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Hutchinson TF, Adams BT, Dickinson MB, Heckel M, Royo AA, Thomas-Van Gundy MA. Sustaining eastern oak forests: Synergistic effects of fire and topography on vegetation and fuels. Ecol Appl 2024; 34:e2948. [PMID: 38351586 DOI: 10.1002/eap.2948] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2023] [Revised: 08/25/2023] [Accepted: 10/03/2023] [Indexed: 04/04/2024]
Abstract
Across much of the eastern United States, oak forests are undergoing mesophication as shade-tolerant competitors become more abundant and suppress oak regeneration. Given the historical role of anthropogenic surface fires in promoting oak dominance, prescribed fire has become important in efforts to reverse mesophication and sustain oaks. In 2000 we established the Ohio Hills Fire and Fire Surrogate (FFS) study to examine whether repeated prescribed fire (Fire), mechanical partial harvest (Mech), and their combined application (Mech + Fire) reduced the dominance of subcanopy mesophytic competitors, increased the abundance of large oak-hickory advance regeneration, created a more diverse and productive ground-layer flora, and produced fuel beds more conducive to prescribed fire, reducing the risk of high-severity wildfire. Here we report on the ~20-year effects of treatments on vegetation and fuels and examine the support for interactive effects across a topographic-moisture and energy gradient. In general, we found that Fire and Mech + Fire treatments tended to reverse mesophication while the Mech-only treatment did not. The moderate and occasionally high-intensity fires resulted in effects that were ultimately very similar between the two fire treatments but were modulated by topography with increasing fire severity on drier sites. In particular, we found support for an interaction effect between treatment and topography on forest structure and tree regeneration responses. Fire generally reduced mesophytic tree density in the midstory and sapling strata across all site conditions, while leading to substantial gains in the abundance of large oak-hickory advance regeneration on dry and intermediate landscape positions. Fire also promoted ground-layer diversity and created compositionally distinct communities across all site conditions, primarily through the increased richness of native perennial herbs. However, the fire had limited effects on fine surface fuel loading and increased the loading of large woody fuels, potentially increasing the risk of high-severity wildfire during drought conditions. We conclude that two decades of repeated fires, with and without mechanical density reduction, significantly shifted the trajectory of mesophication across most of the landscape, particularly on dry and intermediate sites, highlighting the capacity of a periodic fire regime to sustain eastern oak forests and promote plant diversity but modulated by topography.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Bryce T Adams
- Northern Research Station, US Forest Service, Delaware, Ohio, USA
| | | | - Maryjane Heckel
- Six Rivers National Forest US Forest Service, Eureka, California, USA
| | - Alejandro A Royo
- Northern Research Station, US Forest Service, Irvine, Pennsylvania, USA
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2
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Vabuolė E, Juzėnas S, Kutorga E. Habitat Diversity, Environmental Conditions, and Distribution of Endangered Fungus Sarcosoma globosum (Ascomycota) in Lithuania. J Fungi (Basel) 2024; 10:263. [PMID: 38667934 PMCID: PMC11051098 DOI: 10.3390/jof10040263] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/29/2024] [Revised: 03/25/2024] [Accepted: 03/28/2024] [Indexed: 04/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Sarcosoma globosum (Pezizales, Ascomycota) is a rare and endangered fungus, and it is believed to be extinct in most central European countries. Known records of S. globosum in Lithuania reveal that it is situated on the south-western edge of a shrinking geographical distribution range in Europe. An assessment of the species' current habitat conditions and threats could enhance and provide new knowledge and guidelines to facilitate the efficient conservation of this threatened fungus and its habitats. The main aim of this study was to analyse the habitats and environmental conditions of S. globosum in Lithuania. We examined the diversity of habitats, various soil and tree stand characteristics, forest management activities, and natural disturbances in all 28 known fungus localities. S. globosum habitats in Lithuania are restricted to coniferous forests with the presence of Picea abies; the species was observed in boreo-nemoral bilberry western spruce taiga (the European Nature Information System habitat type T3F14), continental tall-herb western spruce taiga (T3F44), and native fir, spruce, larch, and cedar plantations (T3N1). An analysis of forest stand age structures in Lithuanian S. globosum localities revealed a rather large proportion of young Norway spruce stands of cultural origin (25.6% of study plots were assigned to age classes from 21 to 50 years); nevertheless, the majority of fungus growth sites were situated in older forests. Various natural and anthropogenic disturbances that threaten S. globosum habitats were assessed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eglė Vabuolė
- Department of Botany and Genetics, Institute of Biosciences, Life Sciences Center, Vilnius University, Saulėtekio Ave. 7, LT-10257 Vilnius, Lithuania; (S.J.); (E.K.)
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3
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Humphreys BR, Mortelliti A. Pilfering personalities: Effects of small mammal personality on cache pilferage. J Anim Ecol 2024. [PMID: 38500218 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.14059] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2023] [Accepted: 01/29/2024] [Indexed: 03/20/2024]
Abstract
Small mammals such as mice and voles play a fundamental role in the ecosystem service of seed dispersal by caching seeds in small hoards that germinate under beneficial conditions. Pilferage is a critical step in this process in which animals steal seeds from other individuals' caches. Pilferers often recache stolen seeds, which are often pilfered by new individuals, who may recache again, and so on, potentially leading to compounded increased dispersal distance. However, little research has investigated intraspecific differences in pilfering frequency, despite its importance in better understanding the role of behavioural diversity in the valuable ecosystem service of seed dispersal. We conducted a field experiment in Maine (USA) investigating how intraspecific variation, including personality, influences pilferage effectiveness. Within the context of a long-term capture-mark-recapture study, we measured the unique personality of 3311 individual small mammals of 10 species over a 7-year period. For this experiment, we created artificial caches using eastern white pine (Pinus strobus) seeds monitored with trail cameras and buried antennas for individual identification. Of the 436 caches created, 83.5% were pilfered by 10 species, including deer mice ((Peromyscus maniculatus) and southern red-backed voles (Myodes gapperi). We show how individuals differ in their ability to pilfer seeds and that these differences are driven by personality, body condition and sex. More exploratory deer mice and those with lower body condition were more likely to locate a cache, and female southern red-backed voles were more likely than males to locate caches. Also, caches were more likely to be pilfered in areas of higher small mammal abundance. Because the risk of pilferage drives decisions concerning where an animal chooses to store seeds, pilferage pressure is thought to drive the evolution of food-hoarding behaviour. Our study shows that pilferage ability varies between individuals, meaning that some individuals have a disproportionately strong influence on others' caching decisions and disproportionately contribute to compounded longer-distance seed dispersal facilitated by pilferage. Our results add to a growing body of knowledge showing that the unique personalities of individual small mammals play a critical role in forest regeneration by impacting seed dispersal.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brigit R Humphreys
- Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Conservation Biology, University of Maine, Orono, Maine, USA
| | - Alessio Mortelliti
- Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Conservation Biology, University of Maine, Orono, Maine, USA
- Department of Life Science, University of Trieste, Trieste, Italy
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4
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Andreozzi CL, Dawson TE, Kitzes J, Merenlender AM. Influence of microclimate and forest management on bat species faced with global change. Conserv Biol 2024:e14246. [PMID: 38445689 DOI: 10.1111/cobi.14246] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2022] [Revised: 12/21/2023] [Accepted: 12/23/2023] [Indexed: 03/07/2024]
Abstract
Climate refugia, areas where climate is expected to remain relatively stable, can offer a near-term safe haven for species sensitive to warming temperatures and drought. Understanding the influence of temperature, moisture, and disturbance on sensitive species is critical during this time of rapid climate change. Coastal habitats can serve as important refugia. Many of these areas consist of working forestlands, and there is a growing recognition that conservation efforts worldwide must consider the habitat value of working lands, in addition to protected areas, to effectively manage large landscapes that support biodiversity. The sensitivity of forest bats to climate and habitat disturbance makes them a useful indicator taxon. We tested how microclimate and forest management influence habitat use for 13 species of insectivorous bats in a large climate refugium in a global biodiversity hotspot. We examined whether bat activity during the summer dry season is greater in forests where coastal fog provides moisture and more stable temperatures across both protected mature stands and those regularly logged. Acoustic monitoring was conducted at a landscape scale with 20 study sites, and generalized linear mixed models were used to examine the influence of habitat variables. Six species were positively associated with warmer nighttime temperature, and 5 species had a negative relationship with humidity or a positive relationship with climatic moisture deficit. Our results suggest that these mammals may have greater climate adaptive capacity than expected, and, for now, that habitat use may be more related to optimal foraging conditions than to avoidance of warming temperatures and drought. We also determined that 12 of the 13 regionally present bat species were regularly detected in commercial timberland stands. Because forest bats are highly mobile, forage over long distances, and frequently change roosts, the stewardship of working forests must be addressed to protect these species.
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Grants
- National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program
- Researcher Starter Grant, Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management, University of California, Berkeley
- Bob Berry Scholarship Fund
- Carol Baird Fund
- Save the Redwoods League
- Forestry Endowment Fund, Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management, University of California, Berkeley
- Oliver Lyman Wildlife and Fisheries Fund
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Affiliation(s)
- Chelsea L Andreozzi
- Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California, USA
| | - Todd E Dawson
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California, USA
| | - Justin Kitzes
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Adina M Merenlender
- Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California, USA
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5
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Brehm AM, Mortelliti A. Environmental heterogeneity modifies the link between personality and survival in fluctuating small mammal populations. J Anim Ecol 2024; 93:196-207. [PMID: 38102795 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.14037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2023] [Accepted: 11/14/2023] [Indexed: 12/17/2023]
Abstract
Despite numerous studies examining the fitness consequences of animal personalities, predictions concerning the relationship between personality and survival are not consistent with empirical observations. Theory predicts that individuals who are risky (i.e. bold, active and aggressive) should have higher rates of mortality; however, empirical evidence shows high levels of variation in behaviour-survival relationships in wild populations. We suggest that this mismatch between predictions under theory and empirical observations results from environmental contingencies that drive heterogeneity in selection. This uncertainty may constrain any universal directional relationships between personality traits and survival. Specifically, we hypothesize that spatiotemporal fluctuations in perceived risk that arise from variability in refuge abundance and competitor density alter the relationship between personality traits and survival. In a large-scale manipulative experiment, we trapped four small mammal species in five subsequent years across six forest stands treated with different management practices in Maine, United States. Stands all occur within the same experimental forest but contain varying amounts of refuge and small mammal densities fluctuate over time and space. We quantified the effects of habitat structure and competitor density on the relationship between personality traits and survival to assess whether directional relationships differed depending on environmental contingencies. In the two most abundant species, deer mice and southern red-backed voles, risky behaviours (i.e. higher aggression and boldness) predicted apparent monthly survival probability. Mice that were more aggressive (less docile) had higher survival. Voles that were bolder (less timid) had higher survival, but in the risky forest stands only. Additionally, traits associated with stress coping and de-arousal increased survival probability in both species at high small mammal density but decreased survival at low density. In the two less abundant study species, there was no evidence for an effect of personality traits on survival. Our field experiment provides partial support for our hypothesis: that spatiotemporal fluctuations in refuge abundance and competitor density alter the relationship between personality traits and survival. Our findings also suggest that behaviours associated with stress coping and de-arousal may be subject to density-dependent selection and should be further assessed and incorporated into theory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Allison M Brehm
- Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Conservation Biology, University of Maine, Orono, Maine, USA
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
| | - Alessio Mortelliti
- Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Conservation Biology, University of Maine, Orono, Maine, USA
- Department of Life Sciences, University of Trieste, Trieste, Italy
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6
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McGrath MJ, Schulte-Frohlinde A, Luyssaert S. New ways for (in)validating the forest carbon neutrality hypothesis. Glob Chang Biol 2024; 30:e16982. [PMID: 37902299 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.16982] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2023] [Revised: 09/18/2023] [Accepted: 09/23/2023] [Indexed: 10/31/2023]
Abstract
Over 50 years ago, Eugene Odum postulated that mature or climax forests reside in carbon neutrality. As climate change rose to prominence in the international environmental agenda, the neutrality hypothesis transformed from an ecological principle to a justification for using forest management in combating climate change. Despite persistent efforts, Odum's neutrality hypothesis has resisted both confirmation and refutation. In this opinion we show the limitations of past efforts to (in)validate Odum's neutrality hypothesis and propose new research directions for the community to permit a more general confirmation or refutation with current and near-future observations. We then demonstrate such an approach by using metabolic theory to formulate testable predictions for the total sink strength considering soil, litter, and biomass of mature or climax forests based on observations of tree biomass and individual density. In doing so, we show that ecological theory can create additional relevant, testable hypotheses to provide timely support to decision-makers seeking to address one of the world's most pressing environmental challenges.
