Species composition and diversity of natural forest edges: edge responses and local edge species

Erdős, László; Gallé, Róbert; Körmöczi, László; Bátori, Zoltán

doi:10.1556/comec.14.2013.1.6

Cited by 38 publications

(29 citation statements)

References 53 publications

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“…Moreover, in another forest-steppe (where grazing ceased considerably earlier), canopy cover increased to ca. 73% (Erdős et al, 2015a), but grassland-related species are obviously able to survive even in the remaining, relatively small grassland patches (Erdős et al 2013b), and, to a certain degree, even within the forest patches (Erdős et al, 2015b).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The effects of different canopy covers on the herb layer in the forest-steppes of the Grazer Bergland (Eastern Alps, Austria)

Erdős

Bátori

Tolnay

et al. 2017

Contemp. Probl. Ecol.

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The submontane belt of the eastern Alps is dominated by beech forests. However, on rocky and steep south-facing slopes, small vegetation mosaics have developed, which, to a certain degree, are similar to the Pannonian forest-steppes. In spite of their unique conservation importance and threatened status, they have received relatively little scientific attention. In this study we analyzed the spatial pattern of such mosaics. More specifically, our objective was to find out how canopy cover value influences the species composition of the herb layer. According to our results, canopy cover of Pinus sylvestris has a rather limited effect on the herb layer composition and species richness.Thus, in the studied canopy cover range (ca. 5-75% canopy cover), most species occurred under all canopy cover grades. This is presumably a result of the canopy characteristics and branching pattern of P. sylvestris: it can be assumed that the physical conditions of the canopy and intercanopy patches are somewhat similar. This is in sharp contrast with the Pannonian forest-steppes dominated by Quercus pubescens. We conclude that, even though the cessation of traditional land-use may not result in a rapid change of the composition in eastern Austrian forest-steppes, every effort must be made to conserve these valuable habitats.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The effects of different canopy covers on the herb layer in the forest-steppes of the Grazer Bergland (Eastern Alps, Austria)

Erdős

Bátori

Tolnay

et al. 2017

Contemp. Probl. Ecol.

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“…Moreover, south-facing edges differ considerably from northfacing edges (Erdős et al 2013a). In addition, our preliminary studies showed that forest patches should be differentiated according to their size.…”

Section: Field Workmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, in the study area grazing has been prohibited since 1885 (Kiss 1915), and all forestry activities ceased in 1908 (Gaskó 2009). Consequently, spontaneous vegetation development resulted in a pattern which probably resembles the natural forest-grassland mosaic (Bodrogközy 1957, Gaskó 2009, Erdős et al 2013a. In this process, the forest opened up and the structurally and compositionally near-natural grassland vegetation was able to recover in the treeless patches.…”

Section: Vegetation History Of the Study Area And Its Surroundings Bementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Moreover, it enables to draw some tentative conclusions regarding the possible future tendencies, based on tree recruitment patterns. Recently, it has been recognized that forest-steppes are more heterogeneous than previously thought (Erdős et al 2013a, consisting of several different habitats. It can be assumed that these habitats provide different opportunities for tree recruitment and survival, influencing vegetation dynamics, although no detailed analysis has been carried out on this topic yet.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Vegetation history, recent dynamics and future prospects of a Hungarian sandy forest-steppe reserve: forest-grassland relations, tree species composition and size-class distribution

et al. 2015

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Pannonian forest-steppes host a high number of endemic species and contribute to landscape-scale heterogeneity. Alterations in the proportion of forests and grasslands due to changes in land-use practice and climatic parameters can have serious nature conservation consequences. Hypotheses about forest-steppe dynamics have rarely been verified by detailed analyses, especially for the sandy forest-steppes. We integrated historical analysis, aerial photo interpretation and field investigation to determine how vegetation of a sandy forest-steppe has changed, how current dynamical processes operate and how native and exotic tree species regenerate under present conditions. The vegetation of the study area before the onset of major anthropogenic environmental transformations in the Carpathian Basin may have been a mosaic of forested and unforested patches. However, there is strong evidence that after heavy deforestation, the region was almost completely treeless between the 15 th and the 19 th centuries. Forest cover was able to recover by the 1800s but the lack of forested areas in the region for centuries explains why forest patches are still poor in species. Grasslands, which existed continuously, are more diverse, supporting several rare and endemic species. From 1953 till 2013, 72.45% of the area proved to be stable, but 27.55% showed clear dynamical character, changing either from forest to grassland, or vice versa. Thus, cyclic dynamics can occur in sandy forest-steppes. We found that forest patches of different size, differently exposed edges and grasslands provide different habitats for the tree species. Exotic species were present in large numbers, probably due to the small size of the reserve and the lack of a buffer zone. Abbreviations: DBH-diameter at breast height, DCA-Detrended Correspondence Analysis.

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“…The identity of ecotones (i.e., the type and extent of community composition shifts) can vary spatially and temporally (Danz et al 2013). Ecotones and their properties have been described in a wide range of systems; along gradients of bird distributions (Williams et al 1999), at grassland-forest edges (Danz et al 2013, Erdős et al 2013) and at wetlandforest boundaries (Carter et al 1994, Kirkman et al 1998, Brownstein et al 2013; in both natural and modified habitats (Lloyd et al 2000, Walker et al 2003. However, studies of vegetation dynamics in ecotones often report findings that are contradictory or inconsistent with each other and there is little agreement about how ecotones function.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ecotones as indicators: boundary properties in wetland-woodland transition zones

Brownstein¹,

Johns²,

Fletcher³

et al. 2015

Community Ecology

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Ecotones, representing the transition zones between species or communities, have been suggested as focal points for detecting early shifts in vegetation composition due to anthropogenic impact. Here we examined if changes in ecotone location or properties can be used as reliable indicators of hydrological change in temperate wetland communities. We examined 38 woodland-wetland-woodland transitions, distributed across four sites with different anthropogenic disturbance histories and hydrological traits. We tested whether: 1) the ecotones are associated with environmental gradients, and 2) the location or properties of these ecotones change with disturbance history. Well-defined ecotones were associated with steep gradients in soil depth and soil moisture. Most ecotones showed a change in vegetation from hydrophytic to dryland species. There was also some evidence that in highly disturbed sites the link between ecotones and environmental gradients was less apparent. By sampling across boundaries we can better understand the factors controlling the distribution of species. This allows us to make better predictions about the impacts of anthropogenic change in wetland communities. By investigating the transitions between different vegetation communities we were able to highlight key indicators that could be used to monitor these ecologically sensitive and diverse wetland communities.

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Species composition and diversity of natural forest edges: edge responses and local edge species

Cited by 38 publications

References 53 publications

The effects of different canopy covers on the herb layer in the forest-steppes of the Grazer Bergland (Eastern Alps, Austria)

The effects of different canopy covers on the herb layer in the forest-steppes of the Grazer Bergland (Eastern Alps, Austria)

Vegetation history, recent dynamics and future prospects of a Hungarian sandy forest-steppe reserve: forest-grassland relations, tree species composition and size-class distribution

Ecotones as indicators: boundary properties in wetland-woodland transition zones

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