Typical Forest Plants Research Articles

Effects of habitat biotic features on hymenopteran diversity in East Africa

PurposeOriginally, the coastal region of East Africa was largely covered with coastal forest. With the human settlement, the majority of these forests have been transformed into agricultural land for subsistence farming. Today, only small and geographically isolated forest remnants exist and form a mosaic of different habitat types, including natural, semi-natural and anthropogenic ones. The forest remnants may still represent valuable habitats for typical forest plant and animal species.MethodsIn this study, we surveyed hymenopteran diversity and community composition in different habitat types in southern Kenya. Hereby we considered a small remnant of East African coastal forest, adjoining orchards, shrublands, tree plantations, agricultural fields, and settlements. Hymenoptera represent a large variety of taxa and provide relevant ecosystem services such as pollination to the local people. Hymenoptera were collected with coloured pan traps, identified to family or genus level, and sorted to morphospecies. Habitat parameters such as dead wood, leaf litter, vegetation structure, and the availability of flowers has been assessed for each study site.ResultsIn total, we found 419 Hymenoptera individuals of 153 morphospecies. The different habitat types showed distinct species communities of Hymenoptera. Increasing shrub layer and increasing herb cover had a negative effect on hymenopteran species richness and abundance. Flowers, trees, leave litter, and deadwood showed no significant effect on hymenopteran diversity.ConclusionOur results underline that small-scale habitat diversity lead to high overall diversity of Hymenoptera. Implications for insect conservation: The coastal forest remnant still holds a unique hymenopteran community with 20 Hymenoptera species exclusively found in this habitat type. It is thus of very high conservation value.

The Relationship between Trait-Based Functional Niche Hypervolume and Community Phylogenetic Structures of Typical Forests across Different Climatic Zones in China

Functional traits are pivotal for understanding the functional niche within plant communities. Yet, the relationship between the functional niches of typical forest plant communities across different climatic zones, as defined by functional traits, and their association with community and phylogenetic structures remains elusive. In this study, we examined 215 woody species, incorporating 11 functional traits spanning leaf economy, mechanical support, and reproductive phenology, gathered from forests in four climatic zones from tropical, subtropical, warm-temperate to cold-temperate zones in China and supplemented by the literature. We quantified the functional niche hypervolume (FNH), reflecting the multidimensional functional niche variability. We then probed into the correlation between the FNH and community and phylogenetic structures of forests. Our findings reveal that species richness significantly influences the geographic variance of functional niche space in forest vegetation across different climatic zones. Specifically, a community’s species richness correlates positively with the functional niche breadth occupied by the community species. The FNH of woody plants across diverse forest types shows significant associations with both the mean phylogenetic distance (MPD) and the mean nearest phylogenetic taxon distance (MNTD) of the communities. There is a progressive increase in tropical rainforest (TF), subtropical evergreen deciduous broad-leaved mixed forest (SF), and warm-temperate coniferous broad-leaved mixed forest (WF), followed by a decline in the cold-temperate coniferous forest (CF). This pattern suggests potential environmental filtering in CF, which may constrain the spatial extent of plant functional niches. Our research underscores the substantial variability in the FNH across China’s typical forest vegetation, highlighting the complex interplay between functional traits, community richness, and phylogenetic distance.

Differences in functional niche hypervolume among four types of forest vegetation and their environmental determinants across various climatic regions in China.

Functional traits play an important role in studying the functional niche in plant communities. However, it remains unclear whether the functional niches of typical forest plant communities in different climatic regions based on functional traits are consistent. Here, we present data for 215 woody species, encompassing 11 functional traits related to three fundamental niche dimensions (leaf economy, mechanical support, and reproductive phenology). These data were collected from forests across four climatic zones in China (tropical, subtropical, warm-temperate, and cold-temperate) or sourced from the literature. We calculated the functional niche hypervolume, representing the range of changes in the multidimensional functional niche. This metric quantifies how many functional niche spaces are occupied by existing plants in the community. Subsequently, we analyzed differences in functional niche hypervolume and their associated environmental factors across different types of forest vegetation. The results indicate that the functional niche hypervolume and the degree of forest vegetation overlap decrease with increasing latitude (e.g., from tropical rainforest to cold temperate coniferous forest). The total explanatory power of both climate and soil factors on the variation in functional niche hypervolume was 50%, with climate factors exhibiting a higher explanatory power than soil factors. Functional niche hypervolume is positively correlated with climate factors (annual mean temperature and annual precipitation) and negatively correlated with soil factors (soil pH, soil organic matter content, soil total nitrogen content, and soil total phosphorus content). Among these factors, annual mean temperature, soil pH, and soil total nitrogen content most significantly affect the difference in functional niche hypervolume among forest vegetation. Our study emphasizes the significant variation in the functional niche hypervolume among typical forest vegetation in China.

