Evaluating Forestland Classification Schemes as Tools for Maintaining Biodiversity

Abstract. Rezekiah AA, Ruslan M, Kadir S, Mahmud. 2022. Vegetation composition and structure across land use types in a rotational cultivation system in Meratus Mountain, South Kalimantan, Indonesia. Biodiversitas 23: 4234-4242. The rotational cultivation system has become a local ecological knowledge of the Meratus Dayak community in South Kalimantan, Indonesia. This land management applies a cultivation system by dividing land into four types, namely pahumaan (cultivated area of annual crops), balukar anum (former cultivated field aged 3-6 years), jurungan (former field aged 7-12 years), and kabun buah (former fields aged more than 15 years). This study is aimed to investigate the floristic structure and composition of the vegetation in each land use type in the rotational cultivation system conducted by the Dayak Meratus community in three villages (i.e., Loksado, Lok Lahung and Haratai). Vegetation sampling was conducted purposively across four vegetation levels (i.e., seedlings, saplings, poles and trees) and the data was analyzed to calculate Important Value Index (IVI), Shannon-Wiener diversity index, species richness index and evenness index. The results showed that each land type had a certain vegetation structure and composition. In pahumaan, the dominant plant species were annual plants, especially crops. The balukar anum and jurungan were dominated by woody plants, while the kabun buah was dominated by fruit plants. The changes in vegetation structure and composition suggested that the succession process was in progress. The diversity index for each type of land use in the three villages was in the medium to high category. The species richness index was in the low to the high category, while the evenness index for all land uses in the three villages was at a high level. These findings suggest that traditional rotational farming activities carried out by the community did not damage the forest.

The effects that changes in forest structure and composition have on wildlife have often been considered independently, such that the potential for interactive effects has received relatively little attention. We investigated the importance of vegetation structure, floristic composition, and their interaction for predicting bird distribution in mixed broadleaf–conifer forest. We collected vegetation and bird data at 979 stations in a watershed in southern Oregon in the spring of 2001. At each station, we described the vegetation using measures of structure (total vegetation volume) and of floristic composition (broadleaf–conifer composition). We then used logistic regression to model the probability of occurrence of bird species as a function of these 2 variables, their quadratic terms, and their interaction. Using stepwise model selection we identified the best model for each species and used area under the curve (AUC) scores to evaluate model performance. Of the 44 bird species we investigated, 20 had models with AUC scores ≥0.70. Of the best models for these 20 species, 1 included vegetation composition alone, 12 included just the main effects of vegetation composition and structure, and 7 included both the main effects and interaction terms. In summer of 2001 a wildfire burned 2,500 ha of the study area, resulting in substantial changes in the vegetation structure and composition. We used 4 yr of postfire bird and vegetation surveys to test the predictive performance of the habitat models for 9 species that occurred at >15% of the burned stations. Models for 3 of these species performed poorly (AUC < 0.7) in all 4 yr. For the other 6 species, predictive performance was low in the first year after fire and improved during subsequent years, suggesting a lagged response to changes in vegetation structure and composition. Quantifying the interactive effects of vegetation structure and composition improves our understanding of how birds respond to forest management and large‐scale disturbances, such as wildfires. © 2011 The Wildlife Society.

20-year effects of white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) herbivory on vegetation composition and structure

