Foothill Forests Research Articles

Soil-Inhabiting microscopic fungi of the foothill forests of Bu Gia Map National Park (Vietnam)

The information about species composition and conformation characteristics of microfungi’s complexes in the soil and leaf litter of specially protected natural areas of Vietnam. The mycological examinations of the Bu Zia Map National Park were carried out for the first time. List of species that was found by dilution plate method from 60 samples includes 88 species of microscopic fungi belonging to 42 genera and 15 types of sterile forms. 13 species of them were not observed previously for Vietnam. Mucoromycota was represented by only two species that related to the order Mucorales. Basisiomycota was represented by only one species. The most of identified fungi belongs to Ascomycota, domitant part of them is anamorphic. The leading orders are Eurotiales (42 species) and Hypocreales (17 species). Among the anamorphic forms there is a lot of different species Aspergillus and Penicillium. In soil from dipterocarp forest were identified 36 species microscopic fungi from 19 genera and eight sterile forms were isolated. There are three species were included in the group of dominants: Aspergillus tubingensis, Penicillium ochrochloron, Trichoderma harzianum. On a forest with Lagerstroemia sp. (Lythraceae) was found 47 species from 24 genera and 4 sterile forms were isolated. In the palm tropical forest area with Arenga westerhoutii (Arecaceae) 44 species of micromycetes from 27 genera and 5 sterile forms were isolated. The number of typical (dominant and frequent) species is very large, especially for the complex of micromycetes of the soil. Purpureocillium lilacinum and Trichoderma harzianum were also present. Rare tropical fungi have been found, such as Heterocephalum taiense, Chaetomella circinoseta and C. raphigera – soil fungi that are usually isolated from tropical soils and plants. Endocalyx melanoxanthus that has a tropical distribution and is associated with palm trees was found in Vietnam for the first time. The micromycete Thielaviopsis radicicola which is a rather serious pathogen of palm was found in the soil in a forest area with a predominance of Lagerstroemia sp. Complexes of micromycetes of the studied forest areas are divided into groups according to the types of habitats studied and by the types of different substrates. The complexes of micromycetes that were found in the soil and on the litter of the Lagerstroemia forest are very different. The degree of study of the species composition for all habitats is not very high: from 56 to 78%. Further studies of this group are promising and may lead to the identification of new species.

New species of Gehyra (Squamata: Gekkonidae) from Papua New Guinea

I describe four new species of Gehyra from New Guinea and immediately adjacent islands. Two of these are giant species that have long been misassigned to either G. vorax or G. membranacruralis; the other two were previously referred to G. oceanica. Each of the new species has a very circumscribed geographic distribution, with one being known from only a single island, a second from a small portion of southeastern New Guinea and immediately adjacent islands, a third from a small archipelago, and the fourth from foothill forest along the northern versant of eastern New Guinea. Three of these species are found only in the Milne Bay Region of southeastern Papua New Guinea, a region previously identified as having a globally high density of narrow-range endemic reptile and amphibian species. These species provide further extension of that pattern by increasing the number of known endemic herpetofaunal species from that small region to 165. Variation in subcaudal shape is taxonomically useful in Gehyra, but its character-state coding must rely on original tails because aberrant development of subcaudals in some regenerated tails could lead to mischaracterization of this feature.

Moisture thresholds for ignition vary between types of eucalypt forests across an aridity gradient

ContextQuantifying spatial and temporal variations in landscape flammability is important for implementing ecologically desirable prescribed burns and gauging the level of fire risk across a landscape. Yet there is a paucity of models that provide adequate spatial detail about landscape flammability for these purposes.ObjectivesOur aim was to quantify spatial and temporal variations in ignitability across a forested landscape. We asked: (1) How do fuel moisture and meteorological variables interact to affect ignitability? (2) Do fuel moisture thresholds for ignition vary across a gradient of forest types? (3) How does the spatial connectivity of ignitable fuel vary over time? (4) How could an ignitability model be used to inform fire management decision-making?MethodsWe conducted field-based ignition tests with flaming firebrands over three fire seasons. Ignitions were attempted across a range of moisture and meteorological conditions at 15 sites in eucalypt forest in south-eastern Australia. Structural equation modelling and generalized linear models were used to quantify relationships between ignitability, aridity, fuel moisture and weather.ResultsThe strongest predictors of ignitability were the moisture content of dead near surface fine fuel and in-forest vapour pressure deficit. Ignition thresholds for both varied across an aridity gradient. Dense forests (i.e., wet and damp eucalypt forests) needed drier fuel and drier in-forest atmospheric conditions to ignite than sparser forests (i.e., shrubby foothill forest).ConclusionOur modelling of ignitability could inform fire planning in south-eastern Australia and the methodology could be applied elsewhere to develop similar models for other regions. Days with consistently high ignitability across the landscape are more conducive to the development of large wildfires whereas days when ignitability is spatially variable are more suitable for prescribed burning.

