Monitoring of the ground-dwelling beetle community and forest floor environment in 22 temperate forests across Japan

This data paper reports census data of ground-dwelling beetle and other fauna of the forest floor environment; collections were made from a network of 22 forest sites in Japan. To our knowledge, this represents the largest dataset for long-term monitoring of a ground-dwelling beetle community and other taxa in a ground environment in forests, which covers a broad climatic range in the temperate zone and is freely available. The network forms part of the Monitoring Sites 1000 Project launched by the Ministry of the Environment, Japan. It covers subalpine, cool- and warm-temperate and subtropical climatic zones and the four major forest types of Japan. Thirty-three permanent plots usually 1 ha in size were established in old-growth, secondary natural and a few plantation forests. Censuses of the ground-dwelling beetle community were conducted using pitfall trapping and forest floor environment monitoring every year from 2004 to the present. During the initial 9 years of the census (2004–2012), 59,762 beetle individuals (including 3182 larvae) of more than 314 species were recorded. This dataset includes taxonomy and biomass of each beetle individual and each taxonomic group of other invertebrates coincidently captured in pitfall trapping. The dataset also includes data related to ground coverage by forest floor vegetation, dry mass of the accumulated organic litter layer, and carbon and nitrogen contents and cellulose decomposition rate in organic layer and surface mineral soil. The data could be used to investigate geographical patterns and intra- and inter-annual dynamics of individual body mass, populations and community structures of ground-dwelling beetles, and their relationships with the forest floor environment. Furthermore, the data could be analyzed with other open datasets related to tree community dynamics and litter fall continuously measured in the same study plots. This dataset also provides information related to the distribution and average body mass of each beetle species.     

武夷山杉木林凋落物动态初探

用起伏型时间序列法对武夷山国家级自然保护区杉木林凋落物月动态进行模型,结果令人满意,说明起伏型时间序列分析可应用于森林凋落物动态模拟。     

LITTER FALL PRODUCTION IN RELATION TO ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS IN NORTHEAST CHINA'S FORESTS

 在中国东北长白山、帽儿山、凉水、根河的主要森林类型中设置27个样地, 连续3年(2004~2006年)观测森林凋落物的生产量, 以研究我国东北地区森林凋落物产量及其与环境因子的关系。结果表明, 不同森林类型凋落物年产量存在显著差异, 针阔叶混交林显著高于落叶针叶林和常绿针叶林, 落叶针叶林、常绿针叶林、落叶阔叶林和针阔叶混交林的年平均产量分别为2 337、2 472、3 130和4 146 kg&;#8226;hm^–2; 树叶、枝条、繁殖器官和其它组分占总凋落量的平均比例为71%、22%、6%和1%, 不同森林类型凋落物组分的比例差异较大。森林凋落物产量主要受温度限制, 降水、森林类型和群落结构无显著影响。不同组分凋落物量的影响因素不同: 树叶凋落量主要受温度和森林类型的影响; 枝条凋落量主要受降水和蓄积量的影响; 而繁殖器官凋落量则与树种的繁殖特性以及年降水有关。各组分占总凋落量的比例主要受降水影响, 树叶占凋落物比例随降水增加而下降, 枝条所占比例很小, 表现出与叶相反的变化趋势。     

Forest stand structure, composition, and dynamics in 34 sites over Japan

This data paper reports tree census data collected in a network of 34 forest sites in Japan. This is the largest forest data set freely available in Japan to date. The network is a part of the Monitoring Sites 1000 Project launched by the Ministry of the Environment, Japan. It covers subarctic to subtropical climate zones and the four major forest types in Japan. Forty-two permanent plots, usually 1?ha in size, were established in old-growth or secondary natural forests. Censuses of woody species ??15?cm girth at breast height were conducted every year or once during 2004 to 2009. The data provide species abundance, survivorship and stem girth growth of 52,534 individuals of 334 tree and liana species. The censuses adopted common census protocol, which provide good opportunities for meta-analyses and comparative studies among forests. The data have been used for ecological studies as well as for the biodiversity reports published by the Ministry of the Environment.     