Disturbance events are increasing at a global scale, with cascading impacts to ecosystems and residents therein that include fragmentation and altered vegetation structure and composition. Such changes may disproportionately impact small mammal movements, risk perception, and community dynamics as smaller species perceive such changes at finer spatial scales. We examined movement response to burn severity, vegetation structure, and composition in Mexican woodrats (Neotoma mexicana), a common but understudied small mammal species. The study was conducted on Mt. Graham in southeastern Arizona, United States, following a fire that burned over 19,400 ha. We measured path tortuosity of woodrats translocated over patches of different burn severity. Tortuosity can indicate microhabitat selection, foraging behavior, and perceived predation risk-features affecting population-level processes that changes in community composition alone cannot fully demonstrate. We captured woodrats, released them 50 m away from their midden, and used fluorescent powder to track woodrat movement paths through areas of low-severe burn severity. We analyzed features of the resulting powder trails including straightness, average step length, fractal dimension, and squared displacement. We also compared used versus expected vegetation structure and composition along movement paths across burn severities. Analyses indicated shorter step length with increased bare ground, as well as higher squared displacement in areas with more logs. Vegetation analyses likewise showed that logs were heavily used in low-burned areas, whereas dense vegetation was avoided in highly burned areas. Burn severity alone did not have a direct effect on movement parameters, rather its influence on vegetative composition and structure appears to be most important. Selection for logs and avoidance of dense vegetation may be attributed to auditory concealment and ease of travel. With projected increases in wildfire extent and severity, this work represents an understudied approach to understanding these disturbances and their effects on ecological communities.

The habitat quality of urban forest patches is determined by the composition and structure of vegetation which in turn affects the quality of trophic resources and shelter provided for wildlife species. In addition, urban development in the landscape surrounding forest patches can affect species' movement between patches, further influencing habitat quality. Understanding how species respond to variation in habitat quality among urban forest patches is especially important for species that contribute to ecosystem services and disservices for urban residents. Here, we assessed habitat quality provided by urban forest patches for white‐footed mice (Peromyscus leucopus) because they are one of the key reservoir species for Lyme disease and they influence disease dilution ecosystem services provided by mammal communities. We examined variation in vegetation composition and structure in forest patches across a gradient of landscape‐scale urban development in and around Philadelphia, PA, USA. In particular, we focused on shifts in vegetation composition and structure associated with invasive understory shrubs given their prevalence in our study system. We then quantified the numerical (index of relative abundance) and morphological responses of white‐footed mice to variation in habitat quality. While we observed no significant effects of environmental variables on our index of mouse relative abundance in forest patches, environmental variables associated with vegetation structure and composition were associated with shifts in mouse morphology. Most notably, mice were larger at sites with more invasive shrub species. This indicates that invasive understory shrubs may be creating higher‐quality habitat for white‐footed mice. Because larger‐bodied mice are likely to feed more ticks, this result has significant implications for Lyme disease dynamics in urban areas, such as amplified transmission.

The ecological sustainability and function of urban landscapes is strongly influenced by the composition and structure of the local plant community. Taxonomic composition generally refers to the identity of the species comprising the community, while we define structure as the presence of multiple canopy layers, as well as stems of varying diameter and age. These aspects of urban vegetation significantly influence the ecology of cities, yet they are generally poorly quantified across the range of natural and constructed plant communities present in urban landscapes. We quantified vegetation composition and structure to i) simultaneously assess their variation across four green spaces types (golf courses, public parks, residential neighbourhoods and patches of remnant vegetation) in Melbourne, Australia, and ii) investigate the relationship between vegetation composition and structure within these green spaces. The four green space types supported distinctly different plant communities. Vegetation composition in the residential neighborhoods differed significantly from the others (p<0.05), largely due to the increased richness of shrubs and cultivated plants, and the reduced presence of large trees. Residential neighborhoods had the highest plant species richness, although a large proportion of these species occurred infrequently. The structural complexity of understorey vegetation (calculated as % volume occupied) below 0.5 m was highest in remnant patches followed by golf courses, public parks and residential neighborhoods. The structural complexity of understorey vegetation in remnant vegetation patches was very similar to that of golf courses even though some of the latter were dominated by exotic plant species. Variation in the composition and structure of urban vegetation might have great implications for the retention of faunal diversity within cities because different taxa have specific habitat requirements. Hence, further understanding of variations in the composition and structure of both natural and constructed plant communities in cities will greatly improve our ability to create urban landscapes that enhance both plant and animal biodiversity.

