Ice‐storm disturbance and long‐term forest dynamics in the Adirondack Mountains

Ice storms cause periodic disturbance to temperate forests of eastern North America. They are the primary agents of disturbance in some eastern forests. In this paper, a forest gap model is employed to explore consequences of ice storms for the long‐term dynamics of Tsuga canadensis‐northem hardwoods forests. The gap model LINKAGES was modified to simulate periodic ice storm disturbance in the Adirondack Mountains of New York. To adapt the gap model for this purpose, field data on ice storm disturbance are used to develop a polytomous logistic regression model of tree damage. The logistic regression model was then incorporated into the modified forest gap model, LINK ADIR, to determine the type of damage sustained by each simulated tree. The logistic regression model predicts high probabilities of bent boles or severe bole damage (leaning, snapping, or uprooting) in small‐diameter trees, and increasing probability of canopy damage as tree size increases. Canopy damage is most likely on gentle slopes; the probability of severe bole damage increases with increasing slope angle. In the LINKADIR simulations, tree damage type determines the probability of mortality; trees with severe bole damage are assigned the highest mortality rate. LINKADIR predicts Tsuga canadensis dominance in mesophytic old‐growth forests not disturbed by ice storms. When ice storms are simulated, the model predicts Acer saccharum‐dominated forests with higher species richness. These results suggest that ice storms may function as intermediate disturbances that enhance species richness in forested Adirondack landscapes.     

Riparian roots through time, space and disturbance

Riparian zones are landscape features adjacent to streams and are widely recognized as important in reducing erosion and filtering groundwater. Few studies directly investigate rooting dynamics of riparian areas, and little information exists concerning riparian root densities, biomass, depth profiles, changes through time, or vulnerability to disturbance. This study examined spatial and temporal patterns in root systems in streamsides influenced by season, hydrologic regime, vegetative composition, and ice storm disturbance in the eastern Adirondacks, New York. Sequential root cores and in-growth cores were collected from June 2000 through August 2001 in a riparian area with minimal ice storm damage adjacent to a third-order stream. Data were used to assess seasonal trends in root biomass and to provide a reference for spatial comparisons. The biomass and surface area of roots collected in the reference site cores were compared with cores collected at nine additional riparian sites differing in degree of canopy damage from the January 1998 ice storm. Average root biomass at the reference site was 1330 g/m², comparable to or greater than values reported for terrestrial and other riparian systems. Root biomass varied seasonally with a maximum root biomass in August, 2000; this result was not repeated the following year after the water table inundated much of the rooting zone in mid-June. Root biomass was spatially variable on a range of scales. Although the maximum root surface area occurred in the upper 10 cm, root biomass peaked at 20–30 cm belowground, unlike observations from most other root studies where the maximum root biomass has been found in the top 10 cm. Areas severely damaged by the ice storm had significantly less root biomass and surface area than areas with low damage. This study demonstrates that root biomass in riparian areas is highly dynamic over time, space, and across disturbance sites. Our findings suggest that the spatial variability in root densities has direct implications for riparian vulnerability to erosion.     

Stand dynamics of a yellow-poplar (Liriodendron tulipifera L.) forest in the Appalachian Mountains, Virginia, USA

