The relationship of the soil seed bank and understory vegetation in old-growth northern hardwood–hemlock treefall gaps

1990 ◽  
Vol 68 (12) ◽  
pp. 2714-2721 ◽  
Author(s):  
David J. Mladenoff
Keyword(s):  
Seed Bank ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Soil Seed Bank ◽  
Forest Understory ◽  
Betula Alleghaniensis ◽  
Forest Change ◽  
Old Growth ◽  
Northern Hardwood ◽  
Treefall Gaps ◽  
Large Scale Disturbance

In mature northern hardwood forests, small treefall gaps constitute an important mode of compositional and structural change within the long return time of larger catastrophic disturbances. The soil seed bank and patterns in vegetation layers are described in this disturbance regime context. In these small treefall gaps, herbaceous and woody vegetation species present are similar to those of forest understory plots, differing primarily in abundance. Seed bank communities are compositionally more similar among gaps than forest understory plots, but vegetation similarity is equal among forest plots and among gaps. Seed bank-vegetation similarity is greater among forest plots than in gaps. Seed bank strategies differ among the plant species characteristic of the differing forest layers. Dominant canopy tree species (Acer saccharum, Tsuga canadensis, Betula alleghaniensis) are not an important component of the seed bank. Bird-dispersed shrub and herbaceous species and ant-dispersed herbs are important in the seed bank, especially in gaps. In particular, based on gap seed bank response, it appears that understory shrub abundance and pattern within the forest change with the time since large-scale disturbance, in accordance with species adaptations to the size and increase in number of small treefalls in the mature forest. These species patterns may relate to the patchy nature of resource availability that develops, especially that of nitrogen, which is controlled by the canopy species–gap mosaic. Key words: treefall gaps, soil seed bank, disturbance, northern hardwoods, old growth, succession, shrubs.

Soil seed bank dynamics of pin cherry in a northern hardwood forest, New Hampshire, U.S.A.

1998 ◽  
Vol 28 (10) ◽  
pp. 1471-1480 ◽  
Author(s):  
Geraldine L Tierney ◽  
Timothy J Fahey
Keyword(s):  
New Hampshire ◽  
Seed Bank ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Community Dynamics ◽  
Soil Seed Bank ◽  
Hardwood Forest ◽  
Northern Hardwood Forest ◽  
Northern Hardwood ◽  
Seed Bank Dynamics ◽  
Large Scale Disturbance

The soil seed bank of the low-value, pioneer tree pin cherry (Prunus pensylvanica L.f.) appears to increase markedly after multiple, large-scale disturbance events, which may result in interference with the growth of high-value species. Seven northern hardwood forest sites of varying age and disturbance history in the White Mountains of New Hampshire were examined to quantify the patterns of accumulation and depletion of the pin cherry soil seed bank. The pin cherry seed bank accumulated in a predictable fashion based on pin cherry stem abundance. High- and low-density populations accumulated approximately 440 and 1900 viable seeds per pin cherry stem, respectively. Depletion of the seed bank appeared to be negligible in stands between age 40 and 60, and moderate (30% loss over 20 years) in stands between age 95 and 115. Short (e.g., 60-year) harvest rotation times may triple the size of the pin cherry soil seed bank, causing proliferation of this species with consequences for ecosystem and community dynamics, whereas longer rotation times of 120 years may allow enough depletion of the seed bank to stabilize population sizes.

scholarly journals Seven Decades of Spontaneous Forest Regeneration after Large-Scale Clear-Cutting in Białowieża Forest do not Ensure the Complete Recovery of Collembolan Assemblages

Forests ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (11) ◽  
pp. 948
Author(s):  
Marek Sławski ◽  
Małgorzata Sławska
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Life Form ◽  
Group Structure ◽  
Complete Recovery ◽  
Long Term Effects ◽  
Old Growth ◽  
Soil Microarthropods ◽  
Clear Cutting ◽  
Białowieża Forest ◽  
Large Scale Disturbance

