Edge effects and trampling in boreal urban forest fragments – impacts on the soil microbial community

Malmivaara-Lämsä, Minna; Hamberg, Leena; Haapamäki, Elli; Liski, Jari; Kotze, D. Johan; Lehvävirta, Susanna; Fritze, Hannu

doi:10.1016/j.soilbio.2008.01.013

Cited by 91 publications

(74 citation statements)

References 40 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…In order to protect urban nature, it is advisable to manage visitor flows, especially in heavily used green areas, with well planned and constructed routes (see Hamberg et al 2008;Malmivaara-Lämsä et al 2008). Moreover, such areas require regular maintenance and monitoring to ensure the proper functioning of recreational services (DeLucio and Múgica 1994).…”

Section: Recreation As An Ecosystem Servicementioning

confidence: 99%

Using the ecosystem services approach for better planning and conservation of urban green spaces: a Finland case study

et al. 2010

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Ecosystem services are vital for humans in urban regions. However, urban development poses a great risk for the ability of ecosystems to provide these services. In this paper we first address the most important ecosystem services in functional urban regions in Finland. Well accessible and good quality recreational ecosystem services, for example, provided by urban nature, are an important part of a high-quality living environment and important for public health. Vegetation of urban regions can have a role in carbon dioxide sequestration and thus in climate change mitigation. For instance, estimates of carbon sinks can be compared to total CO 2 emissions of an urban region, and the municipality can aim at both increasing carbon sinks and decreasing CO 2 emissions with proper land-use planning. Large and contiguous core nature areas, smaller green areas and ecological connections between them are the essence of regional ecological networks and are essential for maintaining interconnected habitats for species and thus biological diversity. Thus, both local and regional level ecological networks are vital for maintaining ecosystem services in urban regions. The impacts of climate change coupled with land-use and land cover change will bring serious challenges for maintaining ecosystem services in urban areas.Although not yet widely used in planning practices, the ecosystem services approach can provide an opportunity for land-use planning to develop ecologically sustainable urban regions. Currently, information on ecosystem services of urban regions is lacking and there is a need to improve the knowledge base for land-use planning.

show abstract

Section: Recreation As An Ecosystem Servicementioning

confidence: 99%

Using the ecosystem services approach for better planning and conservation of urban green spaces: a Finland case study

et al. 2010

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Thus, differences observed in the fungal response patterns among sites may not imply real differences in all cases, but may be artificial and due to the limited coverage of sample cores. Also, a high spatial variability of microbial distribution patterns must be kept in mind when sampling (Pennanen et al 1999, Malmivaara-Lämsä et al 2008). On the other hand, it has been suggested that an observable and predictable distribution pattern of soil organisms exists and might be linked to, e.g., vegetation, fine roots and the aggregation of organic matter or soil carbon (Ettema and Wardle 2002).…”

Section: Site Typementioning

confidence: 99%

Aerobic carbon-cycle related microbial communities in boreal peatlands: responses to water-level drawdown