Yellow-poplar (Liriodendron tulipifera L.) is a large, rapidly growing, shade-intolerant tree species common after disturbances on moist sites in the Appalachian Mountains. The species is typically scattered throughout old-growth mesophytic forests, where periodic gap formation creates conditions favorable for yellow-poplar establishment and growth. On abandoned agricultural fields, however, it is common for nearly monospecific forests of yellow-poplar to develop.This study examines stand dynamics of a yellow-poplar forest in western Virginia, USA that was established on agricultural fields abandoned in the late 1940s. Increment cores were collected from yellow-poplar trees growing on exposed ridgetops and in a more sheltered hollow. Tree-ring data show that the forest is even-aged. Tree establishment began about 5 years earlier on the ridgetops than in the hollow. Major ice storms disturbed the forest in 1978 and 1994, with two separate events in 1994. Ice storms disturb forests by depositing heavy loads of freezing rain on trees, breaking or uprooting them. The dendroecological data collected for this study provide little support for the hypothesis that ice storm disturbance promotes the establishment of new yellow-poplar cohorts. However, the data show that radial growth of some trees increased after ice storm disturbance, a pattern that reflects the increased availability of light following disturbance. Radial growth declined in some other trees as a consequence of severe injury during the storms.Radial growth responses following the 1978 ice storm were stronger on the ridgetops than in the hollow, suggesting that tree damage was more severe on the higher, more exposed sites. Growth responses were relatively mild following the storms of 1994, and did not exhibit pronounced topographic variations.     

Linking responses of native and invasive plants to hurricane disturbances: implications for coastal plant community structure

Hurricane disturbances produce significant changes in forest microclimates, creating opportunities for seedling regeneration of native and invasive plant species alike. However, there is limited information on how changes in microclimates and pre-existing forest conditions affect native and invasive plants responses to hurricane disturbances. In this manipulative study, we examined the responses of three common shrub/small stature tree species, two of which are native to the coastal region of the southeastern USA (Baccharis halimifolia and Morella cerifera) and one that is invasive (Triadica sebifera), to two key components of hurricane disturbance (canopy damage and saline storm surge). In a greenhouse, we grew seedlings of these species under a range of shade levels that mimicked pre-and post-hurricane canopy conditions for wet pine forest and mixed hardwood forest, two forest communities common in coastal areas of the southeastern USA. Seedlings were subjected to saline storm surges equivalent to full strength sea water for 3 days. Seedling responses (mortality and growth) to the treatments were monitored for 16 months. All species benefitted from higher canopy openness. Storm surge effects were short-lived and seedlings readily recovered under high light conditions. The storm surge had stronger negative effects on survival and growth of all species when coupled with high shade, suggesting storm surge has greater negative impacts on seedlings where hurricane winds cause minimal or no canopy damage. The invasive T. sebifera was by far more shade tolerant than the natives. Survival of T. sebifera seedlings under highly shaded conditions may provide it a competitive edge over native species during community reassembly following tropical storms. Differential responses of native and invasive species to hurricane disturbances will have profound consequences on community structure across coastal forest stands, and may be regulated by legacies of prior disturbances, community structure, extent of canopy damage, and species’ tolerance to specific microclimates.

     

Coupled effects of wind‐storms and drought on tree mortality across 115 forest stands from the Western Alps and the Jura mountains

Damage due to wind‐storms and droughts is increasing in many temperate forests, yet little is known about the long‐term roles of these key climatic factors in forest dynamics and in the carbon budget. The objective of this study was to estimate individual and coupled effects of droughts and wind‐storms on adult tree mortality across a 31‐year period in 115 managed, mixed coniferous forest stands from the Western Alps and the Jura mountains. For each stand, yearly mortality was inferred from management records, yearly drought from interpolated fields of monthly temperature, precipitation and soil water holding capacity, and wind‐storms from interpolated fields of daily maximum wind speed. We performed a thorough model selection based on a leave‐one‐out cross‐validation of the time series. We compared different critical wind speeds (CWSs) for damage, wind‐storm, and stand variables and statistical models. We found that a model including stand characteristics, drought, and storm strength using a CWS of 25 ms^?1 performed the best across most stands. Using this best model, we found that drought increased damage risk only in the most southerly forests, and its effect is generally maintained for up to 2 years. Storm strength increased damage risk in all forests in a relatively uniform way. In some stands, we found positive interaction between drought and storm strength most likely because drought weakens trees, and they became more prone to stem breakage under wind‐loading. In other stands, we found negative interaction between drought and storm strength, where excessive rain likely leads to soil water saturation making trees more susceptible to overturning in a wind‐storm. Our results stress that temporal data are essential to make valid inferences about ecological impacts of disturbance events, and that making inferences about disturbance agents separately can be of limited validity. Under projected future climatic conditions, the direction and strength of these ecological interactions could also change.     