The long-term effects of large-scale disturbance on forest ecosystem processes and structure are poorly understood. To assess the effects of large-scale clear-cutting on the taxonomic and functional structure of collembolan assemblages, 18 plots were established in the Polish part of Białowieża Forest. All plots, situated in a mixed Tilio-Carpinetum broad-leaved forest, had eutrophic Cambisol developed on rich glacial deposits. The Collembola assemblages in the stands that had naturally regenerated on large-scale clear-cuts performed at the beginning of the 20th century were compared to those in old-growth forests (i.e., the endpoint of stand development following stand-replacing disturbance). Collembolans, one of the most numerous soil microarthropods, are successfully used to assess the consequences of forest management and ecosystem restoration. Our study tested whether seven decades of spontaneous forest development after large-scale anthropogenic disturbance ensures the complete recovery of the soil Collembola. Using complementary taxonomic and life-form approaches, we provide evidence that the collembolan assemblages associated with the tree stands that had spontaneously developed in large harvesting plots distinctly differed from those in old-growth deciduous forests in this region despite seven decades of regenerative forest succession. The species diversity of the assemblages in the naturally regenerated tree stands was significantly lower, and their life-form structure was noticeably different from those in the reference forests. Moreover, the shift in the functional group structure of the collembolan assemblages in the stands that had regenerated after clear-cutting indicates that their activity seven decades after disturbance is concentrated mainly on the decomposition of the litter in the upper layers, whereas the processes controlled by these organisms in the deeper soil layers are not fully restored.

scholarly journals Seeds of change: characterizing the soil seed bank of a migrating salt marsh

2019 ◽  
Vol 125 (2) ◽  
pp. 335-344 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emily J Kottler ◽  
Keryn Gedan
Keyword(s):  
Loblolly Pine ◽  
Seed Bank ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Forest Canopy ◽  
Soil Seed Bank ◽  
Rapid Change ◽  
Negative Influence ◽  
High Marsh ◽  
Ecological Processes ◽  
Major Question

Abstract Background and Aims The capacity for dispersal to promote or hinder species’ responses to global change remains a major question in ecology. One ecosystem experiencing rapid change is the tidal marsh, which is migrating inland in response to accelerated sea level rise. Few studies to date have investigated the ecological dynamics that impact this large-scale migration. Seed dispersal and persistence in the soil seed bank is a component that can be strongly indicative of community trajectories. With this in mind, the aim of our study was to characterize the germinable seed bank across a marsh–forest ecotone in the Chesapeake Bay. Methods Soil samples were collected across transects that ran from the high marsh to the coastal loblolly pine forest in a brackish marsh in Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge, MD, USA. Samples were grown in a greenhouse and watered with either freshwater or 3 ppt seawater solution. We compared community composition across transects and between salinity treatments. Additionally, we compared the seed bank with standing vegetation and used seed trait data from the TRY Database to investigate changes in functional traits along this ecotone. Key Results We found halophytic species dispersing up to 15 m into the forest and a general lack of obligate upland species, including near absence of Pinus taeda, the dominant species in the forest canopy. A majority of species detected in the seed bank were wetland species of various types, with species with wide salinity tolerance arising most frequently. Salinity addition had a significant negative influence on seed bank diversity. Conclusion Overall, our seed bank results suggest that dispersal and germination under the conditions of saltwater intrusion will limit forest regeneration and favour marsh plant dispersal. This indicates that the ecological processes that determine the soil seed bank community will support continued migration of marsh species into uplands.

scholarly journals Predicting the potential for old-growth forests by spatial simulation of landscape ageing patterns

2003 ◽  
Vol 79 (3) ◽  
pp. 621-631 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ajith H Perera ◽  
David J.B. Baldwin ◽  
Dennis G Yemshanov ◽  
Frank Schnekenburger ◽  
Kevin Weaver ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Temporal Variation ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Simulation Modelling ◽  
Spatial Simulation ◽  
Old Growth ◽  
Disturbance Regimes ◽  
Old Growth Forest ◽  
Large Scale Disturbance ◽  
Old Growth Forests ◽  
Spatio Temporal

Planning for old-growth forests requires answers to two large-scale questions: How much old-growth forest should exist? And where can they be sustained in a landscape? Stand-level knowledge of old-growth physiognomy and dynamics are not sufficient to answer these questions. We assert that large-scale disturbance regimes may provide a strong foundation to understand the spatio-temporal ageing patterns in forest landscapes that determine the potential for old growth. Approaches to describe large-scale disturbance regimes range from scenarios reconstructed from historical evidence to simulation of landscapes using predictive models. In this paper, we describe a simulation modelling approach to determine landscape-ageing patterns, and thereby the landscape potential of old-growth forests. A spatially explicit stochastic simulation model of landscape fire–forest cover dynamics was applied to a 1.8 million-ha case study boreal forest landscape to quantify the spatio-temporal variation of landscape ageing. Twenty-five replicates of 200-year simulation runs of the fire disturbance regime, at a 1-ha resolution, generated a suite of variables of landscape ageing and their error estimates. These included temporal variation of older age cohorts over 200 years, survivorship distribution at the 200th year, and spatial tendencies of ageing. This information, in combination with spatial tendency of species occurrence, constitutes the contextual framework to plan how much old-growth forest a given landscape can sustain, and where such forest could be located. Key words: landscape management, old growth, spatial simulation modelling, landscape ecology, boreal forest, Ontario, fire regime simulation, natural forest disturbances, stochastic models, age-class distribution

