Population structure and adult plant performance of forest herbs in three contrasting habitats

Endels, Patrick; Adriaens, Dries; Verheyen, Kris; Hermy, Martin

doi:10.1111/j.0906-7590.2004.03731.x

Cited by 77 publications

(91 citation statements)

References 58 publications

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“…Endels et al 2004;Verheyen and Hermy 2004;Baeten et al 2009). The vegetative traits (except for A. nemorosa) were: total number of leaves, leaf length and total aboveground dry biomass.…”

Section: Measurement Of Performance and P Uptakementioning

confidence: 99%

“…In this introduction experiment, G. urbanum actually did perform better and persisted in P-enriched post-agricultural sites (cf. Endels et al 2004), so there must be environmental variables other than P that additionally affect performance (e.g., light availability). On the other hand, P. elatior indeed had the intrinsic ability to show higher performance in P-enriched post-agricultural sites , but due to indirect effects such as low longevity and competition with opportunistically growing herbs taking advantage of the high P availability (e.g., Urtica dioica L.: Pigott and Taylor 1964;Hipps et al 2005;Taylor 2009), the species could not maintain viable populations (Baeten et al 2009).…”

Section: Vegetative and Regenerative Performancementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Although several lines of evidence demonstrate that different rates of dispersal shape the initial colonization patterns (Honnay et al 2002;Verheyen et al 2003;Flinn and Vellend 2005), the contrasting colonization capacity among species might be accentuated if fast dispersers also have the strongest tendency to maximize performance in novel environments. A number of field studies found effects of previous agricultural land use on several components of performance in forest herbs (e.g., Endels et al 2004;Verheyen and Hermy 2004;Fratterigo et al 2006;Baeten et al 2009). Despite the difference in P availability between the ancient and post-agricultural sites, the cited studies failed to prove that P is the actual environmental factor that induced the phenotypic responses because it was confounded with several other environmental legacies from former land use (e.g., pH, nitrogen and light availability).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Plasticity in response to phosphorus and light availability in four forest herbs

et al. 2010

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The differential ability of forest herbs to colonize secondary forests on former agricultural land is generally attributed to different rates of dispersal. After propagule arrival, however, establishing individuals still have to cope with abiotic soil legacies from former agricultural land use. We focussed on the plastic responses of forest herbs to increased phosphorus availability, as phosphorus is commonly found to be persistently bioavailable in post-agricultural forest soils. In a pot experiment under field conditions, we applied three P levels to four forest herbs with contrasting colonization capacities: Anemone nemorosa, Primula elatior, Circaea lutetiana and Geum urbanum. To test interactions with light availability, half of the replicas were covered with shade cloths. After two growing seasons, we measured aboveground P uptake, vegetative and regenerative performance. We hypothesized that fast-colonizing species respond the most opportunistically to increased P availability and that a low light availability can mask the effects of P on performance. All species showed a significant increase in P uptake in the aboveground biomass. The P addition had a positive effect on the vegetative performance of two of the species, which was, however, unrelated to their colonization capacities. The regenerative performance was affected by light availability (not by P addition) and was related to the species' phenology. Forest herbs can obviously benefit from the increased P availabilities in post-agricultural forests, but not all species respond in the same way. Such differential patterns of plasticity may be important in community dynamics as they affect the interactions among species.

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“…Endels et al 2004;Verheyen and Hermy 2004;Baeten et al 2009). The vegetative traits (except for A. nemorosa) were: total number of leaves, leaf length and total aboveground dry biomass.…”

Section: Measurement Of Performance and P Uptakementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Vegetative and Regenerative Performancementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Plasticity in response to phosphorus and light availability in four forest herbs

et al. 2010

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“…The results indicate that arable soils are suitable for colonization as soon as a shading canopy controls competition from weeds (cf. Endels et al 2004). However, in areas with heavy eutrophication (N, P), competition from species such as Urtica dioica may have a negative effect (Honnay, Hermy & Coppin 1999;Verheyen & Hermy 2001a;Hipps et al 2005).…”

Section: Former Land Usementioning

confidence: 99%

Plant colonization in heterogeneous landscapes: an 80‐year perspective on restoration of broadleaved forest vegetation