Peltoniemi¹

2010

Diss. For.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Boreal peatlands represent a considerable portion of the global carbon (C) pool. These environments are vulnerable to changes in water level (WL), which can vary dramatically in response to climate or land-use change. Water-level drawdown (WLD) causes peatland drying and induces a vegetation change, which in turn affects the decomposition of soil organic matter and the release of greenhouse gases (CO 2 and CH 4 ) into the atmosphere. The objective of this thesis was to study the microbial communities related to the C cycle and their response to WLD in two boreal peatlands.The first study site (Lakkasuo) is a boreal peatland complex that was partly drained in 1961 to investigate the long-term effects of WLD, and includes three site types with different nutrient levels. At the same location, an experiment simulating the predicted effect of climate change was carried out in 2001 to study the short-term effects of WLD. The second study site (Suonukkasuo) is a boreal fen with a WL gradient caused by a groundwater extraction plant; the undisturbed fen grades into a pine-dominated peatland forest. Microbial communities were studied with phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) analysis, PCR-DGGE and multivariate analysis.Both sampling depth and site type had a strong impact on all microbial communities. In general, bacteria dominated the deeper layers of the nutrient-rich fen and the wettest surfaces of the nutrient-poor bog sites, whereas fungi seemed more abundant in the drier surfaces of the nutrient-poor bog. WLD clearly affected the microbial communities but the effect was dependent on site type. Fungi and Gram-negative bacteria seemed to benefit and actinobacteria to suffer from the WLD in the fens. The fungal and methane-oxidizing bacteria (MOB) community composition changed at all sites but the actinobacterial community response was apparent only in the nutrientrich fen after WLD.The actinobacterial response to WLD was minor compared to that of the fungal community. The response was greatest in the nutrient-rich fen and least in the nutrient-poor bog. Microbial communities became more similar among sites after long-term WLD. Litter quality had a large impact on community composition, whereas the effects of site type and WLD were relatively minor. The decomposition rate of fresh organic matter was influenced slightly by actinobacteria, but not at all by fungi. Overall, the results were in line with patterns of vegetation change in the study sites.Field respiration measurements in the northern fen indicated that short term WLD accelerates the decomposition of soil organic matter. In addition, a correlation between activity and certain fungal sequences indicated that community composition affects the decomposition of old organic matter in deeper layers of the peat profile. Fungal sequences were matched to taxa capable of utilizing a broad range of substrates. Most of the actinobacterial sequences could not be matched to characterized taxa in reference databases. WLD had a negative impact on CH 4 oxidation, especiall...

show abstract

“…Although the edge effect changed plant species covers and probabilities of occurrences at sub-xeric urban forest edges, we did not find any invasion of species not belonging to sub-xeric sites. Results from more nutrient rich, mesic urban forests in the same area revealed that an increase in soil fertility at south to west-facing edges increased the number of species benefiting from higher soil fertility (Hamberg et al 2008;Malmivaara-Lämsä et al 2008b). However, poorer sub-xeric soils may prevent urban invaders from establishing at these forest edges (see also Honnay et al 2002).…”

Section: Effects Of the Edgementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Bannerman 1998;Chen et al 1995;Weathers et al 2001). Edges are, consequently, windier, warmer, drier and more nutrient-rich than forest interiors (see Didham and Lawton 1999;Malmivaara-Lämsä et al 2008b). In the northern hemisphere, effects of the edge (in terms of light, air and soil temperature, relative humidity and soil moisture) are especially strong at south to westfacing edges and weaker at northern and eastern edges (Chen et al 1995;Gehlhausen et al 2000).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Vegetation changes at sub-xeric urban forest edges in Finland – the effects of edge aspect and trampling

et al. 2010

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The relative strengths of the effects of forest edges and recreational use on understorey vegetation were studied at sub-xeric boreal urban forest edges in the greater Helsinki region, Finland. The study was performed at northern, eastern, southern and western edges, and vegetation sample plots were placed on, next to and away from paths with different trampling intensities 0-107 m from the forest edges. We found that human trampling altered vegetation more than the effects of forest edges. Vegetation changed dramatically on paths and the effects of path edges were seen in seemingly untrampled vegetation at least up to 4 m from the path edge. However, our results suggested that the effect of the edge may penetrate up to 50 m into forest interiors. Changes in vegetation composition indicated that the effects of the edge were stronger at eastern, southern and western than at northern edges.

show abstract

Edge effects and trampling in boreal urban forest fragments – impacts on the soil microbial community

Cited by 91 publications

References 40 publications

Using the ecosystem services approach for better planning and conservation of urban green spaces: a Finland case study

Using the ecosystem services approach for better planning and conservation of urban green spaces: a Finland case study

Aerobic carbon-cycle related microbial communities in boreal peatlands: responses to water-level drawdown

Vegetation changes at sub-xeric urban forest edges in Finland – the effects of edge aspect and trampling

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About