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Grants
- 101060309 Directorate-General XII, Science, Research, and Development
- 776810 Directorate-General XII, Science, Research, and Development
- 958927 Directorate-General XII, Science, Research, and Development
- SEP-210673589 Directorate-General XII, Science, Research, and Development
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew Joseph McGrath
- Laboratoire des Sciences du Climat et de l'Environnement, UMR 8212 CEA-CNRS-UVSQ, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Augustine Schulte-Frohlinde
- Amsterdam Institute for Life and Environment, Department of Ecological Science, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Sebastiaan Luyssaert
- Amsterdam Institute for Life and Environment, Department of Ecological Science, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
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7
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Landuyt D, Perring MP, Blondeel H, De Lombaerde E, Depauw L, Lorer E, Maes SL, Baeten L, Bergès L, Bernhardt-Römermann M, Brūmelis G, Brunet J, Chudomelová M, Czerepko J, Decocq G, den Ouden J, De Frenne P, Dirnböck T, Durak T, Fichtner A, Gawryś R, Härdtle W, Hédl R, Heinrichs S, Heinken T, Jaroszewicz B, Kirby K, Kopecký M, Máliš F, Macek M, Mitchell FJG, Naaf T, Petřík P, Reczyńska K, Schmidt W, Standovár T, Swierkosz K, Smart SM, Van Calster H, Vild O, Waller DM, Wulf M, Verheyen K. Combining multiple investigative approaches to unravel functional responses to global change in the understorey of temperate forests. Glob Chang Biol 2024; 30:e17086. [PMID: 38273496 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.17086] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2023] [Revised: 11/20/2023] [Accepted: 11/20/2023] [Indexed: 01/27/2024]
Abstract
Plant communities are being exposed to changing environmental conditions all around the globe, leading to alterations in plant diversity, community composition, and ecosystem functioning. For herbaceous understorey communities in temperate forests, responses to global change are postulated to be complex, due to the presence of a tree layer that modulates understorey responses to external pressures such as climate change and changes in atmospheric nitrogen deposition rates. Multiple investigative approaches have been put forward as tools to detect, quantify and predict understorey responses to these global-change drivers, including, among others, distributed resurvey studies and manipulative experiments. These investigative approaches are generally designed and reported upon in isolation, while integration across investigative approaches is rarely considered. In this study, we integrate three investigative approaches (two complementary resurvey approaches and one experimental approach) to investigate how climate warming and changes in nitrogen deposition affect the functional composition of the understorey and how functional responses in the understorey are modulated by canopy disturbance, that is, changes in overstorey canopy openness over time. Our resurvey data reveal that most changes in understorey functional characteristics represent responses to changes in canopy openness with shifts in macroclimate temperature and aerial nitrogen deposition playing secondary roles. Contrary to expectations, we found little evidence that these drivers interact. In addition, experimental findings deviated from the observational findings, suggesting that the forces driving understorey change at the regional scale differ from those driving change at the forest floor (i.e., the experimental treatments). Our study demonstrates that different approaches need to be integrated to acquire a full picture of how understorey communities respond to global change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dries Landuyt
- Forest&Nature Lab, Department of Environment, Ghent University, Melle, Belgium
| | - Michael P Perring
- UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (UKCEH), Bangor, UK
- The UWA Institute of Agriculture, The University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia, Australia
| | - Haben Blondeel
- Forest&Nature Lab, Department of Environment, Ghent University, Melle, Belgium
| | - Emiel De Lombaerde
- Forest&Nature Lab, Department of Environment, Ghent University, Melle, Belgium
| | - Leen Depauw
- Forest&Nature Lab, Department of Environment, Ghent University, Melle, Belgium
| | - Eline Lorer
- Forest&Nature Lab, Department of Environment, Ghent University, Melle, Belgium
| | - Sybryn L Maes
- Division of Forest, Nature and Landscape, Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Lander Baeten
- Forest&Nature Lab, Department of Environment, Ghent University, Melle, Belgium
| | - Laurent Bergès
- Laboratoire ecosystèmes et sociétés en montagne (LESSEM), National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food and the Environment (INRAE), St-Martin d'Hères, France
| | - Markus Bernhardt-Römermann
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Jena, Germany
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv), Leipzig, Germany
| | | | - Jörg Brunet
- Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Southern Swedish Forest Research Centre, Lomma, Sweden
| | | | | | | | - Jan den Ouden
- Forest Ecology and Forest Management Group, Wageningen University & Research, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Pieter De Frenne
- Forest&Nature Lab, Department of Environment, Ghent University, Melle, Belgium
| | | | - Tomasz Durak
- Institute of Biology, University of Rzeszów, Rzeszów, Poland
| | - Andreas Fichtner
- Institute of Ecology, Leuphana University Lüneburg, Lüneburg, Germany
| | | | - Werner Härdtle
- Institute of Ecology, Leuphana University Lüneburg, Lüneburg, Germany
| | - Radim Hédl
- Institute of Botany, Czech Academy of Sciences, Brno, Czech Republic
- Department of Botany, Faculty of Science, Palacký University in Olomouc, Olomouc, Czech Republic
| | - Steffi Heinrichs
- Department Silviculture and Forest Ecology of the Temperate Zones, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Thilo Heinken
- General Botany, Institute for Biochemistry and Biology, University of Potsdam, Potsdam, Germany
| | - Bogdan Jaroszewicz
- Białowieża Geobotanical Station, Faculty of Biology, University of Warsaw, Białowieża, Poland
| | - Keith Kirby
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Martin Kopecký
- Institute of Botany, Czech Academy of Sciences, Průhonice, Czech Republic
- Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Prague, Czech Republic
| | | | - Martin Macek
- Institute of Botany, Czech Academy of Sciences, Průhonice, Czech Republic
| | - Fraser J G Mitchell
- Botany Department, School of Natural Sciences, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Tobias Naaf
- Leibniz Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research (ZALF), Müncheberg, Germany
| | - Petr Petřík
- Institute of Botany, Czech Academy of Sciences, Průhonice, Czech Republic
- Faculty of Environmental Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Kamila Reczyńska
- Department of Botany, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Wrocław, Wrocław, Poland
| | - Wolfgang Schmidt
- Department Silviculture and Forest Ecology of the Temperate Zones, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Tibor Standovár
- Department of Plant Systematics, Ecology and Theoretical Biology, ELTE Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Krzysztof Swierkosz
- Museum of Natural History, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Wrocław, Wrocław, Poland
| | - Simon M Smart
- UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (UKCEH), Lancaster University, Bailrigg, UK
| | | | - Ondřej Vild
- Institute of Botany, Czech Academy of Sciences, Průhonice, Czech Republic
| | - Donald M Waller
- Department of Botany, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
| | - Monika Wulf
- Leibniz Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research (ZALF), Müncheberg, Germany
| | - Kris Verheyen
- Forest&Nature Lab, Department of Environment, Ghent University, Melle, Belgium
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8
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Robinson DG, Ammer C, Polle A, Bauhus J, Aloni R, Annighöfer P, Baskin TI, Blatt MR, Bolte A, Bugmann H, Cohen JD, Davies PJ, Draguhn A, Hartmann H, Hasenauer H, Hepler PK, Kohnle U, Lang F, Löf M, Messier C, Munné-Bosch S, Murphy A, Puettmann KJ, Marchant IQ, Raven PH, Robinson D, Sanders D, Seidel D, Schwechheimer C, Spathelf P, Steer M, Taiz L, Wagner S, Henriksson N, Näsholm T. Mother trees, altruistic fungi, and the perils of plant personification. Trends Plant Sci 2024; 29:20-31. [PMID: 37735061 DOI: 10.1016/j.tplants.2023.08.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2023] [Revised: 08/08/2023] [Accepted: 08/10/2023] [Indexed: 09/23/2023]
Abstract
There are growing doubts about the true role of the common mycorrhizal networks (CMN or wood wide web) connecting the roots of trees in forests. We question the claims of a substantial carbon transfer from 'mother trees' to their offspring and nearby seedlings through the CMN. Recent reviews show that evidence for the 'mother tree concept' is inconclusive or absent. The origin of this concept seems to stem from a desire to humanize plant life but can lead to misunderstandings and false interpretations and may eventually harm rather than help the commendable cause of preserving forests. Two recent books serve as examples: The Hidden Life of Trees and Finding the Mother Tree.
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Affiliation(s)
- David G Robinson
- Centre for Organismal Studies, Im Neuenheimer Feld 230, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany.
| | - Christian Ammer
- Silvicuture and Forest Ecology of the Temperate Zones, University of Göttingen, Büsgenweg 1, 37077 Göttingen, Germany
| | - Andrea Polle
- Forest Botany and Tree Physiology, University of Göttingen, Büsgenweg 2, 37077 Göttingen, Germany
| | - Jürgen Bauhus
- Chair of Silviculture, University of Freiburg, Tennenbacherstr. 4, 79085 Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany
| | - Roni Aloni
- School of Plant Sciences and Food Security, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Peter Annighöfer
- Forest and Agroforest Systems, Technische Universität München, Hans-Carl-v.-Carlowitz-Platz 2, 85354, Freising, Germany
| | - Tobias I Baskin
- Department of Biology, University of Massachusetts, 611 N. Pleasant St, Amherst, MA 01003, USA
| | - Michael R Blatt
- Laboratory of Plant Physiology and Biophysics, Bower Building, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, G12 8QQ, UK
| | - Andreas Bolte
- Thünen Institute of Forest Ecosystems, A.-Möller-Str. 1, Haus 41/42, D-16225 Eberswalde, Germany
| | - Harald Bugmann
- Forest Ecology, Department of Environmental Systems Science, ETH Zürich, Universitätstrasse 16, 8092 Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Jerry D Cohen
- Department of Horticultural Science and Microbial and Plant Genomics Institute, University of Minnesota, Saint Paul, MN 55108, USA
| | - Peter J Davies
- School of Integrative Plant Science, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| | - Andreas Draguhn
- Medical Faculty, Department of Neuro- and Senory Physiology, University of Heidelberg, Im Neuenheimer Feld 326, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Henrik Hartmann
- Julius Kühn Institute Federal Research Centre for Cultivated Plants, Institute for Forest Protection, Erwin-Baur-Str. 27, 06484 Quedlinburg, Germany
| | - Hubert Hasenauer
- Institute of Silviculture, Department of Forest- and Soil Sciences, BOKU - University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Peter-Jordan-Straße 82/II 1190, Wien, Austria
| | - Peter K Hepler
- Department of Biology, University of Massachusetts, 611 N. Pleasant St, Amherst, MA 01003, USA
| | - Ulrich Kohnle
- Department of Forest Growth, Forstliche Versuchs- und Forschungsanstalt Baden-Württemberg, Wonnhaldestraße 4, 79100 Freiburg, Germany
| | - Friederike Lang
- Chair of Soil Ecology, University of Freiburg, Bertholdstr. 17, 79098 Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany
| | - Magnus Löf
- Southern Swedish Forest Research Centre, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Sundsvägen 3, P.O. Box 190, SE-234 22 Lomma, Sweden
| | - Christian Messier
- University of Quebec in Montréal (UQAM) and in Outaouais (UQO), Quebec, Canada
| | | | - Angus Murphy
- Plant Science and Landscape Architecture, University of Maryland, 5140 Plant Sciences Building 4291 Fieldhouse Drive College Park, MD 20742, USA
| | - Klaus J Puettmann
- Department of Forest Ecosystems and Society, Oregon State University, 321 Richardson Hall, Corvallis, OR 97331, USA
| | - Iván Quiroz Marchant
- Instituto Forestal, Calle Nueva Uno 3570 LT 4 Michaihue, San Pedro de la Paz, Concepción Chile, Chile
| | - Peter H Raven
- President Emeritus, Missouri Botanical Garden, 1037 Cy Ann Drive, Town and Country, MO 63017-8402, USA
| | - David Robinson
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen AB24 3UU, UK
| | - Dale Sanders
- Department of Biology, University of York, Heslington York, YO10 5DD, UK
| | - Dominik Seidel
- Department for Spatial Structures and Digitization of Forests, Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, Büsgenweg 1, 37077 Göttingen, Germany
| | - Claus Schwechheimer
- Plant Systems Biology, Technische Universität München, Emil-Ramann-Straße 8, 85354 Freising, Germany
| | - Peter Spathelf
- Applied Silviculture, Eberswalde University for Sustainable Development, Alfred-Möller-Strasse 1, 16225 Eberswalde, Germany
| | - Martin Steer
- School of Biology and Environmental Science, Science Centre West, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland
| | - Lincoln Taiz
- Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California, Santa Cruz, 1156 High Street, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA
| | - Sven Wagner
- Chair of Silviculture, Technische Universität Dresden, Pienner Str. 8, 01737 Tharandt, Germany
| | - Nils Henriksson
- Department of Forest Ecology and Management, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Umea, Sweden
| | - Torgny Näsholm
- Department of Forest Ecology and Management, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Umea, Sweden
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9
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Kuntze CC, Pauli JN, Zulla CJ, Keane JJ, Roberts KN, Dotters BP, Sawyer SC, Peery MZ. Landscape heterogeneity provides co-benefits to predator and prey. Ecol Appl 2023; 33:e2908. [PMID: 37602901 DOI: 10.1002/eap.2908] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2023] [Revised: 06/08/2023] [Accepted: 07/17/2023] [Indexed: 08/22/2023]
Abstract
Predator populations are imperiled globally, due in part to changing habitat and trophic interactions. Theoretical and laboratory studies suggest that heterogeneous landscapes containing prey refuges acting as source habitats can benefit both predator and prey populations, although the importance of heterogeneity in natural systems is uncertain. Here, we tested the hypothesis that landscape heterogeneity mediates predator-prey interactions between the California spotted owl (Strix occidentalis occidentalis)-a mature forest species-and one of its principal prey, the dusky-footed woodrat (Neotoma fuscipes)-a younger forest species-to the benefit of both. We did so by combining estimates of woodrat density and survival from live trapping and very high frequency tracking with direct observations of prey deliveries to dependent young by owls in both heterogeneous and homogeneous home ranges. Woodrat abundance was ~2.5 times higher in owl home ranges (14.12 km2 ) featuring greater heterogeneity in vegetation types (1805.0 ± 50.2 SE) compared to those dominated by mature forest (727.3 ± 51.9 SE), in large part because of high densities in young forests appearing to act as sources promoting woodrat densities in nearby mature forests. Woodrat mortality rates were low across vegetation types and did not differ between heterogeneous and homogeneous home ranges, yet all observed predation by owls occurred within mature forests, suggesting young forests may act as woodrat refuges. Owls exhibited a type 1 functional response, consuming ~2.5 times more woodrats in heterogeneous (31.1/month ± 5.2 SE) versus homogeneous (12.7/month ± 3.7 SE) home ranges. While consumption of smaller-bodied alternative prey partially compensated for lower woodrat consumption in homogeneous home ranges, owls nevertheless consumed 30% more biomass in heterogeneous home ranges-approximately equivalent to the energetic needs of producing one additional offspring. Thus, a mosaic of vegetation types including young forest patches increased woodrat abundance and availability that, in turn, provided energetic and potentially reproductive benefits to mature forest-associated spotted owls. More broadly, our findings provide strong empirical evidence that heterogeneous landscapes containing prey refuges can benefit both predator and prey populations. As anthropogenic activities continue to homogenize landscapes globally, promoting heterogeneous systems with prey refuges may benefit imperiled predators.
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Affiliation(s)
- Corbin C Kuntze
- Department of Forest and Wildlife Ecology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
| | - Jonathan N Pauli
- Department of Forest and Wildlife Ecology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
| | - Ceeanna J Zulla
- Department of Forest and Wildlife Ecology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
| | - John J Keane
- U.S. Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Research Station, Davis, California, USA
| | | | | | | | - M Zachariah Peery
- Department of Forest and Wildlife Ecology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
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10
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Davies CB, Davis TS, Griswold T. Forest restoration treatments indirectly diversify pollination networks via floral- and temperature-mediated effects. Ecol Appl 2023; 33:e2927. [PMID: 37864785 DOI: 10.1002/eap.2927] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2022] [Revised: 05/18/2023] [Accepted: 09/15/2023] [Indexed: 10/23/2023]
Abstract
In North American conifer forests, a variety of federally initiated thinning programs are implemented to restore pre-European settlement forest structures, but these changes may impact ecosystem function via impacts on sensitive biotic communities. Across the wildland-urban interface of the Front Range region of Colorado, agencies associated with the Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration Program (CFLRP) have implemented thinning treatments across thousands of hectares of ponderosa pine forest; here we leverage these treatments as an experimental framework to examine thinning effects on a pollinator community. We measured variation in forest structure and sampled bee community assemblages using multiple methods (trapping and netting) to compare bee biodiversity and patterns of floral visitation by bees (bee-flower networks) between mechanically thinned stands that were 3-10 years after treatment and nonthinned stands. Three key findings emerged: (1) Native bee abundance, richness, and diversity were 120%, 53%, and 37% greater, respectively, in thinned stands. In addition, nestedness, richness, and abundance of bee-flower interactions were all substantially higher in thinned stands, and there was increased functional redundancy in bee assemblages after thinning. (2) Structural equation modeling indicated that variation in temperature and floral abundance were mediated by canopy openness and correlated with bee richness and abundance, thereby indirectly driving variation in bee-flower interactions. (3) Four floral species (Penstemon virens, Cerastium arvense, Erysimum capitatum, and Geranium caespitosum) were identified as key connectors in bee-flower interaction networks, though these were not necessarily the most abundant flowering plants. Our analyses indicate that native bee α-diversity and bee-flower interactions positively responded to thinning treatments, and these effects were indirectly driven by canopy removal. We conclude that CFLRP treatments have conservation value for native bee communities. Further monitoring is warranted to evaluate the longevity of these effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cora B Davies
- Forest and Rangeland Stewardship, Warner College of Natural Resources, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA
| | - Thomas Seth Davis
- Forest and Rangeland Stewardship, Warner College of Natural Resources, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA
- Graduate Degree Program in Ecology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA
| | - Terry Griswold
- USDA-ARS Pollinating Insects Research Unit, Utah State University, Logan, Utah, USA
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11
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Nouri K, Nikbakht A, Haghighi M, Etemadi N, Rahimmalek M, Szumny A. Screening some pine species from North America and dried zones of western Asia for drought stress tolerance in terms of nutrients status, biochemical and physiological characteristics. Front Plant Sci 2023; 14:1281688. [PMID: 38098786 PMCID: PMC10720665 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2023.1281688] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2023] [Accepted: 11/10/2023] [Indexed: 12/17/2023]
Abstract
Drought due to climate change or reduced precipitation is one of the main factors limiting the growth and establishment of plants and is one of the most critical challenges facing humans. To investigate the effect of different levels of drought stress on some pine species, this research was carried out as a factorial experiment using two factors and a completely randomized design. It included five populations of four pine species (Pinus brutia Ten. var. eldarica, P. nigra Arnold, P. mugo, and P. banksiana Lamb (including populations 8310055 and 8960049), and three levels of irrigation (100%, 75%, or 50% FC, denoted as normal, mild or intense drought stress, respectively) with three replicates. The findings showed that, photosynthetic pigments, relative water content, visual quality, the content of nutrients, protein content, and fresh and dry weight all decreased significantly when plants were exposed to intense drought stress. However, raised proline levels, electrolyte leakage percentage, soluble sugars levels, and antioxidant enzyme activity. We detected a decline in most growth traits when comparing mild drought stress conditions to normal irrigation, yet acceptable quality seedlings when compared to intense drought stress. Intense drought stress had a substantial impact on many pine seedlings. PCA results showed that among different pine species, the level of resistance to drought is as follows: P. mugo> P. brutia var. eldarica> P. nigra> P. banksiana 8310055> P. banksiana 8960049. Our novel finding was that, P. mugo is a resistant species in arid and semi-arid regions, and P. banksiana species, especially its population of 8960049, is sensitive.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karim Nouri
- Department of Horticulture, College of Agriculture, Isfahan University of Technology, Isfahan, Iran
| | - Ali Nikbakht
- Department of Horticulture, College of Agriculture, Isfahan University of Technology, Isfahan, Iran
| | - Maryam Haghighi
- Department of Horticulture, College of Agriculture, Isfahan University of Technology, Isfahan, Iran
| | - Nematollah Etemadi
- Department of Horticulture, College of Agriculture, Isfahan University of Technology, Isfahan, Iran
| | - Mehdi Rahimmalek
- Department of Horticulture, College of Agriculture, Isfahan University of Technology, Isfahan, Iran
- Department of Food Chemistry and Biocatalysis, Wrocław University of Environmental and Life Sciences, Wrocław, Poland
| | - Antoni Szumny
- Department of Food Chemistry and Biocatalysis, Wrocław University of Environmental and Life Sciences, Wrocław, Poland
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12
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Bălăcenoiu F, Toma D, Nețoiu C. From Field Data to Practical Knowledge: Investigating the Bioecology of the Oak Lace Bug-An Invasive Insect Species in Europe. Insects 2023; 14:882. [PMID: 37999081 PMCID: PMC10672512 DOI: 10.3390/insects14110882] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2023] [Revised: 11/07/2023] [Accepted: 11/15/2023] [Indexed: 11/25/2023]
Abstract
Corythucha arcuata, commonly known as the oak lace bug (OLB), is an insect species originally native to North America that has become an invasive species of significant concern in Europe. This invasive pest has been observed in various European countries, raising concerns about its impact on forest ecosystems. In 2015, it was first documented in Romania, further highlighting the need for research on its bioecology and life cycle. This study investigated the bioecology of the OLB in the southern region of Romania, focusing on its life cycle, development, and population dynamics. The results indicated that the OLB has three generations per year and overwinters in the adult stage in sheltered locations. Temperature significantly influenced the timing of egg hatching, nymph appearance, and adult development, with variation observed between generations. Additionally, a life table analysis provided insights into the population dynamics of the OLB in its natural environment, revealing variation in egg laying trends across generations. This research contributes to a better understanding of the OLB's bioecology and provides essential data for forest managers developing science-based management strategies to mitigate its impact. By elucidating the life cycle and development patterns of the OLB in southern Romania, this study aids in the development of predictive models and life tables tailored to the region. These findings empower forest managers with the knowledge needed to make informed decisions for effective OLB management, ultimately preserving the health of forest ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Flavius Bălăcenoiu
- National Institute for Research and Development in Forestry “Marin Dracea”, Eroilor 128, 077190 Voluntari, Romania; (D.T.); (C.N.)
| | - Dragoș Toma
- National Institute for Research and Development in Forestry “Marin Dracea”, Eroilor 128, 077190 Voluntari, Romania; (D.T.); (C.N.)