Stand structure and regeneration of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Populus euphratica</Emphasis> forest in the lower reaches of the Heihe River,NW China

Populus euphratica Oliv. is a main tree species that forms natural riparian forests in arid and semi-arid areas from Morocco to the Ordos Plateau. This study is designed to clarify the forest structure and dynamics of P. euphratica and to elucidate the ecological mechanisms sustaining riparian forests under unreliable environmental conditions. This study was conducted in a P. euphratica forest of the Ejina Oasis in Inner Mongolia, China, which is a hyperarid area. According to their tree size distribution, P. euphratica forests can be grouped into juvenile, mature, and overmatured stages. Almost all large P. euphratica showed dieback. The regeneration density on the forest floor shows a relation with the degree of height decrease due to dieback damage, as evaluated using the ratio of actual height to the maximum height estimated from the D–H relation. Therefore, after the mature stage, individual trees continue to grow while controlling their canopy size to adjust to changing environmental conditions in the overmatured stage. Our results suggest that P. euphratica growing under large fluctuations in groundwater levels exhibit a sophisticated regeneration system with canopy degradation.     

Drivers of Mangrove Litterfall within a Karstic Region Affected by Frequent Hurricanes

Tropical storms can shape the structure and productivity of mangrove forests. In this study, we compared current litterfall with historical tropical storm disturbance in the karstic Yucatan Peninsula (YP). We also explored the relationship between litterfall and the fresh/seawater mixture of floodwater. Our hypotheses were that litterfall peaks at moderate perturbations and in sites where seawater dominates the floodwater mixture, and thus, where soil total phosphorus (TP) is relatively high. Litterfall was sampled for 2 yr, from eight mangrove forests around the YP. At each site, forest structure, interstitial salinity, TP, nitrogen, carbon, pH, and bulk density were measured. Our results show that mangrove forest from northeast YP are historically impacted by stronger and more frequent tropical storms compared with those in northwest and southeast YP, where tropical storm intensity is moderate and mild, respectively. Litterfall was higher in northwest YP (≥3 g/m² d) compared with northeast and southeast (≤ 2 g/m² d), mimicking a subsidy‐stress gradient where highest productivity is reached at moderate perturbations. Neither salinity nor forest structure alone satisfactorily explained litterfall variability. Soil TP followed a similar geographical pattern as the disturbance gradient: highest concentrations in the northwest YP (≥0.05%) and lowest in the northeast and southeast (≤ 0.03%). Thus, it is likely that TP, and not tropical storm disturbance, is the main driver of litterfall in mangrove forests of the YP. Alterations in TP availability (e.g., sea level rise and aquifer contamination) have the potential to modify mangrove productivity in the region.     

A CSR classification of tree life history strategies and implications for ice storm damage

Differences in life history strategy influence the ecological roles of plant species, including their susceptibility to disturbance events. According to Grime's CSR model, plants exhibit three primary strategies, which reflect tradeoffs between stress and disturbance. Here we classify eastern North American tree species into life history strategies on the basis of the CSR model. Then, using data on ice storm damage to trees, we investigate how the level of damage varied among the different CSR categories. We used tree damage data for almost 2000 individual trees representing 30 species collected during two ice storms in the Appalachian Mountains. We augmented the study with ice damage data gleaned from nine published ice‐storm studies containing over 30 000 individuals representing 22 species. The trees we identified as stress‐tolerators (S) consistently sustained less damage than the other species. This finding matches the stress‐tolerant strategy: damage‐resistance is imperative for the persistence of trees that exhibit slow growth, low reproductive capacity and long lifespan. Our analyses also suggest that competitors (C) suffer widespread damage, particularly branch breakage, but experience low mortality. This pattern likely reflects features of the competitive strategy, such as wood strength and canopy form, which preclude resistance to damage but facilitate rapid recovery. The ice damage datasets did not contain trees that we classified as ruderals (R). Competitive ruderals (C‐R) and stress‐tolerant ruderals (S‐R), however, sustained heavy damage and high mortality, consistent with low investment in tree defense and a prioritization of reproduction. Our analyses suggest the usefulness of the CSR model for interpreting forest dynamics and understanding the implications of tree life‐history strategies for forest disturbance responses.     

