- Division of Forest Sciences, School of Agricultural, Forest and Food Sciences HAFL, Bern University of Applied Sciences BFH, Zollikofen, CH-3052, Switzerland
- Swiss Ornithological Institute, Sempach, CH-6204, Switzerland
| | - Thomas D Stokely
- Department of Forest Ecosystems and Society, Forest Biodiversity Research Network, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon, 97331, USA
| | - Jake Verschuyl
- National Council for Air and Stream Improvement, Inc., Anacortes, Washington, 98221, USA
| | | | - Scott Harris
- Department of Forest Ecosystems and Society, Forest Biodiversity Research Network, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon, 97331, USA
| | - Doug Maguire
- Department of Forest Engineering, Resources, and Management, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon, 97331, USA
| | - Doug Mainwaring
- Department of Forest Engineering, Resources, and Management, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon, 97331, USA
| | - James W Rivers
- Department of Forest Engineering, Resources, and Management, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon, 97331, USA
| | - Matthew G Betts
- Department of Forest Ecosystems and Society, Forest Biodiversity Research Network, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon, 97331, USA
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Stokely TD, Kormann UG, Verschuyl J, Kroll AJ, Frey DW, Harris SH, Mainwaring D, Maguire D, Hatten JA, Rivers JW, Fitzgerald S, Betts MG. Experimental evaluation of herbicide use on biodiversity, ecosystem services and timber production trade‐offs in forest plantations. J Appl Ecol 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2664.13936] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Thomas D. Stokely
- Department of Forest Ecosystems & Society Oregon State University Corvallis OR USA
- Oregon State University Extension Service Redmond OR USA
| | - Urs G. Kormann
- Swiss Ornithological Institute Sempach Switzerland
- School of Agriculture, Forest, & Food Sciences Bern University of Applied Sciences Zollikofen Switzerland
| | - Jake Verschuyl
- National Council for Air & Stream Improvement Anacortes WA USA
| | | | - David W. Frey
- Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology Cornell University Ithaca NY USA
| | - Scott H. Harris
- Department of Forest Ecosystems & Society Oregon State University Corvallis OR USA
| | - Doug Mainwaring
- Department of Forest Engineering, Resources, & Management Oregon State University Corvallis OR USA
| | - Doug Maguire
- Department of Forest Engineering, Resources, & Management Oregon State University Corvallis OR USA
| | - Jeff A. Hatten
- Department of Forest Engineering, Resources, & Management Oregon State University Corvallis OR USA
| | - James W. Rivers
- Department of Forest Engineering, Resources, & Management Oregon State University Corvallis OR USA
| | - Stephen Fitzgerald
- Department of Forest Engineering, Resources, & Management Oregon State University Corvallis OR USA
| | - Matthew G. Betts
- Department of Forest Ecosystems & Society Oregon State University Corvallis OR USA
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Sultaire SM, Kroll AJ, Verschuyl J, Landis DA, Roloff GJ. Effects of varying retention tree patterns on ground beetle (Coleoptera: Carabidae) taxonomic and functional diversity. Ecosphere 2021. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.3641] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Sean M. Sultaire
- Department of Fisheries and Wildlife Michigan State University 480 Wilson Road East Lansing Michigan 48824 USA
| | | | - Jake Verschuyl
- National Council for Air and Stream Improvement P.O. Box 1259 Anacortes Washington 98221 USA
| | - Douglas A. Landis
- Department of Entomology Michigan State University 578 Wilson Road East Lansing Michigan 48824 USA
| | - Gary J. Roloff
- Department of Fisheries and Wildlife Michigan State University 480 Wilson Road East Lansing Michigan 48824 USA
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Salgueiro PA, Valerio F, Silva C, Mira A, Rabaça JE, Santos SM. Multispecies landscape functional connectivity enhances local bird species' diversity in a highly fragmented landscape. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2021; 284:112066. [PMID: 33561758 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2021.112066] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2020] [Revised: 12/23/2020] [Accepted: 01/26/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Local species assemblages are likely the result of habitat and landscape filtering. However, there is still limited knowledge on how landscape functional connectivity complements habitat attributes in mediating local species assemblages in real-world fragmented landscapes. In this study, we set up a non-manipulative experimental design in a standard production forest to demonstrate how functional connectivity determines the spatial distribution of a bird community. We test single- and multispecies spatially explicit, landscape functional connectivity models framed within the circuit theory, considering also patch attributes describing habitat size and quality, to weight their effects on species occurrence and community assemblage. We found that single-species functional connectivity effects contributed positively for occurrence of each species. However, they rarely provided competing alternatives in predicting community parameters when compared to multispecies connectivity models. Incorporating multispecies connectivity showed more consistent effects for all community parameters, than single-species models, since the overlap between species' dispersal abilities in the landscape shows poor agreement. Habitat size and quality, though less important, were also determinant in explaining community parameters while possibly relating to the provision of suitable nesting and foraging conditions. Both habitat and landscape filters concur to govern community assembly, though likely influencing different processes: while landscape connectivity determines which species can reach a patch, habitat quality determines which species settle in the patch. Our results also suggest that surrogating multispecies connectivity from single species has potential to source bias by assuming species perceive landscape and its barriers similarly. Inference on this issue must be gathered from as much species as possible.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Pedro A Salgueiro
- UBC - Conservation Biology Lab, Portugal; LabOr - Laboratory of Ornithology, Portugal; Department of Biology, University of Évora. Mitra, 7002-554, Évora, Portugal.