Litter production and decomposition from an overstorey of Eucalyptus spp. on two catchments in the New England region of New South Wales

Litter fall on two catchments, one with an almost continuous canopy of Eucalyptus spp., the other with a discontinuous eucalypt canopy was measured for 29 4-week periods. Annual litter accretion(2.5-3.7 t ha^?1) was low by world standards, but similar to other Australian dry sclerophyll forests. Between 33 and 54% of the total litter fall occurred during summer, and only 6-13% in winter. Leaf was the major component of litter fall and usually contributed more than 50% of the total. Variability between the 4-weekly litter falls was high, but coefficients of variation for the total annual fall were low (<5%). Half-life of total litter fall in the continuous forest (2.14 y) was double that in the discontinuous forest (0.98 y), and may have been due to differences in air temperature and surface soil moisture. The pattern of litter fall on each catchment was related to hydro-meteorological variables including air temperature, solar radiation, rainfall and soil moisture content.     

Vegetative and reproductive phenology of the mangrove Kandelia obovata

Mangroves in the subtropical area of Japan are growing to their northern limits, yet little is known of their phenology. The aim of the present study was to understand both vegetative and reproductive phenology patterns, such as leaf emergence, leaf fall, bud setting, flowering, fruiting and propagule setting, in the mangrove Kandelia obovata. The phenology of this species was assessed using litter‐fall data for 5 years. Leaf and stipule litter‐falls continued with a clear monthly pattern throughout the years. New leaf production and leaf fall peaked in summer, immediately after the propagules fell. Leaf and stipule litter‐falls were linked to monthly sunshine hour, and monthly mean air temperature and monthly mean air relative humidity, respectively. Kandelia obovata had a distinct flowering period, with the flowering phenophase starting in spring and continuing into summer. Fruit initiation started at the end of summer and continued into autumn, whereas propagule production occurred during winter and spring. Flowering of K. obovata was influenced by monthly sunshine hour and monthly mean air temperature, whereas fruit and propagule litter‐falls were not linked to any climatic factors. The present results showed that a small portion (4.4%) of flowers developed into propagules. The average development period from flower buds to mature propagules was approximately 11 months. Kendall's consistency coefficient suggested that the monthly trends in vegetative and reproductive litter‐fall components, except for branches, did not change significantly among years.     

Pattern and process in mangrove forests of the Andaman Islands

Abatract The structural and functional aspects of mangrove forests of the Andaman Islands were described. The mangrove forests of Andaman are highly diversified and rich in species composition. Twenty-six species were collected, Rhizophora lamarckii and R. stylosa were reported for the first time from these islands. The mangroves of Andaman are very productive in comparison to other forest types. Maximum production of biomass was found in the undisturbed Oralkatcha forest. Maximum litter fall was also found at Oralkatcha.     

海南岛河港海莲红树林凋落物动态的研究

 本文应用凋落物收集网对海南岛海莲红树群落进行连续4年(1984.1—1987.12)的凋落物动态研究。结果表明： (1)在保护良好的河港海滩上,海莲群落的年凋落物量高达1255g／m2,是热带地区凋落物量最大的群落类型之一;与世界上红树群落凋落物量相比处于较高水平。(2)4年平均凋落物各组分占总量的比例为叶64.32%、花10.63%,果21.34%、枝3.71%。 (3)月凋落物量(Y,g／m2)与月均气温(X,℃)的回归公式为 Y=5.009X–13.18(r=0.44**,df=46),相关极显著。 (4)不同年份凋落物的变化率R=1.33。     

Pattern of wood litter fall in five forests located along an altitudinal gradient in Central Himalaya

