Communities In Forest Ecosystems Research Articles

Local soil characteristics determine the microbial communities under forest understorey plants along a latitudinal gradient

The soil microbial community is essential for maintaining ecosystem functioning and is intimately linked with the plant community. Yet, little is known on how soil microbial communities in the root zone vary at continental scales within plant species. Here we assess the effects of soil chemistry, large-scale environmental conditions (i.e. temperature, precipitation and nitrogen deposition) and forest land-use history on the soil microbial communities (measured by phospholipid fatty acids) in the root zone of four plant species (Geum urbanum, Milium effusum, Poa nemoralis and Stachys sylvatica) in forests along a 1700km latitudinal gradient in Europe.Soil microbial communities differed significantly among plant species, and soil chemistry was the main determinant of the microbial community composition within each plant species. Influential soil chemical variables for microbial communities were plant species-specific; soil acidity, however, was often an important factor. Large-scale environmental conditions, together with soil chemistry, only explained the microbial community composition in M. effusum and P. nemoralis. Forest land-use history did not affect the soil microbial community composition.Our results underpin the dominant role of soil chemistry in shaping microbial community composition variation within plant species at the continental scale, and provide insights into the composition and functionality of soil microbial communities in forest ecosystems.

From soil to bird community: A Partial Least Squares approach to investigate a natural wooded area surrounded by urban patchwork (Astroni crater, southern Italy)

Forests are among the most important land ecosystems both in term of their contribution to the global carbon cycle and for their prominence in hosting large biodiversity. Under a changing world, both in terms of land use and climate scenarios, it is pivotal to understand the matter and energy flows in complex ecosystems such as forests, in order to infer potential relationships at different levels, i.e. from soil to bird community within the forest stands. In this context, soil organic matter is main source of carbon and energy for heterotrophic soil organisms, which are a main component of the whole food web all the way up to bird communities. Even though many studies have investigated factors affecting C cycle and bird communities in forest ecosystems separately, an integrated approach that links soil to bird community was never attempted. Accordingly, we have used an innovative Two-block Partial Least Squares analysis to investigate patterns of covariance between soil and nesting bird communities in a relatively small wooded area surrounded by the urban area of Naples (southern Italy). Our research revealed that, in spite of the small extent and the surrounding urban context, the area of the Astroni hosts a substantial C stock and has a diversified bird nesting community. The abundance of species such as blue tit, jay, green woodpecker and great tit had a direct covariance with C stock in litter, while sampling sites that were characterized by greater C stocks in the soil and higher microbial activity were correlated with abundance of other bird species, most noticeably short-toed treecreeper and blackbird. Despite the limited extent of our research area, our study showed, for the first time, patterns of covariance between some forest species and different soil variables, linking forest ecological compartments whose connections are not immediately detectable and that could open new perspectives in land use management, both in terms of C stock and biodiversity evaluations.

Differences in spatiotemporal dynamics between soil macrofauna and mesofauna communities in forest ecosystems: The significance for soil fauna diversity monitoring

Soil fauna including macrofauna and mesofauna play important roles in the material cycle and energy flow of ecosystems. The spatiotemporal dynamics of the soil macrofauna and mesofauna have been studied in different ecosystems. However, the differences in spatiotemporal variability between soil macrofauna and mesofauna communities in the same ecosystem are still unknown. Soil macrofauna and mesofauna were investigated in April, August and November of 2008 in five forests and a subalpine meadow at elevations from 2659 to 3845 m. Results showed that the community composition of the soil macrofauna was more sensitive to habitat variation than that of soil mesofauna across the seasonal changes, but the community composition of soil mesofauna was more sensitive to seasonal changes than that of soil macrofauna across all the six habitats. Abundance, richness and Shannon index varied significantly between the six habitats for soil macrofauna but had no obvious spatial pattern for soil mesofauna. Moreover, the differences in abundances and diversity index between sampling months were not significant for soil macrofauna, but were significant for soil mesofauna. The spatial distributions of soil macrofauna were more easily affected by the changes in plant community and soil properties than those of the soil mesofauna, while the temporal dynamics of the soil mesofauna were more sensitive to the changes in climatic factors across sampling months than those of the soil macrofauna. These findings indicate that the soil macrofauna and mesofauna communities respond differently to spatiotemporal changes in environmental factors. The effects of plant communities are greater on soil macrofauna than on mesofauna and the effects of season are greater on soil mesofauna. These results also imply that differences from habitats and seasons should be respectively focused on soil macrofauna and mesofauna when monitoring soil fauna diversity in forest ecosystems.

