Canopy gaps are less susceptible to disturbance-related and invasive herbs than clear-cuts: Temporal changes in the understorey after experimental silvicultural treatments

Aszalós, Réka; Kovács, Bence; Tinya, Flóra; Németh, Csaba; Horváth, Csenge Veronika; Ódor, Péter

doi:10.1016/j.foreco.2023.121438

Cited by 6 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 87 publications

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“…We found a clear relationship between disturbance intensity and the number and cover of neophytes, in line with previous findings [18,36]. In both forest types, the number and abundance of neophytes were negatively associated with tree layer canopy cover.…”

Section: Oak Mortality Promotes the Spread Of Neophytessupporting

confidence: 92%

“…They also found a strong negative correlation between neophyte abundance and tree layer cover, similar to our main conclusion. We found a clear relationship between disturbance intensity and the number and cover of neophytes, in line with previous findings [18,36]. In both forest types, the number and abundance of neophytes were negatively associated with tree layer canopy cover.…”

Section: Oak Mortality Promotes the Spread Of Neophytessupporting

confidence: 92%

“…By increasing resource availability for plant growth (e.g., light, nutrients, water) and altering competitive interactions within resident vegetation, disturbances create favorable niches for disturbance-dependent taxa to enter the plant community, particularly if these changes coincide with the supply of suitable propagules [15,16]. Altered ecological conditions coupled with the greater availability of resources in the initial stages after disturbance favor neophytes that exploit disturbed forest habitats for their spread [10,17,18]. A denser forest canopy and more natural site conditions are negatively correlated with plant invasions, while intensive management, nutrient enrichment and the human-assisted migration of plant diaspores (anthropochory) increase the susceptibility of forests to the spread of neophytes [13,19].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Habitat Degradation Facilitates the Invasion of Neophytes: A Resurvey Study Based on Permanent Vegetation Plots in Oak Forests in Slovenia (Europe)

Kermavnar,

Kutnar

2024

Plants

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The spread of neophytes (non-native plant species) challenges the conservation status and ecological integrity of forests, especially in lowland areas. Long-term resurvey studies are needed to evaluate the temporal dynamics of neophytes in forests; however, such data are scarce. In 2023, we resampled a set of 45 permanent vegetation plots (established in 1992/93) in two forest vegetation types: oak–hornbeam forests dominated by Quercus robur and colline oak–beech forests dominated by Q. petraea. Over the last 30 years, oak forests have experienced extensive oak tree mortality, with the degree of habitat degradation being greater in Q. robur forests. In the early 1990s, only three neophytes with low abundance were recorded across all plots. In the 2023 resurvey, the total number of neophytes increased to 22 species (15 herbaceous and 7 woody species), comprising 6.9% of the total species pool in the understory layer. The increase in the plot-level number and cover of neophytes was significant in plots dominated by Q. robur but not in those with Q. petraea. The most frequent neophytes were Impatiens parviflora (present in 31% of plots), Solidago gigantea (27%), Erigeron annuus (16%) and Erechtites hieraciifolia (16%). The richness and cover of neophytes were significantly affected by the tree layer cover (negative correlation) and the degree of soil disturbance (positive correlation). All neophytes established in disturbed patches, whereas the occurrence of I. parviflora was exceptional as it was able to colonize less degraded, shaded understory environments. Habitat degradation (the mortality-induced loss of stand-forming oak trees resulting in extensive tree layer cover decrease) emerged as a key driver promoting neophyte proliferation, coupled with the impact of management-induced disturbances affecting overstory and soil conditions. The spread is expected to continue or even intensify in the future because novel light regimes and disturbances make forest habitats less resistant to neophyte proliferation.

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Section: Oak Mortality Promotes the Spread Of Neophytessupporting

confidence: 92%

Section: Oak Mortality Promotes the Spread Of Neophytessupporting

confidence: 92%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Habitat Degradation Facilitates the Invasion of Neophytes: A Resurvey Study Based on Permanent Vegetation Plots in Oak Forests in Slovenia (Europe)

Kermavnar,

Kutnar

2024

Plants

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Applying palaeoecological analogues to contemporary challenges: community-level effects of canopy gaps caused by systematic decline of a prevalent tree species

Webb,

Goodenough

2024

J. For. Res.

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Temperate woodland vegetation is initially determined by spatiotemporal and historical factors, mediated by complex biotic interactions. However, catastrophic events such as disease outbreaks (e.g., sweet chestnut blight, ash dieback), infestations of insect pests, and human-accelerated climate change can create canopy gaps due to systematic decline in, or loss of, tree species that was once an important part of the canopy. Resultant cascade effects have the potential to alter the composition of woodland ecosystems quickly and radically, but inherent lag times make primary research into these effects challenging. Here, we explore change in woodland vegetation at 10 sites in response to canopy opening using the Elm Decline, a rapid loss of Ulmus in woodlands across northwestern Europe ~ 5800 years ago that coexisted alongside other stressors such as increasing human activity, as a palaeoecological analogue. For arboreal taxa, community evenness significantly decreased, within-site turnover significantly increased, and richness remained unchanged. Changes in arboreal taxa were highly site-specific but there was a substantial decline in woody climbing taxa, especially Hedera (ivy), across the majority of sites. For shrub taxa, richness significantly increased but evenness and turnover remained consistent. Interestingly, however, there was a significant increase in abundance of shrubs at 70% of sites, including Calluna (heather), Ilex (holly) and Corylus (hazel), suggesting structural change. Surprisingly, there was no change in richness, evenness or turnover for herb taxa, possibly because change was highly variable spatially. However, there was a marked uptick in the disturbance indicator Plantago (plantain). Overall, these findings suggest that woodlands with sustained reduction in, or loss of, a tree species that once formed an important part of the canopy has profound, but often spatially idiosyncratic, impacts on vegetation diversity (richness), composition (evenness), stability (turnover), and on abundance of specific taxa, especially within the shrub layer. Use of this palaeoecological analogue, which was itself complicated by cooccurring changes in human activity, provides a valuable empirical insight into possible cascade effects of similar change in canopy opening in contemporary settings, including Ash Dieback.

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Effect of the rotation frequency in the eucalypt plantations

Sertutxa,

Ortega-Barrueta,

Ametzaga-Arregi

et al. 2024

Forest Ecosystems

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Canopy gaps are less susceptible to disturbance-related and invasive herbs than clear-cuts: Temporal changes in the understorey after experimental silvicultural treatments

Cited by 6 publications

References 87 publications

Habitat Degradation Facilitates the Invasion of Neophytes: A Resurvey Study Based on Permanent Vegetation Plots in Oak Forests in Slovenia (Europe)

Habitat Degradation Facilitates the Invasion of Neophytes: A Resurvey Study Based on Permanent Vegetation Plots in Oak Forests in Slovenia (Europe)

Applying palaeoecological analogues to contemporary challenges: community-level effects of canopy gaps caused by systematic decline of a prevalent tree species

Effect of the rotation frequency in the eucalypt plantations

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