A micro scale study of Mahananda river bank erosion and temporal Land use land cover scenario with special reference to natural forest in the foothills of Darjeeling Himalaya, West Bengal, India

Bank erosion is an inevitable vestige of past to evident fluvial dynamics in relation to its discharge and velocities and work-load in view of its load washed or unwashed. The central idea is best suited to study the case of River Mahananda alias Mahanadi within the Upper Mahananda River basin area having similar kind of attestation of facts. The present study needed extraction of satellite imageries of Landsat from USGS sites associated with its processing and ultimately to frame out the temporal scenes through NDVI technique to visualize if the forest cover is at all influenced by bank erosion or not or for specific scales whatever is the reality. The inference registered heavy scouring along the hugging banks with temporal avulsions and bed aggradation. The rates of change of foothill forest areas and variation of cultivable areas for a period of 30 years initiating from 1990 is addressed to study here.

Ecosystem type and species’ traits help explain bird responses to spatial patterns of fire

BackgroundUnderstanding how temporal and spatial attributes of fire regimes, environmental conditions, and species’ traits interact to shape ecological communities will help improve biodiversity conservation in fire-affected areas. We compared the influence of time since the last fire at a site, and the area and diversity of post-fire successional vegetation surrounding a site (i.e., the “spatial context” of fire), on bird species and functional groups in two ecosystems in south-eastern Australia. These ecosystems, semi-arid “mallee” woodlands and temperate “foothill” forests, differ in stand-regeneration patterns, climate, and topography. For 22 bird species in mallee woodlands, 33 species in foothill forests and four functional groups of birds in both ecosystems, we fitted non-linear models that differed in fire regime predictor variables.ResultsIn foothill forests, models that included both time since fire and a spatial context variable explained more variation in bird abundances than models that included only time since fire or a spatial variable. In mallee woodlands, the addition of spatial attributes of fire helped explain the occurrence of several species, but this finding was muted when measured across all species. There were key differences between ecosystems in functional group responses to fire regimes. Canopy/upper-midstorey foragers were positively associated with the amount of late-successional vegetation in mallee woodlands, but not in foothill forests. Lower-midstorey foragers showed a decline response to the amount of late-successional vegetation in mallee woodlands and a contrasting incline response in foothill forests. However, lower-midstorey foragers showed a similar response to the amount of surrounding early-successional vegetation in both ecosystems—decreasing in abundance when > 50% of the surrounding vegetation was early-successional.ConclusionsThe influence of fire regimes on birds varies among species within sites, across landscapes and between ecosystems. Species’ foraging traits influence bird associations with fire regimes, and help to make sense of a myriad of relationships, but are usefully understood in the context of ecosystem types and the regeneration patterns of their dominant flora. The spatial context of fire regimes is also important—the amount of successional vegetation surrounding a site influences bird abundance. Fire management strategies that incorporate the spatial contexts of fire regimes, as well as the temporal and ecological contexts of fire regimes, will have the greatest benefits for biodiversity.

Cropland expansion in Ecuador between 2000 and 2016.

