Deciduous Forest Communities Research Articles

Assessment of Temperate Deciduous Forest Communities and Structures after Restoration through the Multi-Reference Ecosystems Framework

The reference forest serves as a model for forest ecosystem restoration and can be employed to assess the vegetation of the Restored Forest, thereby confirming the success of restoration. When evaluating restoration, employing multireference forests is advantageous for discerning gradual changes in Restored Forests. However, in previous studies, their utilization has been limited to comparisons with individual ecosystems. Therefore, this study investigates the status of Restored Forests in previously damaged areas and their resemblance to reference forests across four forest types, namely Climax Forest (CF), Secondary Forest (SF), Restored Forest (RF), and Planted Forest (PF). Reference forests, serving as model targets for restoration, include CF and SF, while RF and PF represent the restoration forests. Six target sites within two temperate deciduous forests (Quercus acutissima and Quercus variabilis) were selected, and a comparative analysis of species diversity, dominance, and evenness was conducted. This study revealed that the dominant species in the top canopy of restoration forests mirrored those in reference forests, with Q. variabilis and Q. acutissima being prevalent. A similarity index of over 60% and a high correlation of 0.987 were observed in the top canopy layer between the reference and restored ecosystems (CF-RF/SF-PF). These findings enhance our understanding of the current status of Restored Forests and advocate for the utilization of multiple reference forests for successful restoration efforts.

Impacts of forest fire frequency on structure and composition of tropical moist deciduous forest communities of Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve, Central India

Forest fire is one of the prominent factors especially in tropical seasonal forests that have a variety of consequences on ecosystem composition, structure and function depending upon the type of fire, fire intensity, and fire frequency. Forest fire incidences have been increasing in the last few decades especially in tropical moist forests, raising the concerns for forest restoration and management since the inhabiting plants in these forest communities largely lack adaptive strategies. The present study was carried out in tropical moist deciduous forests to (A) understand the patterns of forest fire frequency by delineating the fire affected areas and (B) evaluate the impacts of forest fire frequency on species composition, diversity and regeneration of a moist deciduous forest of Central India. A fire frequency map was prepared using Landsat satellite images from 2005 to 2021 for the study purpose. Vegetation data were collected from field surveys for each fire frequency class separately. Results of the present study showed that 25.12 % area was affected by low frequent fires, 2.92 % by moderate frequent fires and 0.099 % by high frequent fires, whereas 71.85 % area remained unaffected by fire. The diversity of the tree layer was highest in the low fire frequency class whereas, for the sapling layer, it was highest in unburned areas. Overall, the negative impact of fire frequency on species diversity was observed for the tree and sapling layers. Favorable effects of fire on young current year recruitments were observed as a result of the removal of seed dormancy. Results indicate that moderate fire frequency in moist deciduous forests helps to increase tree density. Contrary to this, unburned areas are suitable for species diversity of seedlings and saplings which consequently decides the composition of mature vegetation. Overall, a negative impact of fire frequency on density was observed for the sapling and seedling layers. Our study concludes that higher fire frequency is detrimental to both the density and diversity of tree, sapling and seedling layers, particularly in tropical moist deciduous forest communities of Central India. It is expected that fire incidences are likely to increase with the increasing temperatures as a result of climate change. In this context, the present study would be highly valuable for forest policy development as information on the impact of fire in tropical moist forests is lacking especially from Central Indian region.

Synopsis of the family Convolvulaceae in Mexico

The Convolvulaceae is a diverse family and it is particularly well represented in Mexico. The current inventory confirms the presence of 313 species within Mexico, and this quantity represents nearly 20% of the family’s global diversity. Convolvulaceae species are found in all states of our country but are most frequent at elevations below 1500 m. The preferred habitat is tropical deciduous forest and secondary communities derived from it. Whereas most species are herbaceous to woody climbers, it is noteworthy that some species are arborescent, and the distribution of this growth form is essentially Mexican, with a few species in the Andes.

Deciduous Forest Ecology and Community Forest Utilization in Ban Mae Chiang Rai Lum, Mae Phrik District, Lampang Province

Deciduous Forest Ecology and Community Forest Utilization in Ban Mae Chiang Rai Lum, Mae Phrik District, Lampang Province

Functional dispersion and variation in above-ground traits in tropical dry deciduous forests of Central India.

