Forest remnants in the Long Point region, Southern Ontario: Tree species diversity and size structure

Relative contribution of edge and interior zones to patch size effect on species richness: An example for woody plants

“…This could explain the increase in light-demanding species but not in shade-demanding species richness in the edge zone in our woodlots, as also found by Cayuela et al (2006). Given their longevity, woody plants can persist for a long time (Hill and Curran, 2005) in sub-optimal conditions, leading to time lags between habitat degradation (by exposure to edge effects) and species response (Simberloff and Gotelli, 1984;Richart and Hewitt, 2008), i.e. 'extinction debt' (Tilman et al, 1994).…”

“…Concerning the survival of forest specialists in small fragments, the question arises about the slow response of longlived plants to forest fragmentation (Richart and Hewitt, 2008), as work based on simulations for Fagus grandifolia, a late-successional species in Wisconsin fragmented forests, suggests problems of recruitment of shade-tolerant species present as adults in the edge zone (Ranney et al, 1981). Hill and Curran (2005) also showed that shade-tolerant species responded to increased irregularity of fragment boundaries at the seedling stage but not at the adult stage.…”

“…Forest remnants in agricultural landscapes may provide a sanctuary for native plant species and must therefore be considered in regional biodiversity plans (Honnay et al, 1999;Freemark et al, 2002;Richart and Hewitt, 2008). In order to understand the capacity of habitats to conserve species, many studies have searched for a species-area relationship (SAR) to evaluate the effect of patch size on species richness in habitat fragments (Scanlan, 1981;Dzwonko and Loster, 1988;Zacharias and Brandes, 1990;Honnay et al, 1999;Godefroid and Koedam, 2003;Gignac and Dale, 2007).…”

“…In order to understand the capacity of habitats to conserve species, many studies have searched for a species-area relationship (SAR) to evaluate the effect of patch size on species richness in habitat fragments (Scanlan, 1981;Dzwonko and Loster, 1988;Zacharias and Brandes, 1990;Honnay et al, 1999;Godefroid and Koedam, 2003;Gignac and Dale, 2007). Patch size reduction associated with habitat loss and habitat fragmentation (Fahrig, 2003) is indeed one of the major threats to biodiversity (Sisk and Margules, 1993), although there is little empirical evidence of the long-term consequences of forest fragmentation, particularly for long-lived organisms such as trees (Richart and Hewitt, 2008).…”

Response of carbon and water fluxes to environmental variability in two Eastern North American forests of similar-age but contrasting leaf-retention and shape strategies

“…North America, temperate forests are significant for future climate mitigation strategies, as they are impacted by warming and disturbance events (Bonan, 2008;Cubasch et al, 2013;Weed et al, 2013). These areas were a large source of carbon, due to land clearing for agricultural purposes, at the start of the 20th century (Bonan, 2008;Richart and Hewitt, 2008). With the rise of industrial development and movement of agriculture into western states, many of these agricultural areas were abandoned and reforested through natural regrowth and afforestation practices (Canadell and Raupach, 2008).…”