Forest Vegetation Structure Research Articles

Ecological and coenotical structure of the Regional Natural Monument «Chelyabinsk city pine forest» vegetation

The following paper deals with the ecological and coenotical structure of the Regional Natural Monument Chelyabinsk city pine forest vegetation. The estimation was done by a cluster analysis with Sorensen-Chekanovsky (Bray-Curtis) distance measure and a flexible beta group linkage method - by non-metric multidimensional scaling, phytoindication and general discriminant analysis algorithms. The flora and coenotical structure of Chelyabinsk city pine forest plant communities are characterized by significant anthropogenic transformation. Forest-margin and meadow, ruderal and synanthropic species are insinuating and naturalizing in pine forest communities actively and supplanting typical pine forest species off communities. The studied pine forest flora synanthropic index is 32 percent. 15 plant associations were detected; its flora, dominant and constant species, coenotical structure and biotopes were characterized by principal ecological factors. The biotopes series of ecological factors replacement were identified. Biotopes series are specified by forest stand ecological structure, that determining ecological regime changes from semi-light to semi-shade and from more arid to more damp. Also biotopes form series from wet more variable moistening bad-aerated not-acid and salt enriched soils to acid aerated poor soils with contrast arid moistening. The detected Chelyabinsk city pine forest biotopes are characterized by not so fluctuation of principal ecological factors.

Monitoring of the avifauna of the forest areas of Northern Fennoscandia exposed to emissions of industrial enterprises

The research allowed to describe modern species composition and population structure of bird of forests of the zone birch forests and sparse forest of the northwest part of the Murmansk region, also changes in the composition of avifauna in the process of anthropogenic transformation of the structure of forest vegetation. The diversity of bird species is reduced, but the composition of common species is preserved, however their quantitative abundance is reduced. The number of species closely related to natural woody vegetation is decreasing and the role of shrubs and birds, which feed on the exposed surface

Forest Vegetation Structure in Maruguem(the Ridge Line) Area of Dakmokryeong to Daetjae, the Baekdudaegan

Forest Vegetation Structure in Maruguem(the Ridge Line) Area of Dakmokryeong to Daetjae, the Baekdudaegan

Are reptile responses to fire shaped by forest type and vegetation structure? Insights from the Mediterranean basin

Socioeconomic factors (e.g. rural abandonment, monoculture plantations) and global warming are changing fire regimes (fire intensity, extent, and frequency) in fire-prone regions such as the Mediterranean Basin. Understanding the factors that shape responses of animal communities to fire is a key objective for biodiversity conservation. Given the substitution of native forests to pine plantations in many regions of the world, we studied whether forest type influences the responses to fire of reptile communities, in the African rim of the Western Mediterranean. Reptiles were sampled and vegetation structure measured in 2015 and 2016. We used generalized linear mixed models to examine the influence of fire, forest type (cork oak and pine), habitat structure and climate factors on two reptile-community metrics (abundance, species richness). Given possible differences in reptile detectability between unburnt and burnt transects, we used distance sampling models to estimate the density of the five commonest reptile species. The response of reptiles to fire varied between the two forest types: reptile abundance did not change with fire in cork oak forest, and increased with fire in pine plantation. Species richness was higher in cork oak forests, and increased from unburnt to burnt areas. Two out of five commonest lizards in the region, Acanthodactylus erythrurus and Podarcis vaucheri, responded positively to fire in pine plantation and remained similar in cork oak forest. Reptile communities were more similar between burnt and unburnt cork oak forests than between burnt and unburnt pine plantations, due to the reduced effect of fire on the former tree (a resprouter species) than on the latter (a seeder species). This work is the first field-based study examining the effects of fire on animal communities from north-western Africa. Overall, our results show that the response of reptiles to fire is shaped by forest type, and this conclusion has to be considered in fire-prone regions.

