Spatial genet dynamics of a dwarf bamboo: Clonal expansion into shaded forest understory contributes to regeneration after an episodic die-off

The ability of clonal plants to spread horizontally and to share resources within genets has long been considered advantageous in spatially heterogeneous environments, yet our understanding of how such traits relate to its widespread success and dominance is still limited. Using a dwarf bamboo, Sasa kurilensis, that often dominates cool-temperate forest understorys, we investigated how population recovery over 20 years after an episodic die-off may be augmented by clonal expansion via rhizomes. Previous analyses on genet demography using 9-m² plots showed that more productive genets were more likely to survive, spread laterally, and replace less productive ones. In this study, we examined whether the recovery of biomass in lower light microsites, where biomass recovery was initially slower, was supported by the spread of productive genets at larger scales, from surrounding higher-light microsites. We found that the biomass recovery in lower-light plots was more supported by genets that spread clonally into the plots. Such genets that spread from outside plots produced larger culms than those that had originally germinated there. Whereas genets that contributed much to the biomass of the low-light plots spread extensively from higher-light microsites, the spatial extent of genets that originally germinated in these plots was quite limited, so that the patterns of clonal expansion appeared to be unidirectional along the light gradient. Our findings suggest that clonal expansion of productive genets from higher-light into shaded microsites may be important for S. kurilensis to proliferate across heterogeneous light environments.     

Forest fragmentation relaxes natural nest predation in an Afromontane forest

Nest predation is widely regarded as a major driver underlying the population dynamics of small forest birds. Following forest fragmentation and the subsequent invasion by species from non-forested landscape matrices, shifts in predator communities may increase nest predation near forest edges. However, effects of human-driven habitat change on nest predation have mainly been inferred from studies with artificial nests, despite being regarded as poor surrogates for natural ones. We studied variation in predation rates, and relationships with timing of breeding and characteristics of microhabitats and fragments, on natural white-starred robin Pogonocichla stellata nests during three consecutive breeding seasons (2004–2007) in a Kenyan fragmented cloud forest. More than 70% of all initiated nests were predated during each breeding season. Predation rates nearly quadrupled between the earliest and the latest nests within a single breeding season, increased with distance to the forest edge, and decreased with the edge-to-area ratio of forest fragments. These spatial relationships oppose the traditional perception of edge and fragmentation effects on nest predation, but are in line with results from artificial nest experiments in other East African forests. In case of inverse edge and fragmentation effects on nest predation, such as shown in this study, species that tolerate edges for breeding may be affected positively, rather than negatively, by forest fragmentation, while the opposite can be expected for species restricted to the forest interior. The possibility of inverse edge effects, and its conservation implications, should therefore be taken into account when drafting habitat restoration plans.     

缙云山生境片断化对常绿阔叶林生物多样性的影响

采用Simpson、Shannon-Wiener和Hill多样性指数以及逐步多元回归分析方法,在缙云山进行了植物群落调查、小气候观测和土壤肥力的测定以及各变量之间关系的分析。结果表明:片断常绿阔叶林物种多样性指数比连续常绿阔叶林低,不同生活型的表现不同;各片断阔叶林斑块边缘均存在明显的小气候边缘效应。随着斑块面积的减小,各斑块的ΔTa、林缘及林内ΔTs、林缘和林内ΔRH、林缘和林内Vmax、林缘和林内ΔPAR(正午)均呈增大的趋势。各斑块的小气候边缘效应,以最大斑块波及林内的深度最浅(约至林内15m)、最小斑块波及林内的深度最深(约至林内25m);常绿阔叶林物种多样性受林内外有效光合辐射(正午)差、气温日较差、土壤含水量、土壤有机质含量和土壤有效钾等因素的影响。     

Chaco forest fragmentation effects on leaf litter decomposition are not explained by changes in litter fauna

