Vegetation patterns in relation to micro-scale landforms in hilly land regions

Spatial structures of landforms as constants affecting vegetation patterns are discussed based on analyses of hilly land regions, mostly in the vicinity of Sendai, northeast Japan. The lower part of a hillslope is characterized by relatively active processes of soil erosion, landslides and slope failure. It supports a plant community different from that on the upper part of the hillslope. These two parts are termed the lower hillslope and the upper hillslope, respectively. The upper hillslope consists of valley heads with no stream water nor stream channels. Since a valley head is comprised of several micro-scale landform units, an upper hillslope can be subdivided into these landform units. Plant communities vary in their species compositions and structures as well as in some other ecological characteristics paralleling changes in their respective micro-scale landform units. However, the variations in species composition within upper hillslopes are not as extreme as those between the upper and lower hillslopes. xx]Papers presented at the Vth INTECOL Congress at YOKO-hama 1990.     

Combined effects of environment and grazing on vegetation structure in Argentine granite grasslands

Abstract. Effects of grazing and environment on vegetation structure have been widely acknowledged, but few studies have related both factors. We made 57 floristic samples in a highly variable landscape of mountain grasslands in central Argentina; 26 sample were in fence‐lines with contrasting vegetation. For each sample, we recorded topographic and edaphic parameters, as well as grazing intensity indicators. Floristic gradients were analysed with DCA and relations with abiotic and grazing‐related variables were detected with DCCA. Floristic axis 1 was explained by edaphic parameters associated to topography, ranging from communities in well drained soils on upper topographic positions to hydromorphic vegetation in poorly drained soils on lower topographic positions. Species richness decreased as soil moisture increased. Floristic axis 2 was associated with present and long‐term grazing indicators, and reflected shifts in vegetation physiognomy and species evenness. Tall tussock grasslands, with low species evenness and evidences of low or null grazing intensity were located at one extreme. Tussocks were gradually replaced by short graminoids and forbs towards the centre of the gradient, as grazing increased, and evenness reached a maximum. In degraded sites with heavy long‐term grazing intensities, short perennial species were replaced by an annual species, and evenness decreased. The magnitude of changes in floristic composition produced by grazing decreased with increasing soil moisture, and vegetation‐environment relationships were stronger in moderate to highly grazed situations than in lightly or non grazed situations.     

The response of herbaceous-layer vegetation to anthropogenic disturbance in intermittent stream bottomland forests of southern Indiana,USA

Between 1993 and 1995 we sampled herbaceous layer vegetation on 84 plots in Platanus/Asarum Wet-Mesic Bottomland forests to determine how these forests have responded to human disturbance. Four different disturbance types were sampled (abandoned agricultural are as, clearcuts, group-selection openings, and single-tree selection openings), and uncut 80–100 year-old reference stands were sampled for comparison. Detrended Correspondence Analysis (DCA), distance analyses (chord distance and normalized Euclidean distance) and similarity analysis (Bray-Curtis similarity coefficient) suggest that agricultural use has shifted herbaceous-layer vegetation composition away from that typical of the reference forests, but that clearcutting, group-selection harvest, and single-tree selection harvest have not greatly shifted herbaceous composition. This shift in vegetation on abandoned agricultural land resulted from a loss of indicator species, such as Cardamine concatenata (Michx.) Sw., Stellaria pubera Michx., and Laportea canadensis (L.) Weddell and an influx of disturbance, exotic, and nonforest species (e.g., Lycopodium complanatum L., Lonicera japonica Thunb. and Senecio aureus L.). However, only two species found in reference stands, Erigenia bulbosa (Michx.) Nutt. and Sphenopholis obtusata (Michx.) Scribn., were missing from clearcuts, group-selection openings, and single-tree selection openings. The species richness values of abandoned agriculture, clearcut, and group-selection plots were generally greater than those of single-tree selection and reference plots. Abandoned agricultural areas had much greater total species richness because of the influx of dry-site, exotic, disturbance, and non-forest species.     