Plants are adapted to their environment through a suite of anatomical, morphological, and physiological traits. These functional traits are commonly thought to determine the plant’s tolerance to environmental conditions. Functional diversity quantifies diversity of species traits which reflects the kind of species functions and acts as a key driver of ecosystem processes and services. The objective of the present study is to quantify the intraspecific functional distance among species in terms of their traits within two selected tropical dry deciduous forest communities in Central India. Six key functional traits namely, specific leaf area, leaf dry matter content, leaf size, height, basal area and circumference, were considered for their significant ecological functions. The interspecific functional distances ranged from 2 to 52 in Garpehra forest community while it was 0 to 50 in the Jaruakhera forest community. The average functional distance recorded within two communities were 21.43 and 14.42 respectively. Most similar species pairs were Hollarhena antidysenterica - Aegle marmelos , Hollarhena antidysenterica - Lagerstroemia parviflora, Holoptelea integrifolia- Miliusa tomentosa in the Garpehra forest whereas in Jaruakhera species pairs namely, Madhuca indica – Diospyros melanoxylon , Ficus glomerata - Eugenia heyneana indicates high similarity for functional attributes. Being similar they are most redundant to each other. Few species pairs were highly dissimilar under functional trait space in Garpehra forest namely, Miliusa tomentosa - Sterculia urens , Holoptelea integrifolia – Sterculia urens and Helicteres isora – Boswellia serrata while in Jaruakhera, highly dissimilar species pairs were Ficus religiosa - Ziziphus xylopyrus and Helicteres isora- Ficus religiosa . Being dissimilar, they show complementarity to each other. The study depicts the functional structure of community and the redundant and complementary species pairs for predicting resilience, resistance, invasibility and conservation.

鹞落坪国家级自然保护区草本植物多样性及空间分布

鹞落坪国家级自然保护区草本植物多样性及空间分布

Vertical Stratification of Beetles in Deciduous Forest Communities in the Centre of European Russia

Studies on the vertical distribution of arthropods in temperate forests have revealed the uneven vertical distribution of communities. Many factors influence these patterns simultaneously. However, there are still many questions related to the vertical distribution of Coleoptera in deciduous forests of the temperate zone. The research was carried out within the territory of the Republic of Mordovia (the center of the European part of Russia). Fermental traps with a bait made of fermenting beer with sugar were used to collect Coleoptera. The collections were carried out from May to September 2020 at five sites in a deciduous forest. We set traps at a height of 1.5, 3.5, 7.5 and 12 m above the ground) on the branches of trees. Ninety-two species were identified at the end of studies at different heights. The families Nitidulidae (15 species), Cerambycidae (14 species), Elateridae (7 species), Curculionidae (7 species) and Scarabaeidae (7 species) had the greatest species diversity. The greatest species diversity was recorded at a height of 1.5 m, while the smallest one was recorded at a height of 7.5 m. The minimum number of specimens was recorded at a height of 12 m. The largest differences in the Jaccard similarity index were obtained between samples from a height of 1.5 and 12 m. The Shannon’s diversity index was higher near the ground than in the tree crowns (at heights of 7.5 and 12 m), and the Simpson index had the opposite tendency. Glischrochilus hortensis and to a lesser extent Cychramus luteus preferred to live in the lowest layers of deciduous forest (1.5 m). Cryptarcha strigata was mainly found with relatively high numbers at heights of 3.5 m and 7.5 m. The abundance and occurrence of Protaetia marmorata and Quedius dilatatus were higher in the uppermost layers of the crowns. The number of saproxylic beetle species at heights of 3.5–12 m was almost the same, while in the surface layer it decreased. The number of anthophilic beetle species was also lower at a low altitude. Our data confirm the relevance of sampling in forest ecosystems at different altitudes while studying arthropod biodiversity.

