Ecological gradients of boreal forests in South Finland: an ordination test of Cajander's forest site type theory

Lahti, Tuuli; Väisänen, Rauno

doi:10.1007/bf00114715

Cited by 80 publications

(84 citation statements)

References 19 publications

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“…This is well in accordance with results of Florgård (2000). Dominant tree species affect the composition of the understorey vegetation (Kuusipalo 1983, Lahti andVäisänen 1987). Correspondingly, we found a distinctive light gradient in the understorey vegetation from the more shady Norway spruce -dominated stands to the better light conditions of forests with increasing numbers of broad-leaved trees.…”

Section: Species Compositionsupporting

confidence: 57%

“…Moss coverage decreased with increasing amounts of leaf litter on the forest fl oor. Like Lahti and Väisänen (1987) concluded, mosses tend to withdraw from where the litter is abundant. Also, nutrients released and washed out of the tree crowns affect composition of understorey vegetation and especially composition of mosses, which absorb effi ciently nutrients from rain drip.…”

Section: Species Compositionmentioning

confidence: 85%

“…There were also deteriorated areas along the edges of larger forest patches and in the inner parts of large patches in the vicinity of constructed paths and attractive natural elements. Myrtillus type is edaphically comparatively uniform and differences in vegetation are caused mainly by tree stand factors (Kuusipalo 1983, Lahti and Väisänen 1987). The vegetation in the selected MT biotopes was homogenous and thus, there was no difference in wear resistance between the biotopes.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Also, nutrients released and washed out of the tree crowns affect composition of understorey vegetation and especially composition of mosses, which absorb effi ciently nutrients from rain drip. Fertility of the soil increases with increasing number of broad-leaved trees and affects understorey species composition (Lahti and Väisänen 1987).…”

Section: Species Compositionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Anthropogenic effects on understorey vegetation in Myrtillus type urban forests in southern Finland

Malmivaara

Löfström²,

Vanha‐Majamaa³

2002

Silva Fenn.

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The growth of urban population in Finland has resulted in increased fragmentation of urban forests and consequently increased recreational pressure on these forests. The effects of fragmentation and trampling on the ground and fi eld layer vegetation were studied in mesic Myrtillus type Norway spruce-dominated urban forest stands of varying size in the greater Helsinki area. The number of residents living in the vicinity of the forest stands was an important factor affecting the understorey vegetation in urban forests. The cover of understorey vegetation in urban forests was remarkably lower than in rural areas, especially the ground layer cover, e.g. cover of Pleurozium schreberi, was signifi cantly lower in urban forests than in the reference areas. Thus, the ground layer proved to be most susceptible to trampling. In the fi eld layer, the cover of dwarf shrubs, especially of Vaccinium myrtillus, was lower in deteriorated than in undeteriorated urban forest stands.

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Section: Species Compositionsupporting

confidence: 57%

Section: Species Compositionmentioning

confidence: 85%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Species Compositionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Anthropogenic effects on understorey vegetation in Myrtillus type urban forests in southern Finland

Malmivaara

Löfström²,

Vanha‐Majamaa³

2002

Silva Fenn.

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“…This is in correspondence with the results obtained in spruce forest where pH contributes to the main coenocline in nine out of ten reference areas and is the variable most strongly correlated with the gradient in six of these (T. Økland 1996). Other studies also find pH to be the best variable in explaining variation along the main vegetation gradient (Sepponen 1985, Lahti & Väisänen 1987, Taylor et al 1987, R. Økland & Eilertsen 1993, R. Økland et al 2001, Aarrestad 2002. However, pH mainly structures the vegetation indirectly by influencing the soil fauna and the plant mineral nutrient availability (cf.…”