- Faculty of Silviculture and Forest Engineering, Transilvania University of Brașov, Sirul Beethoven 1, 500123 Brașov, Romania
| | - Constantin Nețoiu
- National Institute for Research and Development in Forestry “Marin Dracea”, Eroilor 128, 077190 Voluntari, Romania; (D.T.); (C.N.)
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13
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Ruprecht J, Wisdom MJ, Clark DA, Rowland MM, Levi T. Density-dependent changes in elk resource selection over successional time scales following forest disturbance. Ecol Appl 2023; 33:e2891. [PMID: 37232432 DOI: 10.1002/eap.2891] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2023] [Revised: 04/07/2023] [Accepted: 04/14/2023] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
There is an increasing need to understand how animals respond to modifications of their habitat following landscape-scale disturbances such as wildfire or timber harvest. Such disturbances can promote increased use by herbivores due to changes in plant community structure that improve forage conditions, but can also cause avoidance if other habitat functions provided by cover are substantially reduced or eliminated. Quantifying the total effects of these disturbances, however, is challenging because they may not fully be apparent unless observed at successional timescales. Further, the effects of disturbances that improve habitat quality may be density dependent, such that the benefits are (1) less valuable to high-density populations because the per-capita benefits are reduced when shared among more users or, alternatively, (2) more valuable to animals living in high densities because resources may be more depleted from the greater intraspecific competition. We used 30 years of telemetry data on elk occurring at two distinct population densities to quantify changes in space use at diel, monthly, and successional timescales following timber harvest. Elk selected logged areas at night only, with selection strongest during midsummer, and peak selection occurring 14 years post harvest, but persisting for 26-33 years. This pattern of increased selection at night following a reduction in overhead canopy cover is consistent with elk exploiting improved nutritional conditions for foraging. The magnitude of selection for logged areas was 73% higher for elk at low population density, consistent with predictions from the ideal free distribution. Yet elk avoided these same areas during daytime for up to 28 years post logging and instead selected untreated forest, suggesting a role for cover to meet other life history requirements. Our results demonstrate that while landscape-scale disturbances can lead to increased selection by large herbivores and suggest that the improvement in foraging conditions can persist over short-term successional timescales, the magnitude of the benefits may not be equal across population densities. Further, the enduring avoidance of logging treatments during the daytime indicates a need for structurally intact forests and suggests that a mosaic of forest patches of varying successional stages and structural completeness is likely to be the most beneficial to large herbivores.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joel Ruprecht
- Department of Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Sciences, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon, USA
| | - Michael J Wisdom
- USDA Pacific Northwest Research Station, US Forest Service, La Grande, Oregon, USA
| | - Darren A Clark
- Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, La Grande, Oregon, USA
| | - Mary M Rowland
- USDA Pacific Northwest Research Station, US Forest Service, La Grande, Oregon, USA
| | - Taal Levi
- Department of Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Sciences, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon, USA
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14
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Osburn ED, Moon C, Stephenson T, Kittipalawattanapol K, Jones M, Strickland MS, Lynch LM. Disturbance of eucalypt forests alters the composition, function, and assembly of soil microbial communities. FEMS Microbiol Ecol 2023; 99:fiad085. [PMID: 37481693 DOI: 10.1093/femsec/fiad085] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2023] [Revised: 07/06/2023] [Accepted: 07/21/2023] [Indexed: 07/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Forest disturbance has well-characterized effects on soil microbial communities in tropical and northern hemisphere ecosystems, but little is known regarding effects of disturbance in temperate forests of the southern hemisphere. To address this question, we collected soils from intact and degraded Eucalyptus forests along an east-west transect across Tasmania, Australia, and characterized prokaryotic and fungal communities using amplicon sequencing. Forest degradation altered soil microbial community composition and function, with consistent patterns across soil horizons and regions of Tasmania. Responses of prokaryotic communities included decreased relative abundance of Acidobacteriota, nitrifying archaea, and methane-oxidizing prokaryotes in the degraded forest sites, while fungal responses included decreased relative abundance of some saprotrophic taxa (e.g. litter saprotrophs). Forest degradation also reduced network connectivity in prokaryotic communities and increased the importance of dispersal limitation in assembling both prokaryotic and fungal communities, suggesting recolonization dynamics drive microbial composition following disturbance. Further, changes in microbial functional groups reflected changes in soil chemical properties-reductions in nitrifying microorganisms corresponded with reduced NO3-N pools in the degraded soils. Overall, our results show that soil microbiota are highly responsive to forest degradation in eucalypt forests and demonstrate that microbial responses to degradation will drive changes in key forest ecosystem functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ernest D Osburn
- Department of Soil and Water Systems, University of Idaho, 875 Perimeter Dr. MS 2340, Moscow, ID 83844, USA
| | - Cooper Moon
- Department of Environmental Science, University of Idaho, 875 Perimeter Dr. MS 1139, Moscow, ID 83844, USA
| | - Torrey Stephenson
- Department of Soil and Water Systems, University of Idaho, 875 Perimeter Dr. MS 2340, Moscow, ID 83844, USA
| | - Kawinwit Kittipalawattanapol
- School of Natural Sciences, University of Tasmania, Life Sciences Building, Biological Sciences, Hobart, Tasmania 7001, Australia
| | - Menna Jones
- School of Natural Sciences, University of Tasmania, Life Sciences Building, Biological Sciences, Hobart, Tasmania 7001, Australia
| | - Michael S Strickland
- Department of Soil and Water Systems, University of Idaho, 875 Perimeter Dr. MS 2340, Moscow, ID 83844, USA
| | - Laurel M Lynch
- Department of Soil and Water Systems, University of Idaho, 875 Perimeter Dr. MS 2340, Moscow, ID 83844, USA
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15
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Noel AR, Shriver RK, Crausbay SD, Bradford JB. Where can managers effectively resist climate-driven ecological transformation in pinyon-juniper woodlands of the US Southwest? Glob Chang Biol 2023; 29:4327-4341. [PMID: 37246831 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.16756] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2022] [Revised: 04/25/2023] [Accepted: 04/26/2023] [Indexed: 05/30/2023]
Abstract
Pinyon-juniper (PJ) woodlands are an important component of dryland ecosystems across the US West and are potentially susceptible to ecological transformation. However, predicting woodland futures is complicated by species-specific strategies for persisting and reproducing under drought conditions, uncertainty in future climate, and limitations to inferring demographic rates from forest inventory data. Here, we leverage new demographic models to quantify how climate change is expected to alter population demographics in five PJ tree species in the US West and place our results in the context of a climate adaptation framework to resist, accept, or direct ecological transformation. Two of five study species, Pinus edulis and Juniperus monosperma, are projected to experience population declines, driven by both rising mortality and decreasing recruitment rates. These declines are reasonably consistent across various climate futures, and the magnitude of uncertainty in population growth due to future climate is less than uncertainty due to how demographic rates will respond to changing climate. We assess the effectiveness of management to reduce tree density and mitigate competition, and use the results to classify southwest woodlands into areas where transformation is (a) unlikely and can be passively resisted, (b) likely but may be resisted by active management, and (c) likely unavoidable, requiring managers to accept or direct the trajectory. Population declines are projected to promote ecological transformation in the warmer and drier PJ communities of the southwest, encompassing 37.1%-81.1% of our sites, depending on future climate scenarios. Less than 20% of sites expected to transform away from PJ have potential to retain existing tree composition by density reduction. Our results inform where this adaptation strategy could successfully resist ecological transformation in coming decades and allow for a portfolio design approach across the geographic range of PJ woodlands.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adam R Noel
- US Geological Survey, Southwest Biological Science Center, Flagstaff, Arizona, USA
- Center for Adaptable Western Landscapes, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, Arizona, USA
| | - Robert K Shriver
- Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences, University of Nevada-Reno, Reno, Nevada, USA
| | | | - John B Bradford
- US Geological Survey, Southwest Biological Science Center, Flagstaff, Arizona, USA
- Center for Adaptable Western Landscapes, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, Arizona, USA
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16
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Jones AG, Cridge A, Fraser S, Holt L, Klinger S, McGregor KF, Paul T, Payn T, Scott MB, Yao RT, Dickinson Y. Transitional forestry in New Zealand: re-evaluating the design and management of forest systems through the lens of forest purpose. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2023; 98:1003-1015. [PMID: 36808687 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12941] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2022] [Revised: 02/07/2023] [Accepted: 02/09/2023] [Indexed: 02/21/2023]
Abstract
Forestry management worldwide has become increasingly effective at obtaining high timber yields from productive forests. In New Zealand, a focus on improving an increasingly successful and largely Pinus radiata plantation forestry model over the last 150 years has resulted in some of the most productive timber forests in the temperate zone. In contrast to this success, the full range of forested landscapes across New Zealand, including native forests, are impacted by an array of pressures from introduced pests, diseases, and a changing climate, presenting a collective risk of losses in biological, social and economic value. As the national government policies incentivise reforestation and afforestation, the social acceptability of some forms of newly planted forests is also being challenged. Here, we review relevant literature in the area of integrated forest landscape management to optimise forests as nature-based solutions, presenting 'transitional forestry' as a model design and management paradigm appropriate to a range of forest types, where forest purpose is placed at the heart of decision making. We use New Zealand as a case study region, describing how this purpose-led transitional forestry model can benefit a cross section of forest types, from industrialised forest plantations to dedicated conservation forests and a range of multiple-purpose forests in between. Transitional forestry is an ongoing multi-decade process of change from current 'business-as-usual' forest management to future systems of forest management, embedded across a continuum of forest types. This holistic framework incorporates elements to enhance efficiencies of timber production, improve overall forest landscape resilience, and reduce some potential negative environmental impacts of commercial plantation forestry, while allowing the ecosystem functioning of commercial and non-commercial forests to be maximised, with increased public and biodiversity conservation value. Implementation of transitional forestry addresses tensions that arise between meeting climate mitigation targets and improving biodiversity criteria through afforestation, alongside increasing demand for forest biomass feedstocks to meet the demands of near-term bioenergy and bioeconomy goals. As ambitious government international targets are set for reforestation and afforestation using both native and exotic species, there is an increasing opportunity to make such transitions via integrated thinking that optimises forest values across a continuum of forest types, while embracing the diversity of ways in which such targets can be reached.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alan G Jones
- Scion (New Zealand Forest Research Institute), Titokorangi Drive, Private Bag 3020, Rotorua, 3046, New Zealand
| | - Andrew Cridge
- Scion (New Zealand Forest Research Institute), Titokorangi Drive, Private Bag 3020, Rotorua, 3046, New Zealand
| | - Stuart Fraser
- Scion (New Zealand Forest Research Institute), Titokorangi Drive, Private Bag 3020, Rotorua, 3046, New Zealand
| | - Lania Holt
- Scion (New Zealand Forest Research Institute), Titokorangi Drive, Private Bag 3020, Rotorua, 3046, New Zealand
| | - Sebastian Klinger
- Scion (New Zealand Forest Research Institute), Titokorangi Drive, Private Bag 3020, Rotorua, 3046, New Zealand
| | - Kirsty F McGregor
- Scion (New Zealand Forest Research Institute), Titokorangi Drive, Private Bag 3020, Rotorua, 3046, New Zealand
| | - Thomas Paul
- Scion (New Zealand Forest Research Institute), Titokorangi Drive, Private Bag 3020, Rotorua, 3046, New Zealand
| | - Tim Payn
- Scion (New Zealand Forest Research Institute), Titokorangi Drive, Private Bag 3020, Rotorua, 3046, New Zealand
| | - Matthew B Scott
- Scion (New Zealand Forest Research Institute), Titokorangi Drive, Private Bag 3020, Rotorua, 3046, New Zealand
| | - Richard T Yao
- Scion (New Zealand Forest Research Institute), Titokorangi Drive, Private Bag 3020, Rotorua, 3046, New Zealand
| | - Yvette Dickinson
- Scion (New Zealand Forest Research Institute), Titokorangi Drive, Private Bag 3020, Rotorua, 3046, New Zealand
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17
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Osborne P, Aquilué N, Mina M, Moe K, Jemtrud M, Messier C. A trait-based approach to both forestry and timber building can synchronize forest harvest and resilience. PNAS Nexus 2023; 2:pgad254. [PMID: 37649582 PMCID: PMC10465084 DOI: 10.1093/pnasnexus/pgad254] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2023] [Revised: 07/10/2023] [Accepted: 07/18/2023] [Indexed: 09/01/2023]
Abstract
Along with forest managers, builders are key change agents of forest ecosystems' structure and composition through the specification and use of wood products. New forest management approaches are being advocated to increase the resilience and adaptability of forests to climate change and other natural disturbances. Such approaches call for a diversification of our forests based on species' functional traits that will dramatically change the harvested species composition, volume, and output of our forested landscapes. This calls for the wood-building industry to adapt its ways of operating. Accordingly, we expand the evaluation of the ecological resilience of forest ecosystems based on functional diversification to include a trait-based approach to building with wood. This trait-based plant-building framework can illustrate how forecasted forest changes in the coming decades may impact and guide decisions about wood-building practices, policies, and specifications. We apply this approach using a fragmented rural landscape in temperate southeastern Canada. We link seven functional groups based on the ecological traits of tree species in the region to a similar functional grouping of building traits to characterize the push and pull of managing forests and wood buildings together. We relied on a process-based forest landscape model to simulate long-term forest dynamics and timber harvesting to evaluate how various novel management approaches will interact with the changing global environment to affect the forest-building relationships. Our results suggest that adopting a whole system, plant-building approach to forests and wood buildings, is key to enhancing forest ecological and timber construction industry resilience.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter Osborne
- Peter Guo-hua Fu School of Architecture, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada H2Z 1H5
| | - Núria Aquilué
- Centre for Forest Research, Université du Québec à Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada H2L 2C4
- Forest Science and Technology Centre of Catalonia (CTFC), Crta. de St. Llorenç de Morunys, km 2. 25280 Solsona, Spain
| | - Marco Mina
- Centre for Forest Research, Université du Québec à Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada H2L 2C4
- Institute for Alpine Environment, Eurac Research, Bozen/Bolzano 39100, Italy
| | - Kiel Moe
- College of Architecture, Design and Construction, Auburn University, Auburn, AL 36849, USA
| | - Michael Jemtrud
- Peter Guo-hua Fu School of Architecture, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada H2Z 1H5
| | - Christian Messier
- Centre for Forest Research, Université du Québec à Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada H2L 2C4
- Institut des Sciences de la Forêt Tempérée, Université du Québec en Outaouais, Ripon, QC, Canada J0V 1V0
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18
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Chang TW, Chen GF, Chang KH. Modeling of the Spatial Distribution of Forest Carbon Storage in a Tropical/Subtropical Island with Multiple Ecozones. Plants (Basel) 2023; 12:2777. [PMID: 37570931 PMCID: PMC10421002 DOI: 10.3390/plants12152777] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2023] [Revised: 07/14/2023] [Accepted: 07/22/2023] [Indexed: 08/13/2023]
Abstract
Visual data on the geographic distribution of carbon storage help policy makers to formulate countermeasures for global warming. However, Taiwan, as an island showing diversity in climate and topography, had lacked valid visual data on the distribution of forest carbon storage between the last two forest surveys (1993-2015). This study established a model to estimate and illustrate the distribution of forest carbon storage. This model uses land use, stand morphology, and carbon conversion coefficient databases accordingly for 51 types of major forests in Taiwan. An estimation in 2006 was conducted and shows an overall carbon storage of 165.65 Mt C, with forest carbon storage per unit area of 71.56 t C ha-1, where natural forests and plantations respectively contributed 114.15 Mt C (68.9%) and 51.50 Mt C (31.1%). By assuming no change in land use type, the carbon sequestration from 2006 to 2007 by the 51 forest types was estimated to be 5.21 Mt C yr-1 using historical tree growth and mortality rates. The result reflects the reality of the land use status and the events of coverage shifting with time by combining the two forest surveys in Taiwan.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ting-Wei Chang
- Department of Environmental and Life Sciences, University of Shizuoka, 52-1 Yada, Suruga Dist., Shizuoka 422-8526, Japan;
| | - Guan-Fu Chen
- Department of Safety, Health and Environmental Engineering, National Yunlin University of Science & Technology, 123 University Road, Section 3, Douliu, Yunlin 64002, Taiwan;
| | - Ken-Hui Chang
- Department of Safety, Health and Environmental Engineering, National Yunlin University of Science & Technology, 123 University Road, Section 3, Douliu, Yunlin 64002, Taiwan;
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19
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Pradhan K, Ettinger AK, Case MJ, Hille Ris Lambers J. Applying climate change refugia to forest management and old-growth restoration. Glob Chang Biol 2023; 29:3692-3706. [PMID: 37029763 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.16714] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2022] [Accepted: 03/09/2023] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
Recent studies highlight the potential of climate change refugia (CCR) to support the persistence of biodiversity in regions that may otherwise become unsuitable with climate change. However, a key challenge in using CCR for climate resilient management lies in how CCR may intersect with existing forest management strategies, and subsequently influence how landscapes buffer species from negative impacts of warming climate. We address this challenge in temperate coastal forests of the Pacific Northwestern United States, where declines in the extent of late-successional forests have prompted efforts to restore old-growth forest structure. One common approach for doing so involves selectively thinning forest stands to enhance structural complexity. However, dense canopy is a key forest feature moderating understory microclimate and potentially buffering organisms from climate change impacts, raising the possibility that approaches for managing forests for old-growth structure may reduce the extent and number of CCR. We used remotely sensed vegetation indices to identify CCR in an experimental forest with control and thinned (restoration) treatments, and explored the influence of biophysical variables on buffering capacity. We found that remotely sensed vegetation indices commonly used to identify CCR were associated with understory temperature and plant community composition, and thus captured aspects of landscape buffering that might instill climate resilience and be of interest to management. We then examined the interaction between current restoration strategies and CCR, and found that selective thinning for promoting old-growth structure had only very minor, if any, effects on climatic buffering. In all, our study demonstrates that forest management approaches aimed at restoring old-growth structure through targeted thinning do not greatly decrease buffering capacity, despite a known link between dense canopy and CCR. More broadly, this study illustrates the value of using remote sensing approaches to identify CCR, facilitating the integration of climate change adaptation with other forest management approaches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kavya Pradhan
- Department of Biology, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA
| | | | | | - Janneke Hille Ris Lambers
- Department of Biology, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA
- Plant Ecology, Institute of Integrative Biology, d-USYS, Zürich, Switzerland
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20
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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. Conserv Biol 2023; 37:e14066. [PMID: 36751977 DOI: 10.1111/cobi.14066] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [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.