Forest fragmentation is a component of global change, with substantial impact on biodiversity and ecosystem functioning. Despite extensive evidence of forest fragmentation effects on above‐ground ecological processes, little is understood about its below‐ground effects. Abundance and richness of leaf litter fauna can be affected by forest fragmentation, and this can have cascading effects on the decomposition process. Here, we examine how fragmentation of a subtropical dry forest affects aspects of ecosystem structure and functioning, by unravel area and edge effects on leaf litter fauna and decomposition rates and testing whether changes in abundance or richness of litter fauna mediated fragment area and edge effects on litter decomposition. We incubated litterbags filled with a common substrate, at the edge and interior of 12 fragments of Chaco Serrano forest in Central Argentina, for 180 days. We found that invertebrate abundance was higher at the forest edge but independent of fragment area, whereas decomposition declined with fragment size independently of edge or interior location. According to our results, the effect of forest size on decomposition was not mediated by changes in abundance or richness of leaf litter fauna, suggesting independent changes in ecosystem structure and functioning.     

南亚热带演替群落的边缘效应及其对森林片断化恢复的意义

通过对鼎湖山两个群落及其边缘群落的长期定位研究,探讨南亚热带演替群落的边缘效应与森林片断化恢复,通过１６ａ的定位研究,从测度群落的物种结构,多样性,生物量与生产力等指标的比较表明,马尾松林群落和混交林群落本身经过１６ａ的演变,虽然有所发展,但变化不大,群落性质没有改变;边缘群落原非常接近马尾松林群落,经过６ａ的演变,已经发展成为混交林群落,说明边缘效应的作用。边缘群落总体的边缘效应强度Ｅ值为１．６     

Limited effect of anthropogenic habitat fragmentation on molecular diversity in a rain forest skink, Gnypetoscincus queenslandiae

To examine the effects of recent habitat fragmentation, we assayed genetic diversity in a rain forest endemic lizard, the prickly forest skink (Gnypetoscincus queenslandiae), from seven forest fragments and five sites in continuous forest on the Atherton tableland of northeastern Queensland, Australia. The rain forest in this region was fragmented by logging and clearing for dairy farms in the early 1900s and most forest fragments studied have been isolated for 50-80 years or nine to 12 skink generations. We genotyped 411 individuals at nine microsatellite DNA loci and found fewer alleles per locus in prickly forest skinks from small rain forest fragments and a lower ratio of allele number to allele size range in forest fragments than in continuous forest, indicative of a decrease in effective population size. In contrast, and as expected for populations with small neighbourhood sizes, neither heterozygosity nor variance in allele size differed between fragments and sites in continuous forests. Considering measures of among population differentiation, there was no increase in FST among fragments and a significant isolation by distance pattern was identified across all 12 sites. However, the relationship between genetic (FST) and geographical distance was significantly stronger for continuous forest sites than for fragments, consistent with disruption of gene flow among the latter. The observed changes in genetic diversity within and among populations are small, but in the direction predicted by the theory of genetic erosion in recently fragmented populations. The results also illustrate the inherent difficulty in detecting genetic consequences of recent habitat fragmentation, even in genetically variable species, and especially when effective population size and dispersal rates are low.     

Patch isolation and shape predict plant functional diversity in a naturally fragmented forest

Aims It is known that taxonomic diversity can be predicted by the spatial configuration of the habitat, in particular by its area and degree of isolation. However, taxonomic diversity is a poor predictor of ecosystem functioning. While functional diversity is strongly linked to the functionality and stability of ecosystems, little is known about how changes in the spatial configuration of the habitat affect functional diversity. In this study, we evaluated whether the spatial configuration of forest patches predicts the functional diversity of plants in a fragmented forest.Methods Five functional leaf traits (leaf dry matter content, leaf punch force, specific leaf area, leaf size and leaf thickness) were measured for 23 dominant plant species in 20 forest patches in a naturally fragmented forest on the Yucatan Peninsula. Abundance-weighted multivariate and individual trait metrics of functional diversity were calculated and correlated with size, degree of isolation and the shape of forest patches.Important findings Patch shape was negatively correlated with multivariate and individual trait (leaf dry matter content and leaf size) metrics of functional diversity. Patch isolation measures were also negatively correlated with individual trait (leaf dry matter content, leaf punch force and leaf size) metrics of functional diversity. In other words, greater patch shape irregularity and isolation degree impoverish plant functional variability. This is the first report of the negative effects of patch shape irregularity and isolation on the functional diversity of plant communities in a forest that has been fragmented for a long time.     