| | - Francesco Valerio
- UBC - Conservation Biology Lab, Portugal; CIBIO-UE - Research Center in Biodiversity and Genetic Resources, Pole of Évora, Portugal; Department of Biology, University of Évora. Mitra, 7002-554, Évora, Portugal.
| | - Carmo Silva
- UBC - Conservation Biology Lab, Portugal; MED-Mediterranean Institute for Agriculture, Environment and Development, Instituto de Investigação e Formação Avançada, USA; Department of Biology, University of Évora. Mitra, 7002-554, Évora, Portugal.
| | - António Mira
- UBC - Conservation Biology Lab, Portugal; MED-Mediterranean Institute for Agriculture, Environment and Development, Instituto de Investigação e Formação Avançada, USA; Department of Biology, University of Évora. Mitra, 7002-554, Évora, Portugal.
| | - João E Rabaça
- LabOr - Laboratory of Ornithology, Portugal; MED-Mediterranean Institute for Agriculture, Environment and Development, Instituto de Investigação e Formação Avançada, USA; Department of Biology, University of Évora. Mitra, 7002-554, Évora, Portugal.
| | - Sara M Santos
- UBC - Conservation Biology Lab, Portugal; MED-Mediterranean Institute for Agriculture, Environment and Development, Instituto de Investigação e Formação Avançada, USA; Department of Biology, University of Évora. Mitra, 7002-554, Évora, Portugal.
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Betts MG, Phalan BT, Wolf C, Baker SC, Messier C, Puettmann KJ, Green R, Harris SH, Edwards DP, Lindenmayer DB, Balmford A. Producing wood at least cost to biodiversity: integrating Triad and sharing-sparing approaches to inform forest landscape management. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2021; 96:1301-1317. [PMID: 33663020 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12703] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2020] [Revised: 02/19/2021] [Accepted: 02/23/2021] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Forest loss and degradation are the greatest threats to biodiversity worldwide. Rising global wood demand threatens further damage to remaining native forests. Contrasting solutions across a continuum of options have been proposed, yet which of these offers most promise remains unresolved. Expansion of high-yielding tree plantations could free up forest land for conservation provided this is implemented in tandem with stronger policies for conserving native forests. Because plantations and other intensively managed forests often support far less biodiversity than native forests, a second approach argues for widespread adoption of extensive management, or 'ecological forestry', which better simulates natural forest structure and disturbance regimes - albeit with compromised wood yields and hence a need to harvest over a larger area. A third, hybrid suggestion involves 'Triad' zoning where the landscape is divided into three sorts of management (reserve, ecological/extensive management, and intensive plantation). Progress towards resolving which of these approaches holds the most promise has been hampered by the absence of a conceptual framework and of sufficient empirical data formally to identify the most appropriate landscape-scale proportions of reserves, extensive, and intensive management to minimize biodiversity impacts while meeting a given level of demand for wood. In this review, we argue that this central challenge for sustainable forestry is analogous to that facing food-production systems, and that the land sharing-sparing framework devised to establish which approach to farming could meet food demand at least cost to wild species can be readily adapted to assess contrasting forest management regimes. We develop this argument in four ways: (i) we set out the relevance of the sharing-sparing framework for forestry and explore the degree to which concepts from agriculture can translate to a forest management context; (ii) we make design recommendations for empirical research on sustainable forestry to enable application of the sharing-sparing framework; (iii) we present overarching hypotheses which such studies could test; and (iv) we discuss potential pitfalls and opportunities in conceptualizing landscape management through a sharing-sparing lens. The framework we propose will enable forest managers worldwide to assess trade-offs directly between conservation and wood production and to determine the mix of management approaches that best balances these (and other) competing objectives. The results will inform ecologically sustainable forest policy and management, reduce risks of local and global extinctions from forestry, and potentially improve a valuable sector's social license to operate.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Matthew G Betts
- Forest Biodiversity Research Network, Department of Forest Ecosystems and Society, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, 97331, U.S.A
| | - Benjamin T Phalan
- Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Federal da Bahia, Salvador, 40170-115, BA, Brazil.,Parque das Aves, Av. das Cataratas, 12450 - Vila Yolanda, Foz do Iguaçu, PR, 85855-750, Brazil
| | - Christopher Wolf
- Forest Biodiversity Research Network, Department of Forest Ecosystems and Society, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, 97331, U.S.A
| | - Susan C Baker
- School of Natural Sciences and ARC Centre for Forest Value, University of Tasmania, Private Bag 55, Hobart, TAS, 7001, Australia
