Expression of anatomical leaf traits in homoploid hybrids between deciduous and evergreen species of Vaccinium

We investigated the anatomical expression of leaf traits in hybrids between evergreen Vaccinium vitis‐idaea and deciduous V. myrtillus. We compared parents from four populations with their respective F1 hybrids and tested whether (i) transgression can be the source of novel anatomical traits in hybrids; (ii) expression of transgressive traits is more probable for traits with similar values in parents and intermediate for more distinct values, as predicted by theory; and (iii) independent origin of hybrids leads to identical trait expression profiles among populations. We found that anatomical leaf traits can be divided into four categories based on their similarity to parents: intermediate, parental‐like, transgressive and non‐significant. Contrary to the common view, parental‐like trait values were equally important in shaping the hybrid profile, as were intermediate traits. Transgression was revealed in 17/144 cases and concerned mainly cell and tissue sizes. As predicted by theory, we observed transgressive segregation more often when there was little phenotypic divergence, but intermediate values when parental traits were differentiated. It is likely that cell and tissue sizes are phylogenetically more conserved due to stabilising selection, whereas traits such as leaf thickness and volume fraction of the intercellular spaces, showing a consistent intermediate pattern across populations, are more susceptible to directional selection. Hybrid populations showed little similarity in expression profile, with only three traits identically expressed across all populations. Thus local adaptation of parental species and specific genetic background may be of importance.     

Multiannual effects of induced plant defenses: Are defended plants good or bad neighbors?

Defenses induced by herbivore feeding or phytohormones such as methyl jasmonate (MeJA) can affect growth, reproduction, and herbivory, not only on the affected individual but also in its neighboring plants. Here, we report multiannual defense, growth, and reproductive responses of MeJA‐treated bilberry (Vaccinium myrtillus) and neighboring ramets. In a boreal forest in western Norway, we treated bilberry ramets with MeJA and water (control) and measured responses over three consecutive years. We observed the treatment effects on variables associated with herbivory, growth, and reproduction in the MeJA‐treated and untreated ramet and neighboring ramets distanced from 10 to 500 cm. MeJA‐treated ramets had fewer grazed leaves and browsed shoots compared to control, with higher effects in 2014 and 2015, respectively. In 2013, growth of control ramets was greater than MeJA‐treated ramets. However, MeJA‐treated ramets had more flowers and berries than control ramets 2 years after the treatment. The level of insect and mammalian herbivory was also lower in untreated neighboring ramets distanced 10–150 cm and, consistent with responses of MeJA‐treated ramets, the stronger effect was also one and 2 years delayed, respectively. The same neighboring ramets had fewer flowers and berries than untreated ramets, indicating a trade‐off between defense and reproduction. Although plant–plant effects were observed across all years, the strength varied by the distance between the MeJA‐treated ramets and its untreated neighbors. We document that induced defense in bilberry reduces both insect and mammalian herbivory, as well as growth, over multiple seasons. The defense responses occurred in a delayed manner with strongest effects one and 2 years after the induction. Additionally, our results indicate defense signaling between MeJA‐treated ramets and untreated neighbors. In summary, this study shows that induced defenses are important ecological strategies not only for the induced individual plant but also for neighboring plants across multiple years in boreal forests.     

Effects of low severity burning after clear-cutting on mid-boreal ant communities in the two years after fire

Fire is important in maintaining a diversity of communities and landscapes in boreal ecosystems, but, in recent times, forest management has suppressed fires. Managers now commonly burn a proportion of clear-cuts in Sweden to conserve components of the fire-favoured fauna, but effects of these treatments on the ant fauna are unknown. We compared ant communities between burned and control clear-cuts to determine their value for this important faunal group. Ants were collected in 1995 and 1996 from 5 burned and 5 control clear-cuts in mid-boreal Sweden. We compared abundances of workers and reproductive females of common species between the treatments. Burned and control clear-cuts supported similar abundances of common species, differing only in the abundance of Leptothorax acervorum queens collected in 1995. This suggests that L. acervorum was attracted to the burning, but we did not detect an increase in the abundance of its workers the following year. The abundance of dominant red wood ants (F. rufa group) was not correlated with that of any other species, suggesting that their patchy occurrence did not conceal differences between treatments. Our findings suggest that nests of many ant species survive low severity fires. Habitat structure is likely to be important in determining ant community structure and low severity burning in disturbed open habitats, such as the clear-cuts examined in this study, may not significantly alter habitat structure relative to unburned habitats in the short term.     

Forest types of northern Sweden

An Appalachian-oak forest in a small montane watershed was sampled to calibrate and test an existing forest dynamics simulation model. Indices developed in earlier studies by Whittaker were used to estimate the response of different tree species to soil moisture. As is the case in many forest modeling applications, neither detailed environmental data at a micro-spatial scale nor quantitative historical stand data were available for the study.A protocol of both model parameter estimation and simulation output evaluation is developed. The method involves simulation experiments under which the model parameters are allowed to vary systematically with respect to environmental control variables, allowing one to generate a field of potential simulation results that can be searched for patterns shared by the observed data. The degree to which common patterns emerge provides a measure of model sensitivity to patterns at the scale of interest. This protocol can provide an appraisal of the appropriateness of a simulation model to the system of interest and can be used to assess the performance of the model in future applications. Nomenclature: Little, E.B. 1971. Atlas of United States trees. Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C.     

