Legacy forest structure increases bird diversity and abundance in aging young forests

Many studies have demonstrated the importance of early‐successional forest habitat for breeding bird abundance, composition, and diversity. However, very few studies directly link measures of bird diversity, composition and abundance to measures of forest composition, and structure and their dynamic change over early succession. This study examines the relationships between breeding bird community composition and forest structure in regenerating broadleaf forests of southern New England, USA, separating the influences of ecological succession from retained stand structure. We conducted bird point counts and vegetation surveys across a chronosequence of forest stands that originated between 2 and 24 years previously in shelterwood timber harvests, a silvicultural method of regenerating oak‐mixed broadleaf forests. We distinguish between vegetation variables that relate to condition of forest regeneration and those that reflect legacy stand structure. Using principal components analyses, we confirmed the distinction between regeneration and legacy vegetation variables. We ran regression analysis to test for relationships between bird community variables, including nesting and foraging functional guild abundances, and vegetation variables. We confirmed these relationships with hierarchical partitioning. Our results demonstrate that regenerating and legacy vegetation correlate with bird community variables across stand phases and that the strength with which they drive bird community composition changes with forest succession. While measures of regeneration condition explain bird abundance and diversity variables during late initiation, legacy stand structure explains them during stem exclusion. Canopy cover, ground‐story diversity, and canopy structure diversity are the most powerful and consistent explanatory variables. Our results suggest that leaving varied legacy stand structure to promote habitat heterogeneity in shelterwood harvests contributes to greater bird community diversity. Interestingly, this is particularly important during the structurally depauperate phase of stem exclusion of young regenerating forests.     

Planting methods matter for cost‐effective rainforest restoration

Forest restoration efforts in Australia's Wet Tropics establish <100 ha/year, compared with 20‐year average clearing rates of 1661 ha/year. Establishment costs are serious impediments to restoration efforts. Costs range from $25,000 to $67,000/ha, compared with less than $5,000/ha in other areas using other methods. Some of this difference stems from methods used to plant trees. Augered holes are used commonly in environmental plantings, whereas planting spades are used mostly in forestry plantings. To determine the most cost‐effective planting method between auger and spade planting methods, we compared the planting costs and the survival and growth of seedlings of local rainforest species, The speed of planting with a spade is on average four times quicker than with an auger, whereas the survival (range = 89–94%, spade vs auger respectively), and growth (slightly greater height growth for auger planted individuals) rates were only marginally different. Given these results, using planting spades is a cost‐effective alternative to augering holes.     

NH4 : NO3 nutrition influence on biomass productivity and root respiration of poplar and willow clones

Nitrogen fertilization often improves the yield of intensively managed, short‐rotation coppices. However, information of N nutrition form on the growth of common species and clones used for biomass production is limited. Thus, this study aims at evaluating N form effects on the growth of two Salicaceae clones. Cuttings of the poplar clone Max 4 (Populus maximovizcii × P. nigra) and the willow clone Inger (Salix triandra × S. viminialis) were fertilized in a pot experiment with four ratios of nitrate (NO₃^?) to ammonium (50%, 62.5%, 75% and 87.5% NO₃^? balanced with ammonium (NH₄⁺) to constant total N) for one growing season and under stable soil pH. Plants were harvested for analysis of biomass and morphology of leaves, stem and roots. Respiration of fine and coarse roots (RR) was determined and related to biomass growth. Salix cv. Inger accumulated more total dry matter than Populus cv. Max 4. In both Salicaceae clones, the total biomass was significantly influenced by the nitrate ratio and greatest in plants fertilized with 50% NO₃^? of the total N supply. Both clones possess a different leaf and root morphology, but no significant influence of the NO₃^? ratio on the morphology was found. Fine RR rates differed significantly between clones, with significantly greater fine RR in Max 4; 87.5% NO₃^? fertilization increased the fine RR. Fine RR and total accumulated plant biomass were closely related. Our study is the first to show the tremendous influence of fine root respiration, especially including the carbon‐intensive reduction of NO₃^? to NH₄⁺, on the aboveground growth of Salicaceae clones. Ways to improve yield in SRC are thus to lower the assimilate consumption by fine roots and to match fertilization regimes to the used clones or vice versa.     