СУКЦЕСІЙНІ ПРОЦЕСИ У ЖИВОМУ НАДҐРУНТОВОМУ ПОКРИВІ НЕЗІМКНУТИХ ЛІСОВИХ КУЛЬТУР ДУБА ЗВИЧАЙНОГО В УМОВАХ ВОЛОГИХ СУГРУДІВ ЖИТОМИРСЬКОГО ПОЛІССЯ

After continuous felling of oak stands and creation of forest crops on the cutting areas, dynamic, mosaic plant groups are formed in the humid conditions of Zhytomyr Polissya, consisting of remnants of forest species and meadow and ruderal plants that settled after deforestation. On cutting areas, the species saturation of the grass-shrub tier (83 species) is much higher than in fresh loam conditions (50 species). On biennial cutting areas, plant communities are similar in species composition to the vegetation of annual cutting areas. Some forest species disappear from the floristic composition of the groups, in particular: Convallaria majalis L., Galium intermedium Schult, Polygonatum odoratum (Mill.) Druce, Hypericum maculatum Crantz and others, resulting in reduced floristic saturation up to 64 species. The projective cover of preserved forest species is significantly reduced, and ruderal, invasive and meadow species continue to play a leading role in grass formation. Typical forest species continue to fall on the three-year-old fellings from the floristic composition of the cenosis, in particular Pteridium aquilinum (L.) Kuhn, Rubus saxatilis L., Calamagrostis arundinacea (L.) Roth., Cruciata glabra (L.) Ehrend.) and others. Some forest species are restored under the tent of undergrowth. In three-year-old plant communities, ruderal species play a significant role, in particular: Galeopsis tetrahit L., Galeopsis bifida Boenn., Persicaria minor (Huds. Opiz), Erigeron canadensis L. and others, the projective coverage of which is gradually decreasing. In seven-ten-year-old oak forest stands in the conditions of wet soil, the closure of the stands of the stand, as in fresh conditions, is 0.80-0.85, but the species composition of the first tier is much richer. The undergrowth in floristic composition and coenotic structure is also similar to the undergrowth of 120-year-old coenoses. Its closure is usually 0.50. Species saturation (up to 61 species) increases in the grass-shrub tier. Light-loving ruderal species fall out, a number of typical forest plants appear, and the restoration of the coenotic structure of the phytocenosis is completed. A characteristic feature of living aboveground cover in wet soil, compared to fresh soil, is the presence of wetland plants, which appear in the first year due to lightening of the soil surface and increase its humidity, and continue to grow in all age groups, including ten-year plantations.

Antioxidant and Antibacterial Activity of Yellow Wood (Coscinium fenestratum) Fruits Peel from East Kalimantan

Background: Yellow wood (Coscinium fenestratum) is one of the typical forest plants of East Kalimantan. The hallmark of this plant is the roots, stems and the fruits pulp have a yellow color. There have been many studies on its use and potential in treating liver disease. However, there is limited research about the use of their fruits peel. Objectives: The purpose of this study was as an initial screening of the antioxidant and antibacterial activity from yellow wood (Coscinium fenestratum) fruits peel. Material and Methods: The yellow wood fruits peel was extracted using methanol solvent to obtain the MeOH extract of their fruits peel. The DPPH test was carried out to determined its antioxidant activity (25,50 and 100 ppm). The agar well difusion method was carried out to determined its antibacterial activity. Phytochemical tests are also carried out to determined the secondary metabolites of that fruits peel. Results: The results of the phytochemical test showed that the fruits peel contained alkaloids, flavonoids, carbohydrates, and tannins, but there were no terpenoids or steroids. The fruits peel has an antioxidant activity (58%) at 100 ppm concentration. While the antibacterial test showed strong inhibition at 100 ppm concentration on S. mutans, S. aureus, P. acne and E. coli bacteria. Conclusions: The fruits peel of the yellow wood has compounds that have strong antibacterial activity and medium antioxidant activity.

