Deciduous Forest Floor Research Articles

Vibroscape analysis reveals acoustic niche overlap and plastic alteration of vibratory courtship signals in ground-dwelling wolf spiders

To expand the scope of soundscape ecology to encompass substrate-borne vibrations (i.e. vibroscapes), we analyzed the vibroscape of a deciduous forest floor using contact microphone arrays followed by automated processing of large audio datasets. We then focused on vibratory signaling of ground-dwelling Schizocosa wolf spiders to test for (i) acoustic niche partitioning and (ii) plastic behavioral responses that might reduce the risk of signal interference from substrate-borne noise and conspecific/heterospecific signaling. Two closely related species - S. stridulans and S. uetzi - showed high acoustic niche overlap across space, time, and dominant frequency. Both species show plastic behavioral responses - S. uetzi males shorten their courtship in higher abundance of substrate-borne noise, S. stridulans males increased the duration of their vibratory courtship signals in a higher abundance of conspecific signals, and S. stridulans males decreased vibratory signal complexity in a higher abundance of S. uetzi signals.

Competition and Intraguild Predation Between Beetles, Pterostichus stygicus (Coleoptera: Carabidae) and Centipedes, Scolopocryptops sexspinosus (Scolopemdromorpha: Scolopocryptopidae)

AbstractStudying interactions between distantly related species is necessary to understand the complexity of food webs. Generalist predator interactions, such as intraguild predation (IGP) and competition, can alleviate predation pressure and weaken top–down control that predators have on lower trophic levels. Centipedes (Chilopoda) and carabid beetles (Coleoptera) are common deciduous forest floor generalist predators that may interact by competing for resources beneath rocks and logs on the forest floor, especially during dry periods when prey become confined to such microhabitats. We used laboratory and field studies to determine whether the carabid beetle, Pterostichus stygicus (Say), and the centipede, Scolopocryptops sexspinosus (Say) co-occur under artificial cover. Additionally, a laboratory mesocosm experiment was used to examine competitive interactions in intra- and interspecific trials. There was significant negative co-occurrence of beetles and centipedes beneath cover objects in the field and laboratory. Pairings of S. sexspinosus and P. stygicus within mesocosms resulted in high mortality of P. stygicus, and reciprocal but asymmetric IGP. Centipedes maintained weight within solitary, intra- and interspecific mesocosm treatments, however, beetles lost mass in all treatments. Scolopocryptops sexspinosus responded more favorably to intra- and interspecific competition than did P. stygicus. Analysis of the leaf litter mesofauna indicated that these predators consumed similar prey in laboratory mesocosms. Our results suggest that species with very different trophic morphology have the potential to compete for shared microhabitat and prey.

New Distribution Record of Five Species of Xylaria from Tripura, Northeast India

The present study deals with new distribution record of five Xylaria species from Tripura, North-east India. Out of total five species, X. obovata, X. nigripes, X. multiplex and X. hypoxylon were not reported from entire Northeast India. Present findings revealed a potential check list of Xylaria of the region. It was observed that Xylaria species prefer to grow on dead decaying wooden logs situated on the moist deciduous forest floor. In addition, the present study also examines the toxicity test for all Xylaria species, and found that all five reported species contain toxic components and recommended as non-edible wild mushroom. Keywords: Xylaria species, wild poisonous mushroom, identification key, habitat, toxicity test Cite this Article Sanjit Debnath, Koushik Majumdar, Panna Das et al. New Distribution Record of Five Species of Xylaria from Tripura, Northeast India. Research & Reviews: A Journal of Life Sciences. 2018; 8(1): 1–10p.