Potential impacts on ecosystem services of land use transitions to second‐generation bioenergy crops in GB

We present the first assessment of the impact of land use change (LUC) to second‐generation (2G) bioenergy crops on ecosystem services (ES) resolved spatially for Great Britain (GB). A systematic approach was used to assess available evidence on the impacts of LUC from arable, semi‐improved grassland or woodland/forest, to 2G bioenergy crops, for which a quantitative ‘threat matrix’ was developed. The threat matrix was used to estimate potential impacts of transitions to either Miscanthus, short‐rotation coppice (SRC, willow and poplar) or short‐rotation forestry (SRF). The ES effects were found to be largely dependent on previous land uses rather than the choice of 2G crop when assessing the technical potential of available biomass with a transition from arable crops resulting in the most positive effect on ES. Combining these data with constraint masks and available land for SRC and Miscanthus (SRF omitted from this stage due to lack of data), south‐west and north‐west England were identified as areas where Miscanthus and SRC could be grown, respectively, with favourable combinations of economic viability, carbon sequestration, high yield and positive ES benefits. This study also suggests that not all prospective planting of Miscanthus and SRC can be allocated to agricultural land class (ALC) ALC 3 and ALC 4 and suitable areas of ALC 5 are only minimally available. Beneficial impacts were found on 146 583 and 71 890 ha when planting Miscanthus or SRC, respectively, under baseline planting conditions rising to 293 247 and 91 318 ha, respectively, under 2020 planting scenarios. The results provide an insight into the interplay between land availability, original land uses, bioenergy crop type and yield in determining overall positive or negative impacts of bioenergy cropping on ecosystems services and go some way towards developing a framework for quantifying wider ES impacts of this important LUC.     

Vegetation structure and photosynthesis respond rapidly to restoration in young coastal fens

Young coastal fens are rare ecosystems in the first stages of peatland succession. Their drainage compromises their successional development toward future carbon (C) reservoirs. We present the first study on the success of hydrological restoration of young fens. We carried out vegetation surveys at six young fens that represent undrained, drained, and restored management categories in the Finnish land uplift coast before and after restoration. We measured plant level carbon dioxide (CO₂) assimilation and chlorophyll fluorescence (Fv/Fm) from 17 most common plant species present at the sites. Within 5 years of restoration, the vegetation composition of restored sites had started to move toward the undrained baseline. The cover of sedges increased the most in response to restoration, while the cover of deciduous shrubs decreased the most. The rapid response indicates high resilience and low resistance of young fen ecosystems toward changes in hydrology. Forbs had higher photosynthetic and respiration rates than sedges, deciduous shrubs, and grasses, whereas rates were lowest for evergreen shrubs and mosses. The impact of management category on CO₂ assimilation was an indirect consequence that occurred through changes in plant species composition: Increase in sedge cover following restoration also increased the potential photosynthetic capacity of the ecosystem. Synthesis and applications. Restoration of forestry drained young fens is a promising method for safeguarding them and bringing back their function as C reservoirs. However, their low resistance to water table draw down introduces a risk that regeneration may be partially hindered by the heavy drainage in the surrounding landscape. Therefore, restoration success is best safeguarded by managing the whole catchments instead of carrying out small‐scale projects.     

