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Barker Plotkin A, Orwig DA, MacLean MG, Ellison AM. Logging response alters trajectories of reorganization after loss of a foundation tree species. ECOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS : A PUBLICATION OF THE ECOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2024; 34:e2957. [PMID: 38485492 DOI: 10.1002/eap.2957] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2023] [Revised: 10/22/2023] [Accepted: 12/20/2023] [Indexed: 04/04/2024]
Abstract
Forest insect outbreaks cause large changes in ecosystem structure, composition, and function. Humans often respond to insect outbreaks by conducting salvage logging, which can amplify the immediate effects, but it is unclear whether logging will result in lasting differences in forest structure and dynamics when compared with forests affected only by insect outbreaks. We used 15 years of data from an experimental removal of Tsuga canadensis (L.) Carr. (Eastern hemlock), a foundation tree species within eastern North American forests, and contrasted the rate, magnitude, and persistence of response trajectories between girdling (emulating mortality from insect outbreak) and timber harvest treatments. Girdling and logging were equally likely to lead to large changes in forest structure and dynamics, but logging resulted in faster rates of change. Understory light increases and community composition changes were larger and more rapid in the logged plots. Tree seedling and understory vegetation abundance increased more in the girdled plots; this likely occurred because seedlings grew rapidly into the sapling- and tree-size classes after logging and quickly shaded out plants on the forest floor. Downed deadwood pools increased more after logging but standing deadwood pools increased dramatically after girdling. Understory light levels remained elevated for a longer time after girdling. Perhaps because the window of opportunity for understory species to establish was longer in the girdled plots, total species richness increased more in the girdled than logged plots. Despite the potential for greater diversity in the girdled plots, Betula lenta L. (black birch) was the most abundant tree species recruited into the sapling- and tree-size classes in both the girdled and logged plots and is poised to dominate the new forest canopy. The largest difference between the girdling and logging treatments-deadwood structure and quantity-will persist and continue to bolster aboveground carbon storage and structural and habitat diversity in the girdled plots. Human responses to insect outbreaks hasten forest reorganization and remove structural resources that may further alter forest response to ongoing climate stress and future disturbances.
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Affiliation(s)
- Audrey Barker Plotkin
- Harvard Forest, Harvard University, Petersham, Massachusetts, USA
- Department of Environmental Conservation, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Massachusetts, USA
| | - David A Orwig
- Harvard Forest, Harvard University, Petersham, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Meghan Graham MacLean
- Department of Environmental Conservation, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Aaron M Ellison
- Harvard Forest, Harvard University, Petersham, Massachusetts, USA
- Sound Solutions for Sustainable Science, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Harvard University Herbaria, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
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Qiao X, Zhang J, Wang Z, Xu Y, Zhou T, Mi X, Cao M, Ye W, Jin G, Hao Z, Wang X, Wang X, Tian S, Li X, Xiang W, Liu Y, Shao Y, Xu K, Sang W, Zeng F, Ren H, Jiang M, Ellison AM. Foundation species across a latitudinal gradient in China. Ecology 2020; 102:e03234. [PMID: 33107020 DOI: 10.1002/ecy.3234] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2020] [Revised: 08/10/2020] [Accepted: 09/14/2020] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
Foundation species structure forest communities and ecosystems but are difficult to identify without long-term observations or experiments. We used statistical criteria--outliers from size-frequency distributions and scale-dependent negative effects on alpha diversity and positive effects on beta diversity--to identify candidate foundation woody plant species in 12 large forest-dynamics plots spanning 26 degrees of latitude in China. We used these data (1) to identify candidate foundation species in Chinese forests, (2) to test the hypothesis--based on observations of a midlatitude peak in functional trait diversity and high local species richness but few numerically dominant species in tropical forests--that foundation woody plant species are more frequent in temperate than tropical or boreal forests, and (3) to compare these results with data from the Americas to suggest candidate foundation genera in northern hemisphere forests. Using the most stringent criteria, only two species of Acer, the canopy tree Acer ukurunduense and the shrubby treelet Acer barbinerve, were identified in temperate plots as candidate foundation species. Using more relaxed criteria, we identified four times more candidate foundation species in temperate plots (including species of Acer, Pinus, Juglans, Padus, Tilia, Fraxinus, Prunus, Taxus, Ulmus, and Corlyus) than in (sub)tropical plots (the treelets or shrubs Aporosa yunnanensis, Ficus hispida, Brassaiopsis glomerulata, and Orophea laui). Species diversity of co-occurring woody species was negatively associated with basal area of candidate foundation species more frequently at 5- and 10-m spatial grains (scale) than at a 20-m grain. Conversely, Bray-Curtis dissimilarity was positively associated with basal area of candidate foundation species more frequently at 5-m than at 10- or 20-m grains. Both stringent and relaxed criteria supported the hypothesis that foundation species are more common in mid-latitude temperate forests. Comparisons of candidate foundation species in Chinese and North American forests suggest that Acer be investigated further as a foundation tree genus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiujuan Qiao