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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
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21
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Stillman AN, Wilkerson RL, Kaschube DR, Siegel RB, Sawyer SC, Tingley MW. Incorporating pyrodiversity into wildlife habitat assessments for rapid post-fire management: A woodpecker case study. Ecol Appl 2023; 33:e2853. [PMID: 36995347 DOI: 10.1002/eap.2853] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2022] [Revised: 03/15/2023] [Accepted: 03/16/2023] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
Spatial and temporal variation in fire characteristics-termed pyrodiversity-are increasingly recognized as important factors that structure wildlife communities in fire-prone ecosystems, yet there have been few attempts to incorporate pyrodiversity or post-fire habitat dynamics into predictive models of animal distributions and abundance to support post-fire management. We use the black-backed woodpecker-a species associated with burned forests-as a case study to demonstrate a pathway for incorporating pyrodiversity into wildlife habitat assessments for adaptive management. Employing monitoring data (2009-2019) from post-fire forests in California, we developed three competing occupancy models describing different hypotheses for habitat associations: (1) a static model representing an existing management tool, (2) a temporal model accounting for years since fire, and (3) a temporal-landscape model which additionally incorporates emerging evidence from field studies about the influence of pyrodiversity. Evaluating predictive ability, we found superior support for the temporal-landscape model, which showed a positive relationship between occupancy and pyrodiversity and interactions between habitat associations and years since fire. We incorporated the new temporal-landscape model into an RShiny application to make this decision-support tool accessible to decision-makers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew N Stillman
- Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA
- Cornell Atkinson Center for Sustainability, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA
| | | | | | - Rodney B Siegel
- The Institute for Bird Populations, Petaluma, California, USA
| | | | - Morgan W Tingley
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, USA
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22
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Miller KM, Perles SJ, Schmit JP, Matthews ER, Weed AS, Comiskey JA, Marshall MR, Nelson P, Fisichelli NA. Overabundant deer and invasive plants drive widespread regeneration debt in eastern United States national parks. Ecol Appl 2023; 33:e2837. [PMID: 36890590 DOI: 10.1002/eap.2837] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2022] [Accepted: 01/19/2023] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
Advanced regeneration, in the form of tree seedlings and saplings, is critical for ensuring the long-term viability and resilience of forest ecosystems in the eastern United States. Lack of regeneration and/or compositional mismatch between regeneration and canopy layers, called regeneration debt, can lead to shifts in forest composition, structure, and, in extreme cases, forest loss. In this study, we examined status and trends in regeneration across 39 national parks from Virginia to Maine, spanning 12 years to apply the regeneration debt concept. We further refined the concept by adding new metrics and classifying results into easily interpreted categories adapted from the literature: imminent failure, probable failure, insecure, and secure. We then used model selection to determine the potential drivers most influencing patterns of regeneration debt. Status and trends indicated widespread regeneration debt in eastern national parks, with 27 of 39 parks classified as imminent or probable failure. Deer browse impact was consistently the strongest predictor of regeneration abundance. The most pervasive component of regeneration debt observed across parks was a sapling bottleneck, characterized by critically low sapling density of native canopy species and significant declines in native canopy sapling basal area or density for most parks. Regeneration mismatches also threaten forest resilience in many parks, where native canopy seedlings and saplings were outnumbered by native subcanopy species, particularly species that are less palatable deer browse. The devastating impact of emerald ash borer eliminating ash as a native canopy tree also drove regeneration mismatches in many parks that contain abundant ash regeneration, demonstrating the vulnerability of forests that lack diverse understories to invasive pests and pathogens. These findings underscore the critical importance of an integrated forest management approach that promotes an abundant and diverse regeneration layer. In most cases, this can only be achieved through long-term (i.e., multidecadal) management of white-tailed deer and invasive plants. Small-scale disturbances that increase structural complexity may also promote regeneration where stress from deer and invasive plants is minimal. Without immediate and sustained management intervention, the forest loss we are already observing may become a widespread pattern in eastern national parks and the broader region.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kathryn M Miller
- National Park Service, Northeast Temperate Network and Mid-Atlantic Network, P.O. Box 177, Bar Harbor, Maine, 04609, USA
| | - Stephanie J Perles
- National Park Service, Eastern Rivers and Mountains Network, 420 Forest Resources Building, University Park, Pennsylvania, 16802, USA
| | - John Paul Schmit
- National Park Service, National Capital Region Network, 4598 MacArthur Boulevard NW, Washington, DC, 20007, USA
| | - Elizabeth R Matthews
- National Park Service, National Capital Region Network, 4598 MacArthur Boulevard NW, Washington, DC, 20007, USA
| | - Aaron S Weed
- National Park Service, Northeast Temperate Network, 54 Elm Street, Woodstock, Vermont, 05091, USA
| | - James A Comiskey
- National Park Service, Region 1 Inventory and Monitoring Division, 120 Chatham Lane, Fredericksburg, Virginia, 22405, USA
| | - Matthew R Marshall
- National Park Service, Eastern Rivers and Mountains Network, 420 Forest Resources Building, University Park, Pennsylvania, 16802, USA
| | - Peter Nelson
- Schoodic Institute at Acadia National Park, P.O. Box 277, Winter Harbor, Maine, 04693, USA
| | - Nicholas A Fisichelli
- Schoodic Institute at Acadia National Park, P.O. Box 277, Winter Harbor, Maine, 04693, USA
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23
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Oettel J, Zolles A, Gschwantner T, Lapin K, Kindermann G, Schweinzer K, Gossner MM, Essl F. Dynamics of standing deadwood in Austrian forests under varying forest management and climatic conditions. J Appl Ecol 2023; 60:696-713. [PMID: 38504807 PMCID: PMC10947403 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2664.14359] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2022] [Accepted: 10/16/2022] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
Standing deadwood is an important structural component of forest ecosystems. Its occurrence and dynamics influence both carbon fluxes and the availability of habitats for many species. However, deadwood is greatly reduced in managed, and even in many currently unmanaged temperate forests in Europe. To date, few studies have examined how environmental factors, forest management and changing climate affect the availability of standing deadwood and its dynamics.Data from five periods of the Austrian National Forest Inventory (1981-2009) were used to (I) analyse standing deadwood volume in relation to living volume stock, elevation, eco-region, forest type, ownership and management intensity, (II) investigate the influence of forest ownership and management intensity on snag persistence and (III) define drivers of standing deadwood volume loss for seven tree genera (Abies, Alnus, Fagus, Larix, Picea, Pinus and Quercus) using tree-related, site-related and climate-related variables, and predict volume loss under two climate change scenarios.Standing deadwood volume was mainly determined by living volume stock and elevation, resulting in different distributions between eco-regions. While forest type and management intensity influenced standing deadwood volume only slightly, the latter exhibited a significant effect on persistence. Snag persistence was shorter in intensively managed forests than in extensively managed forests and shorter in private than in public forests.Standing deadwood volume loss was driven by a combination of diameter at breast height, elevation, as well as temperature, precipitation and relative humidity. Volume loss under climate change predictions revealed constant rates for moderate climate change (RCP2.6) by the end of the 21st century. Under severe climate change conditions (RCP8.5), volume loss increased for most tree genera, with Quercus, Alnus and Picea showing different predictions depending on the model used as the baseline scenario. We observed trends towards faster volume loss at higher temperatures and lower elevations and slower volume loss at high precipitation levels. The tree genera most susceptible to climate change were Pinus and Fagus, while Abies was least susceptible. Synthesis and applications. We recommend to protect standing dead trees from regular harvesting to ensure the full decomposition process. The consequences for decomposition-dependent species must be taken into account to evaluate the influences of management and climate change on standing deadwood dynamics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Janine Oettel
- Austrian Federal Research Centre for ForestsNatural Hazards and Landscape (BFW)ViennaAustria
| | - Anita Zolles
- Austrian Federal Research Centre for ForestsNatural Hazards and Landscape (BFW)ViennaAustria
| | - Thomas Gschwantner
- Austrian Federal Research Centre for ForestsNatural Hazards and Landscape (BFW)ViennaAustria
| | - Katharina Lapin
- Austrian Federal Research Centre for ForestsNatural Hazards and Landscape (BFW)ViennaAustria
| | - Georg Kindermann
- Austrian Federal Research Centre for ForestsNatural Hazards and Landscape (BFW)ViennaAustria
| | - Karl‐Manfred Schweinzer
- Austrian Federal Research Centre for ForestsNatural Hazards and Landscape (BFW)ViennaAustria
| | - Martin M. Gossner
- Forest Entomology, Swiss Federal Research Institute of Forest, Snow and Landscape Research (WSL)BirmensdorfSwitzerland
- ETH Zurich, Department of Environmental Systems ScienceInstitute of Terrestrial EcosystemsZurichSwitzerland
| | - Franz Essl
- BioInvasions, Global Change, Macroecology‐Group, Department of Botany and Biodiversity ResearchUniversity ViennaViennaAustria
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24
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Akande OJ, Ma Z, Huang C, He F, Chang SX. Meta-analysis shows forest soil CO 2 effluxes are dependent on the disturbance regime and biome type. Ecol Lett 2023; 26:765-777. [PMID: 36958933 DOI: 10.1111/ele.14201] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2022] [Revised: 02/16/2023] [Accepted: 02/19/2023] [Indexed: 03/25/2023]
Abstract
Forest soil CO2 efflux (FCO2 ) is a crucial process in global carbon cycling; however, how FCO2 responds to disturbance regimes in different forest biomes is poorly understood. We quantified the effects of disturbance regimes on FCO2 across boreal, temperate, tropical and Mediterranean forests based on 1240 observations from 380 studies. Globally, climatic perturbations such as elevated CO2 concentration, warming and increased precipitation increase FCO2 by 13% to 25%. FCO2 is increased by forest conversion to grassland and elevated carbon input by forest management practices but reduced by decreased carbon input, fire and acid rain. Disturbance also changes soil temperature and water content, which in turn affect the direction and magnitude of disturbance influences on FCO2 . FCO2 is disturbance- and biome-type dependent and such effects should be incorporated into earth system models to improve the projection of the feedback between the terrestrial C cycle and climate change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Oluwabunmi J Akande
- Department of Renewable Resources, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | - Zilong Ma
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Ecology, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Chenyan Huang
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Ecology, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Fangliang He
- Department of Renewable Resources, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | - Scott X Chang
- Department of Renewable Resources, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
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25
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Peichl M, Martínez‐García E, Fransson JES, Wallerman J, Laudon H, Lundmark T, Nilsson MB. Landscape-variability of the carbon balance across managed boreal forests. Glob Chang Biol 2023; 29:1119-1132. [PMID: 36464908 PMCID: PMC10108254 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.16534] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2022] [Accepted: 10/17/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Boreal forests are important global carbon (C) sinks and, therefore, considered as a key element in climate change mitigation policies. However, their actual C sink strength is uncertain and under debate, particularly for the actively managed forests in the boreal regions of Fennoscandia. In this study, we use an extensive set of biometric- and chamber-based C flux data collected in 50 forest stands (ranging from 5 to 211 years) over 3 years (2016-2018) with the aim to explore the variations of the annual net ecosystem production (NEP; i.e., the ecosystem C balance) across a 68 km2 managed boreal forest landscape in northern Sweden. Our results demonstrate that net primary production rather than heterotrophic respiration regulated the spatio-temporal variations of NEP across the heterogeneous mosaic of the managed boreal forest landscape. We further find divergent successional patterns of NEP in our managed forests relative to naturally regenerating boreal forests, including (i) a fast recovery of the C sink function within the first decade after harvest due to the rapid establishment of a productive understory layer and (ii) a sustained C sink in old stands (131-211 years). We estimate that the rotation period for optimum C sequestration extends to 138 years, which over multiple rotations results in a long-term C sequestration rate of 86.5 t C ha-1 per rotation. Our study highlights the potential of forest management to maximize C sequestration of boreal forest landscapes and associate climate change mitigation effects by developing strategies that optimize tree biomass production rather than heterotrophic soil C emissions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthias Peichl
- Department of Forest Ecology and ManagementSwedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU)UmeåSweden
| | - Eduardo Martínez‐García
- Department of Forest Ecology and ManagementSwedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU)UmeåSweden
| | - Johan E. S. Fransson
- Department of Forest Resource ManagementSwedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU)UmeåSweden
- Department of Forestry and Wood TechnologyLinnaeus UniversityVäxjöSweden
| | - Jörgen Wallerman
- Department of Forest Resource ManagementSwedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU)UmeåSweden
| | - Hjalmar Laudon
- Department of Forest Ecology and ManagementSwedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU)UmeåSweden
| | - Tomas Lundmark
- Department of Forest Ecology and ManagementSwedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU)UmeåSweden
| | - Mats B. Nilsson
- Department of Forest Ecology and ManagementSwedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU)UmeåSweden
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26
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Scholier T, Lavrinienko A, Brila I, Tukalenko E, Hindström R, Vasylenko A, Cayol C, Ecke F, Singh NJ, Forsman JT, Tolvanen A, Matala J, Huitu O, Kallio ER, Koskela E, Mappes T, Watts PC. Urban forest soils harbour distinct and more diverse communities of bacteria and fungi compared to less disturbed forest soils. Mol Ecol 2023; 32:504-517. [PMID: 36318600 DOI: 10.1111/mec.16754] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2021] [Revised: 10/10/2022] [Accepted: 10/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Anthropogenic changes to land use drive concomitant changes in biodiversity, including that of the soil microbiota. However, it is not clear how increasing intensity of human disturbance is reflected in the soil microbial communities. To address this issue, we used amplicon sequencing to quantify the microbiota (bacteria and fungi) in the soil of forests (n = 312) experiencing four different land uses, national parks (set aside for nature conservation), managed (for forestry purposes), suburban (on the border of an urban area) and urban (fully within a town or city), which broadly represent a gradient of anthropogenic disturbance. Alpha diversity of bacteria and fungi increased with increasing levels of anthropogenic disturbance, and was thus highest in urban forest soils and lowest in the national parks. The forest soil microbial communities were structured according to the level of anthropogenic disturbance, with a clear urban signature evident in both bacteria and fungi. Despite notable differences in community composition, there was little change in the predicted functional traits of urban bacteria. By contrast, urban soils exhibited a marked loss of ectomycorrhizal fungi. Soil pH was positively correlated with the level of disturbance, and thus was the strongest predictor of variation in alpha and beta diversity of forest soil communities, indicating a role of soil alkalinity in structuring urban soil microbial communities. Hence, our study shows how the properties of urban forest soils promote an increase in microbial diversity and a change in forest soil microbiota composition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tiffany Scholier
- Department of Biological and Environmental Science, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, Finland
| | - Anton Lavrinienko
- Department of Biological and Environmental Science, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, Finland.,Laboratory of Food Systems Biotechnology, Institute of Food, Nutrition and Health, ETH Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Ilze Brila
- Department of Biological and Environmental Science, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, Finland.,Ecology and Genetics Unit, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland
| | - Eugene Tukalenko
- Department of Biological and Environmental Science, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, Finland
| | - Rasmus Hindström
- Department of Biological and Environmental Science, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, Finland.,Ecology and Genetics Unit, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland
| | - Andrii Vasylenko
- Department of Biological and Environmental Science, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, Finland
| | - Claire Cayol
- Department of Wildlife, Fish, and Environmental Studies, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Umeå, Sweden.,The Pirbright Institute, Pirbright, UK
| | - Frauke Ecke
- Department of Wildlife, Fish, and Environmental Studies, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Umeå, Sweden.,Organismal and Evolutionary Biology Research Programme, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Navinder J Singh
- Department of Wildlife, Fish, and Environmental Studies, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Umeå, Sweden
| | - Jukka T Forsman
- Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke), Helsinki, Finland
| | - Anne Tolvanen
- Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke), Helsinki, Finland
| | - Juho Matala
- Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke), Helsinki, Finland
| | - Otso Huitu
- Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke), Helsinki, Finland
| | - Eva R Kallio
- Department of Biological and Environmental Science, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, Finland
| | - Esa Koskela
- Department of Biological and Environmental Science, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, Finland
| | - Tapio Mappes
- Department of Biological and Environmental Science, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, Finland
| | - Phillip C Watts
- Department of Biological and Environmental Science, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, Finland