A Newly Identified Role of the Deciduous Forest Floor in the Timing of Green‐Up

AbstractPlant phenology studies rarely consider controlling factors other than air temperature. We evaluate here the potential significance of physical and chemical properties of soil (edaphic factors) as additional important controls on phenology. More specifically, we investigate causal connections between satellite‐observed green‐up dates of small forest watersheds and soil properties in the Adirondack Mountains of New York, USA. Contrary to the findings of previous studies, where edaphic controls of spring phenology were found to be marginal, our analyses show that at least three factors manifest themselves as significant controls of seasonal patterns of variation in vegetated land surfaces observed from remote sensing: (1) thickness of the forest floor, (2) concentration of exchangeable soil potassium, and (3) soil acidity. For example, a thick forest floor appears to delay the onset of green‐up. Watersheds with elevated concentrations of potassium are associated with early surface greening. We also found that trees growing in strongly acidified watersheds demonstrate delayed green‐up dates. Overall, our work demonstrates that, at the scale of small forest watersheds, edaphic factors can explain a significant percentage of the observed spatial variation in land surface phenology that is comparable to the percentage that can be explained by climatic and landscape factors. We conclude that physical and chemical properties of forest soil play important roles in forest ecosystems as modulators of climatic drivers controlling the rate of spring soil warming and the transition of trees out of winter dormancy.

Annual greenhouse gas fluxes from a temperate deciduous oak forest floor

Annual greenhouse gas fluxes from a temperate deciduous oak forest floor

Soil organic matter composition and quality across fire severity gradients in coniferous and deciduous forests of the southern boreal region

AbstractRecent patterns of prolonged regional drought in southern boreal forests of the Great Lakes region, USA, suggest that the ecological effects of disturbance by wildfire may become increasingly severe. Losses of forest soil organic matter (SOM) during fire can limit soil nutrient availability and forest regeneration. These processes are also influenced by the composition of postfire SOM. We sampled the forest floor layer (i.e., full organic horizon) and 0–10 cm mineral soil from stands dominated by coniferous (Pinus banksiana Lamb.) or deciduous (Populus tremuloides Michx.) species 1–2 months after the 2011 Pagami Creek wildfire in northern Minnesota. We used solid‐state 13C NMR to characterize SOM composition across a gradient of fire severity in both forest cover types. SOM composition was affected by fire, even when no statistically significant losses of total C stocks were evident. The most pronounced differences in SOM composition between burned and unburned reference areas occurred in the forest floor for both cover types. Carbohydrate stocks in forest floor and mineral horizons decreased with severity level in both cover types, whereas pyrogenic C stocks increased with severity in the coniferous forest floor and decreased in only the highest severity level in the deciduous forest floor. Loss of carbohydrate and lignin pools contributed to a decreased SOM stability index and increased decomposition index. Our results suggest that increases in fire severity expected to occur under future climate scenarios may lead to changes in SOM composition and dynamics with consequences for postfire forest recovery and C uptake.

인공강우실험에 의한 활엽수 부후낙엽층의 강우차단손실량 추정

Research Institute of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Seoul National University, Seoul 151-921, Korea(Received August 16, 2014; Revised September 29, 2014; Accepted September 29, 2014)ABSTRACTSForest floor is one of most distinctive features of forest ecosystem, which provides plants and soil microbeswith nutrients, and controls hydrologic condition within the floor by intercepting water during a rainfallevent and evaporates back into the atmosphere. In this study rainfall interception loss by decomposed forestfloor of a deciduous forest has been experimentally estimated using rainfall simulation experiments. Litter-decomposing fungi were incubated on deciduous forest floor samples for the experiment purposes. On adeciduous floor, a 4.22 mm·kg

落葉広葉樹林の林床へのエゾエンゴサク種子の播種または塊茎の移植

Large and aesthetic populations of native plant species such as Erythronium japonicum, Corydalis ambigua, Gagea lutea, Cardiocrinum cordatum var. glehnii, and Trillium camschatcense impart a beautiful color to the floors of broad-leaved deciduous forests in Hokkaido, Japan. In this study, we revealed that the effects of seed sowing, tuber age, and transplanting depth of tubers in Corydalis ambigua on the germination and growth of tubers in the following year. In May, immediately after the seed collection, seeds were sown both in pots in the flame house and in the deciduous forest floor. Pots were watered adequately and the soil surface in the forest floor was well prepared. In the following spring, 66% of the seeds germinated in pots and 36% - 45% of the seeds germinated in the forest floor. Both the 1-year-old tubers and the 2-year-old tubers were transplanted at a depth of 2 cm or 8 cm in the autumn immediately after the root emerging from tubers, and then more than 89% of both tubers that were transplanted at a depth of 2 cm or 8 cm sprouted leaves in the following spring.Tubers transplanted at a depth of 8 cm tended to grow more than tubers transplanted at a depth of 2 cm. Dry weight of 1-year-old tubers that experienced one growing season increased by 3 - 7 times to their initial dry weight,and by 3 - 5 times in the 2-year-old tubers. About 50% of the 2-year-old tubers transplanted in autumn flowered in the following spring and have average of about 3 flowers. However no 1-year-old tuber flowered in the next year.