飓风和台风对沿海地区森林生态系统的影响

飓风和台风是影响热带和温带沿海区域的主要灾害性气候之一,飓风和台风对于森林生态系统的影响是生态学关注的课题。综述了飓风和台风登陆对于森林生态系统树木和林分的危害影响形式及主要影响因素,着重举例阐述了树种和森林类型是影响台风危害程度的一个重要因素。分析了目前国际上开展的关于飓风和台风登陆对于森林生态系统碳、氮循环的影响,结果表明飓风、台风干扰导致的森林凋落物输入量、凋落物分解速率以及森林碳储存量动态变化较为复杂,与森林类型、林分空间位置以及台风过后的时间段密切相关。飓风引起的森林受损的恢复途径和机理与树冠受损严重程度直接相关,并受到光和水分条件的影响,及时的开花、结果以及充足的土壤种子库对森林植被恢复具有促进作用。在景观和区域尺度量化飓风和台风对沿海地区森林生态系统的影响也日益引起关注,在这方面,整合气象数据、遥感数据和地面调查的模型模拟方法起到重要的作用。今后应加强对于我国东南沿海地区森林生态系统遭受台风影响损失的生态监测和长期定位研究,加强关于台风对于不同森林生态系统类型和不同树种的危害形式和危害程度的研究,以及台风对于森林生态系统碳、氮循环影响的研究,弥补我国在以上领域的空白。     

Nitrogen Dynamics in Ice Storm-Damaged Forest Ecosystems: Implications for Nitrogen Limitation Theory

Despite the widely recognized importance of disturbance in accelerating the loss of elements from land, there have been few empirical studies of the effects of natural disturbances on nitrogen (N) dynamics in forest ecosystems. We were provided the unusual opportunity for such study, partly because the intensively monitored watersheds at the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest (HBEF), New Hampshire, experienced severe canopy damage following an ice storm. Here we report the effects of this disturbance on internal N cycling and loss for watershed 1 (W1) and watershed 6 (W6) at the HBEF and patterns of N loss from nine other severely damaged watersheds across the southern White Mountains. This approach allowed us to test one component of N limitation theory, which suggests that N losses accompanying natural disturbances can lead to the maintenance of N limitation in temperate zone forest ecosystems. Prior to the ice storm, fluxes of nitrate (NO₃ ^–) at the base of W1 and W6 were similar and were much lower than N inputs in atmospheric deposition. Following the ice storm, drainage water NO₃ ^– concentrations increased to levels that were seven to ten times greater than predisturbance values. We observed no significant differences in N mineralization, nitrification, or denitrification between damaged and undamaged areas in the HBEF watersheds, however. This result suggests that elevated NO₃ ^- concentrations were not necessarily due to accelerated rates of N cycling by soil microbes but likely resulted from decreased plant uptake of NO₃ ^-. At the regional scale, we observed high variability in the magnitude of NO₃ ^- losses: while six of the surveyed watersheds showed accelerated rates of NO₃ ^– loss, three did not. Moreover, in contrast to the strong linear relationship between NO₃ ^– loss and crown damage within HBEF watersheds [r ²: (W1 = 0.91, W6 = 0.85)], stream water NO₃ ^– concentrations were weakly related to crown damage (r ² = 0.17) across our regional sites. The efflux of NO₃ ^– associated with the ice storm was slightly higher than values reported for soil freezing and insect defoliation episodes, but was approximately two to ten times lower than NO₃ ^– fluxes associated with forest harvesting. Because over one half of the entire years worth of N deposition was lost following the ice storm, we conclude that catastrophic disturbances contribute synergistically to the maintenance of N limitation and widely observed delays of N saturation in northern, temperate zone forest ecosystems. Present address: Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Guyot Hall, Princeton, New Jersey 08544, USA.     

