Forest Matrices Research Articles

Promoting Bird Functional Diversity on Landscapes with a Matrix of Planted Eucalyptus spp. in the Atlantic Forest.

Promoting the diversity of biological communities in areas of agricultural production is a very current debate since protected areas may not be sufficient to ensure biodiversity conservation. Among the biological communities affected by the production areas are birds, which show rapid responses to changes in the landscape. Here we seek to understand how landscape planning, concerning its composition and configuration, in areas with a matrix of planted Eucalyptus spp. forests influences the functional diversity of bird assemblages in the Atlantic Forest. Our results show that the spatial distribution design of planted forests in terms of age, land cover and clone types have effects on bird diversity with regard to functional divergence, functional evenness and species richness. These results reinforce the importance of good management for the maintenance of bird diversity. We found that bird functional diversity in planted forest matrices increased with the proximity index, proportion of native vegetation and age importance value, and is negatively influenced by edge density and proportion of forest plantation. For bird conservation, it is thus better to associate Eucalyptus spp. with other cover types in the landscape. These results corroborate that, to increase bird functional diversity, it is possible to associate conservation and production in the same landscape. Mosaic landscapes have great potential to contribute to the conservation of bird biodiversity outside protected areas. However, decisions regarding the management of planted forests and planning of improved areas intended for conservation seem to be decisive to ensure the maintenance of bird biodiversity.

Dung beetles (Scarabaeidae, Scarabaeinae) of the Foothills–Andean Forest strip of Villavicencio, Colombia

The list of species associated with the Foothills-Andean Forest transition strip in the municipality of Villavicencio, Colombia is presented. This strip is characterized by a heterogeneous landscape marked by activities such as livestock and agriculture. It is composed of gallery forest relics, fragments of secondary forest and extensive open area matrices. 35 species and 17 genera were found, the description is presented with data on their distribution, ecological aspects and habitat preference, according to the abundance recorded during the study. It is compared with the distributions found in the literature and some altitude ranges are expanded. Finally, some considerations were made to improve the study and knowledge of Dung beetles fauna in Colombia.

Use of forest fragments and agricultural matrices by small mammals in southeastern Brazil

Use of forest fragments and agricultural matrices by small mammals in southeastern Brazil

Forest Matrix Favors the Recovering of Seed Rain in Areas Undergoing Restoration

Abstract We used seed rain to monitor a conserved forest and a 5-6-year-old forest undergoing natural regeneration after fire. The sampled species were classified according to regionality, life forms, dispersal modes, and successional stage, and the forests were compared. The type of forest and time since disturbance had significant effect on the abundance of seeds - 67.3% being produced in the forest under restoration. Biological diversity was higher in the conserved forest. On the other hand, species richness was not affected by the type of forest, and the species composition was similar between forests. In addition, we found similar proportions of life forms, zoochorous species, and non-pioneer species in the forests. Our study shows that natural regenerating forests can recover different attributes of the seed rain in few years when in forest matrices. Thus, to accelerate restoration and create trustworthy forests we should conserve the remaining mature fragments and use them to facilitate ecological restoration.

Edaphic beetle (Insecta: Coleoptera) diversity over a forest-matrix gradient in a tropical rainforest

Species from natural communities show different capacities for moving across contrasting habitats, and they may gradually respond along the transition between forests and anthropogenic areas. Because beetles are effective bioindicators, we analyzed the Coleoptera assemblage structure in the transition between sugarcane matrices and forest fragment. The study was conducted in an Atlantic rainforest fragment and sugarcane matrices after 2 and 6 months of replantation. Beetles were sampled in linear transects that were 50, 100, and 200 m from the forest edge and toward both forest core and matrices. We analyzed beetle abundance, species richness and composition, and diversity numbers. The abundance and species richness were higher in the forest, and species richness was higher at the sampling site 100 m inside the forest than at the gradients within the sugarcane matrices. The species composition differed between the forest and matrices, but not between the matrices with different replantation ages. Alpha diversity based on the number of species was higher in the forest, and alpha diversity based on the Shannon index was higher in the forest and matrix after 6 months of replantation. Our results suggest that the sugarcane matrices, chiefly the matrix after 2 months of replantation, sustain an impoverished beetle assemblage when compared with the forest fragment. Despite the strong habitat distinction, the beetle fauna in the sugarcane matrices was not affected by the horizontal distance from the forest. Here, we have highlighted the importance of forest fragments embedded in harsh matrices for the maintenance of biodiversity.