Influence Area of Stem Flow on a Soil of Deciduous Forest Floor by Electric Resistivity Survey and the Evaluation of Groundwater Recharge through Stem Flow

Influence Area of Stem Flow on a Soil of Deciduous Forest Floor by Electric Resistivity Survey and the Evaluation of Groundwater Recharge through Stem Flow

Changes in conifer and deciduous forest foliar and forest floor chemistry and basal area tree growth across a nitrogen (N) deposition gradient in the northeastern US

We evaluated foliar and forest floor chemistry across a gradient of N deposition in the Northeast at 11 red spruce ( Picea rubens Sarg.) sites in 1987/1988 and foliar and forest floor chemistry and basal area growth at six paired spruce and deciduous sites in 1999. The six red spruce plots were a subset of the original 1987/1988 spruce sites. In 1999, we observed a significant correlation between mean growing season temperature and red spruce basal area growth. Red spruce and deciduous foliar %N correlated significantly with N deposition. Although N deposition has not changed significantly from 1987/1988 to 1999, net nitrification potential decreased significantly at Whiteface. This decrease in net potential nitrification is not consistent with the N saturation hypothesis and suggests that non-N deposition controls, such as climatic factors and immobilization of down dead wood, might have limited N cycling.

Differences in litter mass change mite assemblage structure on a deciduous forest floor

Few mechanisms that determine the assemblage structure of mites have been identified. Whilst the relative abundance of soil fauna is known to change with humus form, the degree to which the quantity of litter inputs play a part in these changes has not been investigated. We tested the response of oribatid and mesostigmatid mites in litter and soil layers to increasing levels of birch Betula pubescens litter to test whether litter mass could affect the mite assemblage. Six litter treatments (1, 2, 4, 8 and 12×natural litter mass and complete litter removal) were established in November 2004 and the soil and litter communities sampled in October 2005. Species composition of oribatids was distinct for the soil and litter. There was no apparent effect of increasing litter mass on the soil mite assemblage. In the litter layer, the number of oribatids g−1 of litter showed a strong negative relationship with increasing litter mass whilst the number of mesostigmatids g−1 of litter was unresponsive to litter mass. Hence, the relative abundance of these two groups altered with increasing litter mass. The response of the oribatid groups Oppiidae and Poronota followed this negative relationship with litter mass but Phthiracaridae appeared less affected. Consequently, there was a subtle shift in the relative abundance of these groups with increasing litter mass. Our results demonstrate that oribatids as a whole and within groups respond in a predictable manner to increases in litter mass whilst mesostigmatids are unresponsive. Whilst there are undoubtedly biological and physical aspects that vary with litter mass, litter mass itself, is able to explain some patterns in the assemblage of oribatid mites.

Sowing and transplantation of Adonis ramosa (Ranunculaceae) for the establishment of a new population in a seminatural broad-leaved deciduous forest floor

Adonis ramosa (Ranunculaceae) is a plant whose risk of extinction is increasing in Japan. In this study, we show that there is a significant possibility of establishing an A. ramosa population by sowing seeds or transplanting plants in a seminatural broad-leaved deciduous forest floor. Immediately after seed collection in early June, seeds were sown either in pots that were watered periodically or in a deciduous forest floor where the soil surface was prepared. In the following spring, 30–40% of the seeds germinated. Of the one-year-old plants buried at a depth of 2 cm and two-year-old plants buried at a depth of 2 or 8 cm in the fall, 96% sprouted leaves in the following spring. However, 79% of the one-year-old plants buried at a depth of 8 cm sprouted leaves. In spring, the number of leaves, the widths of individual plants, and the heights of the two-year-old plants were greater than those of the one-year-old plants. The dry weights of one- and two-year-old plants in fall after one spring growing season increased by 1.6–2.3 times and by 2.3–5.1 times, respectively, compared to the dry weight at the time of transplanting. Also, the dry weights of the plants transplanted at a depth of 8 cm were higher than those of plants transplanted at a depth of 2 cm for both one- and two-year-old plants. The results suggest that the growth conditions at a depth of 8 cm are more favorable than those at a depth of 2 cm.