Disturbance and vegetation response in relation to environmental gradients in the Great Smoky Mountains

In constructing models of species and community distributions along environmental gradients in the Great Smoky Mountains, R. H. Whittaker (1956) focused on old-aged, apparently stable, natural communities. More recent studies indicate that disturbance gradients potentially influence and are influenced by the complex environmental gradients of Whittaker's original models. Using primarily fire and exotic species invasion as examples, this paper shows: 1) disturbance parameters vary along the topographic, elevation and moisture gradients in the Great Smoky Mountains in much the same way as temperature, moisture and solar radiation change; 2) species composition at different locations along the major environmental gradients is partially determined by the disturbance parameter; 3) species characteristics such as mode of reproduction are often correlated with specific disturbance parameters; 4) functional aspects of ecosystem response to disturbance vary along environmental gradients; and 5) man-caused disturbance may vary along environmental or biotic gradients. Since disturbance gradients may parallel physical environmental gradients, the two may be difficult to distinguish. Modification of disturbance frequencies along major environmental gradients may result in slow shifts in the distribution of both individual species and whole communities.Botanical nomenclature follows Radford et al. (1968).     

Topographical pattern of the forest vegetation on a river basin in a warm-temperate hilly region,central Japan

The relationship between tree distribution and topography was examined in a small river basin (3.4 ha) comprising a complex mosaic of topographical units at 10² to 10³ m² order, each of which had a shallow valley bordered by small ridges or breaks of slopes. Twenty-five major woody species were divided into two groups (groups A and B) based on a cluster analysis using the distribution data in the basin. Group A, which mainly consisted of early-successional species, was distributed around the valley sites of the topographical units, while group B, which mainly consisted of late-successional species, was distributed around the ridge sites of the topographical units. This vegetation pattern coincided with erosional condition in the basin. That is, the valley sites were eroded more actively than the ridge sites, as soil depth tended to be thin in the valley sites and thick in the ridge sites, and because large (canopy) trees were restricted in the ridge sites. There was no tendency that group B was replacing group A, and hence it was suggested that repeated disturbance by slope failures or small-scale shallow landslides have prevented compositional change from the early-successional (group A) to the late-successional (group B) species by preventing the invasion of the latter into valley sites.     

Tree litter and forest understorey vegetation: a conceptual framework to understand the effects of tree litter on a perennial geophyte, Anemone nemorosa

Background and Aims

Litter is a key factor in structuring plant populations, through positive or negative interactions. The litter layer forms a mechanical barrier that is often strongly selective against individuals lacking hypocotyle plasticity. Litter composition also interacts with plant growth by providing beneficial nutrients or, inversely, by allowing harmful allelopathic leaching. As conspicuous litter fall accumulation is often observed under deciduous forests, interactions between tree litter and understorey plant populations are worthy of study.

Methods

In a 1-year ex-situ experiment, the effects of tree litter on the growth of Anemone nemorosa, a small perennial forest geophyte, were investigated. Three ‘litter quantity’ treatments were defined, representative of forest floor litter (199, 356·5 and 514 g m⁻²), which were crossed with five ‘litter composition’ treatments (Quercus petraea, Fagus sylvatica, Carpinus betulus, Q. petraea + F. sylvatica and Q. petraea + C. betulus), plus a no-litter control. Path analysis was then used to investigate the pathways linking litter characteristics and components of adult plant growth.

Key Results

As expected, the heavier the litter, the longer the petiole; rhizome growth, however, was not depreciated by the litter-induced petiole lengthening. Both rhizome mass increment and number of initiated buds marginally increased with the amount of litter. Rhizome mass increment was in fact determined primarily by leaf area and leaf life span, neither of which was unequivocally correlated with any litter characteristics. However, the presence of litter significantly increased leafing success: following a late frost event, control rhizomes growing in the absence of litter experienced higher leaf mortality before leaf unfolding.

Conclusions

The study questions the role of litter as a physical or chemical barrier to ground vegetation; to better understand this role, there is a need for ex-situ, longer-term experiments coupled with in-situ observations in the forest.     