Livestock areas with canopy cover sustain dung beetle diversity in the humid subtropical Chaco forest

Abstract We assessed differences in the alpha and beta diversity of dung beetles in native forest and two livestock systems (with and without canopy cover) typical of the Argentine Chaco region and related the dung beetle assemblages to environmental conditions. Dung beetles were sampled in native forest and two livestock systems in the spring (2015–2016), in two areas of the humid Chaco region in northern Argentina. In each area, five sampling sites were selected for each habitat type, and ten pitfall traps were baited with human faeces and carrion and placed at each site. The livestock systems with canopy cover preserved the environmental conditions from the native forest (temperature and vegetation structure) and the richness and composition of the native forest dung beetle community in the two areas studied, whereas the open pastures exhibited higher ground temperature, simplified vegetation structure and lower dung beetle richness and similarity in species composition in relation to the native forest. In livestock systems of the humid Chaco, the canopy cover is the main determinant of dung beetle communities through the maintenance of temperature and humidity. In the light of these results, livestock production in silvopastoral systems preserving canopy cover can be an alternative compatible with conservation of the dung beetle diversity of native forests. Considering the central role of dung beetles in maintaining soil structure and fertility (through the relocation of cow dung), silvopastoral systems will probably maintain the productivity compared to open pastures.

Dampak alih fungsi hutan mangrove terhadap ekonomi masyarakat di Telaga Wasti Sowi IV Manokwari Papua Barat

Mangrove forest is a vegetation that grows in the estuary beaches and who has the function of ecological, biological, economic and social culture, but now its existence has been degraded by the use of a less appropriate or changing function. Research on the structure of mangrove forest vegetation in the Wasti Bay Sowi IV Manokwari District of Southern District Manokwari conducted in April 2018 with the aim to determine the structure of mangrove forest vegetation and utilization. The method used in this research is the approach of ecological (biological) and anthropological approach. From the analysis of vegetation, found as many as 8 species of mangrove plants. Rhizophora apiculata is the dominant species on the level of a tree with a Density Value of 784.66 Individuals/Ha with an Important Value Index (IVI) 50.06 followed Rhizophora mucronata with a Density Value of 770.34 Individuals/Ha with the Important Value Index (IVI) 41.01. At the level of belta Rhizophora mucronata is the dominant species with a Density Value of 385.66 Individuals/Ha with the Important Value Index (IVI) 45.13 then Rhizophora apiculata with a Density Value of 263.33 Individuals/Ha with the Important Value Index (IVI) 40.22. At the seedling stage Rhizophora mucronata a dominant species with a Density Value of 760.00 Individuals/Ha with the Important Value Index (IVI) 45.42 and Rhizophora apiculata had Density Value of 681.66 Individuals/Ha with the Important Value Index (IVI) 41.04. Based on interviews of 8 mangrove species found in the observation plot, 3 species used as building material, 6 species as a source of firewood, 3 species as drugs and 5 species for other purposes.

Structural comparative analysis of forest and steppe plant communities in the south of Kryvyi Rih region