We describe changes in the cropland distribution for physiographic and bioregions of continental Ecuador between 2000 and 2016 using Landsat satellite data and government statistics. The cloudy conditions in Ecuador are a major constraint to satellite data analysis. We developed a two-stage cloud filtering algorithm to create cloud-free multi-temporal Landsat composites that were used in a Random Forest model to identify cropland. The overall accuracy of the model was 78% for the Coast region, 86% for the Andes, and 98% for the Amazon region. Cropland density was highest in the coastal lowlands and in the Andes between 2500 and 4400 m. During this period, cropland expansion was most pronounced in the Páramo, Chocó Tropical Rainforests, and Western Montane bioregions. There was no cropland expansion detected in the Eastern Foothill forests bioregion. The satellite data analysis further showed a small contraction of cropland (4%) in the Coast physiographic region, and cropland expansion in the Andes region (15%), especially above 3500m, and in the Amazon region (57%) between 2000 and 2016. The government data showed a similar contraction for the Coast (7%) but, in contrast with the satellite data, they showed a large agricultural contraction in the Andes (39%) and Amazon (50%). While the satellite data may be better at estimating relative change (trends), the government data may provide more accurate absolute numbers in some regions, especially the Amazon because separating pasture and tree crops from forest with satellite data is challenging. These discrepancies illustrate the need for careful evaluation and comparison of data from different sources when analyzing land use change.

Floristic Composition, Structure, and Aboveground Biomass of the Moraceae Family in an Evergreen Andean Amazon Forest, Ecuador

The current study determined the floristic composition, structure, and aboveground biomass (AGB) of the individuals of the Moraceae family. This occurred in order to value them as a source of biomass carbon, which itself is dependent on the altitudinal gradient (601–1000 m.a.s.l.) in the evergreen foothill forest of the Ecuadorian Amazon. The study encountered 117 individuals belonging to the Moraceae family, which was grouped into 32 species. Hereby, the most abundant were the genus Ficus sp., with 9.40% relative abundance, Brosimun alicastrum with 6.84%, and Aucleopsis sp. with 5.98%. Forest structural characteristics, such as the horizontal and vertical structure, diameter at breast height (DBH), and the diameter of the tree crown, were considered for the analysis. The horizontal profile determined that the crowns of the species of the Moraceae family cover approximately 16.43% of the upper canopy within the sampling unit area. The trees of the Moraceae family have a carbon capture capacity in the projected AGB per hectare of 35.09 (Mg ha−1), with the Ficus cuatracasana Dugand species being the species with the highest projected capture per hectare, with 15.737 (Mg ha−1). These results highlight the relevance of similar studies assessing the carbon accumulation capacity of species from other families, emphasizing high commercial value species due to their timber resource.

OPTRAM-ET: A novel approach to remote sensing of actual evapotranspiration applied to Sentinel-2 and Landsat-8 observations

Satellite remote sensing technology provides a promising means for near real-time monitoring of crop water status and requirements in agricultural and hydrological applications. Estimation of actual evapotranspiration (ETa) often requires thermal information; however, not every satellite is equipped with a thermal sensor, which limits the estimation of ETa. To address this limitation, here we propose a satellite-based ETa estimation model, OPTRAM-ET, based on the optical trapezoid model (OPTRAM) estimates of soil moisture and a vegetation index (VI). We applied the OPTRAM-ET model to Sentinel-2 and Landsat-8 satellite data and evaluated the model for ETa estimates using 16 eddy covariance flux towers in the United States and Germany with different landcover types, including agriculture, orchard, permanent wetland, and foothill forests. Next, OPTRAM-ET was compared with the conventional land surface temperature (LST)-VI model. The proposed OPTRAM-ET model showed promising performance over all the studied landcover types. In addition, OPTRAM-ET showed comparable performance to the conventional LST-VI model. However, since the OPTRAM-ET model does not need thermal data, it benefits from higher spatial and temporal resolution data provided by ever-increasing drone- and satellite-based optical sensors to predict crop water status and demand. Unlike the LST-VI model, which needs to be calibrated for each satellite image, a temporally-invariant region-specific calibration is possible in the OPTRAM-ET model. Therefore, OPTRAM-ET is substantially less computationally demanding than the LST-VI model.