The effects of habitat edges and trampling on understorey vegetation in urban forests in Helsinki,Finland

Question: How do habitat edges and trampling affect mesic (Myrtillus type) understorey vegetation in fragmented urban forests, and what are the relative strengths and spatial extent of these effects? Location: The city of Helsinki, southern Finland. Methods: Vegetation sample plots were placed at different distances from the forest edge. At each distance we selected plots on, next to and away from paths of different levels of wear, and the covers and frequencies of plant species were sampled. We used generalized linear mixed models and ordination techniques to test our hypotheses. Results: The effect of the edge penetrated up to 50 m into the forest interior. Only light effects of trampling were found in seemingly untrampled areas, in addition to the direct effects of trampling on the paths. Both trampling and edge effects changed the forest understorey species composition. Trampling changed plant species composition locally on paths, and provided opportunities for new species to establish in previously unbroken forest vegetation. Urban forest edges were characterised by species better adapted to sunny, warm and dry conditions. These species, such as grasses, replaced more sensitive forest species, such as dwarf shrubs and mosses. We observed a large number of light demanding deciduous trees at the edges, which may be one of the factors increasing soil fertility and consequently promoting the high abundance of fast growing species, such as grasses and herbs related to more fertile site types. Conclusions: We recommend that urban forest fragments left within urban development should be at least 2–3 ha in size and that the shape of the patch and the number of potential recreational users should be taken into account when preserving true forest understorey vegetation from the effects of edges and trampling.     

Effects of natural disturbance on the regeneration of riparian forests in a Chichibu Mountains,central Japan

Disturbances in the riparian area had a large effect on each stage of regeneration in riparian forests dominated by Fraxinus platypoda in the Chichibu Mountains, central Japan. F. platypoda adapted well to various disturbances in frequency and size such as landslides and canopy gap formation.The spatial distribution and age structure of F. platypoda were studied in relation to the disturbance regime of the riparian zone. The bell-shaped size and age distributions of F. platypoda suggest that F. platypoda trees were established synchronously in a large disturbance site caused by an earthquake landslide about 200 years ago. For the past 200 years, the topography has been stable and the canopy gap has been recovered by advance regenerated saplings.The distribution of F. platypoda saplings was restricted to an abandoned channel and part of a floodplain. These topographical sites formed by gravel provided safe sites for saplings because stream disturbances did not occur for a long time. Channel bars were under low shade stress because of the lack of herbs and a litter layer, which represents a safe site for seedling establishment. However, the seedling bank could have been destroyed by high frequent flooding caused by large typhoons and the establishment of seedlings might have been prevented for a long time.The regeneration process of F. platypoda was explicated based on the gap dynamics theory during the stable period of topography. On the other hand, an even-aged forest was established in a large scale disturbance site.Nomenclature: Ohwi & Kitagawa (1992)     

Tropical forest structure and diversity in relation to altitude and disturbance in a Biosphere Reserve in central India

Questions: Is species diversity affected in protected areas where human activities are permitted or tolerated? On plots of a fixed size, does stem density alone predict number of species? Are differences in density related to disturbance and altitude? Location: Achanakmar‐Amarkantak Biosphere Reserve, central India. Methods: 42 sites, each with three replicate 10‐m radius plots, were examined. All trees (≥ 30 cm GBH) in each plot were measured for girth at breast height. α‐diversity, species richness and evenness were calculated for each site. The sites were ordinated by Nonmetric Multidimensional Scaling (NMS) using relative importance values of component species. Correspondence Analysis was used to broadly delineate communities. Anthropogenic disturbances were recorded in terms of percentage of trees lopped, scale of lopping, number of domestic livestock dung piles and foot trails (both livestock and people) for each plot. Results: The NMS analysis exhibited a near linear arrangement of sites with no evidence of discrete vegetation zones. NMS axes were significantly related to altitude and disturbance scores. With increasing elevation, basal area increased but number of species, α‐diversity and its components declined monotonically. The number of species and indices of species diversity were positively associated with tree lopping and also with total disturbance. Number of species was controlled by stem density only in plots not dominated by Shorea robusta. Conclusions: Recent levels of human disturbance are associated with higher species diversity in this biosphere reserve. There is some evidence that stands at all altitudes follow the same successional pattern to dominance by Shorea, a successional pattern that also results in decreased diversity without disturbance.     