Wood and total litter fall were measured in five forests of the Kumaun Himalaya situated along an altitudinal gradient from 329 m to 1850 m. Total annual wood litter fall, which ranged from 93 to 197 g m², was inversely related with altitude and positively related with forest basal cover. Total litter fall ranged from 405 to 839 g m² yr¹ and was positively related with forest basal cover. Wood litter fall was highest in the rainy season and that of total litter in the summer season. Abscissed litter accounted for a maximum proportion of seasonal wood fall in summer. Monthly non-abscissed wood fall was positively related to the monthly rainfall on each site. The fractions in lower diameter classes (0–5 to 5–10 mm) dominated the annual wood fall in all forests and accounted for 59 to 78% of the total. Fractions in >10 mm size class fall maximally during the rainy months.Nomenclature follows Kanjilal & Gupta (1969) unless otherwise stated.The authors are thankful to Dr Uma Pandey for helpful suggestions and to the Department of Science and Technology, New Delhi for financial support.     

Fine litter input to terrestrial humus forms in Colombian Amazonia

A comparative litter fall study was made in five rain forest stands along a gradient of humus form development and soils in the Amazon lowlands of eastern Colombia. The total fine litter fall was highest in a plot on a well drained soil of the flood plain of the Caquetá River (1.07 kg · m^-2 · y^-1), lower in three plots on well drained upland soils (0.86, 0.69, and 0.68 kg · m^-2 · y^-1), and lowest in a plot on a poorly drained, upland podzolised soil (0.62 kg · m^-2 · y^-1). In the four upland plots, leaf litter fall patterns were highly associated, which points at climatic regulation. Litter resource quality, as represented by nutrient concentrations and area/weight ratio of the leaf litter fall, was comparatively high in the flood plain plot. In the upland plots, concentrations and fluxes of Ca, Mg, K, and P were as low as in oligotrophic central Amazonian upland forests. This questions generalisations that the western peripheral region of the Amazon basin should be less oligotrophic than central Amazonia. The upland plot on the podzolised soil showed the lowest concentrations and fluxes of N. Mean residence times of organic matter and nutrients in the L horizons hardly differed between the five plots, suggesting that edaphic properties and litter resource quality are of little importance in the first step of decomposition. Mean residence time of organic matter in all ectorganic horizons combined (estimated on the basis of litter input and necromass on the forest floor, and uncorrected for dead fine root input) varied from 1.0 y in the flood plain forest, 1.1–3.3 y in the well drained upland forests, and 10.2 y in the forest on the podzolised soil.     

The influence of crabs on litter processing in high intertidal mangrove forests in tropical Australia

Summary Measurements of litter fall and litter removal by crabs, in conjunction with estimates of litter decay by microbes and tidal export of litter from three high-intertidal mangrove forests were made during a year-long study in tropical northeastern Australia. In forests dominated by Ceriops tagal and Bruguiera exaristata, litter standing stocks remained low on the forest floor (mean 6 g·m^-2), although litter fall was high; 822 and 1022 g·m^-2·y^-1, respectively. Sesarmid crabs removed 580 (Ceriops) and 803 (Bruguiera) g·m^-2·y^-1, or 71 and 79%, of the total annual litter fall from the forest floor. Relative to the rate of litter removal by crabs, microbial turnover of whole, unshredded litter was insignificant, accounting for <1% of annual litter fall. Export of litter by tides was estimated to remove 194 (Ceriops) and 252 (Bruguiera) g·m^-2·y^-1 or 24 and 25% of annual litter fall. In a forest dominated by Avicenniamarina, in which an ocypodid crab was more abundant than sesarmids, litter standing stocks were higher (mean 84 g·m^-2) and crabs removed less litter; 173 g·m^-2·y^-1 or 33% of the annual litter fall of 519 g·m^-2·y^-1. Microbial turnover of intact litter was more important in the Avicennia forest (168 g·m^-2·y^-1 or 32% of annual litter fall), and tides exported 107 g·m^-2·y^-1 or 21% of litter production. In areas where sesarmid crabs were absent or rare in Ceriops forests, there were significantly higher standing stocks of litter and slower rates of leaf removal. Taking into account the probable assimilation efficiencies of sesarmid crabs feeding on mangrove leaves, we estimate that in Ceriops and Bruguiera forests leaf processing by crabs turns litter over at >75 times the rate of microbial decay alone, thus facilitating the high sediment bacterial productivity in these forests. The importance of litter processing by crabs increases with height in the intertidal in tropical Australia, in contrast to New World mangrove forests, where the reverse is true.Contribution No. 445 from the Australian Institute of Marine Science     