Mixed-species flocking is associated with low arthropod detectability and increased foraging efficiency by Yungas forest birds in Argentina

AbstractMixed-species flocks presumably provide birds with antipredator and foraging benefits. The foraging benefits hypothesis predicts that a reduction in arthropod abundance will trigger flocking activity; however, flocking activity may also be influenced by the difficulty of detecting arthropods, a seldom explored possibility. We found that environmental traits (temperature and foliage density) combined with arthropod abundance explained arthropod detection by birds in the Yungas foothill forest of NW Argentina. Prey detection was inversely related to ambient temperature and foliage density while positively associated with arthropod abundance. Based on this result, we built a structural equation model using a latent proxy variable for arthropod detectability, arthropod crypsis, integrating ambient temperature, foliage density, and proportion of immature arthropods. This model allowed us to compare the relative importance of arthropod abundance and the difficulty in detecting prey items as predictors of flocking propensity. After 2 yr of studying 129 mixed-species flocks, 1,351 bird foraging sequences, and 25,591 arthropod captures, we found that the flocking propensity of birds was only significantly correlated with arthropod detectability and not with arthropod abundance. Flocking propensity peaked when the arthropod community was comprised of proportionately more immature and non-flying arthropods, the temperature was low, and the foliage cover was denser; all factors are contributing to a low arthropod detectability. Finally, we evaluated whether joining mixed-species flocks provided foraging benefits such as increased foraging efficiency. Individuals benefited from joining flocks by an average increase of their prey-capture attempt rate of 40%, while the search rate increased by 16%. Our results add a new perspective on the drivers of mixed-species flocking by showing that the capacity to find prey items may have a more significant effect than prey abundance per se.

Reflections on Stony Creek Collective

A photo essay reflecting on Stony Creek Collective – a multi-art form project in response to the destruction of the South-East Australian foothill forests. In 2019, Australia was in an extinction crisis. In the summer of 2019/2020, 85 per cent of Australia’s south-east forests burnt. Billions more plants, animals, birds, insects, lizards perished. Clear fell logging, removing all living things from the forest, resumed six months later. My flat surfaces all laid down in the cool dirt. I dance, she photographs. How to live with this ruin?

Resource utilisation by smooth-coated otter in the rivers of Himalayan foothills in Uttarakhand, India

Conservation depends on acquiring timely knowledge on species’ ecology to alleviate the risks of biodiversity loss driven by anthropogenic stressors. Himalayan freshwater ecosystems are exceedingly threatened by the compounding effects of rising developmental pressure and climate change, jeopardizing biodiversity nested within this imperilled landscape. Riverine ecosystems of the Himalayan foothill forests of India are a stronghold of the vulnerable smooth-coated otter populations. This study entails the understanding of resource utilisation by the smooth-coated otter ( Lutrogale perspicillata ) in terms of habitat use and dietary composition in seven rivers along the Himalayan foothills in India. We surveyed 121.09 km of rivers for otter signs and associated habitat variables. Using Generalised Linear Models, we assessed the factors influencing otter habitat use. We estimated the relative abundance and catch per unit effort of fish species and evaluated otter diet based on spraint samples ( n = 120) using frequency of occurrence and score-bulk estimate methods. Habitat use by otters is governed by a combination of habitat components, which are intricately linked to different requirements such as feeding, grooming, and denning. We found that habitat use was positively associated with channel depth, moderate vegetation, and bank substrate types – bedrock, boulders, sand, and grass. Whereas, increasing distance to escape cover, sparse vegetation, channel width, and anthropogenic disturbance negatively influenced habitat use. Dietary analyses revealed that relatively abundant fish species viz. , Tor putitora and Barilius vagra , predominated the diet of otters. Echoing the principles of optimal foraging theory, our results indicated that small-medium sized fishes of the size range 79.05–199.92 mm, were consumed more often, and larger fishes (> 263.24 mm) were consumed opportunistically. Our findings provide important conservation insights on the status of the smooth-coated otter, their interactions with different habitat components, and dietary spectrum in rivers of the Himalayan foothills. Overall, our study gives cognizance to the importance of preserving freshwater and riparian habitats to ensure the persistence of otters and their prey in the region.

