scholarly journals Short-Rotation Coppice Managed According to Ecological Guidelines—What Are the Benefits for Phytodiversity?

Forests ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (5) ◽  
pp. 646
Author(s):  
Felix Zitzmann ◽  
Michael Rode
Keyword(s):  
Species Composition ◽  
Plant Communities ◽  
Tree Species ◽  
Agricultural Landscapes ◽  
Short Rotation Coppice ◽  
Growth Stages ◽  
Similar Species ◽  
Species Numbers ◽  
Short Rotation ◽  
The Impact

In recent years, the impact of short-rotation coppice (SRC) on biodiversity has been a regular subject of research and ecological guidelines have been developed to make biomass cultivation on SRC more compatible with biodiversity concerns. However, since these guidelines are only implemented voluntarily by farmers, there are barely any SRC that are managed according to ecological guidelines. Consequently, knowledge about their importance for farmland biodiversity and about the impact of different measures for increasing biodiversity remains scarce. Therefore, three experimental SRC, which are managed according to ecological guidelines and thus include stands of different tree species (varieties of poplar (Populus) and willow (Salix), rowan (Sorbus aucuparia), silver birch (Betula pendula)) and different growth-stages within the same site, were investigated with regard to their importance as habitat for vascular plants. Species numbers and species composition were compared with the following habitat types: afforestations (AFO), young (HE-Y) and old hedges (HE-O), field margins (FM) and arable land (AL). Furthermore, different stand types (i.e., stands with different tree species and growth-stages, headlands, clearings) within these SRC were surveyed and compared. Species numbers of SRC were similar to HE-Y, AFO and FM and significantly higher than in AL and HE-O. The composition of plant communities in SRC differed considerably from the other farmland habitats, especially from AL, HE-O and FM. Within the SRC, most stand types had similar species numbers. Only the non-harvested poplar stands were particularly species-poor. Harvesting led to increased species numbers. This increase was significant for the poplar stands but only moderate for the willow stands. With regard to their species composition, the different stand types differed considerably in many cases. We conclude that SRC, which are managed according to ecological guidelines, can be an additional measure to promote phytodiversity in agricultural landscapes as they contain relatively high species numbers (of mainly common and adaptable species) and support distinct plant communities that differ from other farmland habitats. Therefore, measures such as the cultivation of different tree species or sectional harvesting could be offered as agri-environmental schemes to further increase the ecological sustainability of biomass production on SRC.

Long-term effects of stump removal and tree species composition on the diversity and structure of soil fungal communities

2020 ◽  
Vol 96 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Dixi Modi ◽  
Suzanne Simard ◽  
Jean Bérubé ◽  
Les Lavkulich ◽  
Richard Hamelin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Species Composition ◽  
Fungal Community ◽  
Tree Species ◽  
Management Practice ◽  
Tree Regeneration ◽  
Root Disease ◽  
Fungal Communities ◽  
Tree Species Composition ◽  
The Impact

ABSTRACT Stump removal is a common forest management practice used to reduce the mortality of trees affected by the fungal pathogen-mediated root disease, Armillaria root rot, but the impact of stumping on soil fungal community structure is not well understood. This study analyzed the long-term impact of stumping and tree species composition on the abundance, diversity and taxonomic composition of soil fungal communities using internal transcribed spacer (ITS) marker-based DNA metabarcoding in a 48-year-old trial at Skimikin, British Columbia. A total of 108 samples were collected from FH (fermented and humus layers), and soil mineral horizons (A and B) from stumped and unstumped plots of six tree species treatments (pure stands and admixtures of Douglas-fir, western red-cedar and paper birch). Fungal α-diversity in the A horizon significantly increased with stumping regardless of tree species composition, while β-diversity was significantly affected by stumping in all the horizons. We also observed that the relative abundance of the saprotrophic fungal community declined while that of the ectomycorrhizal fungal community increased with stumping. In conclusion, increase in ectomycorrhizal fungal associations, which are positively associated with tree productivity, suggests that stumping can be considered a good management practice for mitigating root disease and promoting tree regeneration.

Tree species composition and local use in agricultural landscapes of west Usambaras Tanzania

2008 ◽  
Vol 46 (s1) ◽  
pp. 66-73 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. K. T. Munishi ◽  
F. Philipina ◽  
R. P. C. Temu ◽  
N. E. Pima
Keyword(s):  
Species Composition ◽  
Tree Species ◽  
Agricultural Landscapes ◽  
Tree Species Composition ◽  
Local Use

scholarly journals Impacts of Human Activities on Tree Species Composition Along the Forest Savanna Boundary in Nigeria

2016 ◽  
Vol 47 (2) ◽  
pp. 115 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christiana Ndidi Egbinola
Keyword(s):  
Species Composition ◽  
Tree Species ◽  
Human Activities ◽  
Detrended Correspondence Analysis ◽  
Floristic Composition ◽  
Forest Species ◽  
Tree Species Composition ◽  
Study Sites ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Relationship

The study investigated the tree species composition along the forest-savanna boundary in Oyo state of Nigeria with the aim of assessing the impact of human activities on the floristic composition. A transect was placed along the study area and species data was collected from quadrats placed in study plots within different study sites. Detrended Correspondence Analysis (DCA) was used to determine vegetation assemblages, while both correlation and the analysis of variance (ANOVA) were used to show the relationship between species in the different study sites. Results of the DCA revealed three species assemblages, an area with only forest species, another with only savanna species and a third with both forest/savanna species. ANOVA results further revealed that within the forest and savanna assemblages, species in mature and successional sites were alike. The study therefore revealed that human activities’ within the region is leading to the establishment of savanna species and an elimination of forest species.