Diversity of Plants in Thickets of Invasive Sorbaria sorbifolia: Differences in the Effect on Aboveground Vegetation and Seed Bank

The diversity of aboveground vegetation of the herb–dwarf shrub layer and seedlings from the soil seed bank in the thickets of invasive shrub Sorbaria sorbifolia was evaluated in urbanized forests of the city of Yekaterinburg (the Middle Urals, Russia). Geobotanical releves and identification of seedlings from the soil seed bank were performed in different forest communities: thickets of invasive S. sorbifolia, thickets of native Rubus idaeus, and in forest communities without S. sorbifolia and R. idaeus. The effect observed in the presence of S. sorbifolia was as follows: the abundance of aboveground vegetation in the herb–dwarf shrub layer was lower by a factor of 10–20 or more; the taxonomic richness of the herb–dwarf shrub layer in the releve (α-diversity), by a factor of 6–8; and the total number of species recorded in the community group (γ-diversity), by a factor of 3. The disappearance of species under S. sorbifolia was selective. Relatively light-loving and relatively dry-loving species disappeared first, while more shade-loving and moisture-loving species were relatively resistant. The taxonomic richness and abundance of seedlings from the soil seed bank did not change depending on the abundance of S. sorbifolia. Approximately half of the identified seedling taxa were typical forest plants, while the others were only specific for the seed bank and did not occur in the vegetative state. It is concluded that the influence of S. sorbifolia on the vegetation of subordinate layers is due primarily to the direct competitive and habitat-transforming effect of the living S. sorbifolia phytomass.

Using space syntax measures to assess the human impact on ground cover plant communities in recreational forests

This study used space syntax theory to predict the recreational impact on natural forest ecosystems. We assumed a correlation between specific space syntax measures and parameters that describe the recreational impact on forest ecosystems. For constructing a model of spatial structure of recreational forest, we chose an angular segment map of a road network. Most of the recreational impact is caused by trampling which we used to evaluate the visitors traffic. Field observations of ground cover were made on transects. For the road network we used the natural logarithm of the T1024 Choice measure, called LNchoice, and divided the range of values into two subsets. The subset ‘zone 0’ included segments where LNchoice was lower than the mean value of LNchoice, while the subset ‘zone 1’ included all other segments. Comparative analysis of the field data and indicators of the road network confirmed that zone 1 had higher trampling impacts than zone 0. In zone 1, degree of coverage by typical forest plants and their degree of dominance were lower than in zone 0, and the percentage of dead ground cover was greater. These results show that space syntax theory has great potential for landscape design and management of recreational forests.

THE STRUCTURE OF PHYLLOPHAGOUS INSECTS' COMPLEXES IN DECIDUOUS PLANTATIONS IN KHARKIV

The study was aimed to analyze the complexes of phyllophagous insect species with different ways of feeding on woody plants of certain genera. In 2017–2019, the research was carried out in street, park, and forest park plantations of Kharkiv on the material of woody plants of 13 genera: Tilia, Acer, Quercus, Ulmus, Populus, Aesculus, Robinia, Fraxinus, Betula, Sorbus, Salix, Alnus and Corylus. A total of 159 species of phyllophagous insects from 94 genera of 27 families of six orders were identified there. Representatives of Lepidoptera constitute 50.3% by the number of species, 50 and 51.9% by the number of genera and families, respectively, and Coleoptera – 35.8% of species, 28.7 and 22.2% of genera and families, respectively. The identified species of phyllophagous insects were divided into four groups based on the lifestyle and structure of the feeding apparatus of larvae: chewers, miners, galleries, and suckers. It was found that chewers and miners represent the orders Lepidoptera, Coleoptera and Hymenoptera, gallers – Hymenoptera and Diptera, suckers – Homoptera and Hemiptera. The suckers dominate by the number of species. The adventive species were found among the lepidopterous miners: Cameraria ohridella (Deschka & Dimic, 1986); Macrosaccus robiniella (Clemens, 1859); Phyllonorycter issikii (Kumata, 1963) and Parectopa robiniella (Clemens, 1863), as well as among the dipterous gallers, Obolodiplosis robiniae (Haldeman, 1847) was revealed. More than 30 similar species of phyllophagous insects were identified at typical forest plants, the most of them at the hazel (Corylus) and oak (Quercus) – 77 and 73 species (48.4 and 45.9% of all identified species), respectively. The similarity of the complexes of chewers from leaf beetles (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) at plants of certain genera is less than that of lepidopterous chewers, which is due to the biological characteristics of these insects. Thus, the polyphagia of lepidopterous chewers is explained by the limited ability of caterpillars to migrate in search of food at high population densities and severe defoliation of preferred plant species. Unlike lepidopterous caterpillars, the adults of leaf beetles are able to fly long distances in search of preferred plant species.