Tree decline affects forests and woodlands on most continents. The loss of canopy species from these landscapes has marked impacts on the surrounding environment. Understanding the consequences of tree mortality on vegetation structure and composition will contribute to developing management strategies for these ecosystems. The tuart (Eucalyptus gomphocephala), once the dominant tree species on the coastal plain in southwest Western Australia, has been cleared extensively and today occurs over less than a third of its former range. Compounding the effects of this clearing, dramatic declines in tree health over the past two decades has been recorded. We examined whether E. gomphocephala decline is reflected in changes to overall vegetation structure and composition. Using Landsat Thematic Mapper satellite data, we identified 12 sites with stable or improving vegetation vigour over the previous 15 years (‘healthy’ sites) and 12 sites with declining vegetation vigour over this time (‘declining’ sites). Health of E. gomphocephala trees, as well as litter, vegetation structure and vegetation composition were compared across these sites. Four health measures indicated that E. gomphocephala trees from healthy and declining sites were statistically distinguishable (p < 0.001). Trees at declining sites showed marked epicormic growth (up to 96% of canopy), evidence of crown dieback, reduced crown density and increased foliage transparency. The canopy changes were reflected in marked reduction in leaf litter for declining sites (p = 0.024). Despite the changes in E. gomphocephala canopy and leaf litter, however, there were no significant differences in vegetation community composition, relative vegetation cover for five height strata, vegetation structural and compositional diversity, presence of coarse woody debris, or overall canopy cover. There were also no differences in soil chemistry between the healthy and declining sites. The agent of tuart decline therefore appears to be specific to Eucalyptus gomphocephala at these sites, or alternatively the changes to other plant species have been too subtle to detect at this stage.

Abstract. Nugroho Y, Suyanto, Makinudin D, Aditia S, Yulimasita DD, Afandi AY, Harahap MM, Matatula J, Wirabuana PYAP. 2022. Vegetation diversity, structure and composition of three forest ecosystems in Angsana coastal area, South Kalimantan, Indonesia. Biodiversitas 23: 2640-2647. Vegetation communities around coastal ecosystems play important roles in mitigating natural disaster and climate change. However, available information about vegetation communities in coastal areas is still limited despite being a requirement in developing strategies for environmental preservation. Angsana coastal area in South Kalimantan, Indonesia has unique characteristics in which it has three different forest ecosystems, namely heath forest (HF), beach forest (BF), and mangrove forest (MF). This study aimed to identify the vegetation diversity, structure and composition of the three forest ecosystems in Angsana coastal area. A field survey was conducted using transect line methods with a sampling plot size of 10 × 10 m and an interval of 20 m. Vegetation communities were assessed using species abundance, plant diversity, importance value index (IVI), and similarity level. Results showed that 37 species from 25 families were recorded at the study site. The highest species abundance was observed in HF (22 species), followed by BF (18 species) and MF (7 species). The same trend was found for vegetation diversity, in which HF had the highest richness (Dmg = 4.52), heterogeneity (H' = 2.86), and evenness (J' = 0.94). Hibiscus tiliaceus L. had the highest IVI in BF in all vegetation stages, and Rhizophora mucronata Lam. consistently had the greatest IVI in MF in all stages. Species thet exhibited the highest IVI in HF were Adina minutiflora Valeton (seedlings), Rhodedomia tomentosa and Premna serratifolia L. (saplings), Tristania maingayi Duthie (poles), and Vitex ovata Thunb. (trees). Our study also observed that species abundance in forest ecosystems gradually declined from seedlings to trees, except in MF. Among the three forest types, vegetation composition was highly similar between MF and BF, with a similarity level of 47.1%. Based on these results, this study concluded that the three forest ecosystems in Angsana coastal area exhibit a highly diverse vegetation structure, and each type of forest has specific characteristics as its entity.