We made a comparative analysis of the floristic structure of 11 various-aged (30–50-year-old) forest and four steppe communities in the south of Kryvyi Rih region. We ascertained that the forest communities have low specific richness (2–90 species), whereas steppe ones contain from 167 to 251 species. The ten families leading in the species number are: Asteraceae, Poaceae, Rosaceae, Fabaceae, Lamiaceae, Caryophyllaceae, Boraginaceae, Apiaceae, Brassicaceae and Polygonaceae. Specific representation of the steppe communities depends on the geomorphologic formation, grazing pressure, soil cover composition; respective order of families differs slightly: Asteraceae, Poaceae, Fabaceae, Rosaceae, Scrophulariaceae, Lamiaceae, Caryophyllaceae, Brassicaceae, Apiaceae, Boraginaceae. The core of the geographical structure of forest vegetation is the species with a palaearctic type of range (30.3–54.5%), and in the steppe, species with the Black Sea area group (15.6–24.0%). The second and the third most numerous in forest groups are groups of species of transitional areas (3.6–23.3%) and holarctic species (7.0–17.2%). In the steppe communities, almost the same proportions are formed by the species of the palaearctic group and the plants of group of transitional areas (15.8–23.1% and 18.3–21.7% respectively). We revealed that in the forest and steppe communities the most numerous group in the spectra is the biomorph of hemicryptophytes (25.6–42.4% and 45.8–47.0% respectively). According to the structure of the above-ground shoots, identical proportions are formed by rosetteless and semi-rosetted species (38.3–60.5% and 37.2–56.7% respectively) in the forest communities, and semi-rosetted species (47.4–49.1%) in the steppe ones; as for the type of structure of underground shoots in forest communities, species without special underground formations (33.3–65.1%) and caudex formations (18.6–36.4%) prevail, and, in the steppe communities – caudex species do (39.1–47.9%); xeromesophytes (33.3–100%), and mesoxerophytes (32.9–40.6%) dominate in the hygrospectra of forest and steppe communities respectively; in heliospectra, there is the predominance of heliophytes (62.3–97.1% and 50.8–67.5% respectively); in trophoscopes, the mesotrophs are prevalent (57.1–98.4% and 47.0–52.1% respectively). The ecological and coenotic spectrum of forest communities is characterized by the domination of synanthropophants (36.3–58.6%), and in steppe ones – steppants (51.8–55.0%). We revealed the similarity of the floristic composition of forest and steppe communities (6.8–39.4%), and the largest index is noted for the plot with a strict nature reserve regime (19.4–39.4%). In forest communities, this value is 15.6–66.7%, and it varies in different-aged plantations of the same species. The analysis shows that there are significant differences in the floristic and biomorphological composition of forest and steppe communities; it confirms the concept of O.L. Belgard on the environment transforming function of artificial steppe forests, changing the biotic circulation, which is inherent in the steppes.

Selective logging causes the decline of large-sized mammals including those in unlogged patches surrounded by logged and agricultural areas

Legal and illegal logging is prevalent throughout the tropics, impacting on natural habitat and wildlife. This study aimed to investigate the sensitivity of forest mammals to selective logging in the lowland dipterocarp forests of South-West Peninsular Malaysia and identify the underlying factors that determine species occurrence. A total of 120 camera trap locations were deployed within selectively logged and unlogged forests. We found that unlogged forest had greater wildlife occurrences compared to selectively logged forests, including two endangered mammal species not found in logged forest. Forest vegetation structure characteristics such as the abundance of lianas, large trees, saplings, palms, bamboo and seedlings were associated with mammal species richness. Mammal species richness increased with number of forest trees, particularly those with a DBH of >45 cm, but this was limited to high altitude forest. Worryingly, we did not detect any large mammalian apex predators such as leopards or tigers in either unlogged or selectively logged forests. The absence of these animals may be the result of poaching, habitat degradation or other pressures; these mammals are expected to be present in intact forests in Peninsular Malaysia. Restoring logged forests and preserving the remaining unlogged lowland dipterocarp forests are critically important to safeguard mammalian biodiversity in the region. Besides that, we recommend that conventional logging practices are replaced with reduced impact logging methods.

Struktur Vegetasi dan Nilai Ekonomi Hutan Mangrove Teluk Youtefa, Kota Jayapura, Papua

Increasing population may result in excessive changes of land use and natural resource utilization. Local communities of mangrove forest areas have been dependent heavily on forest conditions to survive. Conversion of forest to development requirements is apparently to affect the structure and income of local communities who live traditionally in the region. The purpose of the study is to understand the structure of mangrove forest vegetation and changes of people's income depending their live on mangrove forests in the Bay of Youtefa, Jayapura. Sampling method was purposive sampling of respondents and mangrove vegetation analysis was conducted using line transect method. The plot size were 10 x 10 m2; 5 x 5 m2; and 2 x 2 m2 used for viewing the ecological importance valua index (IVI) of tree, stake and seedling. The results showed that there were 10 known species of mangrove dominated by Rhizophora apiculata, R. mucronata and R. stylosa respectively. R. mucronata dominated the area and has the highest importance value index (IVI) level. Development structure including means of transportation (flying bridge) have a major impact on the local community Increasing economic losses. There is a decrease of direct income of communities as much as 2.05 billion per year (from 5.65 billion to 3.61 billion per year).Key words: mangrove ecosystem, vegetation structure, economic value, Jayapura.