Life‐history monographs of Japanese plants. 4: Allium victorialis L. ssp. platyphyllum (Makino) Hultén (Alliaceae) Syn. Allium victorialis L. var. platyphyllum Makino; A. latissimum Prokh.

AbstractThe life‐history characteristics of Allium victorialis ssp. platyphyllum (Alliaceae), a representative circumboreal element, are described here. This plant is a typical polycarpic perennial of lowland deciduous forests, extending its range to lower subalpine forests. It flashes in early to late April (and in May to early June at higher elevations) on the deciduous forest floor in the lowlands to lower montane zone in Hokkaido and Honshu (north of Nara Prefecture). Flowering individuals bear a single head with numerous whitish or pale purplish flowers on the top of the scape. This plant is a typical insect‐pollinated outbreeder, and representative pollinators include small flies (Diptera) and horse flies (Hymenoptera). The number of pollen grains per flower is 4.8–6 × 104, and in the 3‐locular ovary only a single ovule is produced for each locule. Pollen/ovule ratios are 1.8–2 × 104. Black ovoid seeds, measuring approximately 3 mm, are dispersed onto the soil layer in late summer. Seed germination occurs in late autumn and germinated seeds overwinter as a radicle. Seedlings with a narrow lanceolate leaf 4–5 cm long begin to appear above ground in early March of the succeeding season. In general, individuals take several years to become sexually mature, but mature individuals with two to three radical leaves will flower continuously and produce seeds.

Life‐history monographs of Japanese plants. 1: Erythronium japonicum Decne. (Liliaceae)

AbstractThe life‐history characteristics and demography of Erythronium japonicum Decne. (Liliaceae) are described here. This is a typical prevernal species of temperate broad‐leaved deciduous forests in the Japanese Islands and adjacent Far East regions, and is one of the representative perennials of Arcto‐Tertiary origin. It flushes in early to late April (in May at higher elevations) on the deciduous forest floor in the lowlands to lower montane zone in Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku and Kyushu. Flowering individuals bear a single but showy large purplish‐red flower, blooming downward from the top of the scape. This species is a typical polycarpic perennial and bumblebee‐pollinated outbreeder, with pollen/ovule ratios of 4800–6150, although occasional inbreeding is known in the northern populations of Hokkaido. Yellowish‐brown seeds, 2–3 mm long, with a tiny elaiosome, are susceptible to ant‐dispersal (i.e. myrmecochory). According to our long‐term monitoring study that has continued for the past 25 years, since 1979, its mean life expectancy is extremely long (approximately 40 years).

Controls on the release of dissolved organic carbon and nitrogen from a deciduous forest floor investigated by manipulations of aboveground litter inputs and water flux

Although dissolved organic matter (DOM) released from the forest floor plays a crucial role in transporting carbon and major nutrients through the soil profile, its formation and responses to changing litter inputs are only partially understood. To gain insights into the controlling mechanisms of DOM release from the forest floor, we investigated responses of the concentrations and fluxes of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and nitrogen (DON) in forest floor leachates to manipulations of throughfall (TF) flow and aboveground litter inputs (litter removal, litter addition, and glucose addition) at a hardwood stand in Bavaria, Germany. Over the two-year study period, litter manipulations resulted in significant changes in C and N stocks of the uppermost organic horizon (Oi). DOC and DON losses via forest floor leaching represented 8 and 11% of annual litterfall C and N inputs at the control, respectively. The exclusion of aboveground litter inputs caused a slight decrease in DOC release from the Oi horizon but no change in the overall leaching losses of DOC and DON in forest floor leachates. In contrast, the addition of litter or glucose increased the release of DOC and DON either from the Oi or from the lower horizons (Oe + Oa). Net releases of DOC from the Oe + Oa horizons over the entire manipulation period were not related to changes in microbial activity (measured as rates of basal and substrate-induced respiration) but to the original forest floor depths prior to manipulation, pointing to the flux control by the size of source pools rather than a straightforward relationship between microbial activity and DOM production. In response to doubled TF fluxes, net increases in DOM fluxes occurred in the lower forest floor, indicating the presence of substantial pools of potentially soluble organic matter in the Oe + Oa horizons. In contrast to the general assumption of DOM as a leaching product from recent litter, our results suggest that DOM in forest floor leachates is derived from both newly added litter and older organic horizons through complex interactions between microbial production and consumption and hydrologic transport.