雨雪冰冻灾害对中亚热带人工林的影响——以江西省千烟洲为例

为深入研究2008年初低温雨雪冰冻灾害对我国南方森林生态系统的影响, 实地调查了中国科学院千烟洲红壤丘陵综合开发试验站(简称千烟洲站)人工林受损状况, 并结合气象资料与空间数据进行了分析。在千烟洲站内主要的5种林型中, 受损林分多为湿地松(Pinus elliottii)林, 倒伏区面积为7.72 hm², 占森林面积的6.12%, 地上植被碳储量损失1 462 g·m^-2(范围在655-5 230 g·m^-2之间)。持续低温、阴雨潮湿等气象条件是导致湿地松林受损的直接原因, 特别是2008年2月1日的低温、强降水和大风, 加剧了灾害程度。在吉泰盆地低山丘陵区(海拔60-140 m), 高程与局地地形、气象条件密切相关, 因而对冰雪灾害具有较强的指示作用。丘陵顶部土壤贫瘠、受风影响强烈, 林木易受损倒伏。阳坡的林木易偏冠, 这可能是其受损较为严重的原因之一。湿地松林受损的内因主要有冠型、材质、根系分布、叶片特征和年龄等;此外, 人为割脂也可能是造成湿地松大量倒伏的重要因素。     

Seeing the forest for its multiple ecosystem services: Indicators for cultural services in heterogeneous forests

The ecosystem service (ES) framework is gaining traction in ecosystem management as a means to recognize the multiple benefits that ecosystems provide. In forested ecosystems, many structural attributes (trees, understory plants and woody debris) create heterogeneous ecosystems that provide numerous ecosystem services, including many that are culturally important. However, application of the ES framework to forest management is challenged by difficulties measuring and comparing multiple ES across diverse and heterogeneous forest conditions. Indicators can help bring the ES approach to forest management by providing a means for accurate ES inventory and mapping. We measured 10 forest ES in contrasting forest types to investigate the effects of past forest harvesting in coastal temperate rainforest of Vancouver Island, BC, Canada. Our objectives were to build a systematic set of ES indicators for coastal temperate forests based on forest structural features, including trees, coarse woody debris, and understory plants. To achieve this, we 1) analyzed field data to compare the effects of forest age (old-growth vs. second-growth) and ecological site conditions (riparian vs. upland forest) on the bundle of ES provided by different forest types; and 2) worked with a local indigenous wood carver to identify attributes of cedar trees (Thuja plicata) essential for traditional uses, including canoe carving. Forest age and forest type had significant and major effects on bundles of ES. Old-growth forests provided three times higher carbon storage, nine times higher wood volume, and eighteen times higher canopy habitat services than recovering forests. Within old-growth forests, the proportion of trees suitable for traditional indigenous wood carving was significantly higher in riparian stands. Yet of 456 trees measured, only 17 were cedar with potential traditional uses. Of those, trees for canoe carving were the least frequent (n = 3), which we identified as large (>110 cm DBH) trees of exceptional quality. In general, old-growth riparian forests were a hotspot of ES, providing for example nearly three times as much carbon storage as old-growth forests on upland sites and 12 times the amount of carbon storage as found in second-growth forests on upland sites. These results indicate that typical inventories of forest ES, which usually generalize across heterogeneity, may oversimplify dramatic variations in ES bundles in forested landscapes. Our novel set of stand-level ES indicators can improve the accuracy of ES assessments, incorporate important cultural ES, and help address the role of landscape heterogeneity in influencing ES.     