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27
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Wang J, Shi X. Soil biodiversity in natural forests potentially exhibits higher resistance than planted forests under global warming. Front Plant Sci 2023; 14:1135549. [PMID: 37188321 PMCID: PMC10177395 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2023.1135549] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/01/2023] [Accepted: 03/28/2023] [Indexed: 05/17/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Jianqing Wang
- Key Laboratory for Humid Subtropical Eco-Geographical Processes of the Ministry of Education, Institute of Geography, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou, China
- State Key Laboratory for Subtropical Mountain Ecology of the Ministry of Science and Technology and Fujian Province, School of Geographical Sciences, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Xiuzhen Shi
- Key Laboratory for Humid Subtropical Eco-Geographical Processes of the Ministry of Education, Institute of Geography, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou, China
- State Key Laboratory for Subtropical Mountain Ecology of the Ministry of Science and Technology and Fujian Province, School of Geographical Sciences, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou, China
- *Correspondence: Xiuzhen Shi,
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Zhang X, Huang Z, Zhong Z, Li Q, Bian F, Yang C. Metagenomic insights into the characteristics of soil microbial communities in the decomposing biomass of Moso bamboo forests under different management practices. Front Microbiol 2022; 13:1051721. [PMID: 36590390 PMCID: PMC9797724 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2022.1051721] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2022] [Accepted: 11/22/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Introduction Considering the rapid growth and high biomass productivity, Moso bamboo (Phyllostachys edulis) has high carbon (C) sequestration potential, and different management practices can strongly modify its C pools. Soil microorganisms play an important role in C turnover through dead plant and microbial biomass degradation. To date, little is known about how different management practices affect microbial carbohydrate-active enzymes (CAZymes) and their responses to dead biomass degradation. Methods Based on metagenomics analysis, this study analyzed CAZymes in three comparable stands from each Moso bamboo plantation: undisturbed (M0), extensively managed (M1), and intensively managed (M2). Results The results showed that the number of CAZymes encoding plant-derived component degradation was higher than that encoding microbe-derived component degradation. Compared with the M0, the CAZyme families encoding plant-derived cellulose were significantly (p < 0.05) high in M2 and significantly (p < 0.05) low in M1. For microbe-derived components, the abundance of CAZymes involved in the bacterial-derived peptidoglycan was higher than that in fungal-derived components (chitin and glucans). Furthermore, M2 significantly increased the fungal-derived chitin and bacterial-derived peptidoglycan compared to M0, whereas M1 significantly decreased the fungal-derived glucans and significantly increased the bacterial-derived peptidoglycan. Four bacterial phyla (Acidobacteria, Actinobacteria, Proteobacteria, and Chloroflexi) mainly contributed to the degradation of C sources from the plant and microbial biomass. Redundancy analysis (RDA) and mantel test suggested the abundance of CAZyme encoding genes for plant and microbial biomass degradation are significantly correlated with soil pH, total P, and available K. Least Squares Path Modeling (PLS-PM) showed that management practices indirectly affect the CAZyme encoding genes associated with plant and microbial biomass degradation by regulating the soil pH and nutrients (total N and P), respectively. Discussion Our study established that M2 and M1 impact dead biomass decomposition and C turnover, contributing to decreased C accumulation and establishing that the bacterial community plays the main role in C turnover in bamboo plantations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoping Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Bamboo Forest Ecology and Resource Utilization of National Forestry and Grassland Administration, China National Bamboo Research Center, Zhejiang, China,National Long-term Observation and Research Station for Forest Ecosystem in Hangzhou-Jiaxing-Huzhou Plain, Zhejiang, China,Engineering Research Center of Biochar of Zhejiang Province, Zhejiang, China
| | - Zhiyuan Huang
- Key Laboratory of Bamboo Forest Ecology and Resource Utilization of National Forestry and Grassland Administration, China National Bamboo Research Center, Zhejiang, China,National Long-term Observation and Research Station for Forest Ecosystem in Hangzhou-Jiaxing-Huzhou Plain, Zhejiang, China
| | - Zheke Zhong
- Key Laboratory of Bamboo Forest Ecology and Resource Utilization of National Forestry and Grassland Administration, China National Bamboo Research Center, Zhejiang, China,National Long-term Observation and Research Station for Forest Ecosystem in Hangzhou-Jiaxing-Huzhou Plain, Zhejiang, China,*Correspondence: Zheke Zhong,
| | - Qiaoling Li
- Key Laboratory of Bamboo Forest Ecology and Resource Utilization of National Forestry and Grassland Administration, China National Bamboo Research Center, Zhejiang, China,National Long-term Observation and Research Station for Forest Ecosystem in Hangzhou-Jiaxing-Huzhou Plain, Zhejiang, China
| | - Fangyuan Bian
- Key Laboratory of Bamboo Forest Ecology and Resource Utilization of National Forestry and Grassland Administration, China National Bamboo Research Center, Zhejiang, China,National Long-term Observation and Research Station for Forest Ecosystem in Hangzhou-Jiaxing-Huzhou Plain, Zhejiang, China
| | - Chuanbao Yang
- Key Laboratory of Bamboo Forest Ecology and Resource Utilization of National Forestry and Grassland Administration, China National Bamboo Research Center, Zhejiang, China,National Long-term Observation and Research Station for Forest Ecosystem in Hangzhou-Jiaxing-Huzhou Plain, Zhejiang, China
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Davis TS, Meddens AJH, Stevens‐Rumann CS, Jansen VS, Sibold JS, Battaglia MA. Monitoring resistance and resilience using carbon trajectories: Analysis of forest management-disturbance interactions. Ecol Appl 2022; 32:e2704. [PMID: 35801514 PMCID: PMC10077906 DOI: 10.1002/eap.2704] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2021] [Revised: 05/16/2022] [Accepted: 05/24/2022] [Indexed: 05/11/2023]
Abstract
A changing climate is altering ecosystem carbon dynamics with consequences for natural systems and human economies, but there are few tools available for land managers to meaningfully incorporate carbon trajectories into planning efforts. To address uncertainties wrought by rapidly changing conditions, many practitioners adopt resistance and resilience as ecosystem management goals, but these concepts have proven difficult to monitor across landscapes. Here, we address the growing need to understand and plan for ecosystem carbon with concepts of resistance and resilience. Using time series of carbon fixation (n = 103), we evaluate forest management treatments and their relative impacts on resistance and resilience in the context of an expansive and severe natural disturbance. Using subalpine spruce-fir forest with a known management history as a study system, we match metrics of ecosystem productivity (net primary production, g C m-2 year-1 ) with site-level forest structural measurements to evaluate (1) whether past management efforts impacted forest resistance and resilience during a spruce beetle (Dendroctonus rufipennis) outbreak, and (2) how forest structure and physiography contribute to anomalies in carbon trajectories. Our analyses have several important implications. First, we show that the framework we applied was robust for detecting forest treatment impacts on carbon trajectories, closely tracked changes in site-level biomass, and was supported by multiple evaluation methods converging on similar management effects on resistance and resilience. Second, we found that stand species composition, site productivity, and elevation predicted resistance, but resilience was only related to elevation and aspect. Our analyses demonstrate application of a practical approach for comparing forest treatments and isolating specific site and physiographic factors associated with resistance and resilience to biotic disturbance in a forest system, which can be used by managers to monitor and plan for both outcomes. More broadly, the approach we take here can be applied to many scenarios, which can facilitate integrated management and monitoring efforts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas S. Davis
- Forest & Rangeland StewardshipWarner College of Natural Resources, Colorado State UniversityFort CollinsColoradoUSA
- Graduate Degree Program in EcologyColorado State UniversityFort CollinsColoradoUSA
| | - Arjan J. H. Meddens
- School of the EnvironmentCollege of Agricultural, Human, and Natural Resource Sciences, Washington State UniversityPullmanWashingtonUSA
| | - Camille S. Stevens‐Rumann
- Forest & Rangeland StewardshipWarner College of Natural Resources, Colorado State UniversityFort CollinsColoradoUSA
- Colorado Forest Restoration Institute, Colorado State UniversityFort CollinsColoradoUSA
| | - Vincent S. Jansen
- Forest, Rangeland, and Fire Sciences, College of Natural Resources, University of IdahoMoscowIdahoUSA
| | - Jason S. Sibold
- Graduate Degree Program in EcologyColorado State UniversityFort CollinsColoradoUSA
- Anthropology and GeographyCollege of Liberal Arts, Colorado State UniversityFort CollinsColoradoUSA
| | - Mike A. Battaglia
- USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research StationFort CollinsColoradoUSA
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Meyer P, Spînu AP, Mölder A, Bauhus J. Management alters drought-induced mortality patterns in European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) forests. Plant Biol (Stuttg) 2022; 24:1157-1170. [PMID: 35137514 DOI: 10.1111/plb.13396] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2021] [Accepted: 01/06/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
The high tree mortality during the dry and hot years of 2018-2019 in Europe has triggered concerns on the future of European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) forests under climate change and raised questions as to whether forest management may increase tree mortality. We compared long-term mortality rates of beech between managed and unmanaged stands including the years 2018-2019 at 11 sites in Hesse, Germany. We hypothesized that mortality would increase with climate water deficits during the growing season, initial stand density, decreasing dominance of trees, and decreasing intensity of tree removals. Initial stand density, tree removals, the climate water balance and the competitive status of trees were used as predictor variables. Mean annual natural mortality rates ranged between 0.5% and 2.1%. Even in the drought years, we observed no signs of striking canopy disintegration. The significantly higher mortality (1.6-2.1%) in unmanaged stands during the drought years 2018 and 2019 was largely confined to suppressed trees. There was no significant increase of mortality in managed stands during the drought years, but a shift in mortality towards larger canopy trees. Our study did not confirm a general influence of management, in the form of tree removals, on mortality rates. Yet, we found that during drought years, management changed the distribution of mortality within the tree community. To analyse the effects of management on mortality rates more comprehensively, a wider gradient in site moisture conditions, including sites drier than in this study, and longer post-drought periods should be employed.
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Affiliation(s)
- P Meyer
- Department of Forest Nature Conservation, Northwest German Forest Research Institute, Hann. Münden, Germany
| | - A P Spînu
- Chair of Silviculture, Faculty of Environment and Natural Resources, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - A Mölder
- Department of Forest Nature Conservation, Northwest German Forest Research Institute, Hann. Münden, Germany
| | - J Bauhus
- Chair of Silviculture, Faculty of Environment and Natural Resources, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
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31
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Ursell T, Safford HD. Nucleation sites and forest recovery under high shrub competition. Ecol Appl 2022; 32:e2711. [PMID: 36161678 PMCID: PMC10078307 DOI: 10.1002/eap.2711] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2021] [Revised: 05/05/2022] [Accepted: 05/23/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Forests currently face numerous stressors, raising questions about processes of forest recovery as well as the role of humans in stimulating recovery by planting trees that might not otherwise regenerate. Theoretically, planted trees can also provide a seed source for further recruitment once the planted trees become reproductive, acting as "nucleation" sites; however, it is unclear whether changing site conditions over time (e.g., through the growth of competitors like woody shrubs) influences establishment in the long term, even if seed availability increases. We tested the nucleation concept in a system where shrub competition is known to influence tree establishment and growth, performing an observational study of sites within and close to newly reproductive planted stands in yellow-pine (YP) and mixed-conifer ecosystems in the Sierra Nevada, California. We surveyed and then modeled both seedling occurrence and density as a function of distance to seed sources, competing woody vegetation, and other environmental characteristics. We found that proximity to a planted stand was associated with an increase in the probability of YP seedlings (species more likely to originate from the planted stand) from 0.33 at 35 m from the planted stand to 0.56 directly adjacent to the stand and 0.65 within the stand. However, we found no significant effect of proximity on YP seedling density. This proximity effect suggests that seed availability continues to be a driver of recruitment several decades postwildfire, though other processes may influence the expected density of recruits. Proxies for competitive pressure (shrub volume and shrub cover) were not significant, suggesting that competing vegetation did not have a major influence on recruitment. Though seedling presence and density appeared to be independent of shrub impacts, we did find that shrubs were significantly taller than seedlings. Therefore, we suggest that shrubs may not limit seedling establishment, but they may negatively affect seedlings' ability to grow and serve as a seed source for further recruitment and forest expansion. Altogether, we find that planting may provide a statistically significant but small role in driving recruitment outside of the planted site.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tara Ursell
- Graduate Group in EcologyUniversity of CaliforniaDavisCaliforniaUSA
| | - Hugh D. Safford
- Department of Environmental Science and PolicyUniversity of CaliforniaDavisCaliforniaUSA
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32
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Davis TS, Meddens AJH, Stevens-Rumann CS, Jansen VS, Sibold JS, Battaglia MA. Monitoring resistance and resilience using carbon trajectories: Analysis of forest management-disturbance interactions. Ecol Appl 2022; 32:e2704. [PMID: 35801514 DOI: 10.5061/dryad.jwstqjqb0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2021] [Revised: 05/16/2022] [Accepted: 05/24/2022] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Abstract
A changing climate is altering ecosystem carbon dynamics with consequences for natural systems and human economies, but there are few tools available for land managers to meaningfully incorporate carbon trajectories into planning efforts. To address uncertainties wrought by rapidly changing conditions, many practitioners adopt resistance and resilience as ecosystem management goals, but these concepts have proven difficult to monitor across landscapes. Here, we address the growing need to understand and plan for ecosystem carbon with concepts of resistance and resilience. Using time series of carbon fixation (n = 103), we evaluate forest management treatments and their relative impacts on resistance and resilience in the context of an expansive and severe natural disturbance. Using subalpine spruce-fir forest with a known management history as a study system, we match metrics of ecosystem productivity (net primary production, g C m-2 year-1 ) with site-level forest structural measurements to evaluate (1) whether past management efforts impacted forest resistance and resilience during a spruce beetle (Dendroctonus rufipennis) outbreak, and (2) how forest structure and physiography contribute to anomalies in carbon trajectories. Our analyses have several important implications. First, we show that the framework we applied was robust for detecting forest treatment impacts on carbon trajectories, closely tracked changes in site-level biomass, and was supported by multiple evaluation methods converging on similar management effects on resistance and resilience. Second, we found that stand species composition, site productivity, and elevation predicted resistance, but resilience was only related to elevation and aspect. Our analyses demonstrate application of a practical approach for comparing forest treatments and isolating specific site and physiographic factors associated with resistance and resilience to biotic disturbance in a forest system, which can be used by managers to monitor and plan for both outcomes. More broadly, the approach we take here can be applied to many scenarios, which can facilitate integrated management and monitoring efforts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas S Davis
- Forest & Rangeland Stewardship, Warner College of Natural Resources, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA
- Graduate Degree Program in Ecology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA
| | - Arjan J H Meddens
- School of the Environment, College of Agricultural, Human, and Natural Resource Sciences, Washington State University, Pullman, Washington, USA
| | - Camille S Stevens-Rumann
- Forest & Rangeland Stewardship, Warner College of Natural Resources, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA
- Colorado Forest Restoration Institute, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA
| | - Vincent S Jansen
- Forest, Rangeland, and Fire Sciences, College of Natural Resources, University of Idaho, Moscow, Idaho, USA
| | - Jason S Sibold
- Graduate Degree Program in Ecology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA
- Anthropology and Geography, College of Liberal Arts, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA
| | - Mike A Battaglia
- USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA
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Zubek K, Czerwik-Marcinkowska J, Borkowski A. A Non-Invasive Method of Estimating Populations of Tomicus Piniperda on Scots Pine ( Pinus Sylvestris L.). Insects 2022; 13:1071. [PMID: 36421974 PMCID: PMC9695610 DOI: 10.3390/insects13111071] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2022] [Revised: 11/17/2022] [Accepted: 11/18/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
The fully non-invasive method presented here can be used to evaluate Tomicus piniperda L. population sizes in areas subject to strict protection. Data were collected in 2021−2022 in forests containing P. sylvestris, with different stand structures, in the Suchedniowsko-Oblęgorski Landscape Park, Poland. Entomological analyses were carried out on natural traps made from live uncolonised trees. Stepwise regression was used to describe the size of T. piniperda populations. From a set of features representing stem colonisation parameters, stem traits and habitat, the following had a significant effect (p < 0.05) on the total number of galleries of T. piniperda on stems: (1) the number of T. piniperda maternal tunnels in the sixth stem section covering 2.5% of the total length, (2) the length of the stem section with bark thickness greater than 7 mm, and (3) stand structure (homogeneous Scots pine stands). The model can explain 93% (Radj2=0.9333) of the variability in the total number of T. piniperda galleries on trap trees. The mean relative error of estimation is 20.1%. The proposed method is particularly valuable in a climate context. The data obtained enable the prediction of the direct effects of climate change on the population dynamics of T. piniperda in natural forests.