Litter fall and nutrient cycling in karri (Eucalyptus diversicolor F. Muell.) forest in relation to stand age

Annual litter fall, nutrient concentrations in litter components and annual weight of nutrients in litter fall have been estimated for karri forest stands aged 2, 6, 9 and 40 years and in mature forest. The weight of litter falling annually increases with stand age, ranging from 1.13 t/ha in 2-year-otd regeneration to 9.45 t/ha in mature forest. This increase is due mainly to greater amounts of twigs, bark and fruit falling in older stands. Leaf fait is relatively independent of stand age once the canopy of regenerating stands closes and the understorey has developed. Concentrations of N, P, K, S and Mn in karri leaf litter differ significantly between sites and the differences appear to be related to stand age. Highest levels of these elements are found in karri leaf litter from the youngest stand and the concentrations decrease with increasing stand age. The amounts of annual litter fall and of nutrients cycling in litter are among the largest reported for Australian forests. In particular cycling of Ca, K and Mg in mature karri forest is greater than has been reported for any other eucalypt forest. Karri forest understorey plays a key rote in nutrient cycling in these ecosystems, contributing 30–70% of the weight of many of the nutrients in the leaf component of titter. Understorey leaf material is particularly important in the cycling of N, S and the micro-nutrients Cu and Zn.     

Temporal and Spatial Distribution of the nifH Gene of N2 Fixing Bacteria in Forests and Clearcuts in Western Oregon

Abstract Decomposition of plant litter is a primary mechanism of nutrient recycling and redistribution in most terrestrial ecosystems. Previously we demonstrated by a nested PCR protocol that 20 distinctive nifH (the gene encoding nitrogenase reductase) HaeIII restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) patterns were derived from bulk DNA associated with samples of plant litter and soil collected at one Douglas Fir (DF) forest [33]. Five of the nifH DNA patterns (II–VI) were dominant types in DF litter with characteristic fragments of 237–303 bp length, whereas samples from soil contained primarily seven other patterns 131–188 bp length (IX–XV). Here we report that the 237–303 bp fragments characteristic for forest litter could generally not be detected in plant litter or soil samples collected in clearcuts that adjoin the forest sites. The same fragments (237–303 bp) were also found in the litter at this DF forest site over 16 months and were consistently found in litter at 12 other DF forest or recent (<2 yrs) clearcut sites. However, trace to none of these fragments were detected in 6 clearcut (5–10 yrs) or different forest types (oak, alder) collected over a 200 km east–west direction in western Oregon, USA. Data suggest that the logging practice in DF forests that creates a clearcut removes a unique gene pool of nitrogen-fixing microorganisms. These organisms could potentially contribute more to nitrogen fixation in forest litter than litter from natural or invasive plants that grow in clearcuts [26]. Received: 1 June 1999; Accepted: 7 October 1999; Online Publication: 23 February 2000     

我国中东部不同气候带成熟林凋落物生产和分解及其与环境因子的关系

在大尺度气候梯度上研究森林凋落物生产分解与气候因子的关系,对于了解森林生态系统碳循环有着重要的作用.在寒温带的黑龙江呼中、温带的吉林长白山、暖温带的北京东灵山、北亚热带的湖北神农架、中亚热带的四川都江堰和浙江古田山,选择典型地带性成熟林,设置72个样地.观测和研究各地点森林凋落物的产量、凋落动态和分解速率,分析三者与环境因子之间的关系,结果表明:不同气候带森林生态系统凋落物年产量为亚热带森林＞暖温带森林＞温带森林＞寒温带森林.随纬度的增加,凋落物产量逐渐减少,凋落物产量与森林类型极显著相关,与年均温显著相关,而与年均降水关系不显著.凋落物生产动态表现为亚热带地区3个类型森林生态系统为双峰型,暖温带、温带、寒温带3个类型森林生态系统为单峰型.凋落物分解速率k表现出了与凋落物产量相似的变化趋势,即随着纬度的增加,分解速率k值逐渐降低,分解速率与年均温极显著相关,与年均降水显著相关.     