Succession of Xeric Calcareous Grassland Toward Thermophilous Oak Forest: The Case of Abava Valley, West Latvia

Abstract The succession of semi-natural xeric calcareous grassland plant communities toward deciduous forest communities is poorly studied in Latvia. There is insufficient knowledge on the natural transformation of dry calcareous grasslands of Festuco-Brometea into thermophilous quasi-climax oak forest communities of Quercetea pubescentis that are very rare in Latvia. In this paper, a geobotanical study is presented that included studies of soils, tree age, spatial pattern of trees, vegetation composition of different succession stages, and analysis of environmental factors. The study was conducted in the Abava Valley, West Latvia, an area that is unique with species-rich xeric calcareous Festuco-Brometea grasslands, thermophilous oak forests dominated by Quercus robur, and intermediate secondary succession stages with young to medium-aged Juniperus communis and Pinus sylvestris formations.

Litter trait driven dampening of flammability following deciduous forest community shifts in eastern North America

Global change has contributed to substantial vegetation shifts across many ecosystems through altered fire-vegetation feedbacks, but the direction, strength, and mechanism of these processes vary considerably. Most prior studies have focused on fire-vegetation feedbacks that enhance community flammability with less emphasis on examples of feedbacks resulting from dampened flammability. Widespread fire exclusion in many deciduous forests and woodlands of eastern North America has caused substantive changes in overstory species composition. These changes have led to feedbacks that are hypothesized to decrease community flammability (i.e. mesophication) to the detriment of fire-dependent “pyrophytes”. Mesophytic species, such as maple (Acer spp.), are implicated in these fire regime changes and have extensively invaded many oak (Quercus spp.) landscapes across the region. To date, only limited circumstantial evidence is available in support of dampened flammability as the mechanism contributing to mesophication. Here we use laboratory experiments to determine whether red maple (A. rubrum) and sugar maple (A. saccharum) could reduce forest floor flammability through the input of their leaf litter. Wetting, drying, and burning characteristics of three pyrophytic oaks, white oak (Q. alba), northern red oak (Q. rubra), and chestnut oak (Q. montana), and the two mesophytic maples revealed the strong potential for red maple to reduce community flammability. Red maple absorbed the greatest amount of water, was the slowest to dry, and was the least flammable among these species while white oak was the most resistant to water absorption, the fastest to dry, and the most flammable. Northern red oak, chestnut oak, and sugar maple were intermediate in their moisture dynamics and flammability. The moisture and flammability responses of the species examined were a result of their corresponding leaf traits, with drying rate and curling having the strongest influence. Our findings provide substantial evidence that vegetation shifts resulting from an altered fire regime could result in dampened litter flammability that further limit fire and reinforce on-going changes.

The Flora of a Mesic Forest Remnant in Iowa's Paleozoic Plateau: Malanaphy Springs State Preserve (Winneshiek County, Iowa)

We present the results of a floristic inventory and qualitative descriptions of the forest communities occurring in Malanaphy Springs State Preserve (MSSP), located in the Paleozoic Plateau of northeastern Iowa. Most of the 25.9-ha preserve is a mature mesic to dry-mesic deciduous forest community occurring on a steep slope adjacent to the Upper Iowa River. The preserve also contains a small floodplain forest as well as a small highly disturbed forest on the upland. We documented 422 plant taxa in our surveys, including 52 non-vascular taxa, 14 seedless vascular taxa, 3 gymnosperms, and 353 angiosperms. Eighty-seven percent of the vascular plant taxa are native, and 21% of the species have an Iowa coefficient of conservatism score of 7 or higher. Five species are listed by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources as endangered, threatened, or of special concern in the state. This survey provides critical baseline data needed to document future changes in the plant communities of MSSP. We conclude that this preserve is an important example of high-quality mesic deciduous forest communities in Iowa. We further conclude that the species diversity of the preserve is threatened by the cumulative impacts of habitat loss, high levels of deer herbivory, invasive species, nitrogen deposition, and climate change and that active management and strategic policy decisions will be needed to preserve native plant species diversity.