Resource control on the production of dissolved organic carbon and nitrogen in a deciduous forest floor

The forest floor in temperate forests has become recognized for its importance in the retention of elevated inputs of dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) and as a source of dissolved organic matter (DOM). A laboratory leaching experiment was conducted over the period of 98d to examine the origin of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and nitrogen (DON) in a deciduous forest floor, and the effect of resource availability and microbial activity on the production mechanisms involved. The experiment was composed of different types of treatments: exclusion of specific forest floor layers (no Oi, no Oe) and addition of carbon sources (glucose, cellulose, leaf, wood) and NH4NO3 (nitrogen). The cumulative amount of CO2 evolution was positively related to the availability of C sources at each treatment: glucose>leaf=wood=cellulose>control=no Oe=nitrogen>no Oi. DOC release was related to the amount of C sources but showed no clear correlation with CO2 evolution. An increase in C availability generally led to a reduction in the release of DON as well as DIN. In contrast, the amendment of NH4NO3 reduced the cumulative DOC release but enhanced the release of both DON and DIN. Fresh leaf litter was a more important DOC source than labile substrates (glucose and cellulose) as well as more stable substrates (forest floor materials and wood). Among forest floor layers, more humified horizons (Oe and Oa) were the primary source of DIN and made a similar contribution to DOM release as the Oi layer. The changes in DOM composition detected by a humification index of the leachates, in combination with a shift in the final microbial biomass C, suggested that DOM released from the soluble pools of added litter or the Oi layer contained a substantial amount of microbially processed organic matter. Our study demonstrated the importance of C availability in regulating microbial activity and immobilization of dissolved N in an N-enriched forest floor. However, the discrepancy between substrate lability and DOC production, in combination with a rapid microbial processing of DOC released from labile C pools, illustrated the complicated nature of microbial production and consumption of DOC in the forest floor.

Effects of Ant Species Composition on Seed Removal in Deciduous Forest in Eastern Europe

Ant species contribute differently to the removal of elaiosome-bearing seeds. Microhabitats on the deciduous forest floor differ in the composition of ant species; these differences may influence the dispersal of myrmecochorous plants. This study examined removal rates of Viola odorata seeds which were dispersed by foragers of four ant species Formica polyctena (FP), Lasius fuliginosus (LF), Myrmica rubra (MR). and Leptothorax nylanderi (LN). We observed (I) the visit rates of ants and removal rates of seeds at three microhabitats with different ant species composition: FP territory with MR and LN. LF territory with AIR and LN, AIR territory with LN; (2) the contribution of different ant species to the seed removal rates; (3) effects of microsite type on the duration of seed manipulation by ant workers; (4) number of seeds handled by workers of different ant species: (5) effects of learning and recruitment on seed removal rates in three ant species FP. LF, and MR. At each territory the main contribution to visit rates and to seed removal rates was made by the most dominant ant species. The duration of seed manipulation by AIR ants at both FP and LF territories was significantly shorter than that by FP and LF ants. Under the pressure of large LF and FP, the AIR workers left the seed depot twice as quickly as in the absence of other ant species. Thus, duration of seed manipulation by MR was significantly shorter at FP, and especially, at LF territories than at MR territory. In all territories the duration of seed manipulation by LN was significantly longer than by other ant species. Learning (MR) or recruitment (FP) took place during seed removal. There were no differences in the duration of seed manipulation between experienced and inexperienced ants of both LF and FP. Inexperienced individuals of MR manipulated seeds twice as long as experienced ones. Experienced ants removed seeds with higher frequency than inexperienced ones regardless of ant species. It is concluded that ant species composition strongly influences the removal rates of seeds and potentially the fate of seeds of a myrmecochore. FP territory, providing the fastest removal of the fruit content, is presumably the most advantageous for the myrmecochore.