Separating forest continuity from tree age effects on plant diversity in the ground and epiphyte vegetation of a Central European mountain spruce forest

Forest continuity has been identified as an important factor influencing the structure and diversity of forest vegetation. Primary forests with centuries of continuity are usually more diverse than young secondary forests as forest are colonized only slowly and because the former are richer in old tree individuals. In the present study, performed in unmanaged high-elevation spruce forests of the Harz Mountains, Germany, we had the unique opportunity to separate the effects of forest continuity and tree age on plant diversity. We compared an old-growth spruce forest with century-long habitat continuity with an adjacent secondary spruce forest, which had naturally established on a former bog after 1796 when peat exploitation halted. Comparative analysis of the ground and epiphyte vegetation showed that the plant diversity of the old-growth forest was not higher than that of the secondary forest with a similar tree age of >200 years. Our results suggest that a period of >200 years was sufficient for the secondary forest to be colonized by the whole regional species pool of herbaceous and cryptogam forest plants and epiphytes. Therefore, it is likely that habitat structure, including the presence of old and decaying trees, was more important for determining plant diversity than the independent effect of forest continuity. Our results are probably not transferrable to spruce forests younger than 200 years and highly fragmented woodlands with long distances between new stands and old-growth forests that serve as diaspore sources. In addition, our results might be not transferable to remote areas without notable air pollution, as the epiphyte vegetation of the study area was influenced by SO₂ pollution in the second half of the 20th century.     

黄土区露天煤矿排土场土壤与地形因子对植被恢复的影响

在脆弱的生态环境改善和恢复过程中,植被恢复与重建扮演着重要的角色。黄土露天煤矿区生态环境极其脆弱,认识矿区损毁土地植被恢复与地形、土壤因子之间的作用规律对矿区土地复垦与生态恢复改善至关重要。为此,选择山西平朔安太堡露天煤矿南排土场对2条样带27个复垦样地的土壤、地形、植被参数进行了采集与测定,并应用单因素方差分析与CANOCO4.5软件的降趋势对应分析和冗余分析研究了地形与土壤因子对植被恢复的影响。结果表明:植被与土壤变量之间呈显著相关,与地形变量之间相关性不明显;坡度主要影响草本覆盖度,坡向与有机质和速效磷之间具有线性相关性;速效钾对植被的变化起着重要的作用;土壤容重与砾石含量对土壤养分含量具有明显的指示作用;有机质与全氮呈显著正相关,各土壤养分指标之间存在明显的相关关系。为了改善和恢复黄土区露天煤矿排土场脆弱的生态系统,应该考虑植被和土壤的联合演替。在当地的生态环境状况下土地复垦与生态恢复的关键是改善土壤状况和增加人工植被,同时加强对排土场人工和自然植被的保护。     

Small-scale vegetation pattern related to the growth of Lycopodium annotinum and variations in its micro-environment

Small-scale variations in topography, soil depth and species occurrence were studied in a sub-arctic/sub-alpine brich forest in Swedish Lapland in order to evaluate the effects of various micro-habitats on the growth and distribution of Lycopodium annotinum. Micro-topographical variation in the study plot (280 by 420 cm) reached 100 cm, while soil depth varied from 0 to more than 50 cm over small distances of 10's of centimetres. Nineteen species were recorded in the plot and dwarf shrubs and L. annotinum were the most frequent. A micro-scale vegetation pattern was detected by a polythetic agglomerative cluster analysis and also by the divisive TWINSPAN analysis. The distribution patterns of the species appeared to be associated with variation in moisture regimes, which in turn were associated with variations in micro-topography. Lycopodium annotinum performed best when growing on the sides of valleys with deciduous dwarf shrubs and Deschampsia flexuosa, and when evergreen dwarf shrubs were absent.     

Relationship between vegetation structure and microenvironment in Fagus grandifolia subsp. mexicana forest relicts in Mexico