天目山常绿落叶阔叶林群落垂直结构与群落整体物种多样性的关系

以浙江省天目山1 hm²常绿落叶阔叶混交林样地调查数据为基础，运用K-means聚类方法将DBH≥1 cm的个体根据树高划分为不同林层，研究比较了各个林层的物种多样性特点；利用通径分析方法和决策系数定量计算各个林层物种多样性对群落整体物种多样性的直接作用和间接作用，天目山常绿落叶阔叶林垂直结构对群落物种多样性构成的影响。结果表明：（1）天目山常绿落叶阔叶林群落层次结构丰富，树高由1.4-36.5 m依次可分为灌木层、亚冠层、林冠下层、林冠中层和林冠上层。（2）天目山常绿落叶阔叶林群落从灌木层依次往向上，物种丰富度、多度、特有种数量、Shannon-Weiner指数和Simpson指数均呈下降趋势。（3）灌木层对群落物种多样性的贡献最大且远高于其他四个林层，其中灌木层对群落整体物种多样性Shannon-Wiener指数、Pielou指数以及Simpson指数的决策系数分别为0.850、0.651、0.755。（4）林冠下层、林冠中层和林冠上层密度的大小对灌木层的物种数目有明显的影响，林冠层密度越大，灌木层群落的物种数目越少，复杂程度越低；偶见种和稀有种对群落物种多样性的维持具有特殊作用。综上，研究认为森林群落的垂直结构在维持森林群落整体物种多样性中具有关键作用，而灌木层在群落整体物种多样性构成中具有决定作用，森林群落中稀有种、偶见种多少在群落物种多样性构成中具有特殊作用。;Based on the survey data of 1 hm² deciduous and evergreen broadleaved forest plot in Tianmu Mountain of Zhejiang Province, we assessed species biodiversity by K-means clustering method, the individuals with diameter at breast height(DBH) ≥ 1 cm was divided into different forest layers according to tree height, and the features of species diversity in each layer were computed, compared, and contrasted. In addition, the direct and indirect biodiversity impacts also evaluated by using path analysis, namely, the quantity of decision coefficients. The objective of the study was to reveal the influence of vertical structure on community species diversity in an evergreen deciduous broad-leaved forest community. The results demonstrated that:(1) the forest community had multiple-layered vertical structure, which could be divided into five layers:shrub layer (1.4-4.2 m), sub-canopy layer (4.3-7.6 m), lower canopy layer (7.7-13.4 m), middle canopy layer (13.5-21.5 m), and upper canopy layer (21.6-36.5 m). (2)The species richness,abundance,the number of endemic species, Shannon-Weiner index and Simpson index of the community appeared a downward trend from bottom to top layers. (3)Shrub layer was the largest contributors to the community overall species diversity index and was much higher than the other four forest layers. And the decision coefficient of shrub layer towards overall species diversity of community that Shannon-Wiener index, Pielou index and Simpson index was 0.850, 0.651, and 0.775, respectively. (4) The density of lower canopy, middle canopy, upper canopy had a negative impact on the species number of the shrub layer. The larger density of the forest canopy was, the less the number of species would become in the shrub community as well as the complexity. In addition, the occasional and rare species in the shrub layer also played a key role in maintaining the species diversity of the shrub layer. In conclusion, the vertical structure of the community was critical in maintaining the overall species diversity of the given forest community. The shrub layer played a decisive role in the composition of overall species diversity, besides the number of occasional and rare species also played a key role on the composition, thus, species diversity of the community.

Charakterystyka występowania i stan zagrożenia Gagea minima (Liliaceae) na terenie miasta Krakowa

Gagea minima (L.) Ker Gawl. is a rare species characteristic of meso- and eutrophic deciduous forest communities of the Fagetalia sylvaticae order. It is an inconspicuous spring geophyte easily overlooked in the field, occurring in oak-hornbeam and oak-beech forests, thickets, mountain glades and meadows. The paper gives information about the historical and present occurrence of G. minima within the administrative boundaries of the city of Kraków. Eight historical (6 published and 2 found in KRA herbarium material) and 4 new localities are described. The study demonstrates that rare plant species associated with natural forest communities may still occur in remaining fragments of these biotopes even within such a heavily urbanized area as the city of Kraków.