| | - Christian Messier
- Département des Sciences Biologiques, Université du Québec à Montréal, Montréal, QC, H3C 3P8, Canada
| | - Klaus J Puettmann
- Forest Biodiversity Research Network, Department of Forest Ecosystems and Society, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, 97331, U.S.A
| | - Rhys Green
- Conservation Science Group, Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 3EJ, U.K
| | - Scott H Harris
- Forest Biodiversity Research Network, Department of Forest Ecosystems and Society, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, 97331, U.S.A
| | - David P Edwards
- Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, S10 2TN, U.K
| | - David B Lindenmayer
- Fenner School of Environment and Society, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, 2601, Australia
| | - Andrew Balmford
- Conservation Science Group, Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 3EJ, U.K
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Kroll AJ, Springford A, Verschuyl J. Conservation and production responses vary by disturbance intensity in a long-term forest management experiment. ECOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS : A PUBLICATION OF THE ECOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2020; 30:e02148. [PMID: 32339366 DOI: 10.1002/eap.2148] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2019] [Revised: 03/19/2020] [Accepted: 03/30/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Reductions in management intensity are often proposed to support a broader range of beneficial ecosystem responses than traditional management approaches. However, few studies evaluate ecosystem responses across approaches. Also, managers lack information about how species traits mediate responses across management approaches, a potentially substantial source of spatial and temporal variation in population and community responses that if ignored may hinder effectiveness of management programs. We used data collected over eight years from a manipulative experiment to test how four forest management strategies influenced avian community composition and wood production. After harvesting, we evaluated responses to three levels of plant cover suppression (Light, Moderate, and Intensive herbicide applications) in relation to a control without herbicide. We predicted the Moderate and Intensive treatments would exert strong negative effects on leaf-gleaning insectivores, including species of conservation concern due to long-term population declines. However, given high forest productivity, we expected temporal duration of effects to be short. Richness of leaf-gleaning bird species was reduced by 20-50% during the first four years post-harvest (when herbicide treatments were on-going), but the effect size declined over the next four years once treatments were completed (13-20% reduction). Effect sizes were substantially smaller for the non-leaf-gleaner group during years 1-4 (19-27%) and disappeared during years 5-8 (2-3%). However, in our final year of observation, we did find an average of five fewer non-leaf-gleaner species on Light vs. Control units. In the last two years of observation, turnover probabilities for the leaf-gleaner species remained higher on all treatments compared to the Control (0.11-0.21), indicating that new species continued to colonize treatments. Planted conifers were 40-44% taller and 74-81% larger in diameter in the Moderate and Intensive treatments compared to the Control, leading to substantial gains in wood biomass. Current practices provided more balance between two ecosystem responses, avian diversity and wood production, compared to less intensive alternatives. When short-term negative effects occur, the spatial distribution of harvesting and regeneration regionally indicates that habitat is often available locally to support leaf-gleaning and non-leaf-gleaning bird populations while releasing other portions of the region for high priority conservation objectives including late-successional forest reserves.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Andrew J Kroll
- Weyerhaeuser, 785 N 42nd Street, Springfield, Oregon, 97478, USA
| | - Aaron Springford
- Weyerhaeuser, 220 Occidental Avenue S, Seattle, Washington, 98104, USA
| | - Jake Verschuyl
- National Council for Air and Stream Improvement, Inc., P.O. Box 1259, Anacortes, Washington, 98221, USA
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Harris SH, Kormann UG, Stokely TD, Verschuyl J, Kroll AJ, Betts MG. Do birds help trees grow? An experimental study of the effects of land-use intensification on avian trophic cascades. Ecology 2020; 101:e03018. [PMID: 32078157 DOI: 10.1002/ecy.3018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2019] [Revised: 12/26/2019] [Accepted: 01/24/2020] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