- Key Laboratory of Aquatic Botany and Watershed Ecology, Wuhan Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences [CAS], Wuhan, 430074, China.,Center of Conservation Biology, Core Botanical Gardens, CAS, Wuhan, 430074, China
| | - Jiaxin Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Aquatic Botany and Watershed Ecology, Wuhan Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences [CAS], Wuhan, 430074, China.,Center of Conservation Biology, Core Botanical Gardens, CAS, Wuhan, 430074, China.,University of CAS, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Zhong Wang
- Department of Ecology, College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430072, China
| | - Yaozhan Xu
- Key Laboratory of Aquatic Botany and Watershed Ecology, Wuhan Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences [CAS], Wuhan, 430074, China.,Center of Conservation Biology, Core Botanical Gardens, CAS, Wuhan, 430074, China
| | - Tianyang Zhou
- Key Laboratory of Aquatic Botany and Watershed Ecology, Wuhan Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences [CAS], Wuhan, 430074, China.,Center of Conservation Biology, Core Botanical Gardens, CAS, Wuhan, 430074, China.,University of CAS, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Xiangcheng Mi
- State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change, Institute of Botany (CAS), Beijing, 100093, China
| | - Min Cao
- Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden (CAS), Kunming, 650023, China
| | - Wanhui Ye
- South China Botanical Garden (CAS), Guangzhou, 510650, China
| | - Guangze Jin
- Center for Ecological Research, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin, 150040, China
| | - Zhanqing Hao
- School of Ecology and Environment, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi'an, 710129, China
| | - Xugao Wang
- Institute of Applied Ecology (CAS), Shenyang, 110016, China
| | - Xihua Wang
- Department of Environmental Science, East China Normal University, Shanghai, 200062, China
| | - Songyan Tian
- Key Laboratory of Forest Ecology and Forestry Ecological Engineering of Heilongjiang Province, Harbin, 150040, China
| | - Xiankun Li
- Guangxi Key Laboratory of Plant Conservation and Restoration Ecology in Karst Terrain, Guangxi Institute of Botany, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region and Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guilin, 541006, China
| | - Wusheng Xiang
- Guangxi Key Laboratory of Plant Conservation and Restoration Ecology in Karst Terrain, Guangxi Institute of Botany, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region and Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guilin, 541006, China
| | - Yankun Liu
- National Positioning Observation Station of Mudanjiang Forest Ecosystem in Heilongjiang Province, Mudanjiang, 157500, China
| | - Yingnan Shao
- Key Laboratory of Forest Ecology and Forestry Ecological Engineering of Heilongjiang Province, Harbin, 150040, China
| | - Kun Xu
- Lijiang Forest Ecosystem Research Station, Kunming Institute of Botany (CAS), Kunming, 650201, China
| | - Weiguo Sang
- State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change, Institute of Botany (CAS), Beijing, 100093, China.,Minzu University of China, Beijing, 100081, China
| | - Fuping Zeng
- Key Laboratory of Agro-ecological Processes in Subtropical Region, Institute of Subtropical Agriculture (CAS), Changsha, 410125, China
| | - Haibao Ren
- State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change, Institute of Botany (CAS), Beijing, 100093, China
| | - Mingxi Jiang
- Key Laboratory of Aquatic Botany and Watershed Ecology, Wuhan Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences [CAS], Wuhan, 430074, China.,Center of Conservation Biology, Core Botanical Gardens, CAS, Wuhan, 430074, China
| | - Aaron M Ellison
- Harvard Forest, Harvard University, Petersham, Massachusetts, 01366, USA
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Avolio ML, Forrestel EJ, Chang CC, La Pierre KJ, Burghardt KT, Smith MD. Demystifying dominant species. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2019; 223:1106-1126. [PMID: 30868589 DOI: 10.1111/nph.15789] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2018] [Accepted: 02/17/2019] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Abstract
The pattern of a few abundant species and many rarer species is a defining characteristic of communities worldwide. These abundant species are often referred to as dominant species. Yet, despite their importance, the term dominant species is poorly defined and often used to convey different information by different authors. Based on a review of historical and contemporary definitions we develop a synthetic definition of dominant species. This definition incorporates the relative local abundance of a species, its ubiquity across the landscape, and its impact on community and ecosystem properties. A meta-analysis of removal studies shows that the loss of species identified as dominant by authors can significantly impact ecosystem functioning and community structure. We recommend two metrics that can be used jointly to identify dominant species in a given community and provide a roadmap for future avenues of research on dominant species. In our review, we make the case that the identity and effects of dominant species on their environments are key to linking patterns of diversity to ecosystem function, including predicting impacts of species loss and other aspects of global change on ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meghan L Avolio
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, 21211, USA
| | - Elisabeth J Forrestel
- Department of Viticulture and Enology, University of California, Davis, CA, 95616, USA
| | - Cynthia C Chang
- Division of Biology, University of Washington Bothell, 18807 Beardslee Blvd, Bothell, WA, 98011, USA
| | - Kimberly J La Pierre
- Smithsonian Environmental Research Center, 647 Contees Wharf Road, Edgewater, MD, 21037, USA
| | - Karin T Burghardt
- Department of Entomology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, 20742, USA
| | - Melinda D Smith
- Department of Biology, Graduate Degree Program in Ecology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, 80523, USA
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