The structure and composition of vegetation and amphibian diversity in Arfak Mountain, West Papua

Beljai M, Worabai MS. 2018. The structure and composition of vegetation and amphibian diversity in Arfak Mountain, West Papua. Pros Sem Nas Masy Biodiv Indon 4: 1-12. The forest formation around Didouhu River, Arfak Mountain District, West Papua Province, Indonesia is a habitat for a number of species of plants and animals of the class of amphibians that are not yet known scientifically. Therefore, information and data on vegetation structure and composition and amphibian diversity in the area are needed. The purpose of this research is to know the structure and composition of vegetation and the diversity of amphibian species in the forest area around Didouhu River. Vegetation data were collected using a combination method of path method and line plot systematic method, while amphibian type data were collected using visual encounter survey method. Vegetation data were analyzed using vegetation analysis method, while amphibian diversity was analyzed by using Shannon-Wiener index (index of species diversity), evenness index, and Jaccard similarity index (similarity index). From the result of vegetation analysis, there are 65 types of vegetation covering 50 types of seedlings with a density of 17,500 individuals/ha, 50 types of sapling with a density of 4,085 individuals/ha, 42 types of pole with density of 506 individuals/ha, and 28 species of tree level with a density of 108 individuals/ha. There were eight types of vegetation with the highest importance value index (IVi) which dominates between three and four growth phases, namely Dodonaea viscosa (IVi=166,80%), Lithocarpus ruvofilosus (IVi=83,68%), Lithocarpus aspericulata (IVi=69,47%), Rhus lamprocarpa (IVi=54.44%), Melicope sp. (IVi=40,41%), Drimys piperita (IVi=39,91%), Pouteria sp. (IVi=34.29%), and Galbulimima belgraveana (IVi=31.85%). The eight types of vegetation are the principal founders of plant communities in forest ecosystems around the Didouhu River. Amphibians are found in four types, namely Litoria arfakiana, Asterophrys sp., Rana grisea, and Lechriodus platyceps. The diversity of amphibian species in the study sites was moderate (H '= 3.14) with low species inter-species similarity (S = 0.17). The level of evenness is high (E = 0.91), where there is one type of L. arfakiana found in two research sites (locations A and B). Overall, the location of the study is quite damp, lots of puddles, riparian vegetation quite dense, and has rocky soil conditions and litter, making it a suitable habitat for amphibians of the Order of Anura.

Recognizing the ‘sparsely settled forest’: Multi-decade socioecological change dynamics and community exemplars

Sparsely settled forests (SSF) are poorly studied, coupled natural and human systems involving rural communities in forest ecosystems that are neither largely uninhabited wildland nor forests on the edges of urban areas. We developed and applied a multidisciplinary approach to define, map, and examine changes in the spatial extent and structure of both the landscapes and human populations of SSF in the United States. We estimated that the SSF in the contiguous United States, which are home to only 6–7% of the population, account for over 60% of all forested land and over 30% of all land. From 1990 to 2010 SSF declined in area by 16%, changing little overall but declining markedly in proximity to urban perimeters. A PCA ordination and cluster analysis of the human and landscape characteristics of SSF areas revealed complex and regionally variable patterns. Very broadly, SSF in the far northern and western states are less densely settled and more amenity driven, while the southeastern states north through Pennsylvania and Ohio are more densely settled and more agricultural. The socioeconomic characteristics of SSF are often quite variable at fine scales, especially in proximity to urban areas. Our improved multidisciplinary understanding of SSF raises important questions about regional differences in the dynamics, structure and future socioeconomic trajectories of these forests. To best manage these landscapes for the sake of both human and natural systems, SSF need to be considered a distinct land classification in their own right, not merely perceived as fuzzy boundaries around wild lands or urban areas.