By regulating populations of herbivores, predators can indirectly influence plant production. However, the factors influencing the strength of this type of trophic cascade are still unclear. We hypothesized that changes to plant community structure would affect the number of avian predators, thereby mediating cascade strength. Using a 4-yr, blocked, split-plot experiment, we independently manipulated both predators (birds) and plants in an early seral managed forest system in western Oregon, USA, and measured abundance across three trophic levels. We applied herbicides, as a surrogate for land-use intensification, to recently clear-cut stands to establish an experimental gradient in plant abundance and species richness, and excluded birds using 28, 225 m2 exclosures. In total, we counted and identified 94,738 arthropods of 141 families in paired control and bird exclosure plots. On average, insectivorous birds reduced arthropod abundance by 16% and plant damage by 14%, and some well-known pests (e.g., Adelges cooleyi) of crop trees (mostly Pseudotsuga menziesii) in our system were reduced by as much as 30%. However, this effect did not translate into a trophic cascade that increased crop-tree growth in the presence of birds. We experimentally reduced plant abundance and diversity by 67% and 55%, respectively, in the most intensive herbicide treatment in relation to untreated controls, but reduced vegetative resources did not change the strength of the direct effect of birds on arthropods or the indirect effect of birds on plants.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Scott H Harris
- Department of Forest Ecosystems & Society, Forest Biodiversity Research Network, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon, 97331, USA
| | - Urs G Kormann
- Swiss Ornithological Institute, Seerose 1, CH-6204, Sempach, Switzerland
| | - Thomas D Stokely
- Department of Forest Ecosystems & Society, Forest Biodiversity Research Network, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon, 97331, USA
| | - Jake Verschuyl
- National Council for Air & Stream Improvement, Anacortes, Washington, 98221, USA
| | - Andrew J Kroll
- Weyerhaeuser, 785 N 42nd Street, Springfield, Oregon, 97478, USA
| | - Matthew G Betts
- Department of Forest Ecosystems & Society, Forest Biodiversity Research Network, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon, 97331, USA
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Stokely TD, Betts MG. Deer‐mediated ecosystem service versus disservice depends on forest management intensity. J Appl Ecol 2019. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2664.13532] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Thomas D. Stokely
- Forest Biodiversity Research Network Department of Forest Ecosystems & Society Oregon State University Corvallis OR USA
| | - Matthew G. Betts
- Forest Biodiversity Research Network Department of Forest Ecosystems & Society Oregon State University Corvallis OR USA
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Loehle C, Scherr M, Verschuyl J. Foliage Arthropod Biomass Equations for Open Vegetation Conditions of the Pacific Coast Range. NORTHWEST SCIENCE 2019. [DOI: 10.3955/046.093.0206] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Craig Loehle
- National Council for Air and Stream Improvement, Inc., 1258 Windemere Avenue, Naperville, Illinois 60564
| | - Melissa Scherr
- Oregon State University Department of Crop and Soil Science, 3017 ALS Building, Corvallis, Oregon 97331
| | - Jake Verschuyl
- National Council for Air and Stream Improvement, Inc., PO Box 1259, Anacortes, Washington 98221
| |
Collapse
|
11
|
Basile M, Mikusiński G, Storch I. Bird guilds show different responses to tree retention levels: a meta-analysis. Glob Ecol Conserv 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.gecco.2019.e00615] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
|
12
|
Stokely TD, Verschuyl J, Hagar JC, Betts MG. Herbicides and herbivory interact to drive plant community and crop-tree establishment. ECOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS : A PUBLICATION OF THE ECOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2018; 28:2011-2023. [PMID: 30027661 DOI: 10.1002/eap.1777] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2018] [Revised: 05/25/2018] [Accepted: 06/19/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Land management practices often directly alter vegetation structure and composition, but the degree to which ecological processes such as herbivory interact with management to influence biodiversity is less well understood. We hypothesized that large herbivores compound the effects of intensive forest management on early seral plant communities and plantation establishment (i.e., tree survival and growth), and the degree of such effects is dependent on the intensity of management practices. We established 225-m2 wild-ungulate (deer and elk) exclosures, nested within a manipulated gradient of management intensity (no-herbicide control, light herbicide, moderate herbicide, and intensive herbicide treatments), replicated at the scale of whole harvest units (10-19 ha). Vegetation structure, composition, and crop-tree responses to herbivory varied across the gradient of herbicide application during the first two years of stand establishment, with herbivory effects most evident at light and moderate herbicide treatments. In the moderate herbicide treatment, which approximates management applied to >2.5 million hectares in the Pacific Northwest, United States, foraging by deer and elk resulted in simplified, low-cover plant communities more closely resembling the intensive herbicide treatment. Herbivory further suppressed the growth of competing vegetation in the light herbicide treatment, improving crop-tree survival, and providing early evidence of an ecosystem service. By changing community composition and vegetation structure, intensive forest management alters foraging selectivity and subsequent plant-herbivore interactions; initial shifts in early seral communities are likely to influence understory plant communities and tree growth in later stages of forest development.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Thomas D Stokely