Consequences of Treeline Shifts for the Diversity and Function of High Altitude Ecosystems

Treeline expansion is reported as a widespread response to rising temperatures, yet few studies have considered the impact of treeline advance on the diversity and function of high altitude systems. Evidence suggests that climate change is already having a negative impact on alpine diversity and is modifying functions such as carbon sequestration and nutrient cycling. Treeline advance is likely to further affect diversity and function, yet our understanding of the processes involved is limited. Here we review and synthesize literature that assesses the impact of treeline advance into treeless ecosystems. Using published literature, we explore to what extent treeline advance will lead to the displacement of alpine species and the fragmentation of alpine habitats. While large changes will be observed in the ecosystems above the current treeline as trees migrate, it is likely that these newly forested areas will deviate substantially from the established forests from which they have developed. Consequently, at the forest community level we investigate the potential for differential response speeds of typical forest plant species, and the potential for treeline advance to lead to community disassembly. Given that changes in species presence and abundance can alter the functional composition of plant communities, we explore the potential for shifts in tree distribution to lead to changes in carbon storage, nutrient cycling, and hydrological properties of ecosystems. Despite typically being intensively studied regions, the likely impact of forest expansion above the current mountain treeline has received relatively little attention and so we identify key knowledge gaps that should act as priorities for future research in mountain systems.

Hedgerows as an environment for forest plants: a comparative case study of five species

Many areas in Europe are dominated by agricultural land use, and as a consequence, many typical forest plant species suffer from habitat loss and fragmentation. Hedgerows, one of the common elements of rural landscapes, have been considered as potential refuges for these species. The main objective of this study was to examine whether forests and hedgerows differ in environmental conditions, and whether important life-history attributes of the populations differ between the two habitat types. We selected five species commonly found in the region in both forests and hedgerows (Adoxa moschatellina, Anemone nemorosa, Circaea lutetiana, Polygonatum multiflorum and Stellaria holostea), and sampled data on 10 populations of each species in each habitat type, including measurements of light and various soil factors. Hedgerows had higher relative light availability and tended to have higher soil nutrient contents and lower soil water values than forests. The comparison of plant performance values between habitat types did not show consistent patterns across species. Anemone and Polygonatum performed equally well in hedgerows and forests, whereas Stellaria appeared to have a higher fitness in hedgerows. In contrast, Circaea showed a higher reproduction under forest conditions. For Adoxa, the results were somewhat contradictory: whereas the reproductive output of this species was higher in forests, population density was higher in hedgerows. The abiotic factors most closely related to the performance values were relative light and soil water availability. The majority of plant performance values did not differ between hedgerows and forests. We therefore conclude that the tested forest species are capable of growing also in hedgerows and will survive equally well in forest and its “surrogate” habitat.

Legacies of the past in the present‐day forest biodiversity: a review of past land‐use effects on forest plant species composition and diversity

AbstractParticularly in the temperate climate zone many forests have, at some moment in their history, been used as agriculture land. Forest cover is therefore often not as stable as it might look. How forest plant communities recovered after agriculture was abandoned allows us to explore some universal questions on how dispersal and environment limit plant species abundance and distribution. All studies looking at the effects of historical land use rely on adequate land use reconstruction. A variety of tools from maps, archival studies, and interviews to field evidence and soil analyses contribute to that. They allow us to distinguish ancient from recent forests and many studies found pronounced differences in forest plant species composition between them. A considerable percentage of our forest flora is associated with ancient forests. These ancient forest plant species (AFS) all have a low colonization capacity, suggesting that dispersal in space (distance related) and time (seed bank related) limit their distribution and abundance. However recent forests generally are suitable for the recruitment of AFS. There is clear evidence that dispersal limitation is more important than recruitment limitation in the distribution of AFS. Dispersal in time, through persistent seed banks, does not play a significant role. Ancient forests are not necessary more species‐rich than recent forest, but if diversity is limited to typical forest plant species then ancient forests do have the highest number of plant species, making them highly important for nature conservation. The use of molecular markers, integrated approaches and modelling are all part of the way forward in this field of historical ecology.