Aims Changes in the structure and composition of forests, whether caused by natural or anthropic events, alter the microenvironment, sometimes irreversibly. Since the local environment has a direct impact on basic ecological processes, this has become a key component of research. Mexican beech forests (Fagus grandifolia subsp. mexicana) in the Sierra Madre Oriental are restricted to sites with specific climate, soils and topography, making them an ideal natural system for ecological research. The objectives of this study were to identify the relationship between the microenvironment and the tree and shrub structure and composition of Mexican beech forests in the state of Hidalgo, and to compare the floristic similarity of these forests on the country scale using data from seven localities.Methods Specimens were collected for a period of one year at all localities in the state of Hidalgo where beech forests are located. At each locality, five 400 m 2 plots were established, and structural attributes (basal area, coverage, density and species richness) and six environmental variables were measured in the plots. The relationship between structure and microenvironment was estimated by simple correlation and canonic correspondence analysis (CCA). In addition, floristic similarity between different beech forest localities in the Sierra Madre Oriental was estimated by correspondence analysis (CA).Important findings Twenty tree species and eight shrub species were identified; at all localities studied F. grandifolia subsp. mexicana dominated the canopy. The multivariate analysis indicated that (i) in the four localities in the state of Hidalgo, all microenvironmental variables except pH are related to the variation observed in species composition and structure; (ii) the El Gosco locality had both tree and shrub species and microenvironmental factors different from those observed in the Fagus forests at the other localities in the study and (iii) the localities studied in order to draw country-scale comparisons could be divided into three groups by floristic similarity. The first group consisted of the Hidalgo localities, the second of the Veracruz localities, and the third, more different from the others, of the Tamaulipas locality. The results of this study provide the first reference for the relationship between the range of microenvironments and species structure in Mexican beech forests. Microenvironmental conditions in the larger beech forests could be used as a model for designing management and conservation programs for this plant association. Because of its particular ecological and historical characteristics, this association could serve as an example of biodiversity conservation in Mexico.     

Influence of anthropogenic disturbance on bird communities in a tropical dry forest: role of vegetation structure

A study was carried out in Sariska Tiger Reserve in India to investigate the effects of anthropogenic disturbance caused by biomass extraction on the bird communities of tropical dry forests. The study was based on comparisons of the avifaunal community as well as vegetation structure between strictly protected ('undisturbed') and intensively used ('disturbed') sites that were demarcated a priori on the basis of disturbance indicators. There was no significant difference in the number of recorded species and bird abundance between disturbed and undisturbed sites. However, bird species diversity was significantly lower in disturbed sites. Bird species composition was found to differ significantly between disturbed and undisturbed sites and was associated with the measured disturbance indicators. Changes in bird species composition occurred because of seven of 26 locally abundant bird species (26.9%) responding significantly to the disturbance regime. All the affected bird species are primarily insectivorous. Bird species composition was significantly related to six vegetation structural variables, including two that were significantly altered by disturbance. Changes in vegetation structure accounted for all the changes in bird species composition caused by disturbance. However, vegetation structure had additional effects on bird species composition besides those caused simply by disturbance. Thus, our study indicates that forest use in the form of chronic biomass extraction can have significant effects upon bird diversity and species composition of tropical dry forest. There is a need to retain a proportion of natural ecosystems as inviolate if the full complement of biodiversity is to be conserved.     

Disturbance effects on herbaceous layer vegetation and soil nutrients in Populus forests of northern lower Michigan

Abstract. Recent disturbance models have identified changes in resource availability as factors that control plant community response. Soil nutrient resources typically are assumed to change following forest disturbance, usually with nutrient availablity increasing initially and subsequently decreasing through later stages of succession. We examined the effects of disturbance (clearcut harvesting with a brief recovery period) on soil organic matter, pH and extractable soil nutrients in successional aspen forests of northern lower Michigan to determine relationships of these variables to changes in herbaceous layer vegetation. Two site types were identified: drymesic (glacial outwash sands, low in organic matter) and mesic (calcareous clay till, high in organic matter). Extractable nutrient concentrations were 1.5 to 3 times higher in the A₁ horizon of mesic sites than those of dry-mesic sites. Soil pH and cations increased after disturbance on mesic sites, but not on dry-mesic sites. Patterns of change with disturbance were less pronounced in lower horizons on both site types. Herblayer species diversity increased after disturbance on mesic sites, but with decreases in the importance of shade-tolerant tree species and Maianthemum canadense. Species characteristic of open habitats (e.g. Pteridium aquilinum, Rubus spp., Fragaria virginiana, and Diervilla lonicera), increased in importance. Soil factors, species composition and diversity on dry-mesic sites changed little after disturbance, with Pteridium aquilinum and ericaceous species remaining dominant in both mature (55–82 yr) and disturbed (≤ 15 yr) stands. These results suggest that soil nutrient resources do not always change through secondary succession and that patterns of change can be distinctly site-dependent. Disturbance response patterns in the herbaceous layer of these aspen forests are also site-dependent.     