Soil seed banks in young, closed-canopy forests of the Olympic Peninsula, Washington: potential contributions to understory reinitiation

1999 ◽  
Vol 77 (7) ◽  
pp. 922-935 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charles B Halpern ◽  
Shelley A Evans ◽  
Sarah Nielson
Keyword(s):  
Exotic Species ◽  
Pacific Northwest ◽  
Seed Bank ◽  
Soil Seed Bank ◽  
Seed Banks ◽  
Forest Understory ◽  
Potential Contribution ◽  
Olympic Peninsula ◽  
Understory Plants ◽  
Closed Canopy

During early stand development, coniferous forests of the coastal Pacific Northwest commonly pass through a period of dense shade and intense competition during which the abundance and diversity of understory plants decline dramatically. In young, managed forests, silvicultural thinning has been proposed to enhance the structural and floristic diversity of the understory. Although germination of buried seeds is likely to be stimulated by thinning, we know little about the composition of the soil seed bank in these forests. We used the greenhouse emergence method to assess the potential contribution of the seed bank to understory reinitiation in 40- to 60-year-old, closed-canopy forests on the Olympic Peninsula, Washington. Seed banks were well developed (610-7009 germinants/m2), containing 46 native and exotic species representing a diversity of life forms. However, many common forest understory species were absent; only 11 species were typical understory plants and these comprised <10% of all germinants. In contrast, 30% of all species and 50% of all germinants were exotic, ruderal forbs. Wind-dispersed annuals and perennials dominated litter samples, whereas ruderal forbs and graminoids with limited dispersal dominated soil samples. Our results suggest that silvicultural thinning will enhance the establishment of ruderal, exotic species but will contribute little to the regeneration from buried seed of the vast majority of forest understory plants.Key words: canopy closure, forest understory, seed germination, soil seed bank, succession, understory reinitiation.

Field burn versus fire-related cues: germination from the soil seed bank of a South American temperate grassland

2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (3) ◽  
pp. 206-214
Author(s):  
Noelia Cuello ◽  
Luis López-Mársico ◽  
Claudia Rodríguez
Keyword(s):  
Heat Shock ◽  
Seed Bank ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Soil Seed Bank ◽  
Type Systems ◽  
Temperate Grassland ◽  
Management Tool ◽  
Individual Species ◽  
Adjacent Area ◽  
Fire Event

AbstractFire and grazing are large-scale disturbances that shape the structure and function of open habitats. In temperate grasslands of southern South America, fire is used as a management tool to control tussock grasses and improve forage quality. In this study, we examined if fire and two of its components (heat and smoke) affect germination from the soil seed bank of a temperate grassland in Uruguay. Soil samples were extracted from a recently burned site and from an adjacent area that had not been burned for at least 4 years. The latter was subjected to four treatments: (1) heat shock, (2) smoke, (3) heat shock and smoke and (4) control. The samples were placed in a germination chamber and germination was recorded for 140 days. Field burn was the treatment that differed most from the control. This treatment produced a significant increase in density and richness of germinants and the germination peak preceded those of the remaining treatments. The three treatments involving fire-related cues did not affect the seedling richness and density, but the germination of some individual species was enhanced by some of them, mainly those in which the seeds were smoked. Our results show that fire and its components stimulate the germination of some species of the Río de la Plata grasslands, contrary to what had been observed previously in the region. We also suggest that, unlike Mediterranean-type systems, other fire cues, alone or in combination with heat and smoke, may promote germination after a fire event.

Characteristics of Soil Seed Bank of Caragana microphylla Community under the Grazing and Enclosure Conditions in Horqin Sandy Land

2010 ◽  
Vol 26 (5) ◽  
pp. 714-719
Author(s):  
Ming LI ◽  
De-ming JIANG ◽  
Yong-ming LUO ◽  
Xiu-mei WANG ◽  
Bo LIU ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Seed Bank ◽  
Soil Seed Bank ◽  
Horqin Sandy Land ◽  
Sandy Land ◽  
Caragana Microphylla
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