Litter and soil arthropod colonization in reforested semi‐deciduous seasonal Atlantic forests

The recovery of soil ecological processes during the restoration of tropical forests is greatly influenced by arthropods that live in the litter and soil. However, these communities present complex dynamics, and their colonization patterns are not well understood. In this study, we examined the response patterns of litter and soil arthropods to the ecosystem regeneration process by assessing reforestation sites from two regions of São Paulo State, Brazil, and we compared the data obtained from these sites with data from mature forests. We assessed the arthropod communities using similarity indices and high‐level taxa abundance, with the level of forest succession and the locations of the restoration areas as factors. Forest succession correlated with the species composition as communities from the reforestation sites gradually became more similar to communities from the mature forests, while their quantitative patterns were minimally related. Forest maturation positively affected the richness of the litter community and the abundance of some minor groups, such as Protura, Diplura, and Symphyla. The region influenced the species composition but did not influence the manner in which the communities changed during the maturation process. We also found a convergent soil colonization pattern as arthropod communities from different sites became more similar during forest succession. This finding is consistent with both empirical data and theoretical predictions from the specialized literature, although the subject has been poorly explored until now. We conclude that reforestation allows the colonization of soil and litter fauna in a biased manner.     

Uncertainties involved in leaf fall phenology detected by digital camera

We evaluated the uncertainty in the estimation of year-to-year variability in the timing of leaf fall detected by the analysis of red, green and blue (RGB) values extracted from daily phenological images in a deciduous broad-leaved forest in Japan. We examined (1) the spatial distribution of individual tree species within a 1-ha permanent plot and the spatio-temporal variability of leaf litter of various species for 8 years; and (2) the relationship between the year-to-year variability of leaf fall detected by leaf litter and that detected by phenological images of various species. Uncertainties were caused by (1) the heterogeneous distribution of each species within the whole forest community; (2) the year-to-year variability of the timing of leaf fall among species; and (3) differences in leaf colouring and leaf fall patterns among species. Our results indicate the importance of integrating RGB analysis of each species and of the whole canopy on the basis of spatial locations of individuals and proportions of tree species within a forest to reduce uncertainty.     

贡嘎山峨眉冷杉林凋落物的特征

 研究了贡嘎山峨眉冷杉（Abies fabri）林凋落物量、凋落物特征及其N、P、K、有机碳的归还量,并探讨了它们在演替进程中的变化。结果表明,峨眉冷杉成熟林、中龄林和幼龄林的凋落物量依次为：2 809.925、2 787.086、2 043.585 kg·hm-2·a-1;其中N、P、K的归还量依次为：34.850、33.917、42.571 kg·hm-2· a-1。峨眉冷杉林凋落物量及其N、P、K的归还量较少,与我国其它森林区针叶林存在一定差异,而与美国西北部冷杉林相近。     

Litterfall and organic matter decomposition in a seasonal forest of the eastern Chaco (Argentina).

Amazonia and the Gran Chaco are the largest phytogeographic units of the Neotropical Region. The Forest Wedge of the Santa Fe province of Argentina is the southernmost part of the Eastern Chaco, and there are three main types of forest, 1) the mixed dense forests, 2) the Schinopsis balansae "quebrachal" and 3) the Prosopis nigra var. ragonesei forests, distributed along an environmental gradient correlated with topographic elevation. In this paper litterfall and organic matter decomposition of four species were studied in two different microsites in a Schinopsis balansae forest during three years. Litter fall varied along the year following seasonal environmental variation but litterfall variations between years were not significant. Litterfall was not uniform over the whole surface, under close canopy monthly average litterfall amounts 32.67 g/m2, in open gaps 4.47 g/m2 and 15.07 g/m2 under medium density canopy. Organic matter decomposition, like in other forests, was a negative exponential function of time, and the decomposition rate is independent from the microsites where it falls, 0.15 and 0.12 in sunny and shadow microsites respectively for Maytenus vitis-idaea, 0.10 and 0.11 in sunny and shadow microsites respectively for Achatocarpus praecox, 0.04 and 0.03 for Acacia praecox, 0.04 and 0.06 for Schinopsis balansae in sunny and shadow microsites respectively. Shurbs litter was decomposed faster than the tree litter, and the shurbs litter nutrientes level was also higher. Therefore the rate of organic matter decomposition is more correlated with leaf characteristics than with environmental variables.     