Changes in the size structure of carabid communities in forest ecosystems under technogenic transformation

The body size structure of carabid communities has been analyzed based on the 2009 and 2013 collections (with the use of pitfall traps) performed at 10 sites of a spruce–fir forest along the gradient of pollution with emissions from the Middle Ural Copper Smelter. A reduction in the unweighted mean body size of carabid individuals has been shown, as well as the heterogeneity of body sizes in the community (Gini coefficient) of the extremely polluted territory. It has been revealed that the weighted mean body size of individuals and the Lorentz asymmetry coefficient are not dependent on the level of pollution. Differences between the communities of carabids in the background and polluted territories are associated with the smaller number of large-sized species, while the similarity is explained by the dominance of medium- and small-sized species at all sites. The high interannual variability has been observed in the ratio of size groups of the analyzed communities at the background and moderate levels of pollution.

Trophic position and seasonal changes in the diet of the red wood ant Formica aquilonia as indicated by stable isotope analysis

1. Red wood ants are among the most numerous generalist predators and strongly affect the composition of arthropod communities in forest ecosystems. However, their trophic position remains poorly understood. Stable isotope analysis was applied to study the trophic position of Formica aquilonia and reveal seasonal changes in its trophic links with both myrmecophilous aphids and other invertebrates in a mixed forest of western Siberia.2. The δ15N values of F. aquilonia exceeded those of herbivores and aphids by approximately 3.5‰. Despite obligate trophobiotic relationships with aphids, F. aquilonia occupied the trophic position of first‐order predator. The higher content of 13C in the worker ants, compared with members of grazing food chains, was explained by their consumption of 13C‐enriched aphid honeydew.3. Myrmecophilous tree‐dwelling aphids were enriched in 13C and 15N relative to grass‐inhabiting species, and the honeydew of tree‐dwelling aphids had higher δ13C values than those of the honeydew of grass‐inhabiting aphids.4. The decrease in δ13C values of the worker ants from spring and summer to autumn apparently reflected the transition from the collection of tree sap and feeding on the aphid honeydew from trees with high 13C content in the spring and early summer to a more diverse liquid diet in late summer, which included 13C‐depleted honeydew of aphids from herbs.5. The prevalence of the 15N‐depleted aphid honeydew in the ants' diet in the second half of the summer is discussed as one possible explanation for the seasonal decline in δ15N values of the worker ants.

Effects of different leaf litters on the physicochemical properties and bacterial communities in Panax ginseng-growing soil

Leaf litters play a very significant role in determining soil physicochemical properties and shaping soil microbial communities in forest ecosystems, but their impact on understory wild ginseng soil is unknown. In order to study that, different leaf litters from five tree species ((A) Acer mono. Maxim. var. mono; (B) Pinus densiflora Sieb. et Zucc.; (C) Juglans mandshurica Maxim.; (D) Tilia amurensis Rupr.; (E) Quercus mongolica Fisch. ex Ledeb) were added to Panax ginseng-growing soil. Our results indicated that the physicochemical properties of soil were significantly affected by all the leaf litter treatments. Soil total nitrogen, available NPK, and soil microbial biomass (carbon and nitrogen) significantly (P<0.05) increased across all treatments. In addition, we found that the soil bulk density and C/N ratio was lower following all treatments than in the control (no addition of leaf litter). Although the different kinds of added leaf litter had few effects on bacterial diversity and abundance, significant changes in the bacterial community composition could be identified in all soils; specifically, the relative abundance of Proteobacteria was higher in treatments than in the control. In addition, the bacterial communities of Bacteroidetes were fewer in treatments with coniferous leaf litter than those with broad leaf litter (P<0.05). Canonical discriminant analysis (CDA) ascertained that the shift of bacterial community composition and diversity were closely related with the changes in soil microbial biomass carbon and available nitrogen in all treatment soils. Our experiment results suggest that addition of leaf litter has a significant impact on soil bacterial community development, and it can lead to higher soil nutrients and soil microbial biomass, as well as a different bacterial community composition.