A Rapid System of Decay Classification for Hardwood Logs of the Eastern Deciduous Forest Floor

PYLE, C. AND M. M. BROWN (Department of Natural Resources Management and Engineering, U-87, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT 06269-4087). A rapid system of decay classification for hardwood logs of the eastern deciduous forest floor. J. Torrey Bot. Soc. 125:237-245. 1998.-A five-class log decay classification system involving characteristics of bark, twigs, wood surface, log soundness (assessed by kicking the log), and log shape was developed for hardwood forests and applied to logs located on transects in second-growth Quercushardwood and mixed-hardwood forest stands in the University of Connecticut forest. The classification system may be applied to specific log sectors, or, to the entire log by making a quick mental tally of the decay class in successive log sectors along the entire length to reach an overall decay class for the log. Log decay involves a progressive change in decay characteristics. In developing the classification table, we recognized that certain decay characteristics may or may not be present in a sector of a given decay class along a log; and, further, that in certain situations, subcategories of the five major decay classes are warranted. Overall decay class of each log was determined quickly in the field and then compared to calculated decay class based on a volume-weighted summation of the decay class of each sector of the log (minimum sector size was 20 cm log length). The quick field-based overall decay class generally agreed with the carefully calculated decay class. The inclusion of forks off the main bole had little effect on the estimate of the overall amount of log material in our study; however, bole forks represented a large proportion of material in certain logs. The methods described herein allow rapid decay class categorization because they involve no dissection of logs (merely probing of the log surface texture and log solidity). Besides being useful for studies requiring classification of log decay, these methods are wellsuited to incorporation into standard systems of extensive forest inventory when a time-efficient examination of potential habitat diversity is desired.

Trace gas exchange above the floor of a deciduous forest: 1. Evaporation and CO2 efflux

The eddy correlation method has great potential for directly measuring trace gas fluxes at the floor of a forest canopy, but a thorough validation study has not been yet conducted. Another appeal of the eddy correlation method is its ability to study processes that regulate and modulate gas exchange between the soil/litter complex and the atmosphere that cannot be probed with chambers. In this paper we report on eddy correlation measurements of water vapor, sensible heat, and carbon dioxide exchange that were made at the floor of a deciduous forest. The validity of the eddy correlation method to measure the emission of water vapor and CO2 from a deciduous forest floor is demonstrated by our ability to close the surface energy budget during periods that meet the requirements of the technique. Water vapor fluxes from a dry forest floor are strongly influenced by large‐scale turbulent events that penetrate deep into the canopy. The frequency of these turbulent events prevents equilibrium evaporation rates from being achieved because the dynamic time constant for water vapor exchange is longer. Consequently, maximal evaporation rates are capped to rates defined by the product of the driving potential of the atmosphere and the surface conductance. On the other hand, evaporation from a wet forest floor proceeds at rates reaching or exceeding equilibrium evaporation and are highly correlated with static pressure fluctuations. CO2 efflux rates are governed by litter and soil temperature, as expected. But we also find a significant correlation between static pressure fluctuations and soil/litter CO2 exchange rates.

Ecology of collembola in a deciduous forest floor of Birbiium District, West Bengal in relation to soil moisture

Abstract Numerous workers like Bellinger (1954), Sheals (1957), Christiansen (1964). Rapoport and Najt (1965), Choudhuri and Roy (1966, '67 and '72), Choudhuri and Bhattacharyay (1975), and Mitra et 01 (1977), have studied the qualitative and quantitative ecology of Coliembolan population in different parts of India and abroad. But the Collembolan population of a deciduous forest of Dirbhum district has not been attempted so far. In view of this, the present communication deating with the effect of soil moisture on the Collembolan population and their distribution in red laterite soil of Dirbhum district, West Bengal has been discussed.