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Martinović T, Kohout P, López-Mondéjar R, Algora Gallardo C, Starke R, Tomšovský M, Baldrian P. Bacterial community in soil and tree roots of Picea abies shows little response to clearcutting. FEMS Microbiol Ecol 2022; 98:6754320. [PMID: 36208910 DOI: 10.1093/femsec/fiac118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2022] [Revised: 09/15/2022] [Accepted: 10/06/2022] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Clearcutting represents a standard management practice in temperate forests with dramatic consequences for the forest ecosystem. The removal of trees responsible for the bulk of primary production can result in a complex response of the soil microbiome. While studies have shown that tree root-symbiotic ectomycorrhizal fungi disappear from soil and decomposing fine roots of trees become a hotspot for fungal decomposition, the fate of the bacterial component of the soil microbiome following clearcutting is unclear. Here, we investigated the response of bacterial community composition for 2 years following clearcutting of a Picea abies stand in soil, rhizosphere and tree roots, by 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing. While in the first few months after clearcutting there was no significant response of bacterial community composition in the rhizosphere and soil, bacterial communities associated with tree roots underwent more profound changes over time. Acidobacteria were abundant in rhizosphere and soil, while Firmicutes were strongly represented in the roots. In addition, bacterial communities on decomposing roots were significantly different from those on pre-clearcut live roots. Compared with fungi, the response of bacterial communities to clearcutting was much less pronounced, indicating independent development of the two microbial domains.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tijana Martinović
- Institute of Microbiology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Vídeňská 1083, 142 20 Praha 4, Czech Republic
- Faculty of Science, Charles University in Prague, Albertov 6, 128 00, Praha 2, Czech Republic
| | - Petr Kohout
- Institute of Microbiology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Vídeňská 1083, 142 20 Praha 4, Czech Republic
- Faculty of Science, Charles University in Prague, Albertov 6, 128 00, Praha 2, Czech Republic
| | - Rubén López-Mondéjar
- Institute of Microbiology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Vídeňská 1083, 142 20 Praha 4, Czech Republic
| | - Camelia Algora Gallardo
- Institute of Microbiology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Vídeňská 1083, 142 20 Praha 4, Czech Republic
| | - Robert Starke
- Institute of Microbiology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Vídeňská 1083, 142 20 Praha 4, Czech Republic
| | - Michal Tomšovský
- Faculty of Forestry and Wood Technology, Mendel University in Brno, Zemědělská 3, 613 00 Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Petr Baldrian
- Institute of Microbiology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Vídeňská 1083, 142 20 Praha 4, Czech Republic
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Neupane B, Dhami B, Panthee S, Stewart AB, Silwal T, Katuwal HB. Forest Management Practice Influences Bird Diversity in the Mid-Hills of Nepal. Animals (Basel) 2022; 12:ani12192681. [PMID: 36230422 PMCID: PMC9559466 DOI: 10.3390/ani12192681] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2022] [Revised: 09/28/2022] [Accepted: 10/03/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Forest management practice plays a critical role in conserving biodiversity. However, there are few studies on how forest management practice affects bird communities. Here, we compare the effectiveness of the Panchase Protection Forest (PPF; protected forest with government administration) and the Tibrekot Community Forest (TCF; community forest with community forest users' group administration) in hosting bird diversity in the mid-hills of Nepal. We examined 96 point count stations during summer and winter in 2019 and recorded 160 species of birds with three globally threatened vultures (red-headed vulture Sarcogyps calvus, slender-billed vulture Gyps tenuirostris, and white-rumped vulture Gyps bengalensis). Forest management practice, season, and elevation all influenced the richness and abundance of birds. The diversity, richness, and abundance of birds and the most common feeding guilds (insectivore, omnivore, and carnivore) were higher in TCF than in PPF; however, globally threatened species were only recorded in PPF. We also recorded a higher bird species turnover (beta diversity) in TCF than in PPF. Our study indicates that community-managed forests can also provide quality habitats similar to those of protected forests managed by the government, and provide refuge to various bird species and guilds. However, we recommend more comparative studies in other tropical and sub-tropical areas to understand how different forest management practices influence bird diversity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bijaya Neupane
- Institute of Forestry, Pokhara Campus, Tribhuvan University, Pokhara 33700, Nepal
- Department of Forest Sciences, Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry, University of Helsinki, 00014 Helsinki, Finland
- Correspondence: (B.N.); (H.B.K.)
| | - Bijaya Dhami
- Institute of Forestry, Pokhara Campus, Tribhuvan University, Pokhara 33700, Nepal
| | - Shristee Panthee
- CAS Key Laboratory of Tropical Forest Ecology, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Menglun 666303, China
| | - Alyssa B. Stewart
- Department of Plant Science, Faculty of Science, Mahidol University, Bangkok 10400, Thailand
| | - Thakur Silwal
- Institute of Forestry, Pokhara Campus, Tribhuvan University, Pokhara 33700, Nepal
| | - Hem Bahadur Katuwal
- Center for Integrative Conservation, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Menglun 666303, China
- Correspondence: (B.N.); (H.B.K.)
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36
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Tew ER, Conway GJ, Henderson IG, Milodowski DT, Swinfield T, Sutherland WJ. Recommendations to enhance breeding bird diversity in managed plantation forests determined using LiDAR. Ecol Appl 2022; 32:e2678. [PMID: 35588196 PMCID: PMC9787994 DOI: 10.1002/eap.2678] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2021] [Revised: 03/17/2022] [Accepted: 03/29/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Widespread afforestation is a crucial component of climate mitigation strategies worldwide. This presents a significant opportunity for biodiversity conservation if forests are appropriately managed. Within forests, structural and habitat diversity are known to be critical for biodiversity but pragmatic management recommendations are lacking. We make a comprehensive assessment of the effects of habitat variables on bird populations using data from over 4000 ha of forested landscape. We combine high-resolution remote sensing data with comprehensive management databases to classify habitat attributes and measure the response of six taxonomic and functional diversity metrics: species richness, Shannon diversity, functional richness, functional evenness, functional divergence, and functional dispersion. We use a novel approach that combines hierarchical partitioning analysis with linear models to determine the relative importance of different habitat variables for each bird diversity metric. The age class of forest stands was consistently the most important variable across all bird diversity metrics, outperforming other structural measures such as horizontal and vertical heterogeneity and canopy density. Shrub density and gap fraction were each significantly associated with one bird diversity metric. In contrast, variables describing within-stand structural heterogeneity (vertical and horizontal) were generally less important while tree species identity (e.g., conifer or broadleaved) was not significant for any bird diversity metric. Each of the six bird diversity metrics had different patterns of independent variable importance and significance, emphasizing the need to consider multiple diversity metrics in biodiversity assessments. Similarly, the optimal resolution for remote sensing metrics varied between structural variables and bird diversity metrics, suggesting that the use of remote sensing data in biodiversity studies could be greatly improved by first exploring different resolutions and data aggregations. Based on the results from this comprehensive study, we recommend that managers focus on creating habitat diversity at the between-, rather than exclusively within-stand scale, such as by creating a matrix of different age classes, to maximize bird diversity. This recommendation for forest managers is powerful yet pragmatic in its simplicity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eleanor R. Tew
- Department of ZoologyUniversity of Cambridge, The David Attenborough BuildingCambridgeUK
- Forestry EnglandBristolUK
| | | | | | - David T. Milodowski
- School of GeoSciencesUniversity of EdinburghEdinburghUK
- National Centre for Earth ObservationUniversity of EdinburghEdinburghUK
| | - Tom Swinfield
- Department of Plant SciencesUniversity of CambridgeCambridgeUK
| | - William J. Sutherland
- Department of ZoologyUniversity of Cambridge, The David Attenborough BuildingCambridgeUK
- Biosecurity Research Initiative at St Catharine's (BIORISC), St Catharine's CollegeUniversity of CambridgeCambridgeUK
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Jing M, Zhu L, Liu S, Cao Y, Zhu Y, Yan W. Warming-induced drought leads to tree growth decline in subtropics: Evidence from tree rings in central China. Front Plant Sci 2022; 13:964400. [PMID: 36212337 PMCID: PMC9539437 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2022.964400] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2022] [Accepted: 08/25/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Subtropical forests provide diverse ecosystem services to human society. However, how subtropical tree species respond to climate change is still unclear. Using a dendrochronological method, we studied the radial growth patterns and species-specific responses of four main tree species in subtropical China to recent warming and drought. Results showed that the long-term drought caused by global warming and reduced precipitation since 1997 had resulted in the growth decline of Pinus massoniana, Castanea henryi and Castanopsis eyrei but not for Liquidambar formosana. Four species had similar sensitivities to the previous year and the current year, which is probably due to the carryover effect and temporal autocorrelation of climate data. Tree growth was positively correlated with growing season precipitation and relative humidity while negatively correlated with vapor pressure deficit. The negative relationship of tree radial growth with temperatures in the previous and current summer and the positive correlation with precipitation gradually strengthened after 1997. Therefore, we highlighted that drought-induced tree decline in subtropical forests is probably a common phenomenon, and it needed to verify by more tree-ring studies on a large scale. The species-specific responses of tree radial growth to climate change are not obvious, but they still should be considered in regional carbon balance and forest dynamics. Considering future climate change, species that are more drought tolerant should be considered as potential plantation species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mengdan Jing
- National Engineering Laboratory for Applied Technology of Forestry and Ecology in South China, Central South University of Forestry and Technology, Changsha, China
- College of Life Science and Technology, Central South University of Forestry and Technology, Changsha, China
| | - Liangjun Zhu
- National Engineering Laboratory for Applied Technology of Forestry and Ecology in South China, Central South University of Forestry and Technology, Changsha, China
- College of Life Science and Technology, Central South University of Forestry and Technology, Changsha, China
| | - Shuguang Liu
- National Engineering Laboratory for Applied Technology of Forestry and Ecology in South China, Central South University of Forestry and Technology, Changsha, China
- College of Life Science and Technology, Central South University of Forestry and Technology, Changsha, China
| | - Yang Cao
- Institute of Soil and Water Conservation, Northwest A&F University, Xianyang, Shaanxi, China
| | - Yu Zhu
- National Engineering Laboratory for Applied Technology of Forestry and Ecology in South China, Central South University of Forestry and Technology, Changsha, China
- College of Life Science and Technology, Central South University of Forestry and Technology, Changsha, China
| | - Wende Yan
- National Engineering Laboratory for Applied Technology of Forestry and Ecology in South China, Central South University of Forestry and Technology, Changsha, China
- College of Life Science and Technology, Central South University of Forestry and Technology, Changsha, China
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Putz FE, Romero C, Sist P, Schwartz G, Thompson I, Roopsind A, Medjibe V, Ellis P. Sustained timber yield claims, considerations, and tradeoffs for selectively logged forests. PNAS Nexus 2022; 1:pgac102. [PMID: 37654970 PMCID: PMC10468026 DOI: 10.1093/pnasnexus/pgac102] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2022] [Accepted: 06/27/2022] [Indexed: 09/02/2023]
Abstract
What is meant by sustainability depends on what is sustained and at what level. Sustainable forest management, for example, requires maintenance of a variety of values not the least of which is sustained timber yields (STYs). For the 1 Bha of the world's forests subjected to selective or partial logging, failure to maintain yields can be hidden by regulatory requirements and questionable auditing practices such as increasing the number of commercial species with each harvest, reducing the minimum size at which trees can be harvested and accepting logs of lower quality. For assertions of STY to be credible, clarity is needed about all these issues, as well as about the associated ecological and economic tradeoffs. Lack of clarity about sustainability heightens risks of unsubstantiated claims and unseen losses. STY is possible but often requires cutting cycles that are longer and logging intensities that are lower than prescribed by law, as well as effective use of low-impact logging practices and application of silvicultural treatments to promote timber stock recovery. These departures from business-as-usual practices will lower profit margins but generally benefit biodiversity and ecosystem services.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francis E Putz
- Department of Biology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL
32641, USA
| | - Claudia Romero
- Department of Biology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL
32641, USA
| | - Plinio Sist
- Cirad-ES, Forêts et Sociétés and Université Montpellier, Campus
International de Baillarguet, TA C-105/D 34398 Montpellier Cedex 5,
France
| | - Gustavo Schwartz
- Schwartz, Gustavo, Forest Ecology and Management, Embrapa Eastern Amazon,
Belém, P.O. Box 48, Belém 66095-100, PA, Brazil
| | - Ian Thompson
- Forest LLC., West Kelowna, British Columbia, 2483 Main St Ste
12, West Kelowna, BC V4T2E8, Canada
| | - Anand Roopsind
- Center for Natural Climate Solutions, Conservation
International, 2011 Crystal Drive, Arlington, VA 22202, USA
| | - Vincent Medjibe
- National Park Agency, Gabon (A.N.P.N), P.O Box 20379
Libreville, Gabon
| | - Peter Ellis
- The Nature Conservancy, 45 Exchange St., Suite 303, Portland,
ME 04101, USA
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Aszalós R, Thom D, Aakala T, Angelstam P, Brūmelis G, Gálhidy L, Gratzer G, Hlásny T, Katzensteiner K, Kovács B, Knoke T, Larrieu L, Motta R, Müller J, Ódor P, Roženbergar D, Paillet Y, Pitar D, Standovár T, Svoboda M, Szwagrzyk J, Toscani P, Keeton WS. Natural disturbance regimes as a guide for sustainable forest management in Europe. Ecol Appl 2022; 32:e2596. [PMID: 35340078 DOI: 10.1002/eap.2596] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2021] [Revised: 11/13/2021] [Accepted: 12/01/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
In Europe, forest management has controlled forest dynamics to sustain commodity production over multiple centuries. Yet over-regulation for growth and yield diminishes resilience to environmental stress as well as threatens biodiversity, leading to increasing forest susceptibility to an array of disturbances. These trends have stimulated interest in alternative management systems, including natural dynamics silviculture (NDS). NDS aims to emulate natural disturbance dynamics at stand and landscape scales through silvicultural manipulations of forest structure and landscape patterns. We adapted a "Comparability Index" (CI) to assess convergence/divergence between natural disturbances and forest management effects. We extended the original CI concept based on disturbance size and frequency by adding the residual structure of canopy trees after a disturbance as a third dimension. We populated the model by compiling data on natural disturbance dynamics and management from 13 countries in Europe, covering four major forest types (i.e., spruce, beech, oak, and pine-dominated forests). We found that natural disturbances are highly variable in size, frequency, and residual structure, but European forest management fails to encompass this complexity. Silviculture in Europe is skewed toward even-aged systems, used predominately (72.9% of management) across the countries assessed. The residual structure proved crucial in the comparison of natural disturbances and silvicultural systems. CI indicated the highest congruence between uneven-aged silvicultural systems and key natural disturbance attributes. Even so, uneven-aged practices emulated only a portion of the complexity associated with natural disturbance effects. The remaining silvicultural systems perform poorly in terms of retention compared to tree survivorship after natural disturbances. We suggest that NDS can enrich Europe's portfolio of management systems, for example where wood production is not the primary objective. NDS is especially relevant to forests managed for habitat quality, risk reduction, and a variety of ecosystem services. We suggest a holistic approach integrating NDS with more conventional practices.