Distinguishing vegetation types with airborne waveform lidar data in a tropical forest-savanna mosaic: A case study in Lopé National Park, Gabon

Tropical forest vegetation structure is highly variable, both vertically and horizontally, and provides habitat to a large diversity of species. The forest-savanna mosaic in the northern part of Lopé National Park, Gabon, has a large and complex variation in vegetation structure along a successional gradient. The goal of this research is to assess whether large footprint full-waveform lidar data can be used to distinguish successional vegetation types based on their vertical structure in this area. Eleven vegetation metrics were derived from the lidar waveforms: canopy height, canopy fractional cover, total Plant Area Index (PAI) and vertical profile of PAI. The PAI profiles from airborne waveform lidar showed good agreement with those from Terrestrial Laser Scanning, sampled at eight field plots across different vegetation types (r2 = 0.95, RMSE = 0.63, bias = 0.41). The agreement further strengthened our confidence that lidar waveforms can be used to distinguish between the five vegetation types, within the limits of the sampled structure, because TLS was known to provide distinct PAI profiles for these vegetation types. We then employed a Random Forest model, trained with 193 locations of known vegetation type, to classify the entire study area into five successional vegetation types (classification accuracy = 81.3%). The resulting predictive map revealed the overall spatial pattern of vegetation types across the study area. Our results suggest that lidar-derived vegetation profiles can provide valuable information on vegetation type and successional stage. This, in turn, can further help to improve habitat and biodiversity conservation and forest management activities.

Effects of land use legacies and habitat fragmentation on salamander abundance

Landscape modification is an important driver of biodiversity declines, yet we lack insight into how ongoing landscape change and legacies of historical land use together shape biodiversity. We examined how a history of agricultural land use and current forest fragmentation influence the abundance of red-backed salamanders (Plethodon cinereus). We hypothesized that historical agriculture and fragmentation cause changes in habitat quality and landscape structure that limit abundance. We measured salamander abundance at 95 forested sites in New York, USA, and we determined whether sites were agricultural fields within the last five decades. We used a structural equation model to estimate relationships between historical agriculture and salamander abundance mediated by changes in forest vegetation, microclimate, and landscape structure. Historical agriculture affected salamander abundance by altering forest vegetation at a local scale and forest cover at a landscape scale. Abundance was lowest at post-agricultural sites with low woody vegetation, leaf litter depth, and canopy cover. Post-agricultural sites had limited forest cover in the surrounding landscape historically, and salamander abundance was positively related to historical forest cover, suggesting that connectivity to source populations affects colonization of regenerating forests. Abundance was also negatively related to current forest fragmentation. Historical land use can have legacy effects on animal abundance on par with effects of ongoing landscape change. We showed that associations between animal abundance and historical land use can be driven by altered site conditions and surrounding habitat area, indicating that restoration efforts should consider local site conditions and landscape context.

다도해해상국립공원 대흑산도의 상록침엽수림 식생구조

다도해해상국립공원 대흑산도의 상록침엽수림 식생구조

Floristic and Soil Characteristic at The RPH Sentul-Probolinggo Protected Low Land Forest, East Java

East Java’s forest has a less ideal area based on predetermined requirements. Therefore, rehabilitation was done to meet these requirements and to improve the quality of existing forests. This research was conducted to identify the character of protected forest in Resort Pemangku Hutan (RPH) Sentul area, about vegetation structure and abiotic factor of lowland forest area with low rainfall. The research was conducted by explorative method with plot making for tree plant, sapling and ground cover to inventory and determine the forest vegetation structure inside the area, also by measuring the environmental parameters (temperature, humidity and light intensity) and making soil sampling to analyze biophysical condition. Data were analyzed descriptively both on vegetation condition and physical condition of land and its environment. The result showed that there were identified 84 species from 39 plant families either as trees, sapling or ground cover, with species of Moraceae as the largest contributor. The diversity index of the three types of vegetation shows a medium categorized, while the index of evenness indicates a good categorized that is close to one. Based on the existence of exotic species, especially on ground cover, within protected forest areas, this area has been degraded although not large. However, the physical condition of the soil and environmental conditions in the forest still indicate that this area is still quite good when used as a reference area on rehabilitation program with similar geographical conditions.Keywords: vegetation structure, soil characteristic, low land forest, RPH Sentul Probolinggo

On the relationship between fire regime and vegetation structure in the tropics.