Into the functional ecology of ectomycorrhizal communities: environmental filtering of enzymatic activities

Summary Characterizing the ecological processes driving the assembly and functional composition of ectomycorrhizal (ECM) fungal communities is an area of active research. Here, we applied a trait‐based framework to address whether and how environmental filtering and niche differentiation influence the diversity of ECM fungal enzymatic activities in two oak‐dominated forest ecosystems. We hypothesized that fungal enzymatic activities and ECM community assembly are influenced by the availability of targeted resources in the surrounding soil. We pinpointed a major influence of environmental filtering on ECM fungal taxonomic and functional composition. Contrasted taxonomic composition among forest ecosystems was linked to broad interspecific trait variation and entailed contrasted functional responses at community level. However, intraspecific trait variation contributed to community response within ecosystems. We characterized a strong relationship between enzymatic activities and targeted resource availability in surrounding soil, suggesting a functional role of the enzymes for the acquisition of these resources. Conversely, we did not find a significant influence of niche differentiation in ECM community assembly. Synthesis. Heterogeneous distribution of soil resources drives a community‐level functional response and determines the functional and taxonomic mosaic of ECM communities in forest ecosystems.

Linkages between the soil organic matter fractions and the microbial metabolic functional diversity within a broad-leaved Korean pine forest

Patterns in the spatial distribution of soil microorganisms and the factors that determine them provide important information about the mechanisms regulating diversity and function of terrestrial ecosystems. The spatial heterogeneity of metabolic functional diversity of soil microorganisms was studied across a 30 × 40 m plot and at two soil depths (0–10 cm and 10–20 cm) in a natural, mixed broad-leaved Korean pine (Pinus koraiensis) forest soil in the Changbai Mountains. In addition, we assessed the importance of the quantity and quality (indicated by labile soil organic matter fractions) of soil organic matter in small-scale structuring of soil microbial metabolic functional diversity. Microbial metabolic functional diversity was characterized based on the Biolog profile. The results showed that metabolic activity exhibited moderate spatial dependence, while functional diversity had a much stronger spatial dependence. All soil organic matter fractions including total soil organic matter, dissolved organic matter, particulate organic matter explained 15–27% of the variance in microbial functional diversity in the two soil layers. Among all soil organic matter fractions, the labile dissolved organic carbon accounted for the largest amount of variation. Overall, the significant relationship between soil microorganisms and organic matter fractions allows for better understanding the ecological functions governing C cycling and microbial communities in forest ecosystems.

Small mammal communities in forest ecosystems affected by urbanization

A set of characters has been used to evaluate transformations in forest phytocenoses and their small mammal communities affected by urbanization, compared to conditionally undisturbed phytocenoses (communities). In park forests of the city of Yekaterinburg, the understory and subordinate shrub and herb- dwarf shrub layers of phytocenosis are transformed to a greater extent. The undergrowth of conifer forest� forming species is as a rule sparse or absent, and that of deciduous trees often consists mainly of invasive spe� cies. Small mammal communities in pine forests transformed under the effect of urbanization also undergo changes leading to the formation of relatively stable (for an urbanized environment) zoocenoses differing both in species composition and in parameters characterizing community diversity.

Development of the steppe zone in southern Russia based on the reconstruction from the loess-soil formation in the Don-Azov Region

Herbaceous communities in forest ecosystems on the southern part of the Russian Plain appeared in the Middle Miocene (∼10 Ma BP). In the Late Miocene (∼7 Ma BP), feather-grass steppe associations appeared among them. In the time span of 2.7 to 2.1 Ma BP (i.e., in the Early Quaternary, according to the current chronostratigraphic scale), the steppe zone arose on the southern Russian Plain in the Don-Azov Region. Seven stages of this zone development here have been distinguished throughout the Quaternary. The first one (Eopleistocene-Early Pleistocene) was characterized by savanna-like subtropic ecosystems. Then, in the Middle Pleistocene, the temperate zone ecosystems (tallgrass prairie-like steppes) developed here and were followed by steppe ecosystems close to the modern ones in Central Europe. The ecosystems of rich-species forb steppes developed in the Late Pleistocene. Finally, in the optimum of the modern interglacial (Holocene), steppes became similar to the modern ones here, but with a slightly higher precipitation. The general trend is characterized by reduction in heat and water provision and increase in aridization progressing from earlier to later stages.