Facilitation in an unproductive boreal forest understorey community

Questions: We tested the hypothesis that if competition had a significant influence in structuring this boreal plant community, removal of neighbours, addition of fertilizer and addition of water would all benefit the transplanted seedlings. Alternatively, if facilitation had a greater influence, then removal of neighbours would be detrimental to the transplants but fertilization and watering would still be beneficial. Location: Understorey of the boreal forest in southwestern Yukon Territory, Canada (138°22′W; 61°02′N). Methods: Ten of the most common species were transplanted as seedlings into transects from which all neighbours had been removed, and also into transects with intact vegetation. We used a factorial design with two levels of watering and two levels of fertilization; this allowed us to test effects at both species and community level. Results: The summed survival and total biomass of all transplants was significantly higher in the presence of neighbours than without neighbours, indicating a facilitative effect of neighbouring plants, but there were significant increases in only six of the ten species. The combined survival and biomass of all species increased with watering, survival decreased and biomass increased with fertilization, but only two species had significant responses to fertilization: Anenome parviflora decreased and Mertensia paniculata increased in biomass. Watering increased the biomass of Achillea millefolium, Festuca altaica and Solidago multiradiata; there were also some interaction effects. Conclusions: (1) The presence of neighbours was generally facilitative. (2) Fertilization had negligible effects, and watering had minor beneficial effects. (3) This study demonstrates the importance of facilitation in structuring this boreal understorey community.     

The effects of forestry on carabid beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae) in boreal forests

As compared to natural forests, managed boreal forests are younger, more homogeneous in terms of tree age and species composition, and consist of smaller fragments. Here we examine the effects of such characteristics caused by forestry on carabid beetles (Coleoptera, Carabidae) in the boreal region. The main results are the following. (1) Fragmentation of forests and the size of a fragment appear not to be crucial for the survival of the majority of forest carabids, as they tend to be distributed over various successional stages, but species requiring old-growth habitats suffer. (2) For carabids there appear to be no or very few edge specialist species, and forest-open land edges appear to be effective barriers for species associated with forest or open habitat. However, generalist species easily cross the edge, and edges of forest fragments may be invaded by species from the surrounding open habitat. (3) Habitat change following clear-cutting dramatically changes the composition of carabid assemblages: species restricted to mature forests disappear and open-habitat species invade, while habitat generalists survive at least in the short term. Carabid diversity can probably best be maintained if forest management mimics natural processes, maintains natural structures and includes the natural composition of vegetation and other structural elements (such as dead wood) within the stands, provided that these forest features can be maintained and recreated through forest management practices. At a larger scale, the whole spectrum of forest types and ages (especially old-growth forests), and different successional processes (especially fire) should be maintained. These require the development and use of innovative logging methods, and the planning, implementation, and assessment of landscape-scale ecological management strategies.     

Observations of responses to re‐introducing fire in a Basalt Plains grassland after the removal of grazing: Implications for restoration

Natural grasslands in southern Australia commonly exist in altered states. One widespread altered state is grassland pasture dominated by cool‐season (C3) native grasses maintained by ongoing grazing. This study explores the consequences of removing grazing and introducing fire as a conservation management tool for such a site. We examined the abundance of two native and three exotic species, across a mosaic of fire regimes that occurred over a three‐year period: unburnt, summer wild‐fire (>2 years previous), autumn management fire (<1 year previously) and burnt in both fires. Given that one aim of conservation management is to increase native species at the expense of exotics, the impacts of the fires were largely positive. Native grasses were at higher cover levels in the fire‐managed vegetation than in the unburnt vegetation. Of the three exotic species, one was consistently at lower density in the burnt plots compared to the unburnt plots, while the others were lower only in those plots burnt in summer. The results show that the response of a species varies significantly between different fire events, and that the effects of one fire can persist through subsequent fires. Importantly, some of the effects were large, with changes in the density of plants of over 100‐fold. Fire is potentially a cost‐effective tool to assist the ecological restoration of retired grassland pastures at large scales.     

Insect Colonisation of Fruiting Bodies of the Wood-decaying Fungus Fomitopsis pinicola at Different Distances from an Old-growth Forest

We studied the colonisation rate of insects inhabiting fruiting bodies of the wood-decaying fungus Fomitopsis pinicola both within and at different distances (up to 1610 m) from an old-growth forest reserve. The colonisation rate of most species was not affected by the distance from the reserve, and none of the species were affected by the size of local sources of fruiting bodies in the managed forest. We suggest that many insect species inhabiting fruiting bodies of wood-decaying fungi can colonise fruiting bodies at a high enough rate to persist in managed forests of Fennoscandia. However, the colonisation rates of the fungivorous beetle Cis quadridens and the predatory fly Medetera apicalis were negatively affected by distance from the reserve. Cis quadridens is rare in many managed forests, but often quite common at sites with high substrate densities. The rarity of this species may therefore be due to weak ability to colonize distant patches. The same may also be true for M. apicalis, but less is known about the biology of this species. Medetera apicalis was the most common insect predator in the old-growth forest, but it was rare at the largest distances from it in the managed forest. Therefore, it seems likely that the overall pressure from natural enemies significantly declined with distance from the reserve.