Diversidad de mariposas diurnas (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae) en bosques y cultivos de cacao en un área de bosque amazónico basimontano en Bolivia

Tropical forests conversion to agriculture has increased in recent years, though often followed by land abandonment and subsequent conversion to secondary forest. In this study, we evaluated the effect of disturbance on Nymphalid butterfly assemblages in an area of mountain foothill forests in Bolivia by comparing the butterfly diversity and species composition among primary forests, secondary forests and cacao crops. Data were obtained in two seasons, dry and dry-to-wet transition, using two sampling methods (bait traps and hand net). Species richness and butterfly abundance were higher in the understory of primary forests than in crops during the transition season. The sampling method can influence the detection of community variation: with traps, we only detected seasonal variation, while we registered higher abundance in both types of forests than crops with manual sampling, with higher heterogeneity in the understory of primary forests than in crops. There was also a difference in butterfly species composition between crops and both types of forest. Although some understory butterflies are capable of inhabiting disturbed sites, we should highlight the importance of primary forest for the maintenance of specific species and groups that could be lost if the disturbance dynamics intensify. Finally, long-term studies are necessary to understand species dynamics in the area, both their seasonality and the interrelationship with available resources in each type of habitat.

Caluera qorillaryana, a new orchid species and first record of the genus for the Peruvian flora

A new species, Caluera qorillaryana (Oncidiinae, Orchidaceae) from southern Peru is described and illustrated, with comments on its ecology, geographical distribution, and conservation status. The new species, inhabith in Andean-Amazonian foothill forest in the Pongo de Qoñec, Kosñipata valley, is the five species of Caluera to be described and also represents the first record of the orchid genus for the flora of Peru.

Post-fire habitat relationships for birds differ among ecosystems

Knowledge of how factors such as climate, plant regeneration traits and fire characteristics influence the rate and pattern of post-fire habitat change is crucial for strategic fire management and biodiversity conservation in fire-affected areas. Yet knowledge of when and where these factors are in play, and how species-habitat relationships differ among ecosystems, is limited. We modelled the responses of 43 bird species to habitat attributes, sampled along a 79-year post-fire chronosequence in three eucalypt-dominated ecosystems characterised by tree species with either basal or epicormic regeneration traits. In each ecosystem, birds responded to habitat attributes known to be related to time since fire, but the most important attributes differed among ecosystems. In foothill forests and heathy woodlands, in which eucalypts resprout epicormically, species responded most strongly to midstorey attributes and not the tree layer. In mallee woodlands, in which high-severity fires are ‘stand-replacing’ and eucalypts resprout basally, species responded most strongly to canopy tree size. Regeneration traits profoundly influence how rapidly the tree layer, important habitat for birds, is restored – within several years with epicormic resprouting, or over decades with basal resprouting. Notably, most species (~60%) that occurred in more than one of the ecosystems studied responded to different habitat attributes in each. Species' relationships with post-fire habitat are not necessarily transferable between ecosystems. In ecosystems that experience stand-replacement, time since fire is a useful habitat surrogate; but in ecosystems where trees remain standing after disturbance, time since fire is a more useful surrogate for some species (mid-storey-foragers) than others (canopy-foragers).

Feeding habits and habitat use of barking deer (Muntiacus vaginalis) in Himalayan foothills, Pakistan.

Northern red muntjac (Muntiacus vaginalis; “barking deer”) is a shy and small-sized cervid mammal, limited to the outer Himalayan foothill forests in Pakistan. Habitat characteristics were measured by locating direct and indirect signs. To quantify habitat utilization of barking deer, 80 field surveys were conducted in the study area along transects. 1200 Quadrats at 50 m intervals were deployed along these transect lines to determine microhabitat factors associated with seasonal distribution. The food composition of the barking deer was determined through fecal droppings analysis by micro-histological technique. Forty-five fecal samples of barking deer were collected from the study area (Murree-Kotli Sattian-Kahuta National Pak); summer (28) and winter (17). The micro-histological analysis revealed that more plant species are available in its habitat during the summer season (27) as compared to winter (19). Due to browsing nature barking deer mostly feed on trees in both seasons. While shrubs are slightly higher in winters. In summer barking deer consumed 10 Trees, 6 Shrubs, 5 Herbs, and 6 kinds of grass species. Dominant tree species were Phyllanthus emblica and Acacia modesta. Dominant shrub species were Ziziphus nummularia and Justicia adhatoda. In winter barking deer consumed 8 Trees, 7 Shrubs, 3 Herbs, and 1 Grass. Dominant tree species were Bauhinia variegata and Acacia modesta while shrubs included Ziziphus nummularia and Carissa opaca.