Modelling the effect of habitat fragmentation on range expansion in a butterfly

There is an increasing need for conservation programmes to make quantitative predictions of biodiversity responses to changed environments. Such predictions will be particularly important to promote species recovery in fragmented landscapes, and to understand and facilitate distribution responses to climate change. Here, we model expansion rates of a test species (a rare butterfly, Hesperia comma) in five landscapes over 18 years (generations), using a metapopulation model (the incidence function model). Expansion rates increased with the area, quality and proximity of habitat patches available for colonization, with predicted expansion rates closely matching observed rates in test landscapes. Habitat fragmentation constrained expansion, but in a predictable way, suggesting that it will prove feasible both to understand variation in expansion rates and to develop conservation programmes to increase rates of range expansion in such species.     

Effects of forest fragmentation on small mammals in an Atlantic Forest landscape

Recent studies on the effects of tropical forest fragmentation indicate that fragmented landscapes are complex and heterogeneous systems influenced by factors other than the size or degree of isolation of forest remnants: of particular importance are the quality of the matrix and the edge-induced habitat changes. In order to investigate the influence of these factors, small mammals were surveyed in 36 sites in the landscape of Una, a region that encompasses some of the last and largest Atlantic Forest remnants in northeastern Brazil. Six sites were distributed on each of six landscape components – the interiors and edges of small remnants, the interiors and edges of large remnants, and the most common forested habitats found in the matrix. The survey comprised 46,656 trap-nights and yielded 1725 individuals of 20 species of rodents and marsupials. Results revealed: an increase in beta-diversity caused by fragmentation; the contrasting effects of the altered forested habitats of the matrix, which harbor both forest and disturbance-adapted species; a greater importance of edge effect than of patch size to the observed changes in small mammal community in remnants; an association among terrestrial forest species and among arboreal forest species in terms of the distribution and abundance in the Una mosaic; and a distinctive vulnerability of these two groups of species to fragmentation. Results emphasize the biological importance and conservation value of both fragmented landscapes and small remnants in the Atlantic Forest, as well as the importance of management techniques to control and attenuate edge effects.     

大青沟森林植物群落物种多样性研究

大青沟森林植物种类非常丰富,约占内蒙古自治区植物种数的三分之一,生物资源十分丰富。本文分别用Simpson指数、Shannon-Wienner指数和均匀度指数计测生态优势度、不同植物群落的物种多样性、群落物种多度的均匀度。结果表明：由于大青沟森林植物群落属于隐域性植被,从沟底到沟沿,小气候的差异较为明显,存在着生境梯度,但由于乔、灌、草综合作用的影响,各群落类型及生境梯度上的物种多样性的差异不十分明显。这可能是特殊森林群落类型长期适应隐域性生境条件的结果,它为我们改造周边环境提供了有益的启示。     

Possible effects of habitat fragmentation and climate change on the range of forest plant species

Global circulation models predict an increase in mean annual temperature between 2.1 and 4.6 °C by 2080 in the northern temperate zone. The associated changes in the ratio of extinctions and colonizations at the boundaries of species ranges are expected to result in northward range shifts for a lot of species. However, net species colonization at northern boundary ranges, necessary for a northward shift and for range conservation, may be hampered because of habitat fragmentation. We report the results of two forest plant colonization studies in two fragmented landscapes in central Belgium. Almost all forest plant species (85%) had an extremely low success of colonizing spatially segregated new suitable forest habitats after c . 40 years. In a landscape with higher forest connectivity, colonization success was higher but still insufficient to ensure large-scale colonization. Under the hypothesis of net extinction at southern range boundaries, forest plant species dispersal limitation will prevent net colonization at northern range boundaries required for range conservation.     

A recent history of forest fragmentation in southwestern Ivory Coast

This study provides monitoring and spatial analysis of forest fragmentation based on high-resolution remote sensing, in order to give a framework for assessing residual biodiversity in the Guiglo-Taï region. Massive deforestation has taken place, mainly in the last 20 years, 79% of unprotected forests have been eliminated on the 100 × 100 km study area. Deforestation is also beginning to encroach on protected areas. Forest fragments are mainly found close to the deforestation front. In areas which were first deforested, forest fragments are very scarce and are restricted to less productive soils; they are often severely degraded. Young secondary forests develop on abandoned fields, but primary forest regeneration seems unlikely in light of the distance from seed sources and the increase in population pressure. Conservation initiatives in this zone of high biodiversity should focus on protected areas, taking into account short and long term benefits for the local population.     