Forest policy in the EU and its influence on the plant diversity of woodlands

The concept of sustainability in forestry has a long tradition in Europe. However, the perception of ‘sustainable management of forests’ has changed in accordance with the changes in society, which has made growing demands on ecological, economical, and social functions on forests in recent years. Following the so-called ‘Helsinki-process’, the EU member states have decided on general guidelines for sustainable management and for the conservation of forest biodiversity. Six criteria and 27 descriptive and quantitative indicators have been defined for the assessment and monitoring of sustainable forest management. Criterion no. 4, relating to semi-natural ancient woodland as a potential vector and source of high biodiversity and respective forest policies, provides the central theme for this paper. The paper is focused on the diversity of vascular plants and explores the possibility that isolated recent woodland could contribute to plant species diversity. Measures are suggested for forest management at forest stand and landscape levels which could enhance the diversity of typical forest plants.

Herb layer vegetation of south Swedish beech and oak forests—effects of management and soil acidity during one decade

Effects of forest management and soil acidity on herb layer vegetation were studied after 10 years on 190 permanent plots in south Swedish beech ( Fagus sylvatica) and oak ( Quercus robur) forests. Species richness generally increased with management intensity, mainly due to establishment of ruderal species from the seed bank. Species richness of the typical forest flora was unaffected by management. Moderate management of oak stands favoured several species which are commonly found in semi-natural pastures. Classification and ordination of the data showed that the main floristic gradient within Swedish beech and oak forest vegetation is related to soil acidity. Species richness of the typical forest flora was strongly positively correlated with soil pH in beech forests, but this correlation was weaker in oak forests. The number of herbaceous plants with a broader habitat range increased with pH only in the oak forest plots. Long term changes in the forest environment, which may affect the vegetation, are the decline of grazing 150-50 years ago and soil acidification mainly caused by atmospheric pollutants during the last 50 years. In the one-decade perspective of this study, however, we did not find a general trend towards a more acid-tolerant flora. Neither could we find a general decrease of pasture species in currently ungrazed oak stands. The results indicate that most typical forest plants are well adapted to and partly depend on occurrence of canopy gaps and soil disturbance. If canopy thinning is followed by periods of canopy closure the characteristic shade tolerant flora of Swedish beech and oak forests may be able to persist as long as soil chemical limits of existence are not exceeded.

Water‐Holding Characteristics of Metasedimentary Rock in Selected Forest Ecosystems in Southwestern Oregon

AbstractOn sites characterized by shallow soil in semiarid climates, lack of bedrock description may lead to underestimates of total storage capacity of water available for plants, and therefore of potential site productivity. Sample rocks from southwestern Oregon soil‐rock profiles excavated beneath typical forest plant communities were examined for pore volume distribution by means of mercury intrusion porosimetry and oversolution equilibrium. Four ranges of pore size were distinguished: gravitational water, available water content (AWC), slowly available water (SAW), and nonavailable water. Pore volume for AWC and SAW was associated with bulk density and in low density rock, was 20% of volume. Results suggest that metasedimentary rock has the potential to be a major reservoir of plant available water in semiarid climates.

MINERAL NUTRIENT CONTENT OF SOME FOREST PLANT LEAVES AND OF THE HUMUS LAYER AS RELATED TO SITE QUALITY

The nutrient content of the humus and of some of the plants characteristic of different site classes has been studied. Analyses carried out on fresh healthy leaf material from typical forest plants indicated no differences within a given species that could be related to site quality. Available nutrient content of the A0 horizon collected in the same environment is, however, closely related to the productivity of the sites. It seems, therefore, that the differential accumulation of nutrient elements in the cells of the forest plants studied depends upon the inherent properties of the species rather than on the quantity of available nutrients in the humus on which they grow.