We assessed data from 11 experiments examining the effects of the timing and/or frequency of fire on tropical forest and/or savanna vegetation structure over one decade or more. The initial 'control treatment' in many such cases consisted of previously cleared land. This is as opposed to natural vegetation subject to some sort of endogenous fire regime before the imposition of fire treatments. Effects of fire on fractional foliar cover are up to 10-fold greater when clearing pre-treatments are imposed. Moreover, because many of the 'classic' fire trials were initialised with applied management questions in mind, most have also used burning regimes much more frequent and/or severe than those occurring in the absence of human activity. Once these factors are taken into account, our modelling analysis shows that nonanthropogenic fire regimes serve to reduce canopy vegetative cover to a much lower extent than has previously been argued to be the case. These results call into question the notion that fire effects on tropical vegetation can be of a sufficient magnitude to maintain open-type savanna ecosystems under climatic/soil regimes otherwise sufficient to give rise to a more luxurious forest-type vegetation cover.

Composición, diversidad y estructura de la vegetación de bosques ribereños en el centro sur de Chile

Riparian forests have been highlighted for their unique biological diversity and high importance in ecosystem services. However, they are also ecosystems threatened by forestry, livestock or agriculture. In Chile, studies evaluating the diversity and structure of riparian forest vegetation contrasting slope forests or other habitats are limited. Therefore, the aims of this study were: (1) to compare the composition and diversity of vascular plant species; (2) to compare tree species size structure; and (3) to compare the vertical stratification of plant communities between riparian forests and slope forests. Six southern Chilean watersheds (35-38° S) were studied, sampling the vegetation in plots of 40 m2. In each watershed, 10 plots were located in riparian forests and 10 in slope forests, on both sides of each river. We found important differences in species composition between the two forest types. In the riparian forest we found a higher diversity of tree and climbing species, higher diversity and cover of native species, higher density of tree species in adult state and higher cover of the strata 1-5 m. In the slope forest we found a larger richness and cover of exotic species, higher regeneration density and higher cover of strata 5 m. Results can be related to the higher moisture of riparian forests, showing the particularity of riparian forests regarding species composition, diversity and structure, compared to other habitats.

Assessment of Errors Caused by Forest Vegetation Structure in Airborne LiDAR-Derived DTMs

Airborne Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) is a survey tool with many applications in forestry and forest research. It can capture the 3D structure of vegetation and topography quickly and accurately over thousands of hectares of forest. However, very few studies have assessed how accurately LiDAR can measure surface topography under forest canopies, which may be important, for example, in relation to analysis of pre- and post-burn surface height maps used to quantify the combustion of organic soils. Here, we use ground survey equipment to assess digital terrain model (DTM) accuracy in a deciduous broadleaf forest, during both leaf-on and leaf-off conditions. Using the leaf-on LiDAR dataset we quantitatively assess vertical vegetation structure, and use this as a categorical explanatory variable for DTM accuracy. In the presence of leaf-on vegetation, DTM accuracy is severely reduced, with low-stature undergrowth vegetation (such as ferns) causing the greatest errors (RMSE > 1 m). Errors are lower under leaf-off conditions (RMSE = 0.22 m), but still of a magnitude similar to that reported for mean depths of burn in fires involving organic soils. We highlight the need for adequate ground control schemes to accompany any forest-based airborne LiDAR survey which require highly accurate DTMs.

Effects of a large wildfire on vegetation structure in a variable fire mosaic.