Brunet

2007

Journal of Applied Ecology

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Summary1. Afforestation of agricultural land has become an important issue in Europe during the past two decades. In particular, broadleaf plantations have been promoted as multifunctional forests for biodiversity, timber production and recreation. The aim of this study was to analyse how the colonization of ground-layer plants in recently planted woodlands is affected by stand age, spatial isolation, former land-use type and canopy species. 2. Colonization was studied in 50 plantations of pedunculate oak Quercus robur and 16 plantations of European sycamore Acer pseudoplatanus on former arable land and open pastures in the Torup-Skabersjö area of southern Sweden. Twelve oak plantations and 10 sycamore plantations on ancient woodland sites were used as reference areas. 3. Woodland species richness increased continuously with stand age in plantations contiguous with ancient woodland. The oldest plantations (70 -80 years) approached the species richness of ancient oak woodland. Species richness decreased with increasing distance from ancient woodlands, and there was no significant increase in species richness between stands aged 20 and 80 years in isolated plantations. Most species that regularly colonized isolated plantations had adhesive seeds or small, wind-dispersed diaspores. 4. Ordination analysis showed clear differentiation between former land-use categories and spatiotemporal stand categories (recently isolated, recently contiguous and ancient). No consistent differences were found in vegetation patterns in oak and sycamore stands. Woodland species richness was similar on former arable land and open pastures. Pasture plantations were characterized by the presence of more acid-tolerant species, whereas the frequency of some acid-sensitive species was higher on former fields. 5. Synthesis and applications. This study demonstrates that new woodland should build out from cores of ancient woodland for optimal ground vegetation development. A species-rich ground vegetation can be achieved by spontaneous colonization within 70-80 years when plantations are contiguous with ancient woods. Formerly cultivated soils are generally well suited for understorey plants of forests on base-rich loamy soils as long as closed canopy conditions are maintained. However, many typical forest species are not able to disperse across open fields and their establishment in isolated stands will require sowing or planting.

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“…growth) of a given species may differ in habitats whose quality has been modified by former human practices. Indeed, several studies suggest that past land use can enhance plant performance (Donohue et al 2000;Endels et al 2004;, while others have found the opposite pattern (Vellend 2005).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Previous land use alters plant allocation and growth in forest herbs

Fraterrigo¹,

Turner²,

Pearson³

2005

J Ecology

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Summary1 Former human practices can persistently influence forest ecosystems, particularly by altering the distribution and abundance of vegetation. Previous research has focused on the role of colonization success in governing plant community patterns in abandoned forests, but few studies have explored how changes in the performance of adult plants may contribute to changes in plant populations. 2 We examined patterns of biomass allocation and growth of 12 herbaceous plant species in southern Appalachian forest stands that have developed after agricultural abandonment or logging at least 55 years ago, to determine whether plant performance varied with land-use history. Soil nutrient availability and canopy closure were also investigated. 3 Adult plant biomass allocation varied appreciably among stands with different histories. Herbs in farmed stands generally allocated the most to leaves and the least to stems, while reference stands showed the opposite pattern. Plants in previously farmed sites had the highest rate of growth, although we observed considerable interspecific variation in plant performance. Stem allocation and relative growth rate were positively correlated in reference stands, but not in farmed or logged stands. Similarly, the growth of plants was clearly associated with soil nutrient concentration in reference stands but not in farmed or logged stands. 4 Differences in understorey density and soil nutrient availability may account for the observed patterns. Total herbaceous cover was appreciably lower in farmed and logged stands (58% and 51%) than in reference stands (78%), and soil phosphorus was higher in farmed stands than in logged and reference stands. Thus, competition for light and nutrients may be lower in farmed and logged stands than in reference stands, despite there being no difference in canopy closure with land-use history. 5 Overall, these results suggest that land-use history may influence environmental variables in ways that can enhance the performance of some herbaceous species. However, not all species may respond similarly to these changes.

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Population structure and adult plant performance of forest herbs in three contrasting habitats

Cited by 77 publications

References 58 publications

Plasticity in response to phosphorus and light availability in four forest herbs

Plasticity in response to phosphorus and light availability in four forest herbs

Plant colonization in heterogeneous landscapes: an 80‐year perspective on restoration of broadleaved forest vegetation

Previous land use alters plant allocation and growth in forest herbs

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