Climate and vegetation structure determine plant diversity in Quercus ilex woodlands along an aridity and human-use gradient in Northern Algeria

We studied the influence of environmental factors relating to climate, soil and vegetation cover on total species richness, species richness of different life-forms and species composition of plant communities occurring in Quercus ilex woodlands, across a 450-km long transect in Northern Algeria constituting a gradient of aridity and human use. We sampled vegetation and collected environmental data in 81 10 m × 10 m plots in five zones representing the largest Q. ilex woodlands throughout the study area, analysing them within an a priori hypothesis framework with the use of Path Analysis. Changes in plant diversity were mainly influenced by environmental factors related to precipitation and temperature regimes, as well as by total plant cover. In particular, changes in species composition were determined by factors associated with the temperature regime through their influence on both woody and annual herbaceous plant richness, and by factors related to the precipitation regime through their influence on perennial herbaceous plant richness, likely due to the differential tolerances of these functional groups to cold and water stress. Our results emphasize the importance of differences in environmental adaptability of the most important life-forms with regard to explaining compositional change (beta diversity) along aridity gradients, and the mediator role of total plant cover in relation to the effects of soil conditions on plant diversity.     

Occupancy of red‐naped sapsuckers in a coniferous forest: using LiDAR to understand effects of vegetation structure and disturbance

Red‐naped sapsuckers (Sphyrapicus nuchalis) are functionally important because they create sapwells and cavities that other species use for food and nesting. Red‐naped sapsucker ecology within aspen (Populus tremuloides) has been well studied, but relatively little is known about red‐naped sapsuckers in conifer forests. We used light detection and ranging (LiDAR) data to examine occupancy patterns of red‐naped sapsuckers in a conifer‐dominated system. We surveyed for sapsuckers at 162 sites in northern Idaho, USA, during 2009 and 2010. We used occupancy models and an information‐theoretic approach to model sapsucker occupancy as a function of four LiDAR‐based metrics that characterized vegetation structure and tree harvest, and one non‐LiDAR metric that characterized distance to major roads. We evaluated model support across a range of territory sizes using Akaike's information criterion. Top model support was highest at the 4‐ha extent, which suggested that 4 ha was the most relevant scale describing sapsucker occupancy. Sapsuckers were positively associated with variation of canopy height and harvested area, and negatively associated with shrub and large tree density. These results suggest that harvest regimes and structural diversity of vegetation at moderate extents (e.g., 4 ha) largely influence occurrence of red‐naped sapsuckers in conifer forests. Given the current and projected declines of aspen populations, it will be increasingly important to assess habitat relationships, as well as demographic characteristics, of aspen‐associated species such as red‐naped sapsuckers within conifer‐dominated systems to meet future management and conservation goals.     

Change in winter snow depth and its impacts on vegetation in China

Snow on land is an important component of the global climate system, but our knowledge about the effects of its changes on vegetation are limited, particularly in temperate regions. In this study, we use daily snow depth data from 279 meteorological stations across China to investigate the distribution of winter snow depth (December–February) from 1980 to 2005 and its impact on vegetation growth, here approximated by satellite‐derived vegetation greenness index observations [Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI)]. The snow depth trends show strong geographical heterogeneities. An increasing trend (>0.01 cm yr^?1) in maximum and mean winter snow depth is found north of 40°N (e.g. Northeast China, Inner Mongolia, and Northwest China). A declining trend (?1) is observed south of 40°N, particularly over Central and East China. The effect of changes in snow depth on vegetation growth was examined for several ecosystem types. In deserts, mean winter snow depth is significantly and positively correlated with NDVI during both early (May and June) and mid‐growing seasons (July and August), suggesting that winter snow plays a critical role in regulating desert vegetation growth, most likely through persistent effects on soil moisture. In grasslands, there is also a significant positive correlation between winter snow depth and NDVI in the period May–June. However, in forests, shrublands, and alpine meadow and tundra, no such correlation is found. These ecosystem‐specific responses of vegetation growth to winter snow depth may be due to differences in growing environmental conditions such as temperature and rainfall.