Mesophilous Quercus frainetto Dominated Forests from Western Balkans

Hungarian oak (Quercus frainetto) has dominant or co-dominant role in many thermophilous deciduous forest communities in the Balkan Peninsula. However, recent field research in the north-western margin of its range has revealed that some stands have a pronounced mesophilous character, which was also supported by data from the literature. This paper aims to analyze this mesophilous community of Hungarian oak which is found in north-western Serbia, north-eastern Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H) and eastern Croatia. Numerical analysis, which included classification and ordination of all 474 available relevés of Hungarian oak forests from the western and central Balkans, along with the 43 relevés of mesophilous forests of oak-hornbeam from B&H, have shown that 83 mesophilous Hungarian oak relevés are floristically and ecologically more similar to mesophilous forests of sessile oak-hornbeam (Erythronio-Carpinion) than to xero-thermophilous forests of Qeurcion confertae. The new association Carpino betuli-Quercetum frainetto ass. nova hoc loco was described, floristically and ecologically characterized and assigned to mesophilous oak-hornbeam forests of Erythronio-Carpinion. The study also discusses the syntaxonomical issues of Quercion confertae and its central association Quercetum frainetto-cerridis, considering the problem of the lack of good diagnostic species for both syntaxa, and introduces possible ways of dealing with these issues.

Remnant American Chestnut (Castanea dentata) Near the Historical Western Range Limit in Southwestern Tennessee

The American chestnut (Castanea dentata) was once widespread in eastern North America and an ecologically important hardwood tree of deciduous forest communities prior to its near-eradication by chestnut blight (Cryphonectria parasitica). Remnant populations occur across much of its historical range, especially in older forests of the Appalachians and northeastern U.S. However, broad swaths of the southwestern portion of the species' historical range remain poorly documented, potentially limiting the representation of genetic variation important for local adaptation in restoration efforts. Ongoing discovery and life-history characterization efforts for remnant C. dentata remains a priority to better understand the distribution and ecological status of this once important species, while identifying potential genetic sources of locally adapted or blight resistant trees. Here, we report the discovery of 22 C. dentata at four sites in southwestern Tennessee, adding novel observations that extend the range of known extant occurrences to the extreme western edge of the historical distribution in Fayette County. These observations include potentially reproductive individuals that should be revisited to assess reproductive and blight status, and that should be evaluated for current germplasm collection and restoration efforts.

Changes in flowering phenology of Cardamine concatenata and Erythronium americanum over 111\xa0years in the Central Appalachians

Spring ephemerals in the Central Appalachians are a key component of deciduous forest communities and can be indicators of shifting phenology due to climate changes in this ecosystem. The objectives of this study were to (1) determine if there have been any changes in date of flowering for the Cutleaf Toothwort (Cardamine concatenata) and Yellow Trout Lily (Erythronium americanum) in West Virginia over the last 111 years; (2) determine which climatic factors affect the blooming date of these perennial, spring ephemeral wildflowers; and (3) evaluate the effect of elevation on changing blooming dates using herbarium specimens and photographs from 1904 to 2015. Both species are widespread throughout the woodlands of eastern North America. Both species have significantly advanced their spring flowering over the last century (overline{x} = 0.91 days/decade). Spring temperature was the strongest predictor of blooming date (2.91 and 3.44 days earlier/1 °C increase in spring temperature, respectively). Flowers at < 500 m elevation bloomed earlier and demonstrated a stronger shift in flowering date over time than flowers at > 1000 m elevations. Lower elevations, higher spring and winter temperatures, and low amounts of precipitation were associated with earlier spring flowering. This research demonstrates the plasticity of phenological response to a variety of climatic variables, the usefulness of using herbarium specimens to reconstruct flowering dates over a topographically variable area, and the contrasting effects of climate change on high elevation regions of West Virginia.

Species spatial distributions in a warm-temperate deciduous broad-leaved forest in China

Spatial distribution is fundamental for understanding species coexistence mechanisms in forest communities. Here we comprehensively explored fine-scale spatial patterns of tree species in a secondary warm-temperate deciduous broad-leaved forest community in north China. Aggregated distribution patterns were predominant. Species functional traits had no significant effects on their spatial patterns. The aggregation intensity decreased with increasing DBH and abundance. The multivariate linear stepwise regression showed that abundance and maximum DBH were correlated with the aggregation intensity. Our results partially confirm that species attributes (abundance, DBH) and habitat heterogeneity may primarily contribute to spatial patterns and species coexistence in this secondary forest.

Increasing Area of Deciduous Forest Communities (Querco-Fagetea Class) as an Unintended Effect of Regular Forestry Management – a Study from Central Europe

Increasing Area of Deciduous Forest Communities (Querco-Fagetea Class) as an Unintended Effect of Regular Forestry Management – a Study from Central Europe

Do deer and raccoons defecate in the right place? Fitness consequences of vertebrate seed dispersal for a deciduous forest herb.