scholarly journals Changes in plant composition and diversity in an Alpine heath and meadow after 18 years of experimental warming

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juha Alatalo ◽  
Mohammad Bagher Erfanian ◽  
Ulf Molau ◽  
Shengbin Chen ◽  
Yang Bai ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Species Composition ◽  
Plant Communities ◽  
Phylogenetic Diversity ◽  
Dominant Species ◽  
Experimental Warming ◽  
Alpine Plant ◽  
Arctic Ecosystems ◽  
Alpine Plant Communities ◽  
The Impact

Background and aim Global warming is expected to have large impacts on high alpine and Arctic ecosystems in future. Here we report the effects of 18 years of experimental warming on two contrasting high alpine plant communities in subarctic Sweden.Methods Using open-top chambers (OTCs), we analysed the effects of long-term passive experimental warming on two high alpine plant communities, a species- and nutrient-poor heath and a more nutrient- and species-rich mesic meadow. We determined the impact on species composition, species diversity (at the level of rare, frequent and dominant species in each community), and phylogenetic and functional diversity.Key results Long-term warming drove differentiation in the species composition in both heath and meadow vegetation, with the warmed plots having distinctly different species composition in 2013 compared with 1995. In addition, variability in species composition increased in the meadow, while it decreased in the heath. The long-term warming had a significant negative effect on the three orders of phylogenetic Hill diversity in the meadow. There was a similar tendency in the heath, but only the phylogenetic diversity of dominant species was significantly affected. Long-term warming caused a reduction in graminoids in the heath, while deciduous shrubs increased. In the meadow, cushion-forming plants showed an increase in abundance from 2001 to 2013 in the warmed plots. Conclusions Responses in species and phylogenetic diversity to experimental warming varied over both time (medium vs long-term responses) and space (i.e. between the two neighbouring plant communities heath and meadow). The meadow community was more negatively affected in terms of species and phylogenetic diversity than the heath community. A potential driver for the changes in the meadow may be decreased soil moisture caused by the long-term warming.

The impact of short rotation coppice on the concentrations of aliphatic soil lipids

2011 ◽  
Vol 350 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 163-177 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gerald Jandl ◽  
Christel Baum ◽  
Anja Blumschein ◽  
Peter Leinweber
Keyword(s):  
Short Rotation Coppice ◽  
Short Rotation ◽  
The Impact

Long-term changes in tree species composition in the Dinaric mountain forests of Slovenia

2003 ◽  
Vol 79 (2) ◽  
pp. 227-232 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrej Boncina ◽  
Franc Gaspersic ◽  
Jurij Diaci
Keyword(s):  
Species Composition ◽  
Tree Species ◽  
European Beech ◽  
Anthropogenic Factors ◽  
Silver Fir ◽  
Tree Species Composition ◽  
Virgin Forest ◽  
Forest Remnant ◽  
The Impact

This study utilizes data from long-term research sites in managed fir-beech forests (Hrusica, Leskova dolina and Rog) and a virgin forest remnant (Rajhenav), used as a reference site. Data obtained from old forest management plans and forest inventories were analysed. The results of the study support the hypothesis that two main tree species—silver fir (Abies alba Mill.) and European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.)—alternate site dominance. The causes of species dominance alternation include both natural processes and anthropogenic factors, in particular silvicultural practices and the impact of ungulates. More than a hundred years ago, European beech dominated stand volume. The proportion of silver fir increased until 1940–1970 when a gradual decrease started. All indicators suggest that the proportion of silver fir will decrease further in the coming decades. Key words: tree species composition alternation, diameter distribution, silver fir, European beech, forest history, forest planning, managed forests, virgin forest remnant

scholarly journals The Potential to Save Agrestal Plant Species in an Intensively Managed Agricultural Landscape through Organic Farming—A Case Study from Northern Germany

Land ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 219
Author(s):  
Eugen Görzen ◽  
Tim Diekötter ◽  
Maike Meyerink ◽  
Helen Kretzschmar ◽  
Tobias W. Donath
Keyword(s):  
Organic Farming ◽  
Plant Communities ◽  
Agricultural Landscapes ◽  
Crop Rotations ◽  
Conventional Farming ◽  
Northern Germany ◽  
Mammal Species ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Intensively Managed ◽  
The Impact

Intensive agriculture is among the main drivers of diversity decline worldwide. In Central Europe, pressures related with agriculture include habitat loss due to the consolidation of farming units, pesticide and fertilizer use, and shortened crop rotations. In recent decades, this development has resulted in a severe decline of agrestal plant communities. Organic farming has been suggested as a biodiversity friendly way of farming, as it strongly restricts the use of synthetic pesticides and fertilizers and relies on longer crop rotations. It may thus help in saving agrestal plant communities in the future. In this study, we assessed the long-term effects of three types of arable field management (conventional farming, organic farming, and bio-dynamic farming) on three farms in the federal state of Schleswig-Holstein, Northern Germany. We collected data on above-ground plant communities and seed banks and analyzed them with regards to the impact of the farming system and their position in the field using nonmetric multi-dimensional scaling (NMDS) and linear mixed effects models (LME) combined with ANOVA and Tukey contrast tests. Plants in organically or bio-dynamically managed fields differed in their composition and traits from those occurring in conventionally managed fields, i.e., they showed a preference for higher temperatures and were dominated by insect-pollinated species. While conventional farming had negative effects on vegetation and the seed bank, organic and bio-dynamic farms had neutral or slightly positive effects on both. This highlights the potential of the latter two to conserve species even in an intensively managed landscape. In addition, this may halt or even reverse the decrease in arthropod, bird, and mammal species, since agrestal plants constitute an important component of food-webs in agricultural landscapes.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document