Quantification of diversity, biomass and carbon storage of climber and liana community in a foothill forest of Indian eastern Himalayas

Climbers and lianas occupy an important niche in the forest ecosystem. However, as compared to trees, studies on diversity and ecology of this life form of forest remains neglected. Thus a study was carried out at sub-humid tropical foothill forest of West Bengal, India to document the status of climber and liana diversity, biomass and carbon accumulation. Qualitative and quantitative characters were analysed with the help of random quadrate sampling method. Species richness of the climbers and liana in the forest was 42. The diversity index, concentration of dominance, Shannon and Wiener index and evenness index was estimated at 0.92, 0.038, 1.26 and 1.55, respectively. Density ranged from 15.47 to 722.81 individuals ha−1. IVI values ranged from 0.19 to 4.44. This indicates the climber and liana communities in the forest are diverse but dominance distributed. Biomass and carbon storage was highest with LSDS1.50 and 0.68 Mg ha−1, respectively and lowest with TGDS. Climber and liana ccommunities were recorded with good growth inside the forest which was reflected in their good quantity of biomass accumulation and thus have a great potential to store good quantity of biomass carbon and support the ecosystem. Understanding the forest plant life forms other than trees will be helpful to understand their ecological significance while managing the forests sustainably. The information though in the present study is only baseline and preliminary but can be helpful to plan future research to understand the contribution of these plant life forms in a forest ecosystem holistically.

Post‐fire development of faunal habitat depends on plant regeneration traits

AbstractThe concept that vegetation structure (and faunal habitat) develops predictably with time since fire has been central to understanding the relationship between fire and fauna. However, because plants regenerate after fire in different ways (e.g. resprouting from above‐ground stems vs. underground lignotubers), use of simple categories based on time since fire might not adequately represent post‐fire habitat development in all ecosystems. We tested the hypothesis that the post‐fire development of faunal habitat structure differs between ecosystems, depending on fire regeneration traits of the dominant canopy trees. We measured 12 habitat components at sites in foothill forests (n = 38), heathy woodlands (n = 38) and mallee woodlands (n = 98) in Victoria, Australia, and used generalised additive models to predict changes in each variable with time since fire. A greater percentage of faunal habitat variables responded significantly to time since fire in mallee woodlands, where fires typically are stand‐replacing, than in foothill forests and heathy woodlands, where canopy tree stems generally persist through fire. In the ecosystem with the highest proportion of epicormic resprouters (foothill forests), only ground cover and understorey vegetation responded significantly to time since fire, compared with all but one variable in the ecosystem dominated by basal resprouters (mallee woodlands). These differences between ecosystems in the post‐fire development of key habitat components suggest there may also be fundamental differences in the role of fire in shaping the distribution of fauna. If so, this challenges the way in which many fire‐prone ecosystems currently are categorised and managed, especially the level of dependence on time since fire and other temporal surrogates such as age‐classes and successional states. Where time since fire is a poor surrogate for habitat structural development, additional complexity (e.g. fire severity, topography and prior land‐use history) could better capture processes that determine faunal occurrence in fire‐prone ecosystems.

Висотно-поясні особливості всихання ялинників на північно- східному мегасхилі Українських Карпат

Проаналізовано особливості поширення всихання ялинових насаджень у висотному діапазоні гір 350–1 400 м над рівнем моря на прикладі басейну річки Бистриця Солотвинська північно-східного мегасхилу Українських Карпат. Охарактеризовано кількість і площі осередків часткового та суцільного вс ихання для висотних поясів – передгірних ялицево-букових і гірських буково-ялицевих, буково-ялицево-ялинових і ялинових лісів. Наведено верхню межу поширення всихання. Розраховано емпіричні залежності площ осередків різних видів цього явища від гіпсометричних рівнів гірської системи. З’ясовано, що найбільш уразливою до всихання є ялина на висотах 400–900 м н. р. м. Оцінено вплив експозиції та крутизни гірських схилів на поширення процесів усихання. Виявлено, що в передгірних умовах важлива роль у стійкості похідних ялинників належить ландшафтно-лісівничим особливостям. У цих умовах процеси всихання насаджень найменш активно відбуваються в глибині лісових масивів, дещо активніше – на ділянках, що межують із галявинами, зрубами й молодняками, і сягають максимуму в смугах узлісся.