诱饵诱集时间与红火蚁工蚁诱集量的关系研究

为了明确诱饵诱集时间与红火蚁工蚁诱集量之间的关系,确定最佳的诱饵放置时间,本研究采用火腿肠诱饵诱集法,观察不同季节、不同时间段红火蚁诱集的个体数量,利用房室模型分析诱饵诱集时间与红火蚁工蚁诱集量之间的关系。结果表明,随着诱饵放置时间的增加,红火蚁工蚁的诱集数量会出现一个高峰,春季诱集高峰出现在诱饵放置后38-44 min,秋季出现在诱饵放置后24-29 min,并建立了不同季节、不同时间段红火蚁诱集量与时间的关系模型,分别为Y=12764.8807×e(-0.029102 X)"12820.4625×e(-0.030064 X)(春季上午)、Y=16166.6800×e(-0.023994 X)"16217.0808×e(-0.024866 X)(春季下午)、Y=12211.9095×e(-0.040576 X)"12275.2496×e(-0.041620 X)(秋季上午)、Y=12306.4111×e(-0.049724 X)"12383.6907×e(-0.051217 X)(秋季下午)。因此,在利用火腿肠诱饵监测红火蚁时,春季诱饵放置的最适时间约为40 min,秋季的最适时间约为30 min。     

农林废弃物混配基质的理化性质及其对油茶幼苗生长效应的综合评价

以腐熟的甘蔗渣( SB)、木薯皮( CP)、花生壳( PS)和火炭灰( BA)及园土( GS)为原料,按照不同体积比配制成9种混配基质,并以等体积比泥炭和园土混配基质为对照,对各基质的理化性质及基质中油茶( Camellia oleifera Abel)幼苗的生长状况进行比较;在对基质理化指标和油茶幼苗的壮苗指数进行线性回归分析和通径分析的基础上,采用主成分分析和综合评价法对各基质的育苗效果进行综合评价。结果表明：9种农林废弃物混配基质的容重、总孔隙度和毛管孔隙度分别为0.23~0.47 g·cm-3、60.90%~67.23%和46.53%~58.27%, pH 6.72~pH 7.14,各基质的速效氮含量、速效磷含量、速效钾含量、pH值、电导率和通气孔隙度均高于或显著高于对照,容重则显著低于对照。在不同基质中油茶幼苗的茎粗、单株叶片数、叶长、叶宽、叶绿素相对含量( SPAD)、单株茎叶干质量、单株根干质量和壮苗指数均存在一定差异,而株高和根冠比却无显著差异;其中S9混配基质也V( SB)：V( CP)：V( BA)=2：1：1页中幼苗的大部分生长指标较高,表现出明显的生长优势。线性回归和通径分析结果显示：除通气孔隙度外,基质的其他8个理化指标基本涵盖了影响幼苗壮苗指数的关键因素;其中,速效钾含量是对壮苗指数直接影响最大的负相关因子,而速效磷含量、电导率和总孔隙度对壮苗指数则有较大的正向直接作用,并且三者通过速效钾含量对壮苗指数产生较大的负向间接作用;此外,基质容重对壮苗指数也有一定的负向直接作用。综合评价结果显示：S9和S7混配基质也V( SB)：V( BA)：V( GS)=4：3：3页对油茶育苗效果的综合得分较高,分别为14.363和14.337,建议将S9混配基质作为油茶育苗的首选替代基质,S7混配基质作为备选基质。     

Line thinning enhances diversity of Coleoptera in overstocked Cryptomeria japonica plantations in central Japan

We evaluated the effectiveness of line thinning, a new silvicultural technique, toward restoring diversity of Coleoptera in overstocked Cryptomeria japonica D. Don plantations in central Japan. We compared the abundance of some common Coleoptera families between line-thinned stands and adjacent unthinned stands in two plantations: low-elevation Sugi site (4 years since thinning) and high-elevation Kuchiotani site (6 years since thinning). Many bettle families comprising various functional groups such as plant feeders, wood borers, rotten wood feeders, root feeders, fungus feeders, dung feeders, and scavengers were more abundant in the line-thinned stands than in the unthinned stands. Furthermore, some important families were missing from the unthinned stands. There were strong positive relationships between Coleopteran abundance and understory vegetation. Our results suggest that line thinning may potentially increase biodiversity in overstocked C. japonica plantations by restoring important ecological processes such as food-web interactions (pollination, predation, herbivory, decomposition, parasitism, etc.), and habitat conditions.