Understory plant growth forms respond independently to combined natural and anthropogenic disturbances

Spicer, Michelle Elise; Royo, Alejandro A.; Wenzel, John W.; Carson, Walter P.

doi:10.1016/j.foreco.2023.121077

Cited by 8 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 116 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Soil disturbance had a positive effect on the plot-level species richness and cover of neophytes. Mechanical soil damage could provide opportunities for non-native invasive species to spread in forested landscapes by creating trails, spreading propagules and making available potentially new resources or niche spaces [38]. Šebesta et al [20] reported that invasive plants were more abundant in sites impacted by mechanical soil disturbance.…”

Section: Importance Of Soil Disturbance and Moisture Conditionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Habitat Degradation Facilitates the Invasion of Neophytes: A Resurvey Study Based on Permanent Vegetation Plots in Oak Forests in Slovenia (Europe)

Kermavnar,

Kutnar

2024

Plants

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The spread of neophytes (non-native plant species) challenges the conservation status and ecological integrity of forests, especially in lowland areas. Long-term resurvey studies are needed to evaluate the temporal dynamics of neophytes in forests; however, such data are scarce. In 2023, we resampled a set of 45 permanent vegetation plots (established in 1992/93) in two forest vegetation types: oak–hornbeam forests dominated by Quercus robur and colline oak–beech forests dominated by Q. petraea. Over the last 30 years, oak forests have experienced extensive oak tree mortality, with the degree of habitat degradation being greater in Q. robur forests. In the early 1990s, only three neophytes with low abundance were recorded across all plots. In the 2023 resurvey, the total number of neophytes increased to 22 species (15 herbaceous and 7 woody species), comprising 6.9% of the total species pool in the understory layer. The increase in the plot-level number and cover of neophytes was significant in plots dominated by Q. robur but not in those with Q. petraea. The most frequent neophytes were Impatiens parviflora (present in 31% of plots), Solidago gigantea (27%), Erigeron annuus (16%) and Erechtites hieraciifolia (16%). The richness and cover of neophytes were significantly affected by the tree layer cover (negative correlation) and the degree of soil disturbance (positive correlation). All neophytes established in disturbed patches, whereas the occurrence of I. parviflora was exceptional as it was able to colonize less degraded, shaded understory environments. Habitat degradation (the mortality-induced loss of stand-forming oak trees resulting in extensive tree layer cover decrease) emerged as a key driver promoting neophyte proliferation, coupled with the impact of management-induced disturbances affecting overstory and soil conditions. The spread is expected to continue or even intensify in the future because novel light regimes and disturbances make forest habitats less resistant to neophyte proliferation.

show abstract

Section: Importance Of Soil Disturbance and Moisture Conditionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Habitat Degradation Facilitates the Invasion of Neophytes: A Resurvey Study Based on Permanent Vegetation Plots in Oak Forests in Slovenia (Europe)

Kermavnar,

Kutnar

2024

Plants

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Forest disturbance can cause profound impacts on the global ecosystem (Antwi et al 2022;Thom and Seidl 2016). These disturbances include frequent natural disasters ( res, pests, and disease outbreaks) and human activities (deforestation and land use changes), which will considerably in uence carbon storage, biodiversity, and result in serious damage to forest structure and degradation of ecological functions (Marzo et al 2023;Spicer et al 2023; Zhang et al 2023). Road construction poses a destructive threat causing the deforestation of natural habitats (Forman et al 2003;Zhuo et al 2022), introduction of chemicals and heavy metals (Ma et al 2018), alteration of hydrological processes and microclimate (Kastridis 2020; Sheridan and Noske 2007), and establishment of invasive plant species (Li et al 2022), often with irreversible impacts on ecosystems.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impact of road corridors on soil properties and plant communities in high-elevation fragile ecosystems

Bao,

Zhang,

Dong

et al. 2024

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Road construction constitutes a significant disruption to natural ecosystems. Globally, high-elevation regions are among the most fragile and sensitive ecosystems, while systematic information regarding the impact of road construction on soil properties and plant communities in these regions remains scarce. In this study, paired plots were established along the road route from Yunnan Province to Tibet Autonomous Region in Southwest China, with elevation ranging from 2,400 m to 4,900 m. Results revealed the restoration of soil properties post-disturbance had been a multifaceted and long-term progress. Specifically, disturbed plots exhibited a significant increase in soil pH, while soil moisture, TC, TN, TP, NH4-N, and AK suffered substantial loss. Moreover, the strong recovery ability of shrub and herbaceous species was observed in our study, while tree communities were difficult to revert to their original state. Furthermore, the influence of elevation on vegetation restoration also varied depending on plant life forms. In light of these findings, appropriate strategies were proposed to mitigate the negative impacts and promote the ecosystem recovery after road construction in these ecologically fragile regions.

show abstract

“…(2022) found that deer browsing in canopy gaps reduced native seedling diversity in wetter forest but had no effect on native seedling diversity in drier forest. In large gaps, high resource availability, both light and soil moisture, may also allow some browse-sensitive species to rapidly grow through the deer lter (Walters et al 2016;Spicer et al 2023). Finally, it is unclear whether gap-phase regeneration interacts with browsing as canopy gaps age.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Native tree species prosper while exotics falter during gap-phase regeneration, but only where deer densities are near historical levels

Yacucci,

Carson,

Martineau

et al. 2023

New Forests

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Throughout eastern North America, chronic white-tailed deer overbrowsing and widespread exotic plant invasions degrade native plant species diversity and abundance. However, because deer densities are high across entire regions, it is challenging to nd large areas where deer have been at low density for long periods. We tested the hypothesis that native plant diversity and abundance would be signi cantly higher during gap-phase regeneration where deer have been maintained at low densities (~ 7 deer/km²) compared to where deer have been chronically overabundant. Simultaneously, we tested the hypothesis that exotic plant diversity and abundance would be lower in gaps where deer have been maintained at low versus high densities. We also evaluated whether deer density interacts with gap age, gap size, and gaps in dry versus more mesic forest patches. To test these hypotheses, we studied 41 gaps throughout an 88 km 2 fenced military post where deer were maintained near historical densities for 67 years compared to nearby forests where deer have been overabundant for decades. Deer were the primary lter. Within canopy gaps at low deer density, native species richness, diversity, and cover were 30-65% higher, and exotic species cover was 80% lower. Sapling height and density of multiple native canopy tree species (e.g., two Quercus spp.) were 5-20-fold higher within canopy gaps at low deer density. Moreover, 10 native woody species were indicators of low deer density, including three Quercus species, whereas no native woody species were indicators of high deer density. Our ndings demonstrate that gaps develop a vigorous and diverse native sapling layer that is not plagued by exotics at low deer density. We propose that military posts may be conservation and regeneration hotspots whenever they regularly cull deer.

show abstract

Understory plant growth forms respond independently to combined natural and anthropogenic disturbances

Cited by 8 publications

References 116 publications

Habitat Degradation Facilitates the Invasion of Neophytes: A Resurvey Study Based on Permanent Vegetation Plots in Oak Forests in Slovenia (Europe)

Habitat Degradation Facilitates the Invasion of Neophytes: A Resurvey Study Based on Permanent Vegetation Plots in Oak Forests in Slovenia (Europe)

Impact of road corridors on soil properties and plant communities in high-elevation fragile ecosystems

Native tree species prosper while exotics falter during gap-phase regeneration, but only where deer densities are near historical levels

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About