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Affiliation(s)
- Réka Aszalós
- Centre for Ecological Research, Institute of Ecology and Botany, Vácrátót, Hungary
| | - Dominik Thom
- Ecosystem Dynamics and Forest Management Group, School of Life Sciences, Technical University of Munich, Freising, Germany
- Gund Institute for Environment, University of Vermont, Burlington, Vermont, USA
- Institute of Silviculture, Department of Forest- and Soil Sciences, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences (BOKU), Vienna, Austria
| | - Tuomas Aakala
- School of Forest Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, Joensuu, Finland
| | - Per Angelstam
- School for Forest Management, Faculty of Forest Sciences, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Skinnskatteberg, Sweden
- Department of Forestry and Wildlife Management, Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences, Koppang, Norway
| | | | | | - Georg Gratzer
- University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna (BOKU), Vienna, Austria
| | - Tomáš Hlásny
- Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences in Prague, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Klaus Katzensteiner
- University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna (BOKU), Vienna, Austria
| | - Bence Kovács
- Centre for Ecological Research, Institute of Ecology and Botany, Vácrátót, Hungary
| | - Thomas Knoke
- Institute of Forest Management, School of Life Sciences, Technical University of Munich, Freising, Germany
| | - Laurent Larrieu
- University of Toulouse, INRAE, UMR DYNAFOR, Castanet-Tolosan, France
- CNPF-CRPF Occitanie, Tarbes, France
| | - Renzo Motta
- Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Food Sciences (DISAFA), University of Turin, Grugliasco, Italy
| | - Jörg Müller
- Field Station Fabrikschleichach, Biocenter, University of Würzburg, Rauhenebrach, Germany
- Bavarian Forest National Park, Grafenau, Germany
| | - Péter Ódor
- Centre for Ecological Research, Institute of Ecology and Botany, Vácrátót, Hungary
| | - Dušan Roženbergar
- Department of Forestry and Renewable Forest Resources, Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Yoan Paillet
- University Grenoble - Alpes, INRAE, LESSEM, Saint-Martin-D'Hères, France
| | - Diana Pitar
- National Institute for Research and Development in Forestry "Marin Dracea", Voluntari, Romania
| | - Tibor Standovár
- Department of Plant Systematics, Ecology and Theoretical Biology, ELTE Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Miroslav Svoboda
- Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences in Prague, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Jerzy Szwagrzyk
- Department of Forest Biodiversity, University of Agriculture in Krakow, Krakow, Poland
| | - Philipp Toscani
- Institute of Agricultural and Forestry Economics, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences (BOKU), Vienna, Austria
| | - William S Keeton
- Gund Institute for Environment, University of Vermont, Burlington, Vermont, USA
- Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources, University of Vermont, Burlington, Vermont, USA
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Latif QS, Cannon JB, Chabot EJ, Sparks RA. Simulated treatment effects on bird communities inform landscape-scale dry conifer forest management. Ecol Appl 2022; 32:e2555. [PMID: 35112748 PMCID: PMC9285579 DOI: 10.1002/eap.2555] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2021] [Revised: 10/27/2021] [Accepted: 11/23/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Human land use and climate change have increased forest density and wildfire risk in dry conifer forests of western North America, threatening various ecosystem services, including habitat for wildlife. Government policy supports active management to restore historical structure and ecological function. Information on potential contributions of restoration to wildlife habitat can allow assessment of tradeoffs with other ecological benefits when prioritizing treatments. We predicted avian responses to simulated treatments representing alternative scenarios to inform landscape-scale forest management planning along the Colorado Front Range. We used data from the Integrated Monitoring in Bird Conservation Regions program to inform a hierarchical multispecies occupancy model relating species occupancy and richness with canopy cover at two spatial scales. We then simulated changes in canopy cover (remotely sensed in 2018) under three alternative scenarios, (1) a "fuels reduction" scenario representing landscape-wide 30% reduction in canopy cover, (2) a "restoration" scenario representing more nuanced, spatially variable treatments targeting historical conditions, and (3) a reference, no-change scenario. Model predictions showed areas of potential gains and losses for species richness, richness of ponderosa pine forest habitat specialists, and the ratio of specialists to generalists at two (1 km2 and 250 m2 ) spatial scales. Under both fuels reduction and restoration scenarios, we projected greater gains than losses for species richness. Surprisingly, despite restoration more explicitly targeting ecologically relevant historical conditions, fuels reduction benefited bird species richness over a greater spatial extent than restoration, particularly in the lower montane life zone. These benefits reflected generally positive species associations with moderate canopy cover promoted more consistently under the fuels reduction scenario. In practice, contemporary forest management is likely to lie somewhere between the fuels reduction and restoration scenarios represented here. Therefore, our results inform where and how active forest management can best support avian diversity. Although our study raises questions regarding the value of including landscape-scale heterogeneity as a management objective, we do not question the value of targeting finer scale heterogeneity (i.e., stand and treatment level). Rather, our results combined with those from previous work clarify the scale at which targeting structural heterogeneity and historical reference conditions can promote particular ecosystem services.
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R Grinde A, B Youngquist M, A Slesak R, R Kolbe S, D Bednar J, J Palik B, W D'Amato A. Potential impacts of emerald ash borer and adaptation strategies on wildlife communities in black ash wetlands. Ecol Appl 2022; 32:e2567. [PMID: 35138662 DOI: 10.1002/eap.2567] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2021] [Revised: 09/02/2021] [Accepted: 09/23/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Black ash wetlands cover approximately 1.2 million ha of wetland forest in the western Great Lakes region, providing critical habitat for wildlife. The future of these wetlands is critically threatened by a variety of factors, including emerald ash borer (Agrilus planipennis; emerald ash borer [EAB]), which has been eliminating native populations of otherwise healthy ash throughout the Great Lakes region since it was discovered in 2002. To quantify the potential impacts of tree mortality from EAB on wildlife communities, we measured seasonal bird, mammal, and amphibian diversity in black ash wetlands using a dual approach: (1) documenting bird and amphibian species across 27 mature reference black ash wetlands in northern Minnesota, USA and (2) assessing how bird, mammal, and amphibian communities respond to experimental manipulations of black ash forests that emulate mortality and management strategies related to the potential impact of EAB. In total, 85 wildlife species were recorded for the entire study including 57 bird species, 5 amphibian species, and 23 mammal species. Results from the reference sites show that hydrologic regime, percentage of ash canopy cover, and understory cover were important habitat characteristics for bird and amphibian communities. Results from the experimental sites show there may be short-term increases in species richness for mammal and bird communities associated with changes in forest structure due to ash mortality; however, anticipated changes resulting from EAB-caused mortality, particularly the conversion of these sites to non-forested wetlands, will lead to significant shifts in bird and mammal community composition. Loss of ash may cause declines in forest-dependent species and increases in open-canopy and wetland-associated species. Additionally, whereas increased ponding extent and longer hydroperiods may be beneficial for some amphibian species, the loss of the forest canopy will result in an overall decrease in bird diversity and reduce forest connectivity for all species. Our results indicate the potential for significant large-scale impacts of black ash mortality on forest-associated wildlife. Management strategies that focus on establishing alternative trees species to maintain long-term forest cover and structural complexity in these wetlands will help to maintain and conserve wildlife diversity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexis R Grinde
- Natural Resources Research Institute, University of Minnesota Duluth, Duluth, Minnesota, USA
| | - Melissa B Youngquist
- Daniel P. Haerther Center for Conservation and Research, John G. Shedd Aquarium, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - Robert A Slesak
- USDA Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station, Olympia, Washington, USA
| | - Stephen R Kolbe
- Natural Resources Research Institute, University of Minnesota Duluth, Duluth, Minnesota, USA
| | - Josh D Bednar
- Natural Resources Research Institute, University of Minnesota Duluth, Duluth, Minnesota, USA
| | - Brian J Palik
- USDA Forest Service, Northern Research Station, Grand Rapids, Minnesota, USA
| | - Anthony W D'Amato
- University of Vermont, Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources, Burlington, Vermont, USA
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Xia C, Chon TS, Takasu F, Choi WI, Park YS. Simulating Pine Wilt Disease Dispersal With an Individual-Based Model Incorporating Individual Movement Patterns of Vector Beetles. Front Plant Sci 2022; 13:886867. [PMID: 35677247 PMCID: PMC9168678 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2022.886867] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2022] [Accepted: 04/19/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Individual movements of the insect vector pine sawyer beetles were incorporated into an individual-based model (IBM) to elucidate the dispersal of pine wilt disease (PWD) and demonstrate the effects of control practices. The model results were compared with the spatial data of infested pine trees in the Gijang-gun area of Busan, Republic of Korea. Step functions with long- and middle-distance movements of individual beetles effectively established symptomatic and asymptomatic trees for the dispersal of PWD. Pair correlations and pairwise distances were suitable for evaluating PWD dispersal between model results and field data at short and long scales, respectively. The accordance between model and field data was observed in infestation rates at 0.08 and 0.09 and asymptomatic rates at 0.16-0.17 for disease dispersal. Eradication radii longer than 20 m would effectively control PWD dispersal for symptomatic transmission and 20-40 m for asymptomatic transmission. However, the longer eradication radii were more effective at controlling PWD. Therefore, to maximize control effects, a longer radius of at least 40 m is recommended for clear-cutting eradication. The IBM of individual movement patterns provided practical information on interlinking the levels of individuals and populations and could contribute to the monitoring and management of forest pests where individual movement is important for population dispersal.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chunlei Xia
- Yantai Institute of Coastal Zone Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Yantai, China
| | - Tae-Soo Chon
- Ecology and Future Research Institute, Busan, South Korea
| | - Fugo Takasu
- Department of Environmental Science, Nara Women's University, Nara, Japan
| | - Won Il Choi
- Division of Forest Ecology, National Institute of Forest Science, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Young-Seuk Park
- Department of Biology, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, South Korea
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43
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Wang HZ, Lu YM, Zhang L, Li XL, Lin WS, Guo JF. [Effects of harvest residue management on soil organic nitrogen fractions in young Cunninghamia lanceolata plantation]. Ying Yong Sheng Tai Xue Bao 2022; 33:1199-1206. [PMID: 35730077 DOI: 10.13287/j.1001-9332.202205.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Different treatments of harvest residues will change the quantity and quality of soil organic matter, with direct or indirect effects on the composition and content of soil nutrient. Nitrogen is one of the most important soil nutrients. However, the response of soil organic nitrogen fractions to different harvest residue treatments is still unclear. In this study, harvest residue treatments, including harvest residue removed, residue retained and residue burnt, were set up after clear-cutting a 50-year-old mature Cunninghamia lanceolata forest in Sanming City, Fujian, China. The H2SO4 hydrolysis method was used to determine soil organic nitrogen fractions and their driving factors in the 0-10 cm and 10-20 cm soil layers after 5 years of harvest residue treatments. The results showed that residue retained treatment significantly enhanced the contents of soil organic nitrogen and its liable fractions. In the 0-10 cm soil layer, soil organic nitrogen content under residue retained treatment (3.36 g·kg-1) was 1.5 and 1.3 times as those of residue removed and residue burnt treatments, respectively. Residue retained treatment had the highest contents of labile nitrogen Ⅰ and Ⅱ fractions. In 10-20 cm soil layer, the contents of soil organic nitrogen and labile nitrogen Ⅱ fraction were also significantly higher in residue retained treatment (2.20, 0.73 g·kg-1) than that in residue removed and residue burnt treatments. The labile nitrogen index Ⅱ in residue retained treatment (33.9%) was significantly higher than in residue burnt treatment (26.1%). The contents of total carbon, dissolved organic carbon, dissolved organic nitrogen, microbial biomass under residue retained treatment were the highest in both soil layers. Compared with residue removed treatment, residue retained treatment significantly enhanced the abundance of soil bacteria (Gram-positive bacteria and Gram-negative bacteria) in 0-10 cm soil layer. In 10-20 cm soil layer, residue retained treatment had the highest content of fungi and the lowest content of actinomycetes. Pearson analysis showed that there were significant positive correlations of labile fractions of soil organic nitrogen with total carbon, dissolved organic carbon, dissolved organic nitrogen, microbial biomass carbon, microbial biomass nitrogen, bacteria (Gram-positive bacteria, Gram-negative bacteria), and fungi, and negative correlations with actinomycetes. It was concluded that the retention of harvest residue was beneficial to increase the content of soil organic nitrogen and labile fractions, improve soil biochemical properties and had a positive effect on soil microbial community composition. Retention of harvest residue was an effective management measure to maintain soil fertility and improve forest productivity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hai-Zhen Wang
- Cultivation Base of State Key Laboratory for Humid Subtropical Mountain Ecology, Fuzhou 350007, China
- School of Geographical Sciences, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou 350007, China
| | - Yu-Ming Lu
- Cultivation Base of State Key Laboratory for Humid Subtropical Mountain Ecology, Fuzhou 350007, China
- School of Geographical Sciences, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou 350007, China
| | - Lei Zhang
- Cultivation Base of State Key Laboratory for Humid Subtropical Mountain Ecology, Fuzhou 350007, China
- School of Geographical Sciences, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou 350007, China
| | - Xiao-Ling Li
- Cultivation Base of State Key Laboratory for Humid Subtropical Mountain Ecology, Fuzhou 350007, China
- School of Geographical Sciences, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou 350007, China
| | - Wei-Sheng Lin
- Cultivation Base of State Key Laboratory for Humid Subtropical Mountain Ecology, Fuzhou 350007, China
- School of Geographical Sciences, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou 350007, China
| | - Jian-Fen Guo
- Cultivation Base of State Key Laboratory for Humid Subtropical Mountain Ecology, Fuzhou 350007, China
- School of Geographical Sciences, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou 350007, China
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Saarinen N, Kankare V, Huuskonen S, Hynynen J, Bianchi S, Yrttimaa T, Luoma V, Junttila S, Holopainen M, Hyyppä J, Vastaranta M. Effects of Stem Density on Crown Architecture of Scots Pine Trees. Front Plant Sci 2022; 13:817792. [PMID: 35356110 PMCID: PMC8959813 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2022.817792] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2021] [Accepted: 01/17/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Trees adapt to their growing conditions by regulating the sizes of their parts and their relationships. For example, removal or death of adjacent trees increases the growing space and the amount of light received by the remaining trees enabling their crowns to expand. Knowledge about the effects of silvicultural practices on crown size and shape and also about the quality of branches affecting the shape of a crown is, however, still limited. Thus, the aim was to study the crown structure of individual Scots pine trees in forest stands with varying stem densities due to past forest management practices. Furthermore, we wanted to understand how crown and stem attributes and also tree growth affect stem area at the height of maximum crown diameter (SAHMC), which could be used as a proxy for tree growth potential. We used terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) to generate attributes characterizing crown size and shape. The results showed that increasing stem density decreased Scots pine crown size. TLS provided more detailed attributes for crown characterization compared with traditional field measurements. Furthermore, decreasing stem density increased SAHMC, and strong relationships (Spearman's correlations > 0.5) were found between SAHMC and crown and stem size and also stem growth. Thus, this study provided quantitative and more comprehensive characterization of Scots pine crowns and their growth potential. The combination of a traditional growth and yield study design and 3D characterization of crown architecture and growth potential can open up new research possibilities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ninni Saarinen
- School of Forest Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, Joensuu, Finland
| | - Ville Kankare
- School of Forest Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, Joensuu, Finland
| | | | - Jari Hynynen
- Natural Resources Institute Finland, Helsinki, Finland
| | | | - Tuomas Yrttimaa
- School of Forest Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, Joensuu, Finland
| | - Ville Luoma
- Department of Forest Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Samuli Junttila