- Department of Forest Ecosystems & Society, Forest Biodiversity Research Network, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon, 97331, USA
| | - Jake Verschuyl
- National Council for Air & Stream Improvement, Western Sustainable Forestry Program, Anacortes, Washington, 98221, USA
| | - Joan C Hagar
- U.S. Geological Survey, Forest & Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center, Corvallis, Oregon, 97331, USA
| | - Matthew G Betts
- Department of Forest Ecosystems & Society, Forest Biodiversity Research Network, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon, 97331, USA
| |
Collapse
|
13
|
Jones KN, Rivers JW, Betts MG. Herbicides Exert Weak and Variable Effects on Microclimate in Early-Seral Forests. NORTHWEST SCIENCE 2018. [DOI: 10.3955/046.092.0204] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Kristin N. Jones
- Department of Forest Ecosystems and Society, College of Forestry, 321 Richardson Hall, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon 97331
| | - James W. Rivers
- Department of Forest Ecosystems and Society, College of Forestry, 321 Richardson Hall, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon 97331
| | - Matthew G. Betts
- Department of Forest Ecosystems and Society, College of Forestry, 321 Richardson Hall, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon 97331
| |
Collapse
|
14
|
Verschuyl J, Clark L, Loehle C. Predicting Shrub Biomass and Current Annual Growth from Field Measurements in the Oregon Coast Range. NORTHWEST SCIENCE 2018. [DOI: 10.3955/046.092.0103] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Jake Verschuyl
- National Council for Air and Stream Improvement, Inc., PO Box 1259, Anacortes, Washington 98221
| | - Laurie Clark
- National Council for Air and Stream Improvement, Inc., 8769 Hwy 42, Tenmile, Oregon 97481
| | - Craig Loehle
- National Council for Air and Stream Improvement, Inc., 1258 Windemere Avenue, Naperville, Illinois 60564
| |
Collapse
|
15
|
Rivers JW, Houtz JL, Betts MG, Horton BM. No evidence for a link between forest herbicides and offspring sex ratio in a migratory songbird using high-throughput molecular sexing. CONSERVATION PHYSIOLOGY 2017; 5:cox054. [PMID: 28959450 PMCID: PMC5610655 DOI: 10.1093/conphys/cox054] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2017] [Revised: 07/26/2017] [Accepted: 09/04/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Many species that use or require early-successional forest are of conservation concern, including a number of songbirds that have experienced long-term population declines. In this study, our initial goal was to test whether herbicide application intensity was linked to offspring sex ratio in the White-crowned Sparrow (Zonotrichia leucophrys), a species that requires early-successional forest within forested landscapes. However, a rapid and accurate method using direct PCR to sex a large sample of birds (n > 1000 individuals) was unavailable, so our secondary goal was to develop a new approach for rapidly determine offspring sex. We obtained blood samples from sparrow young during the 2013-2014 breeding seasons in regenerating conifer plantations that were treated with one of four treatments (i.e. light, moderate, and intensive herbicide application, or no-spray control). We then optimized a protocol that used a commercially available, direct PCR kit to amplify sex-specific fragments of the CHD (chromo-helicase-DNA-binding) genes directly from whole blood stored in lysis buffer. Using this approach, we found no evidence that offspring sex ratio was linked to herbicide application intensity or to food availability across herbicide treatments. Our molecular sexing technique was 100% accurate when validated on known-sex adults, and 99.9% of our blood samples amplified successfully after being stored in lysis buffer stored for up to 3 years. The application of direct PCR for sexing birds eliminated the need for DNA extraction and substantially reduced sample processing time, cost, and the opportunity for errors during the extraction step. We conclude that forest herbicide application intensity does not influence sparrow offspring sex ratio in our study system, and that our approach provides a rapid, accurate, and tractable method for sexing birds that can facilitate studies that require processing of a large number of samples.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- James W Rivers
- Department of Forest Ecosystems and Society, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331, USA
| | - Jennifer L Houtz
- Department of Biology, Millersville University, Millersville, PA 17551, USA
| | - Matthew G Betts
- Forest Biodiversity Research Network, Department of Forest Ecosystems and Society, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331, USA
| | - Brent M Horton
- Department of Biology, Millersville University, Millersville, PA 17551, USA
| |
Collapse
|