Damage and Recovery of Riparian Sierra Palms after Hurricane Georges: Influence of Topography and Biotic Characteristics

Tropical forests are often shaped by disturbance events, especially in regions where hurricanes and other severe storms occur. We studied the effects of Hurricane Georges (September 1998) on the sierra palm ( Prestoea acuminata var. montana ) in the Luquillo Mountains of Puerto Rico. We established riparian transects along two headwater streams that were similar in size and location, but differed in riparian tree species composition and land-use history. Following Hurricane Georges, sierra palms were surveyed periodically for damage and recovery (measured by initial loss and subsequent regrowth of palm leaves), tree height, sun exposure, and production of inflorescences and infructescences. Palm height had the highest association with damage, with most damage occurring to canopy palms. Palm recovery (4 mo and 10 mo post-hurricane) was associated with high tree density, indicating that sun exposure was not limiting. Hurricane Georges likely reduced production of flowers and fruits in sierra palms for at least 10 mo following the storm, although production of new leaves was rapid. Although palms recovered quickly from defoliation after the hurricane, decreased reproduction resulted in reduced availability of fruit for terrestrial and aquatic consumers.     

粤北山地常绿阔叶林自然干扰后冠层结构与林下光照动态

以粤北车八岭2008年受冰灾破坏的山地常绿阔叶林为研究对象,设置2 hm2固定样地开展连续3a(2008—2010年)的群落调查,并采用半球面影像技术(Hemispherical photography)获取冠层结构和林下光照指标,分析灾后森林演替过程中冠层结构和林下光照的动态。研究发现:1)灾后森林恢复过程中,样地林下光照(直射光、散射光和总光照)均随林冠开度的减少、叶面积指数的增加而减少;2)从2008到2010年,各年度冠层结构和林下光照的差异均极显著(P<0.0001),但年间差异程度有逐年减少的趋势;3)灾后森林恢复前3a,林下直射光对林下总光照的贡献大于散射光,其时空波动性也大于散射光;4)林冠开度对冠层结构的反映程度比叶面积指数高,冠层结构对林下散射光的影响比对直射光大。灾后林木先是迅速生长然后生长速度缓慢下来并逐渐稳定,随森林逐渐郁闭林下光照也随之减少,其中林冠开度用于评价冠层结构动态的效果更佳,林下直射光比散射光的时空变化更复杂。     

Hyperspectral remote detection of niche partitioning among canopy trees driven by blowdown gap disturbances in the Central Amazon

Advanced recruitment and neutral processes play important roles in determining tree species composition in tropical forest canopy gaps, with few gaps experiencing clear secondary successional processes. However, most studies are limited to the relatively limited spatial scales provided by forest inventory plots, and investigations over the entire range of gap size are needed to better understand how ecological processes vary with tree mortality events. This study employed a landscape approach to test the hypothesis that tree species composition and forest structural attributes differ between large blowdown gaps and relatively undisturbed primary forest. Spectral mixture analysis on hyperspectral satellite imagery was employed to direct field sampling to widely distributed sites, and blowdown plots were compared with undisturbed primary forest plots. Tree species composition and forest structural attributes differed markedly between gap and non-gap sites, providing evidence of niche partitioning in response to disturbance across the region. Large gaps were dominated by classic Neotropical pioneer genera such as Cecropia and Vismia, and average tree size was significantly smaller. Mean wood density of trees recovering in large gaps (0.55 g cm⁻³) was significantly lower than in primary forest plots (0.71 g cm⁻³), a difference similar to that found when comparing less dynamic (i.e., tree recruitment, growth, and mortality) Central Amazon forests with more dynamic Western Amazon forests. Based on results, we hypothesize that the importance of neutral processes weaken, and niche processes strengthen, in determining community assembly along a gradient in gap size and tree mortality intensity. Over evolutionary time scales, pervasive dispersal among colonizers could result in the loss of tree diversity in the pioneer guild through competitive exclusion. Results also underscore the importance of considering disturbance processes across the landscape when addressing forest carbon balance.     