Edge effects on biomass, growth, and tree diversity of a degraded peatland in West Kalimantan, Indonesia

Astiani D, Curran LM, Mujiman, Ratnasari D, Salim R, Lisnawaty N. 2018. Edge effects on biomass, growth, and tree diversity of a degraded peatland in West Kalimantan, Indonesia. Biodiversitas 19: 272-278. Tropical forested peatlands in Indonesia are threatened by logging and clearing which reduce their ecosystem functions and degrade the environment. Land use change activities disturbed intact forests, resulted in landscape fragmentation. Scattered forest matrices resulted in forest edge areas, which will considerably affect the forest biotic and abiotic conditions, as well as forest tree dynamics within the edge sites. The goal of this study was to investigate the effect of forest edge on perimeter of the forest fragment on the forest biomass stock, growth, tree basal area as well as species composition, richness and abundance in a degraded peatland forest in West Kalimantan. A twelve-ha forest was divided into 35 plots in the interior forest and 13 at the forest edge; each plot was 50 m by 50 m in size based on their abiotic conditions such as light and temperatures. Leaf Area Index (LAI) was measured in each plot of both forest edge and interior sites using Licor-2100. The results indicated that even though the biomass levels maintained relatively moderate to high levels on both sites, forest edge significantly lowered forest biomass by 32%, reduced 23-25% of tree-biomass growth per unit area for both tree diameter of 10-20 cm and >20 cm. There was a shift of tree species composition, 76 species were found on both sites, 24 species were not found in edge site, but present in the interior site and 10 species were found only in edge site. Peatland forest matrix created forest edges that are lowering peatland forest roles in sequestering carbon per unit area and reducing species diversity. Peatland forest restoration should be conducted to reduce forest matrices and to lower the edge effects.

Frequent bird movements across a highly fragmented landscape: the role of species traits and forest matrix

AbstractPrevious studies that tracked the movements of single bird species within human‐modified landscapes have shown that the ability of forest birds to move across matrix habitat differs among species. Functional guild specificity as well as landscape characteristics have been shown to influence bird movements, entailing different movement behaviour of birds within a community. Studies investigating how both these factors influence the movements of entire bird assemblages across fragmented landscapes are essential but have rarely been conducted. In this study, we determined how species’ traits and different forest matrices influence bird movements among nine forest patches in a highly fragmented South African landscape. We combined 90 h of bird observations with capture–mark–recaptures (104 754 mist‐net hours) to distinguish between movements among patches (all birds that conduct long‐distance movements across the landscape) and movements within patches (all resident birds that conduct only short‐distance movements within a fragment). Overall, we detected a high bird movement activity across the fragmented landscape. Dietary specialization, habitat affinity and body mass strongly shaped the relative distribution of bird species across the nine fragments with frugivorous birds, forest specialists and large‐bodied species showing the highest movement abilities. In contrast, resident insectivores and forest generalists tended to move only within particular forest fragments. Our results suggest that remnant forest fragments may represent valuable stepping stones as well as permanent habitat for local bird assemblages. We emphasize that beside the conservation of natural forests, the maintenance of nearby, structurally rich forest fragments is pivotal in maintaining regional forest bird assemblages in human‐modified landscapes.

Contribution of forest species to the floristic composition of a forested savanna in southeastern Brazil

Based on studies of floristic lists the contribution of forest tree and shrub species in a forested savanna area in the city of Bauru, State of São Paulo, and in 14 different places sheltering cerrado sensu stricto and cerradão in Brazil is defined as the evidence of forest species causing a change of cerrado heterogeneity. The percentages of occurrence of forest species in the locations analyzed varied from zero to 4.5%. The proximity of different forest matrices, the occurrence of fires and the inclusion criteria used were some of the factors that may have influenced such variation.