Management guidelines for many fire-prone ecosystems highlight the importance of maintaining a variable mosaic of fire histories for biodiversity conservation. Managers are encouraged to aim for fire mosaics that are temporally and spatially dynamic, include all successional states of vegetation, and also include variation in the underlying "invisible mosaic" of past fire frequencies, severities, and fire return intervals. However, establishing and maintaining variable mosaics in contemporary landscapes is subject to many challenges, one of which is deciding how the fire mosaic should be managed following the occurrence of large, unplanned wildfires. A key consideration for this decision is the extent to which the effects of previous fire history on vegetation and habitats persist after major wildfires, but this topic has rarely been investigated empirically. In this study, we tested to what extent a large wildfire interacted with previous fire history to affect the structure of forest, woodland, and heath vegetation in Booderee National Park in southeastern Australia. In 2003, a summer wildfire burned 49.5% of the park, increasing the extent of recently burned vegetation (<10yr post-fire) to more than 72% of the park area. We tracked the recovery of vegetation structure for nine years following the wildfire and found that the strength and persistence of fire effects differed substantially between vegetation types. Vegetation structure was modified by wildfire in forest, woodland, and heath vegetation, but among-site variability in vegetation structure was reduced only by severe fire in woodland vegetation. There also were persistent legacy effects of the previous fire regime on some attributes of vegetation structure including forest ground and understorey cover, and woodland midstorey and overstorey cover. For example, woodland midstorey cover was greater on sites with higher fire frequency, irrespective of the severity of the 2003 wildfire. Our results show that even after a large, severe wildfire, underlying fire histories can contribute substantially to variation in vegetation structure. This highlights the importance of ensuring that efforts to reinstate variation in vegetation fire age after large wildfires do not inadvertently reduce variation in vegetation structure generated by the underlying invisible mosaic.

Effect of the Gabčíkovo Waterworks (Slovakia) on riparian floodplain forest ecosystems in the Danube inland delta: vegetation dynamics and trends

AbstractHuman alteration of watercourses is global phenomenon that has had significant impacts on local ecosystems and the services they provide. Monitoring of abiotic and biotic changes is essential to mitigating long-lasting effects, and the 23-year dataset from the Gabčíkovo Waterworks provided a rare opportunity to assess the impact of groundwater regimes on vegetation. The main aim of this study was to describe the effect of the Gabčíkovo Waterworks on vegetation structure and species composition of the adjacent riparian floodplain forests over the past 23 years. The results are based on studies of three permanent monitoring plots (PMPs) located in the Danube inland delta – two outside (PMP 1 and 3) and one (PMP 2) fully under the influence of the artificial supply system. Our results demonstrate that the Danube inland delta was negatively affected by the Gabčíkovo construction, particularly for sites outside of the artificial supply system. There was a significant decrease in soil moisture and increase in nitrogen at both external PMPs (1 and 3). Alter soil conditions were accompanied by negative changes in plant species composition demonstrated by decreases in the number of typical floodplain forest species that are characteristic for the alliance

Vegetation structure and floristic composition of Gergeda Anfillo Forest, West Ethiopia

Ethiopia is a tropical country with tropical, subtropical and temperate types of vegetations. However, many vegetation types are not described and characterized. The aim of this study was to assess the floristic composition and structure of the protected Gergeda Anfillo Forest vegetation. The forest was located in Kellem Wollega Zone, southwestern Ethiopia. Stratified sampling method was used for vegetation data collection. Samples were taken from 40 quadrats of 20 m x 20 m (for woody species) that were laid along transect laid about 200 m apart. 120 subplots (1 m x 1 m) were used for herbs in the main plots. A total of 134 (11 endemic) species, 116 genera, and 61 families were recorded. The five most dominant tree species with highest importance value index were Schefflera abyssinica, Ekebergia capensis, Albizia gummifera, Croton macrostachyus, and Olea welwitschii. The most abundant families were Fabaceae (14 species), Poaceae (11 species), Asteraceae (10 species), and Euphorbiaceae (7 species). Moreover, the forest housed 10 of the 24 national priority tree species and four plant communities were identified by cluster analysis. Structural analysis revealed that the forest is dominated by small sized trees and shrubs. This indicates that the forest is facing selective cutting and/or it is in secondary stage regeneration. Given the non-seasonal climate, less differentiated communities, and high plant diversity, it is possible to conclude that the forest can be categorized as tropical rainforests of western Ethiopia. Thus, protection of the forest is highly recommended.Key words: Ethiopia, Floristic, Tropical Forest, Vegetation Structure

Forest Community Classification and Vegetation Structure in National Yonghyeon Natural Recreation Forest

Forest Community Classification and Vegetation Structure in National Yonghyeon Natural Recreation Forest