Effect of understory fern (Dicranopteris dichotoma) removal on substrate utilization patterns of culturable soil bacterial communities in subtropical Eucalyptus plantations

a b s t r a c t Although understory vegetation is known to play an important role in driving the processes and func- tions of forest ecosystems, little is known about how understory vegetation affects the composition and function of soil microbial communities in forest ecosystems, especially in subtropical and tropical forests. This study used the experimental removal of understory fern (Dicranopteris dichotoma) to investigate the effect of the fern on substrate utilization patterns of culturable soil bacterial communities in two sub- tropical Eucalyptus plantations. One year after treatment, the removal of understory fern significantly increased soil temperature by 2-3 ◦ C and retarded litter decomposition by 5.6-23.1%. However, under- story fern removal did not affect the substrate utilization pattern of soil bacterial communities. Our study provides evidence that, although understory fern removal significantly alters soil temperature and litter decomposition rate, the disturbance caused by understory removal one year after treatment is too weak to cause detectable changes in substrate utilization pattern of culturable soil bacterial communities in subtropical Eucalyptus plantations.

Distribution of red wood ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in the clear-cut areas of a managed forest in Western Poland

Red wood ants (RWAs) play an important role as predators and competitors in invertebrate communities in forest ecosystems. The abundance of RWAs in managed forest clear-cut areas was investigated in 2007 in Western Poland. The ants were counted in 1 × 1 m squares along transects that led from the edge to the centre of clear-cut areas. Squares that contained RWAs were located significantly closer to the edge as compared with squares without ants. The RWA density decreased significantly from the edge to the centre of clear-cut area. The pattern of the decrease of RWAs towards the clear-cut area centre may have serious consequences for ant-sensitive invertebrates. It can be expected that species richness and species diversity of invertebrates will be affected by forest clear-cut areas, which generate ant-free conditions.

Phylogenetic similarity and structure of Agaricomycotina communities across a forested landscape

The Agaricomycotina are a phylogenetically diverse group of fungi that includes both saprotrophic and mycorrhizal species, and that form species--rich communities in forest ecosystems. Most species are infrequently observed, and this hampers assessment of the role that environmental heterogeneity plays in determining local community composition and in driving beta-diversity. We used a combination of phenetic (TRFLP) and phylogenetic approaches [Unifrac and Net Relatedness Index (NRI)] to examine the compositional and phylogenetic similarity of Agaricomycotina communities in forest floor and surface soil of three widely distributed temperate upland forest ecosystems (one, xeric oak--dominated and two, mesic sugar maple dominated). Generally, forest floor and soil communities had similar phylogenetic diversity, but there was little overlap of species or evolutionary lineages between these two horizons. Forest floor communities were dominated by saprotrophic species, and were compositionally and phylogenetically similar in all three ecosystems. Mycorrhizal species represented 30% to 90% of soil community diversity, and these communities differed compositionally and phylogenetically between ecosystems. Estimates of NRI revealed significant phylogenetic clustering in both the forest floor and soil communities of only the xeric oak-dominated forest ecosystem, and may indicate that this ecosystem acts as a habitat filter. Our results suggest that environmental heterogeneity strongly influences the phylogenetic beta-diversity of soil inhabiting Agaricomycotina communities, but has only a small influence on forest floor beta-diversity. Moreover, our results suggest that the strength of community assembly processes, such as habitat filtering, may differ between temperate forest ecosystems.