Effects of forest fragmentation on European birds: implications of regional differences in species richness

Aim In this paper, we adopted a large‐scale approach to evaluate the effect of regional richness of forest birds on the number of bird species retained by forest fragments in several localities across Europe. Location We studied bird assemblages in fourteen forest archipelagos embedded in agricultural matrices from southern Norway to central Spain. Tree composition varied from oak and beech forests of the northern localities to oak and pine xerophitic woodlands of the southern ones. The number of fragments in each forest archipelago ranged from eighteen to 211. Methods We used the Gleason equation (s = a + z log A; where s and A are, respectively, the species richness and size of forest fragments and z the rate of species loss) to estimate the species richness for 1‐ and 15‐ha fragments in each archipelago. The regional richness of forest birds was estimated by modelling the geographical distribution of species richness in the European atlas of breeding birds. Results The latitudinal distribution of regional richness displayed a convex form, with the highest values being in central Europe. Along this gradient, the number of species retained by fragments and the rate of species loss was positively related to regional richness. In addition, the percentage of the regional pool of species sampled by fragments decreased in the southern localities. Main conclusions Relationships between regional richness of forest birds and richness in fragments seem to explain why fragments in central Europe shelter more species than their southern counterparts. The decreased ability of southern forest fragments to sample the regional richness of forest birds, could be explained as an effect of the low abundance of many species in the Mediterranean, which could depress their ability to prevent extinction in fragments by a rescue effect. Alternatively, high beta diversity in the Mediterranean could produce undersampling by fragments of the regional pool of species. These regional differences in the response of bird assemblages to forest fragmentation are used to discuss the usefulness of large‐scale, biogeographical approaches in the design of conservation guidelines.     

The influence of forest fragmentation and landscape pattern on American martens

1. We investigated the effects of forest fragmentation on American martens ( Martes americana Rhoads) by evaluating differences in marten capture rates (excluding recaptures) in 18 study sites with different levels of fragmentation resulting from timber harvest clearcuts and natural openings. We focused on low levels of fragmentation, where forest connectivity was maintained and non-forest cover ranged from 2% to 42%.
2. Martens appeared to respond negatively to low levels of habitat fragmentation, based on the significant decrease in capture rates within the series of increasingly fragmented landscapes. Martens were nearly absent from landscapes having > 25% non-forest cover, even though forest connectivity was still present.
3. Marten capture rates were negatively correlated with increasing proximity of open areas and increasing extent of high-contrast edges. Forested landscapes appeared unsuitable for martens when the average nearest-neighbour distance between open (non-forested) patches was <100 m. In these landscapes, the proximity of open areas created strips of forest edge and eliminated nearly all forest interior.
4. Small mammal densities were significantly higher in clearcuts than in forests, but marten captures were not correlated with prey abundance or biomass associated with clearcuts.
5. Conservation efforts for the marten must consider not only the structural aspects of mature forests, but the landscape pattern in which the forest occurs. We recommend that the combination of timber harvests and natural openings comprise <25% of landscapes ≥9 km² in size.
6. The spatial pattern of open areas is important as well, because small, dispersed openings result in less forest interior habitat than one large opening at the same percentage of fragmentation. Progressive cutting from a single patch would retain the largest amount of interior forest habitat.     

Arthropods on plants in a fragmented Neotropical dry forest: A functional analysis of area loss and edge effects

Loss and fragmentation of natural ecosystems are widely recognized as the most important threats to biodiversity conservation, with Neotropical dry forests among the most endangered ecosystems. Area and edge effects are major factors in fragmented landscapes. Here, we examine area and edge effects and their interaction, on ensembles of arthropods associated to native vegetation in a fragmented Chaco Serrano forest. We analyzed family richness and community composition of herbivores, predators, and parasitoids on three native plant species in 12 fragments of varying size and at edge/interior positions. We also looked for indicator families by using Indicator Species Analysis. Loss of family richness with the reduction of forest fragment area was observed for the three functional groups, with similar magnitude. Herbivores were richer at the edges without interaction between edge and area effects, whereas predators were not affected by edge/interior position and parasitoid richness showed an interaction between area and position, with a steeper area slope at the edges. Family composition of herbivore, predator, and parasitoid assemblages was also affected by forest area and/or edge/interior situation. We found three indicator families for large remnants and five for edges. Our results support the key role of forest area for conservation of arthropods taxonomic and functional diversity in a highly threatened region, and emphasize the need to understand the interactions between area and edge effects on such diversity.     