Section: The Gradient In Nutrient Conditionsmentioning

confidence: 94%

Vegetation composition, gradients and environment relationships of birch forest in six reference areas in Norway

et al. 2010

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Terrestrial Monitoring of boreal birch forest ecosystems (TOV) was initiated in 1989 by the Directorate for Nature Management. The programme has a multidisciplinary approach and integrates studies of precipitation, soil water, soil, understorey vegetation composition, lichens on birch trunks, population studies of birds and mammals and environmental pollutants in plants and animals. Here we present studies of forest floor vegetation at establishment, which supplements and complements two studies established in boreal coniferous forests in 1988: 'The effect of acid precipitation on forest and forest understorey vegetation in Gjerstad, South Norway' and 'Vegetational and environmental monitoring of boreal spruce forest in ten reference areas', the latter initiated by the Norwegian Institute of Land Inventory (NIJOS) as part of a forest health monitoring programme.The reference areas were selected to span regional gradients in climatic conditions and deposition of airborne pollutants, in old-growth bilberry-dominated birch forest in Norway. Ten macro plots in each reference area were located to span differences in nutrient and soil moisture conditions, terrain features, etc. by a sampling design similar to the one used in coniferous forests. Fifty 1×1 m meso sample plots, randomly chosen within the ten macro plots, were subjected to vegetation analysis, using frequency in subplots as well as percent cover as species abundance measures.The main vegetational gradients were found by parallel use of DCA and GNMDS ordination methods; the results of which were subjected to environmental interpretation by means of non-parametric correlation and split-plot GLM analyses. Both ordination methods gave to large degree similar, interpretable, vegetation gradients. The most important ecoclines were related to variation in nutrient conditions, best expressed by pH, Ca, K and S. Tree influence, topographic (un)favourability, soil moisture and soil depth were other factors which were correlated with one of the two main vegetation gradients (ecoclines).The main vegetational gradients and environmental/climatic/geographical complex gradients in the total data set were found by DCA and subsequent interpretation of the axes. The main complex gradient corresponded to the variation in the vegetation from sites with low pH and low content of nutrients (low concentrations of macro nutrients like C, Ca, Mn, S and Total N) and high loss on ignition to vice versa. The second gradient corresponded to variation in the vegetation from sites with high effective temperature sums at low latitudes and high soil concentrations of Mn and S, to sites with opposite characteristics. Most of the variation (> 80%) in the vegetation compositions could be ascribed to the between macro plots scale level, leaving a small residual variation on the between area and in the plots within macro plot scale level.

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Site fertility drives temporal turnover of vegetation at high latitudes

Maliniemi

Happonen

Virtanen

2019

Ecology and Evolution

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Experimental evidence shows that site fertility is a key modulator underlying plant community changes under climate change. Communities on fertile sites, with species having fast dynamics, have been found to react more strongly to climate change than communities on infertile sites with slow dynamics. However, it is still unclear whether this generally applies to high‐latitude plant communities in natural environments at broad spatial scales. We tested a hypothesis that vegetation of fertile sites experiences greater changes over several decades and thus would be more responsive under contemporary climate change compared to infertile sites that are expected to show more resistance. We resurveyed understorey communities (vascular plants, bryophytes, and lichens) of four infertile and four fertile forest sites along a latitudinal bioclimatic gradient. Sites had remained outside direct human disturbance. We analyzed the magnitude of temporal community turnover, changes in the abundances of plant morphological groups and strategy classes, and changes in species diversity. In agreement with our hypothesis, temporal turnover of communities was consistently greater on fertile sites compared to infertile sites. However, our results suggest that the larger turnover of fertile communities is not primarily related to the direct effects of climatic warming. Furthermore, community changes in both fertile and infertile sites showed remarkable variation in terms of shares of plant functional groups and strategy classes and measures of species diversity. This further emphasizes the essential role of baseline environmental conditions and nonclimatic drivers underlying vegetation changes. Our results show that site fertility is a key determinant of the overall rate of high‐latitude vegetation changes but the composition of plant communities in different ecological contexts is variously impacted by nonclimatic drivers over time.

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Ecological gradients of boreal forests in South Finland: an ordination test of Cajander's forest site type theory

Cited by 80 publications

References 19 publications

Anthropogenic effects on understorey vegetation in Myrtillus type urban forests in southern Finland

Anthropogenic effects on understorey vegetation in Myrtillus type urban forests in southern Finland

Vegetation composition, gradients and environment relationships of birch forest in six reference areas in Norway

Site fertility drives temporal turnover of vegetation at high latitudes

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