Identifying the ecological processes determining spatial variation in community composition and structure is a central issue in arid areas, especially in the face of climate change. This study aims to estimate how environmental and spatial processes jointly determine vegetation attributes across scales in the Min dry valley, one of the dry valleys in Hengduan Mountainous region suffering severe ecological degradation. A total of 48 plots along slope transects were investigated at three sites along the dry valley, with vegetation and environmental information gathered. Distance-based Moran’s eigenvector maps (dbMEM) was used to extract local spatial variables, while geographic coordinates were used as regional spatial variables. We used redundancy analysis (RDA) and variation partitioning to detect the relative importance of environmental and spatial processes in influencing community composition and vegetation structure (including biomass, coverage, height, density, α and β diversity), and to identify the most determinant environmental variables at different spatial scales. Results showed that both environmental and spatial processes accounted for significant and comparable variations in both vegetation composition and structure. Local spatial variables provided significant and comparable contribution as regional spatial variables to vegetation composition, while provided more contribution than regional spatial variables to vegetation structure. Topography had an overriding effect relative to soil on both vegetation composition and structure. Multi-scale analyses showed elevation was the most important variable (associated with soil moisture and nutrient) at the regional scale; while microtopography, especially slope aspect and shape, dominated at the local scale. We also demonstrated how vegetation composition and structure varied along environmental gradients. The study revealed the overriding role of topography in determining vegetation attributes in this mountainous dry valley, highlighting the advantage of multi-scale spatial analysis for better understanding spatial variation in vegetation pattern and with their important implications for biodiversity conservation and ecological management in the arid mountain areas.

The influence of Native American land-use practices on vegetation composition and structure has long been a subject of significant debate. This is particularly true in portions of the western United States where tribal hunter-gatherers did not use agriculture to meet subsistence and other cultural needs. Climate has been viewed as the dominant determinant of vegetation structure and composition change over time, but ethnographic and anthropological evidence suggests that Native American land-use practices (particularly through the use of fire) had significant landscape effects on vegetation. However, it is difficult to distinguish climatically driven vegetation change from human-caused vegetation change using traditional paleoecological methods. To address this problem, we use a multidisciplinary methodology that incorporates paleoecology with local ethnographic and archaeological information at two lake sites in northwestern California. We show that anthropogenic impacts can be distinguished at our Fish Lake site during the cool and wet ‘Little Ice Age’, when we have evidence for open-forest or shade-intolerant vegetation, fostered for subsistence and cultural purposes, rather than the closed-forest or shade-tolerant vegetation expected due to the climatic shift. We also see a strong anthropogenic influence on modern vegetation at both sites following European settlement, decline in tribal use, and subsequent fire exclusion. These results demonstrate that Native American influences on vegetation structure and composition can be distinguished using methods that take into account both physical and cultural aspects of the landscape. They also begin to determine the scale at which western forests were influenced by Native American land-use practices and how modern forests of northwestern California are not solely products of climate alone.

Changes in vegetation composition and structure following landslide-induced disturbance in the Himalaya

In the interior Columbia River basin midscale ecological assessment, including portions of the Klamath and Great Basins, we mapped and characterized historical and current vegetation composition and structure of 337 randomly sampled subwatersheds (9500 ha average size) in 43 subbasins (404 000 ha average size). We compared landscape patterns, vegetation structure and composition, and landscape vulnerability to 21 major forest insect and pathogen disturbances of historical and current forest vegetation coverages. Forest vegetation composition, structure, and patterns were derived from attributes interpreted and mapped from aerial photographs taken from 1932 to 1966 (historical), and from 1981 to 1993 (current). Areas with homogeneous vegetation composition and structure were delineated as patches to a minimum size of 4 ha. Results of change analyses were reported for province-scale ecological reporting units (ERUís). In this paper, we report on methods used to characterize historical and current patch and subwatershed vulnerability to each of 21 insect and pathogen disturbance agents.We assessed landscape vulnerability to defoliator, bark beetle, dwarf mistletoe, root disease, blister rust, and stem decay disturbances. We used patch composition, structure, logging disturbance, and physical environment attributes to compare vegetation vulnerability of historical subwatersheds with that of their current condition. Patch vulnerability factors included items such as site quality, host abundance, canopy layers, host age or host size, patch vigor, patch (stand) density, connectivity of host patches, topographic setting, and presence of visible logging disturbance. Methods reported here can be used in landscape or watershed analysis to evaluate or monitor change in the magnitude and spatial pattern of vegetation vulnerability to insect and pathogen disturbances, and in planning to compare potential disturbance futures associated with alternative vegetation management scenarios.