Forest matrices around the Laplacian matrix

We study the matrices Q k of in-forests of a weighted digraph Γ and their connections with the Laplacian matrix L of Γ. The ( i, j) entry of Q k is the total weight of spanning converging forests ( in-forests) with k arcs such that i belongs to a tree rooted at j. The forest matrices, Q k , can be calculated recursively and expressed by polynomials in the Laplacian matrix; they provide representations for the generalized inverses, the powers, and some eigenvectors of L. The normalized in-forest matrices are row stochastic; the normalized matrix of maximum in-forests is the eigenprojection of the Laplacian matrix, which provides an immediate proof of the Markov chain tree theorem. A source of these results is the fact that matrices Q k are the matrix coefficients in the polynomial expansion of adj( λI+ L). Thereby they are precisely Faddeev’s matrices for − L.

Dissipation kinetics of azadirachtin in some forest matrices and its systemic translocation in conifers for spruce budworm control

Field microcosm studies were conducted to investigate the deposition, persistence, translocation and bioactivity of the botanical insecticide azadirachtin‐A (AZ‐A) in young spruce trees. The deposition and persistence of AZ‐A in aspen foliage, forest soil and litter were also studied. AZ‐A residues in the different matrices were monitored at intervals of time after spray application of Neemix® 4.5 formulation at 100 g AZ‐A in 2.3 L/ha. The dissipation half‐lives in the matrices ranged from 16.9 to 33.6 h. AZ‐A was translocated and concentrated in the growing parts (especially the shoots) of spruce trees, after treatment by trunk injection (Tl), basal bark painting (BBP) and foliar painting (FP) of the Neemix 4.5 formulation. Systemically translocated and accumulated AZ‐A residues in the shoots after Tl and FP were found to be effective against spruce budworm (Choristoneura fumiferana Clemens.) larvae. Results suggest that Tl may be a useful way of using neem insecticide to protect high value trees from insect pests.

Determination of Abamectin in Some Forest Matrices by Liquid Chromatography with Fluorescence Detection

A liquid chromatographic method was developed and validated for the determination of abamectin B1a residues in some terrestrial (balsam fir and oak foliage, sandy and clay loam soils and leaf litter) and aquatic (stream water and sediment) forest matrices. The processed foliage, soil, litter, and sediment were fortified with abamectin and extracted with ethyl acetate. The fortified steam water was extracted with dichloromethane. Aliquots of crude extracts were cleaned with Florisil® column chromatography and the purified extracts were derivatized using 1-methylimidazole and trifluoroacetic anhydride. The derivatized abamectin was analysed by reverse phase liquid chromatography, with a fluorescence detector set at 232 nm excitation and 461 nm emission wavelengths. A Spherisorb® ODS2, 5μm, 250 × 4 mm column was used. The samples were run isocratically using methanol-water as the mobile phase. Mean recoveries for the analyte ranged from 83.0 to 93.0%, with a coefficient of variation from 6.3 to 12.4%. Limits of detection and limits of quantitation for solid matrices ranged from 0.10 to 0.20 and from 0.30 to 0.60 ng/g, respectively, and for stream water the corresponding values were 0.003 and 0.009 ng/mL. The procedure provides a reliable and sensitive method for determining abamectin B1a residues in forest matrices.

Generation of Trees, Two-Trees, and Storage of Master Forests

A new method of listing all possible trees of any given graph without duplication or redundancy, using simple geometrical properties of the graph, is proposed. The procedure given is suitable for both manual and automatic computation, and any modifications to the given graph can be catered to by suitable interpolation and extrapolation. An alternate method for complete graphs, derived from it, gives the trees arranged in an order most suitable for their storage as master forest matrices and for directly obtaining trees and 2-trees of any given graph through simple modifications to them instead of starting from scratch every time. Some properties of master forest matrices are discussed, which., inter alia, lead to a formula for the number of trees in a sub-graph of a complete graph. While an edge-numbering convention and a criterion for a tree play the key roles in systematic generation of trees, the storage technique makes it possible to obtain all the co-factors and determinants of a node-admittance matrix of any network (within the range of storage) by merely operating on one single master forest matrix.