454 Pyrosequencing analyses of forest soils reveal an unexpectedly high fungal diversity

* Soil fungi play a major role in ecological and biogeochemical processes in forests. Little is known, however, about the structure and richness of different fungal communities and the distribution of functional ecological groups (pathogens, saprobes and symbionts). * Here, we assessed the fungal diversity in six different forest soils using tag-encoded 454 pyrosequencing of the nuclear ribosomal internal transcribed spacer-1 (ITS-1). No less than 166 350 ITS reads were obtained from all samples. In each forest soil sample (4 g), approximately 30 000 reads were recovered, corresponding to around 1000 molecular operational taxonomic units. * Most operational taxonomic units (81%) belonged to the Dikarya subkingdom (Ascomycota and Basidiomycota). Richness, abundance and taxonomic analyses identified the Agaricomycetes as the dominant fungal class. The ITS-1 sequences (73%) analysed corresponded to only 26 taxa. The most abundant operational taxonomic units showed the highest sequence similarity to Ceratobasidium sp., Cryptococcus podzolicus, Lactarius sp. and Scleroderma sp. * This study validates the effectiveness of high-throughput 454 sequencing technology for the survey of soil fungal diversity. The large proportion of unidentified sequences, however, calls for curated sequence databases. The use of pyrosequencing on soil samples will accelerate the study of the spatiotemporal dynamics of fungal communities in forest ecosystems.

Do Thinning and Burning Sites Revegetated after Bauxite Mining Improve Habitat for Terrestrial Vertebrates?

Thinning and burning forests established on revegetated mine pits in jarrah (Eucalyptus marginata) forests of south-west Australia is being considered as a management option to accelerate succession in sites with excessive tree densities. To assess the impact of thinning and burning on reptiles and small mammals, we installed trapping grids in eight thinned and burned sites, each paired with untreated controls. Of the eight pairs, four were in rehabilitated sites (planted with nonlocal species) and four were in restored sites (seeded with local species). Thinning and burning had no significant impact on the small mammal community, although Cercatetus concinnus was more abundant in rehabilitated sites. In contrast, thinning and burning significantly increased reptile abundance and species richness, with two species (Morethia obscura and Menetia greyii) only recorded in thinned and burned sites. We concluded that thinning and burning was a successful management option in revegetated mine pits in jarrah forests, particularly because reptile communities created by thinning and burning were more similar to those in unmined forest. Although published studies for comparison are few, we expect thinning and burning to have generally positive effects on reptile communities in forest ecosystems where fire is an important disturbance agent. Our study emphasizes the importance of monitoring revegetated areas over time periods sufficient to detect deviations from desired successional trajectories, so that management options, such as thinning and burning, can be implemented if required.

PREDICTING PRESENCE AND ABUNDANCE OF A SMALL MAMMAL SPECIES: THE EFFECT OF SCALE AND RESOLUTION

Management of small mammal communities in forest ecosystems requires a working knowledge of the scales at which species presence and abundance can best be predicted. Habitat-based models were developed to characterize the distribution of a boreal relict, the southern red-backed vole, Clethrionomys gapperi, in the southern Appalachian Mountains, USA, at three hierarchical scales of analysis. Vole presence and abundance were most evident at the high-resolution (macrohabitat) scale, followed by the intermediate-resolution scale. The low-resolution model was the least effective for predicting presence or abundance and reflects the need for more resolute landscape classification systems if small mammal populations are to be accounted for in an ecologically relevant manner. Tree and shrub communities indicative of suitable vole habitat included Fraxinus pennsylvanica and Tsuga canadensis in the canopy and Carpinus caroliniana in the understory. Vole abundance increased with incidence of tree species such as Bet...

Impacts of urbanization on plant and bird communities in forest ecosystems

Development is now a major cause of landscape-scale variation in ecosystems and it is imperative to know more precisely the nature of its impacts if we wish to preserve affected species and their habitats. Recent studies suggest that human impacts in suburban forests are "edge effects" analogous to microclimatic and vegetational edge zone phenomena although they exceed natural edge effects both in severity and spatial extent of damage. Studies of forest bird communities in California and Ontario indicate that some species are urban avoiders that decline or disappear as development levels increase. Research is urgently needed to better understand the mechanisms by which development undermines natural areas in order to prevent or minimize its adverse impacts.