Slowed decomposition is biotically mediated in an ectomycorrhizal, tropical rain forest

Bacteria and fungi drive the cycling of plant litter in forests, but little is known about their role in tropical rain forest nutrient cycling, despite the high rates of litter decay observed in these ecosystems. However, litter decay rates are not uniform across tropical rain forests. For example, decomposition can differ dramatically over small spatial scales between low-diversity, monodominant rain forests, and species-rich, mixed forests. Because the climatic patterns and soil parent material are identical in co-occurring mixed and monodominant forests, differences in forest floor accumulation, litter production, and decomposition between these forests may be biotically mediated. To test this hypothesis, we conducted field and laboratory studies in a monodominant rain forest in which the ectomycorrhizal tree Dicymbe corymbosa forms >80% of the canopy, and a diverse, mixed forest dominated by arbuscular mycorrhizal trees. After 2 years, decomposition was significantly slower in the monodominant forest (P < 0.001), but litter production was significantly greater in the mixed forest (P < 0.001). In the laboratory, we found microbial community biomass was greater in the mixed forest (P = 0.02), and the composition of fungal communities was distinct between the two rain forest types (P = 0.001). Sequencing of fungal rDNA revealed a significantly lower richness of saprotrophic fungi in the monodominant forest (19 species) relative to the species-rich forest (84 species); moreover, only 4% percent of fungal sequences occurred in both forests. These results show that nutrient cycling patterns in tropical forests can vary dramatically over small spatial scales, and that changes in microbial community structure likely drive the observed differences in decomposition.     

Dynamics of forests with Araucariaceae in the western Pacific

Abstract. Several species of Araucaria and Agathis (Araucariaceae) occur as canopy emergents in rain forests of the western pacific region, often representing major components of total stand biomass. New data from permanent forest plots (and other published work) for three species (Araucaria hunsteinii from New Guinea, A. laubenfelsii from New Caledonia, and Agathis australis from New Zealand) are used to test the validity of the temporal stand replacement model proposed by Ogden (1985) and Ogden & Stewart (1995) to explain the structural and compositional properties of New Zealand rain forests containing the conifer Agathis australis. Here we propose the model as a general one which explains the stand dynamics of rain forests with Araucariaceae across a range of sites and species in the western Pacific. Forest stands representing putative stages in the model were examined for changes through time in species recruitment, growth and survivorship, and stand richness, density and basal area. Support for the model was found on the basis of: 1. Evidence for a phase of massive conifer recruitment following landscape-scale disturbances (e.g. by fire at the Huapai site, New Zealand for Agathis australis); 2. Increasing species richness of angiosperm trees in the pole stage of forest stand development (i.e. as the initial cohort of conifers reach tree size; >10 cm DBH); 3. A high turnover rate for angiosperms (<100 yr), and low turnover for conifers (≥ 100 yr) in the pole stage, but similar turnover rates for both components (50–100 yr) as forests enter the mature to senescent phase for the initial conifer cohort; 4. Very low rates of recruitment for conifers within mature stands, and projected forest compositions which show increasing dominance by angiosperm tree species; 5. A low probability of conifer recruitment in large canopy gaps created by conifer tree falls during the initial cohort senescent phase, which could produce a second generation low density stand in the absence of landscape scale disturbance; 6. Evidence that each of the three species examined required open canopy conditions (canopy openness > 10 %) for successful recruitment. The evidence presented here supports the temporal stand replacement model, but more long-term supporting data are needed, especially for the phase immediately following landscape level disturbance.     