Precision of seed placement in a heterogeneous environment is often assumed to select for the evolution of animal-mediated dispersal systems, but this hypothesis has rarely been tested in a multivariate sense. We quantify the microsite fitness benefits of dispersal by white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) and raccoons (Procyon lotor) for mayapple (Podophyllum peltatum), a shade-tolerant perennial herb, in deciduous forests of southeastern Ohio, USA. Micro-environmental variables were recorded at dung-deposition microsites, at rooting points of mayapple shoots, and at random (control) points in the forest. Fitness was assessed as the degree of overlap in ordinations of microsites by environmental variables. Mayapple occupied a broad sector (56%) of environment space corresponding to low and mid-slope positions, ravines, and proximity to trees. Deer and raccoon defecation placed dung in 71-74 and 86-95% of environment space, respectively, reaching mayapple microsites in 57-60 and 53-54% of cases. Deer placed dung in mayapple environment space 7-9% more often than predicted by random distribution, and raccoons placed dung in mayapple space 0-5% more often, consistent with only a modest degree of directed dispersal. Thus, the precision hypothesis is only weakly supported. The greatest fitness benefit of vertebrate dispersal appears to be the broad distribution of seeds, thereby increasing the probability of randomly reaching a suitable microsite. Imprecise dispersal suggests that secondary mechanisms of seed movement need to be explored in deciduous forest communities.

Tree seedling richness, but not neighborhood composition, influences insect herbivory in a temperate deciduous forest community.

Insect herbivores can serve as important regulators of plant dynamics, but their impacts in temperate forest understories have received minimal attention at local scales. Here, we test several related hypotheses about the influence of plant neighborhood composition on insect leaf damage in southwestern Pennsylvania, USA. Using data on seedlings and adult trees sampled at 36 sites over an approximately 900 ha area, we tested for the effects of total plant density, rarefied species richness (i.e., resource concentration and dietary‐mixing hypotheses), conspecific density (i.e., Janzen–Connell hypothesis), and heterospecific density (i.e., herd‐immunity hypothesis), on the proportion of leaf tissue removed from 290 seedlings of 20 species. We also tested for the effects of generic‐ and familial‐level neighborhoods. Our results showed that the proportion of leaf tissue removed ranged from zero to just under 50% across individuals, but was generally quite low (<2%). Using linear mixed models, we found a significant negative relationship between insect damage and rarefied species richness, but no relationship with neighborhood density or composition. In addition, leaf damage had no significant effect on subsequent seedling growth or survival, likely due to the low levels of damage experienced by most individuals. Our results provide some support for the resource concentration hypothesis, but suggest a limited role for insect herbivores in driving local‐scale seedling dynamics in temperate forest understories.

The middle Miocene palynoflora and palaeoenvironments of Eskihisar (Yatağan basin, south-western Anatolia): a combined LM and SEM investigation

Anatolia was a crossroads for mammal migration during the Miocene due to intermittent land connections between Africa and Anatolia and persisting warm conditions. Here, we investigated a palynological section from middle Miocene sediments of Eskihisar (southwestern Anatolia) in order to establish biogeographic links of the palynoflora and to infer the palaeoenvironment. Four algal palynomorphs, nine spore taxa, eight gymnosperms, three monocots, and 67 dicot pollen types were encountered and investigated using the “single grain method” that combines light microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. Two pollen zones reflect different phases of basin development. Zonal vegetation remained fairly stable across the section and reflects heterogeneous environments including broad-leaved deciduous forest, subtropical forest, and sclerophyllous and semi-evergreen oak forest. Conifers were accessory elements in the broad-leaved deciduous forest communities and replaced these at higher elevations. Some herbaceous taxa (Plumbaginaceae) indicate scattered occurrences of sandy and/or rocky soils. Biogeographic affinities are general Northern Hemispheric, North American, and East Asian as also suggested by the macro fossil record. Only two taxa provide potential biogeographic links with the African flora. This suggests that biome shifts of plant taxa between African subtropical /tropical biomes and Anatolian (western Eurasian) temperate forests and shrublands may have been rare in the middle Miocene.