In West Papua, Indonesia, shifting cultivation relies on long-term natural fallow to restore soil fertility. Understanding the ecological processes underlying this practice, such as vegetation succession patterns and litterfall dynamics, is crucial for promoting sustainable agriculture and conserving natural resources in the region. This study examined changes in vegetation composition, structure, diversity, and litterfall production in 5-year, 10-year, and 15-year fallows in post-agricultural lowlands. Vegetation profiles were analyzed using nested plots, while litterfall production was measured using litter traps over six months. A general linear model (GLM) analysis of variance (ANOVA) followed by Tukey’s HSD test (p&lt;0.05) and non-metric multidimensional scaling (NMDS) analysis were used to compare the three fallow ages. The results showed distinct differences in vegetation structure and composition, with older fallows exhibiting a more diverse and complex vegetation structure. Total litterfall production differed significantly between the 5-year fallow and the 10- and 15-year fallows, but not between the latter two. NMDS analysis revealed a clear separation between the 5-year fallow and the 10- and 15-year fallows, with 82.5% of the variability in data attributes explained by the differences in fallow age. Our findings suggest that maintaining fallow periods of 10 years or more can enhance vegetation diversity and structure, as well as increase organic matter input through litterfall production.

Abstract. Yuningsih L, Hearmansyah, Ibrahim E, Marsi. 2021. Diversity, structure and composition of vegetation in post-coal mining reclamation area in Sumatra, Indonesia. Biodiversitas 22: 3392-3400. The majority of coal mines are operated through an open-pit system which has a significant impact on the environment. Therefore, reclamation and revegetation activities are required to recover ecological sustainability. This study aimed to analyze the diversity, structure, and composition of vegetation resulting from the post-mining revegetation process in a mining concession in Sumatra, Indonesia at various intervals of post-reclamation periods, namely 11 years, 10 years, 8 years, and 5 years. Data collection was conducted by sampling with a 2.5 percent intensity. The study discovered 23 species of naturally grow understory plants and 25 species of woody plants. The stand structure at the eleventh, tenth, and eighth years of revegetation resembled an inverted J curve. The Species Richness Index (R) was determined to be low, the Shannon diversity index (H’) was is low to moderate, whereas the evenness index was moderate to high. We concluded that the structure of vegetation in the post-mining reclamation region resembled that of a natural forest ecosystem, yet the biodiversity indicators remain low and below those of natural forest. We expected the result of this study can enrich the limited knowledge of the ecology of post-mining reclamation in the tropics.

ABSTRACTAim Individually focused conservation management of many species is expensive and logistically impractical. Mesofilter conservation methods may facilitate the simultaneous management of multiple species. We used data on distributions of two sets of avian guilds, based on dependence on riparian vegetation and on nest location, to relate occurrence rates to environmental variables. Variables were selected by expert opinion and are likely to be affected by changes in climate and land use.Location Data were collected from 2001–06 in four adjacent mountain ranges in the central Great Basin (Lander, Nye and Eureka counties, Nevada, USA): the Shoshone Mountains and the Toiyabe, Toquima and Monitor ranges.Methods Data on occurrence of birds, vegetation composition and vegetation structure were obtained in the field. Geographical coordinates and the normalized difference vegetation index were derived from a digital elevation model and a satellite image. To construct a general model for guilds as a whole, while allowing flexibility for variation in the functional responses of individual species, we applied multivariate adaptive regression splines.Results The predictive capacity of expert knowledge of relationships between birds and vegetation was inconsistent. Latitude, longitude and elevation may constrain the response of some guilds to changes in vegetation structure and composition. Guild‐based models were useful for modelling species with sparse distributions, which are difficult to model individually. In essence, this method supplements models for the individual species with patterns for the guild to which they belong.Main conclusions Guilds of birds appeared to have predictable associations with selected attributes of vegetation structure and composition. The criteria by which species are grouped into guilds may affect the success of predictions and management interventions. Our derived models offer the potential to predict effects on the avifauna of management or climate‐driven change in vegetation.