Testing indicators of biodiversity for plantation forests |
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| Institution: | 1. Department of Botany, School of Natural Sciences and Trinity Centre for Biodiversity Research, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin 2, Ireland;2. School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University College Cork, Distillery Fields, North Mall, Cork, Ireland;1. Department of Ecology, University of Szeged, 6726 Szeged, 52 Közép Fasor, Hungary;2. Plant Health and Molecular Biology Laboratory, Directorate of Plant Protection, Soil Conservation and Agri-environment, National Food Chain Safety Office, 141-145 Budaörsi u., Budapest, H-1118, Hungary;3. MTA-DE Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services Research Group, 4002 Debrecen, P.O. Box 10, Hungary;4. Department of Ecology, University of Debrecen, 4002 Debrecen, P.O. Box 10, Hungary;5. Institute of Animal Sciences and Wildlife Management, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Szeged, 6800 Hódmez?vásárhely, Andrássy u. 15, Hungary;6. MTA ÖK Lendület Landscape and Conservation Ecology Research Group, 2163 Vácrátót, Alkotmány u. 2-4, Hungary;1. Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), Faculty of Forest Sciences, School for Forest Management, PO Box 43, SE-73921 Skinnskatteberg, Sweden;2. Vytautas Magnus University, Faculty of Forest Science and Ecology, Institute of Forest Biology and Silviculture, Studentu? g. 13, LT-53362 Akademija, Kauno r., Lithuania;3. Swedish Bird Survey, Department of Biology, Ecology Building, Lund University, 223 62 Lund, Sweden;4. Mid Sweden University, Department of Natural Sciences, SE-851 70 Sundsvall, Sweden;5. Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Faculty of Forest Sciences, Department of Wildlife, Fish and Environmental Studies, SE-90183 Umeå, Sweden;6. Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), Department of Ecology, Grimsö Wildlife Research Station, SE-730 91 Riddarhyttan, Sweden;7. German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) - Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Deutscher Platz 5e, 04103 Leipzig, Germany;8. Martin-Luther-Universität Halle-Wittenberg, Institut für Biologie, Am Kirchtor 1, 06108 Halle, Germany;1. Scion, New Zealand;2. INRA, France;3. Forest Research, UK;4. FAO, Rome, Italy;5. Chinese Academy of Forestry, China;6. European Forest Institute, Atlantic Region, France;7. University of Sao Paulo, Brazil;8. WWF, Switzerland;9. FABI, South Africa;1. Linacre College, University of Oxford, OX1 3JA, UK;2. 3Keel, 11 Standingford House, 26 Cave Street, Oxford OX4 1BA, UK;3. Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, Lancaster LA1 4YQ, UK;1. Edge Hill University, Biology Department, Lancashire, UK;2. Department of Renewable Resources, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada;3. School of Biological Earth and Environmental Sciences, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland;1. British Trust for Ornithology (Scotland), School of Biological Sciences, University of Stirling, Stirling FK9 4LA, UK;2. British Trust for Ornithology, The Nunnery, Thetford, Norfolk IP24 2PU, UK;3. Forest Research, Centre for Ecosystems, Society and Biosecurity, Northern Research Station, Roslin, Midlothian, EH25 9SY, UK |
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| Abstract: | In many parts of the world, plantations make up a considerable proportion of the total forest area. In such regions, the identification of high biodiversity value stands and of management practices to enhance biodiversity is essential if the goals of Sustainable Forest Management are to be achieved. Since complete biodiversity assessments are rarely possible, efforts have been increasingly focussed on the use of indicators. Of particular interest are indicators applicable to individual stands that require no specialist taxonomic or technical knowledge to assess. Candidate biodiversity indicators had been identified in a previous study using data from Irish Sitka spruce (Picea sitchensis) and ash (Fraxinus excelsior) plantations but had yet to be tested on independent data. In the present study, the provisional indicators for vascular plant, bryophyte, spider and bird diversity were tested on data from Irish Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris), oak (Quercus petraea/Quercus robur), Sitka spruce and lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta) plantations. Conifer canopy cover was confirmed as an important biodiversity indicator, due to its influence on below-canopy microclimatic and structural conditions. Bryophyte species richness was higher in relatively high canopy cover plantations on poorly drained soils, while bird species richness was higher in more open plantations with high shrub cover. Coarse woody debris was an important substrate for forest-associated bryophytes, with higher species richness at higher volumes of deadwood. Both proximity to old woodland and stand age were confirmed as positive indicators for forest-associated vascular plants. This is related to dispersal limitation in these species, with nearby woodlands acting as important seed sources and colonisation increasing with time. Stand age was also confirmed as a positive indicator for forest-associated spiders and is related to the development of suitable habitat as the plantation matures. All of the confirmed indicators can be assessed without need for specialist knowledge, are ecologically meaningful and applicable to a range of forests managed under a clearfelling system. They can be used to assess the potential value of stands for the taxonomic groups to which they apply, as well as giving insights into management practices to enhance diversity in these groups. |
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| Keywords: | Indicator Biodiversity Forest plantation Canopy cover Sustainable Forest Management |
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