Prediction of neotropical tree and liana species richness from soil and climatic data

We present an analysis of local species richness in neotropical forests, based on a number of 0.1 ha samples of woody plants collected by the late Alwyn Gentry. For each of 69 forests, soils were analysed and climatic data were collated. Using transformed independent variables and interaction terms, multiple regression equations were developed that explained the greatest possible amount of variation in species richness, and the best equations were selected on the basis of regression diagnostics. The best models are presented for (a) all neotropical forests, (b) forests west of the Andes (transandean) and (c) east of the Andes (cisandean), and for various subsets based on elevation and annual rainfall. For the whole dataset, and for most subsets, annual rainfall and rainfall seasonality were the most important variables for explaining species richness. Soil variables were correlated with precipitation — drier forests have more nutrient-rich soils. After the inclusion of rainfall variables, available soil nutrient concentrations contributed little to explaining or accounting for additional variation in species numbers, indicating that tropical forest species richness is surprisingly independent of soil quality. The results are consistent with the hypothesis that plants in mature tropical forests may obtain nutrients through the process of direct cycling, in which mineral nutrients are extracted from litterfall before they enter the soil. The strong relationship between community species richness and rainfall patterns has implications for biodiversity conservation. Wet forests with an ample year-round moisture supply harbour the greatest number of woody plant species and should be a focus of conservation efforts.Died 3 August 1993.     

中国森林和草地凋落物现存量的空间分布格局及其控制因素

凋落物是陆地生态系统的重要组成部分,它对生态系统的养分循环非常重要。凋落物现存量是凋落物输入量与分解量的净累积量,理论上影响凋落物输入过程和分解过程的因素都会对凋落物现存量产生重要影响。目前,我国科学家对部分区域典型陆地生态系统凋落物现存量及其影响因素进行了探讨,但迄今为止,全国尺度下的关于凋落物现存量评估的结果还未见报道。因此,如何准确地评估凋落物现存量对揭示生态系统应对全球变化具有重要意义。收集了2000—2014年公开发表文献中的森林和草地凋落物现存量数据(共1864个样点),并结合气候、土壤和地上生产力探讨了中国森林和草地凋落物现存量的空间格局及其主要控制因素,此外,还利用森林和草地凋落物的碳氮含量,结合凋落物现存量估算了不同区域和全国尺度的凋落物的碳氮贮量。分析结果表明:中国森林和草地的凋落物现存量存在较弱的经度和纬度格局,然而按照不同经度和纬度间隔整理数据后凋落物现存量表现出显著的空间分布格局。森林的凋落物现存量表现为随着经度和纬度的增加而逐渐增加,主要控制因素为温度。草地的凋落物现存量表现为随着经度的增加而逐渐升高,其主要影响因素为降水。森林和草地凋落物现存量在局部(或区域内)存在非常大的变异,这是造成其大尺度格局较弱的重要原因。结合1∶100万中国植被图的森林和草地面积数据,估算出中国森林的凋落物现存量约为1135.56 Tg,其碳氮贮量约为517.93 Tg C和15.33 Tg N;此外,中国草地的凋落物现存量约为119.63 Tg,其碳氮贮量分别为47.11 Tg C和1.59 Tg N。首次尝试对全国尺度森林和草地凋落物现存量及其碳氮贮量进行估算,其研究结论有助于揭示凋落物在碳氮循环中的重要作用,并可为准确评估中国陆地生态系统碳氮贮量提供重要参考。