Suppression and release during canopy recruitment in Fagus crenata and Acer mono in two old-growth beech forests in Japan

Beech forests occur widely in the mountains on the main island of Japan. Wind storm is the major regime that causes canopy disturbances in these forests. Fagus crenata Blume is a dominant, and Acer mono Maxim., also a canopy species, co-occurs in these forests. It has been suggested that A. mono is less shade-tolerant than F. crenata. Using dendrochronological data, this study describes suppression and release histories during canopy recruitment for these two species in two old-growth beech forests (at Takahara and Kaname) and provides support for the shade tolerance suggestion given above. In addition, disturbance histories over the past 130 or 160 yr in the two forests have been reconstructed. At Takahara, the forest experienced more frequent wind storms, was about 10–15 m shorter and less dense than that at Kaname. Kaname is in a heavy snow region. On average, F. crenata experienced 1.4 and 2.5 definable episodes of suppression during canopy recruitment at Takahara and Kaname, respectively. At Kaname, the average length of total suppression was 66 yr, and 34 yr at Takahara. On average, at final release, the beech trees had a diameter of 25 cm and an age of about 125 yr old, which were twice as large and twice as old as those at Takahara. In contrast, at the two sites, A. mono experienced similar average numbers of episodes (1.6 episodes at Takahara and 1.8 episodes at Kaname) and similar average length of total suppression (37 yr at Takahara and 30 yr at Kaname) during canopy recruitment. At both sites, at final release, the maple had an average diameter of about 18 cm and an average age of some 70 yr. Our results have revealed that F. crenata is able to be tolerant of a longer shade suppression than A. mono. At Kaname, the canopy disturbances deduced from tree-ring data were more intense or frequent than those at Takahara, This contrasted with occurrences of wind storms at the two sites.     

GIS-based estimation of the winter storm damage probability in forests: a case study from Baden-Wuerttemberg (Southwest Germany)

Data on storm damage attributed to the two high-impact winter storms ‘Wiebke’ (28 February 1990) and ‘Lothar’ (26 December 1999) were used for GIS-based estimation and mapping (in a 50 × 50 m resolution grid) of the winter storm damage probability (P_DAM) for the forests of the German federal state of Baden-Wuerttemberg (Southwest Germany). The P_DAM-calculation was based on weights of evidence (WofE) methodology. A combination of information on forest type, geology, soil type, soil moisture regime, and topographic exposure, as well as maximum gust wind speed field was used to compute P_DAM across the entire study area. Given the condition that maximum gust wind speed during the two storm events exceeded 35 m s^-1, the highest P_DAM values computed were primarily where coniferous forest grows in severely exposed areas on temporarily moist soils on bunter sandstone formations. Such areas are found mainly in the mountainous ranges of the northern Black Forest, the eastern Forest of Odes, in the Virngrund area, and in the southwestern Alpine Foothills.     

El Niño impacts on human-modified tropical forests: Consequences for dung beetle diversity and associated ecological processes

Our knowledge of how tropical forest biodiversity and functioning respond to anthropogenic and climate-associated stressors is limited. Research exploring El Niño impacts are scarce or based on single post-disturbance assessments, and few studies assess forests previously affected by anthropogenic disturbance. Focusing on dung beetles and associated ecological functions, we assessed (a) the ecological effects of a strong El Niño, (b) if post-El Niño beetle responses were influenced by previous forest disturbance, and (c) how these responses compare between forests impacted only by drought and those affected by both drought and fires. We sampled 30 Amazonian forest plots distributed across a gradient of human disturbance in 2010, 2016, and 2017—approximately 5 years before, and 3–6 and 15–18 months after the 2015–16 El Niño. We found 14,451 beetles from 98 species and quantified the beetle-mediated dispersal of >8,600 seed mimics and the removal of c. 30 kg of dung. All dung beetle responses (species richness, abundance, biomass, compositional similarity to pre-El Niño condition, and rates of dung removal and seed dispersal) declined after the 2015–16 El Niño, but the greatest immediate losses (i.e., in 2016) were observed within fire-affected forests. Previous forest disturbance also influenced post-El Niño dung beetle species richness, abundance, and species composition. We demonstrate that dung beetles and their ecological functions are negatively affected by climate-associated disturbances in human-modified Amazonian forests and suggest that the interaction between local anthropogenic and climate-related stressors merits further investigation.