Long-term effects of forest fragmentation on Amazonian ant communities

Aim To analyse the effects of forest fragmentation on ant communities in an Amazonian landscape that has been fragmented for over a century. Location The region surrounding the village of Alter do Chão in the Brazilian Amazonian state of Pará (2°30′ S, 54°57′ W). Methods Collection of ants and measurements of tree density were performed along transects established in eight sites in continuous forest and in 24 forest fragments surrounded by savanna vegetation. Data on size, perimeter, and degree of isolation (distance to continuous forest and distance to nearest area of forest > 5 ha) of each fragment were obtained from a georeferenced Landsat image of the study area. Results There were significant differences in species richness and composition between fragments and continuous forest, and these differences were not related to intersite variation in vegetation structure (tree density). Fragments supported fewer ant species per plot, and these species tended to represent a nested subset of those found in continuous forests. Fragments had significantly fewer rare species and fewer ant genera. However, fragments and continuous forest had similar numbers of species that also occur in the savanna matrix (i.e. that are not forest specialists). Multiple linear regression analyses indicated that species richness and composition in the fragments are significantly affected by fragment area, but not by fragment shape and degree of isolation. More species were found in larger fragments. Main conclusions Forest fragmentation influences the organization of ant communities in Amazonian savanna/forest landscapes. Forest fragments harboured, on average, 85% of the species found in continuous forest. That these fragments, despite their long history of isolation, support a relatively large complement of the species found in continuous forest is surprising, especially given that in some recently fragmented landscapes the proportion of species surviving in the fragments is lower. Differences in inter‐fragment distance and type of matrix between Alter do Chão and these other landscapes may be involved. The fact that fragments at Alter do Chão are surrounded by a natural (rather than an anthropogenic) habitat, and that most of them are less than 300 m from another forest area, may have helped to ameliorate the adverse effects of forest fragmentation.     

Disentangling biotic and abiotic drivers of intraspecific trait variation in woody plant seedlings at forest edges

In fragmented forests, edge effects can drive intraspecific variation in seedling performance that influences forest regeneration and plant composition. However, few studies have attempted to disentangle the relative biotic and abiotic drivers of intraspecific variation in seedling performance. In this study, we carried out a seedling transplant experiment with a factorial experimental design on three land‐bridge islands in the Thousand Island Lake, China, using four common native woody plant species. At different distances from the forest edge (2, 8, 32, 128 m), we transplanted four seedlings of each species into each of three cages: full‐cage, for herbivore exclusion; half‐cage, that allowed herbivore access but controlled for caging artifacts; and no‐cage control. In the 576 cages, we recorded branch architecture, leaf traits, and seedling survival for each seedling before and after the experimental treatment. Overall, after one full growing season, edge‐induced abiotic drivers and varied herbivory pressure led to intraspecific variation in seedling performance, including trade‐offs in seedling architecture and resource‐use strategies. However, responses varied across species with different life‐history strategies and depended on the driver in question, such that the abiotic and biotic effects were additive across species, rather than interactive. Edge‐induced abiotic variation modified seedling architecture of a shade‐tolerant species, leading to more vertical rather than lateral growth at edges. Meanwhile, increased herbivory pressure resulted in a shift toward lower dry matter investment in leaves of a light‐demanding species. Our results suggest that edge effects can drive rapid directional shifts in the performance and intraspecific traits of some woody plants from early ontogenetic stages, but most species in this study showed negligible phenotypic responses to edge effects. Moreover, species‐specific responses suggest the importance of interspecific differences modulating the degree of trait plasticity, implying the need to incorporate individual‐level responses when understanding the impact of forest fragmentation on plant communities.