- School of Forest Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, Joensuu, Finland
| | - Markus Holopainen
- Department of Forest Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Juha Hyyppä
- Department of Remote Sensing and Photogrammetry, Finnish Geospatial Research Institute, Masala, Finland
| | - Mikko Vastaranta
- School of Forest Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, Joensuu, Finland
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Holt JR, Smetzer JR, Borsuk ME, Laflower D, Orwig DA, Thompson JR. Emerald ash borer intensifies harvest regimes on private land. Ecol Appl 2022; 32:e2508. [PMID: 34870359 DOI: 10.1002/eap.2508] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2021] [Revised: 07/20/2021] [Accepted: 08/05/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Invasive forest insects have significant direct impacts on forest ecosystems and they are also generating new risks, uncertainties, and opportunities for forest landowners. The growing prevalence and inexorable spread of invasive insects across the United States, combined with the fact that the majority of the nation's forests are controlled by thousands of autonomous private landowners, raises an important question: To what extent will private landowners alter their harvest practices in response to insect invasions? Using a quasi-experimental design, we conducted a causal analysis to investigate the influence of the highly impactful emerald ash borer (EAB) on (1) annual probability of harvest; (2) intensity of harvest; and (3) diameter of harvested trees, for both ash and non-ash species on private land throughout the Midwest and mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. We found that EAB detection had a negative impact on annual harvest probability and a positive impact on harvest intensity, resulting in a net increase in harvested biomass. Furthermore, our estimates suggest that EAB detection will influence private landowners to harvest greater quantities of ash, relative to non-ash species. We also found that harvested trees in EAB-infested areas had smaller diameters, on average, compared with those unaffected by EAB. These results can help policymakers, forest managers, and extension programs to anticipate and better advise landowners and managers about their options and the associated outcomes for forests.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan R Holt
- Civil and Environmental Engineering, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | | | - Mark E Borsuk
- Civil and Environmental Engineering, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Danelle Laflower
- Harvard Forest, Harvard University, Petersham, Massachusetts, USA
| | - David A Orwig
- Harvard Forest, Harvard University, Petersham, Massachusetts, USA
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Naqinezhad A, De Lombaerde E, Gholizadeh H, Wasof S, Perring MP, Meeussen C, De Frenne P, Verheyen K. The combined effects of climate and canopy cover changes on understorey plants of the Hyrcanian forest biodiversity hotspot in northern Iran. Glob Chang Biol 2022; 28:1103-1118. [PMID: 34679209 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.15946] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2021] [Revised: 10/06/2021] [Accepted: 10/08/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Understanding forest understorey community response to environmental change, including management actions, is vital given the understorey's importance for biodiversity conservation and ecosystem functioning. The Natural World Heritage Hyrcanian temperate forests (Iran) provide an ideal template for furnishing an appreciation of how management actions can mitigate undesired climate change effects, due to the forests' broad environmental gradients, isolation from colonization sources and varied light environments. We used records of 95 understorey plant species from 512 plots to model their probability of occurrence as a function of contemporary climate and soil variables, and canopy cover. For 65 species with good predictive accuracy, we then projected two climate scenarios in the context of either increasing or decreasing canopy cover, to assess whether overstorey management could mitigate or aggravate climate change effects. Climate variables were the most important predictors for the distribution of all species. Soil and canopy cover varied in importance depending on understorey growth form. Climate change was projected to negatively affect future probabilities of occurrence. However, management, here represented by canopy cover change, is predicted to modify this trajectory for some species groups. Models predict increases in light-adapted and generalist forbs with reduced canopy cover, while graminoids and ferns still decline. Increased canopy cover is projected to buffer an otherwise significant decreasing response of cold-adapted species to climate change. However, increasing canopy cover is not projected to buffer the predicted negative impact of climate change on shade-adapted forest specialists. Inconsistent responses of different species and/or growth forms to climate change and canopy cover reflect their complicated life histories and habitat preferences. Canopy cover management may help prevent the climate change induced loss of some important groups for biodiversity conservation. However, for shade-adapted forest specialists, our results imply a need to adopt other conservation measures in the face of anticipated climate change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alireza Naqinezhad
- Department of Plant Biology, Faculty of Basic Sciences, University of Mazandaran, Babolsar, Mazandaran, Iran
- Forest & Nature Lab, Ghent University, Gontrode-Melle, Belgium
| | | | - Hamid Gholizadeh
- Department of Plant Biology, Faculty of Basic Sciences, University of Mazandaran, Babolsar, Mazandaran, Iran
| | - Safaa Wasof
- Forest & Nature Lab, Ghent University, Gontrode-Melle, Belgium
| | - Michael P Perring
- Forest & Nature Lab, Ghent University, Gontrode-Melle, Belgium
- Ecosystem Restoration and Intervention Ecology Research Group, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA, Australia
- UKCEH (UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology), Environment Centre Wales, Bangor, Gwynedd, UK
| | | | | | - Kris Verheyen
- Forest & Nature Lab, Ghent University, Gontrode-Melle, Belgium
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Elek Z, Růžičková J, Ódor P. Functional plasticity of carabids can presume better the changes in community composition than taxon-based descriptors. Ecol Appl 2022; 32:e02460. [PMID: 34582618 DOI: 10.1002/eap.2460] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2021] [Accepted: 05/19/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Although the functional trait approach can facilitate the understanding of mechanisms that underline community responses to habitat alteration, only a few studies used this way on exploring the structure of insect assemblages compared to taxon-based analyses. We compared the descriptive power of medium-term effects (2014-2018) of forestry treatments in a temperate managed oak-dominated forest on taxon- vs. trait-based descriptors of ground beetle assemblages. The treatments included rotation forestry (partial preparation cutting, clear-cutting, retention-tree group, and mature closed forest as control) and continuous cover forestry (gap cutting) operations. The species composition was only slightly influenced by the treatments; on the ordination biplot, the control, retention tree group, and clear-cutting treatments formed relatively homogeneous groups, well separated from each other, while the others were scattered randomly in the ordination space. Over time, the species richness decreased in all treatments, but it was higher in the retention tree group treatment than in others in 2016 and 2017. The activity density also declined between years, but an immediate mass effect was revealed after the implementation of treatment types especially in the control, gap, and preparation cuts. We found that assemblages in the clear-cutting and retention-tree group had similar characteristics: high functional diversity; more open-habitat, generalist, and omnivore species and fewer carnivore species; while those in the control, gap, and preparation cutting groups had the opposite: lower functional diversity, more forest species, and more carnivorous species. Our findings will demonstrate that the simultaneous use of the two approaches will allow the most articulate understanding of the status of ground beetles assemblages in managed forests.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zoltán Elek
- MTA-ELTE-MTM Ecology Research Group, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, c/o Biological Institute, Eötvös Loránd University, Pázmány Péter sétány 1/C, 1117, Budapest, Hungary
- Hungarian Natural History Museum, Baross u. 13, 1088, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Jana Růžičková
- MTA-ELTE-MTM Ecology Research Group, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, c/o Biological Institute, Eötvös Loránd University, Pázmány Péter sétány 1/C, 1117, Budapest, Hungary
- Hungarian Natural History Museum, Baross u. 13, 1088, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Péter Ódor
- Centre for Ecological Research, Institute of Ecology and Botany, Alkotmány út 2-4, 2163, Vácrátót, Hungary
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Powers JS, Mondragón-Botero A, Norden N, Salgado-Negret B, Pizano C, Gonzalez-M R, Vargas G G. Discovering the forest in plain sight: a pop-up Symposium focusing on seasonally dry tropical forests. New Phytol 2022; 233:62-65. [PMID: 34855226 DOI: 10.1111/nph.17644] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer S Powers
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, University of Minnesota, St Paul, MN, 55108, USA
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of Minnesota, St Paul, MN, 55108, USA
| | | | - Natalia Norden
- Programa de Ciencias Básicas de la Biodiversidad, Instituto de Investigación de Recursos Biológicos Alexander von Humboldt, Cra. 1 #16-20, Bogotá, Colombia
| | | | - Camila Pizano
- Departamento de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Icesi, Valle del Cauca, Calle 18 #122-135, Pance, Cali, 760031, Colombia
| | - Roy Gonzalez-M
- Programa de Ciencias Básicas de la Biodiversidad, Instituto de Investigación de Recursos Biológicos Alexander von Humboldt, Cra. 1 #16-20, Bogotá, Colombia
| | - German Vargas G
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of Minnesota, St Paul, MN, 55108, USA
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Morris JE, Buonanduci MS, Agne MC, Battaglia MA, Harvey BJ. Does the legacy of historical thinning treatments foster resilience to bark beetle outbreaks in subalpine forests? Ecol Appl 2022; 32:e02474. [PMID: 34653267 DOI: 10.1002/eap.2474] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2020] [Revised: 02/10/2021] [Accepted: 04/05/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Promoting ecological resilience to increasing disturbance activity is a key management priority under warming climate. Across the Northern Hemisphere, tree mortality from widespread bark beetle outbreaks raises concerns for how forest management can foster resilience to future outbreaks. Density reduction (i.e., thinning) treatments can increase vigor of remaining trees, but the longevity of treatment efficacy for reducing susceptibility to future disturbance remains a key knowledge gap. Using one of the longest-running replicated experiments in old-growth subalpine forests, we measured stand structure following a recent (early 2000s) severe mountain pine beetle (MPB; Dendroctonus ponderosae) outbreak to examine the legacy of historical (1940s) thinning treatments on two components of resilience. We asked: 'How did historical thinning intensity affect (1) tree-scale survival probability and stand-scale survival proportion (collectively "resistance" to outbreak) for susceptible trees (lodgepole pine [Pinus contorta] ≥ 12 cm diameter) and (2) post-outbreak stand successional trajectories?' Overall outbreak severity was high (MPB killed 59% of susceptible individuals and 78% of susceptible basal area), and historical thinning had little effect on tree-scale and stand-scale resistance. Tree-scale survival probability decreased sharply with increasing tree diameter and did not differ from the control (uncut stands) in the historical thinning treatments. Stand-scale proportion of surviving susceptible trees and basal area did not differ from the control in historically thinned stands, except for treatments that removed nearly all susceptible trees, in which survival proportion approximately doubled. Despite limited effects on resistance to MPB outbreak, the legacy of historical treatments shifted dominance from large-diameter to small-diameter lodgepole pine by the time of outbreak, resulting in historically thinned stands with ~2× greater post-outbreak live basal area than control stands. MPB-driven mortality of large-diameter lodgepole pine in control stands and density-dependent mortality of small-diameter trees in historically thinned stands led to convergence in post-outbreak live tree stand structure. One exception was the heaviest historical thinning treatments (59-77% basal area removed), for which sapling dominance of shade-tolerant, unsusceptible conifers was lower than control stands. After six decades, thinning treatments have had minimal effect on resistance to bark beetle outbreaks, but leave persistent legacies in shaping post-outbreak successional trajectories.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jenna E Morris
- School of Environmental and Forest Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, 98195, USA
| | - Michele S Buonanduci
- School of Environmental and Forest Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, 98195, USA
- Quantitative Ecology and Resource Management, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, 98195, USA
| | - Michelle C Agne
- School of Environmental and Forest Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, 98195, USA
| | - Mike A Battaglia
- USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fort Collins, Colorado, 80526, USA
| | - Brian J Harvey
- School of Environmental and Forest Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, 98195, USA
- Quantitative Ecology and Resource Management, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, 98195, USA
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Prichard SJ, Hessburg PF, Hagmann RK, Povak NA, Dobrowski SZ, Hurteau MD, Kane VR, Keane RE, Kobziar LN, Kolden CA, North M, Parks SA, Safford HD, Stevens JT, Yocom LL, Churchill DJ, Gray RW, Huffman DW, Lake FK, Khatri‐Chhetri P. Adapting western North American forests to climate change and wildfires: 10 common questions. Ecol Appl 2021; 31:e02433. [PMID: 34339088 PMCID: PMC9285930 DOI: 10.1002/eap.2433] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2020] [Revised: 03/09/2021] [Accepted: 03/22/2021] [Indexed: 05/22/2023]
Abstract
We review science-based adaptation strategies for western North American (wNA) forests that include restoring active fire regimes and fostering resilient structure and composition of forested landscapes. As part of the review, we address common questions associated with climate adaptation and realignment treatments that run counter to a broad consensus in the literature. These include the following: (1) Are the effects of fire exclusion overstated? If so, are treatments unwarranted and even counterproductive? (2) Is forest thinning alone sufficient to mitigate wildfire hazard? (3) Can forest thinning and prescribed burning solve the problem? (4) Should active forest management, including forest thinning, be concentrated in the wildland urban interface (WUI)? (5) Can wildfires on their own do the work of fuel treatments? (6) Is the primary objective of fuel reduction treatments to assist in future firefighting response and containment? (7) Do fuel treatments work under extreme fire weather? (8) Is the scale of the problem too great? Can we ever catch up? (9) Will planting more trees mitigate climate change in wNA forests? And (10) is post-fire management needed or even ecologically justified? Based on our review of the scientific evidence, a range of proactive management actions are justified and necessary to keep pace with changing climatic and wildfire regimes and declining forest heterogeneity after severe wildfires. Science-based adaptation options include the use of managed wildfire, prescribed burning, and coupled mechanical thinning and prescribed burning as is consistent with land management allocations and forest conditions. Although some current models of fire management in wNA are averse to short-term risks and uncertainties, the long-term environmental, social, and cultural consequences of wildfire management primarily grounded in fire suppression are well documented, highlighting an urgency to invest in intentional forest management and restoration of active fire regimes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susan J. Prichard
- University of Washington School of Environmental and Forest SciencesSeattleWashington98195‐2100USA
| | - Paul F. Hessburg
- University of Washington School of Environmental and Forest SciencesSeattleWashington98195‐2100USA
- U.S. Forest Service PNW Research StationWenatcheeWashington98801USA
| | - R. Keala Hagmann
- University of Washington School of Environmental and Forest SciencesSeattleWashington98195‐2100USA
- Applegate Forestry LLCCorvallisOregon97330USA
| | - Nicholas A. Povak
- U.S. Forest ServicePacific Southwest Research StationInstitute of Forest Genetics2480 Carson RoadPlacervilleCalifornia95667USA
| | - Solomon Z. Dobrowski
- University of Montana College of Forestry and ConservationMissoulaMontana59812USA
| | - Matthew D. Hurteau
- University of New Mexico Biology DepartmentAlbuquerqueNew Mexico87131‐0001USA
| | - Van R. Kane
- University of Washington School of Environmental and Forest SciencesSeattleWashington98195‐2100USA
| | - Robert E. Keane
- U.S. Forest Service Rocky Mountain Research StationMissoula Fire Sciences LaboratoryMissoulaMontana59808USA
| | - Leda N. Kobziar
- Department of Natural Resources and SocietyUniversity of IdahoMoscowIdaho83844USA
| | - Crystal A. Kolden
- School of EngineeringUniversity of California MercedMercedCalifornia95343USA
| | - Malcolm North
- U.S. Forest Service Pacific Southwest Research Station1731 Research ParkDavisCalifornia95618USA
| | - Sean A. Parks
- U.S. Forest Service Aldo Leopold Wilderness Research InstituteMissoulaMontana59801USA
| | - Hugh D. Safford
- U.S. Forest Service Pacific Southwest Research StationAlbanyCalifornia94710USA
| | - Jens T. Stevens
- U.S. Geological Survey Fort Collins Science CenterNew Mexico Landscapes Field StationSanta FeNew Mexico87544USA
| | - Larissa L. Yocom
- Department of Wildland Resources and Ecology CenterUtah State University College of Agriculture and Applied SciencesLoganUtah84322USA
| | - Derek J. Churchill
- Washington State Department of Natural Resources Forest Health ProgramOlympiaWashington98504USA
| | - Robert W. Gray
- R.W. Gray ConsultingChilliwackBritish ColumbiaV2R2N2Canada
| | - David W. Huffman
- Northern Arizona University Ecological Restoration InstituteFlagstaffArizona86011USA
| | - Frank K. Lake
- U.S. Forest Service Pacific Southwest Research StationArcataCalifornia95521USA
| | - Pratima Khatri‐Chhetri
- University of Washington School of Environmental and Forest SciencesSeattleWashington98195‐2100USA
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