ФИТОЦЕНОТИЧЕСКАЯ И СОЗОЛОГИЧЕСКАЯ ОЦЕНКА БУКОВЫХ ЛЕСОВ ДАГЕСТАНА

The paper presents the results of assessing the phytocenotic and sozological significance of the beech forests of Dagestan, which have been preserved in the study area since the tertiary period in a depleted and transformed form. Occupying a fairly large area, they perform functions that maintain balance in the ecoregion of the Eastern Caucasus. In addition, the beech forests of Dagestan are rich in hyrkanian and colchian relict and endemic elements, rare protected species. Based on the geobotanical description of seventy-three trial plots in various physical and geographical areas of Dagestan using the ecological and phytocenotic method, nineteen associations were identified, to identify the environmental value of which a system of criteria for determining the environmental significance of associations was applied. It was revealed that the greatest conservation value (P4) is represented by associations growing in the lowland and foothill parts: Fagetum taxosoilexosum (area less than 1 ha), Fagetum qercoso-euphorbosum, represented by insignificant in derivatives of hyrkan forests and Fagetum taxoso-varioherbosum, extremely rare throughout the interrupted strip of beech forests of foothill Dagestan. Such associations of foothill beech forests as Fagetum nudum, Fagetum compositum loniceroso-varioherbosum, Fagetum sambucoso-efemeroso-filicosum, and Fagetum efemer-oso-varioherbosum, which also occupy relatively small areas, have a high conservation value (P3). The associations Fagetum compositum fruticoso-varioherbosum, Fagetum compositum carpinoso-varioherbosum, Fagetum filicosum, Fagetum festucosum, and Fagetum rubosum are classified as communities with an average conservation value of P2. All associations of beech forests of the foot-hills of Dagestan are subject to reduction of areas under the influence of high anthropogenic load: logging, cattle grazing, economic development of the territory. In subalpine beech forests, the asso-ciations Fagetum filicoso-varioherbosum and Fagetum myrtilloso-varioherbosum — P3 are of high conservation value. Communities with average values of conservation value (P2) include the following associations: Fagetum fruticoso-filicoso-varioherbosum, Fagetum compositum varioherbosum, Fagetum compositum filicoso-varioherbosum. Associations Fagetum festucosa-varioherbosum, Fagetum compositum festucoso-vatioherbosum are classified as communities with low conservation value-P1. In this area, there is no reduction in areas due to the inaccessibility of forest areas for timber harvesting.

Harvested forests as a surrogate to wildfires in relation to grizzly bear food-supply in west-central Alberta

Grizzly bear (Ursus arctos) populations residing in interior ecosystems of North America are known to frequent harvested areas and areas burnt by wildfires, as both disturbances encourage growth of early seral vegetation preferred by them. This is especially evident in places where there is a paucity of large natural openings and areas with a long history of wildfire suppression, such as the foothill forests of west-central Alberta. Little has been done, however, to directly quantify and compare grizzly bear food-supply in both disturbance types and at early stages of forest regeneration. In this paper, we explore whether harvested areas can act as surrogates to wildfires for grizzly bear food-supply in west-central Alberta, Canada. We sampled known fruit-bearing and herbaceous grizzly bear foods for their occurrence, productivity, and digestible energy supply among post-harvest, post-fire, and mature forests disturbance types, and across very young (~5 yrs), young (~20 yrs), and mid (~60 yrs) age-classes for post-harvest and post-fire disturbances. A variety of foods occurred at greater frequency in post-harvest stands, with the occurrence of most foods explained by the main effects of disturbance and age-class, or in combination with one environmental covariate. Overall, fruit productivity and digestible energy from fruits were highest in the young age-class, whereas forb productivity and digestible energy from forbs were highest in the very young age-class. There were no significant differences in total available digestible energy (fruit + forb) between post-harvest and post-fire stands within any age-class, but significant differences were evident between age-classes. These results suggest that harvested areas can potentially act as a surrogate to wildfires in relation to grizzly bear food-supply, but human access remains a key challenge for harvests given their association with roads. We suggest that harvested areas could be used as management tool to maintain or enhance grizzly bear food-supply and thus contribute to population recovery efforts, especially in areas of wildfire suppression.