Bryophyte community response to silvicultural opening size in a managed northern hardwood forest

Shields, Joshua M.; Webster, Christopher R.; Glime, Janice M.

doi:10.1016/j.foreco.2007.06.048

Cited by 25 publications

(17 citation statements)

References 39 publications

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“…The weak effects of variable‐retention harvesting on bryophytes in deciduous‐dominated stands could be attributed to the fact that bryophytes in these stands are adapted to the more open and drier conditions that characterize these forests, and thus they were insensitive to microclimatic changes associated with retention harvesting. Indeed, the indicator species A. serpens and C. hispidulum , which were significantly associated with moderate levels of retention in deciduous‐dominated stands (Table ), are commonly found in drier and exposed microhabitats on tree bases, logs and mineral soil (Shields, Webster, & Glime, ). These results might also be explained by dense aspen suckering in these forest types, which might have been associated with less dramatic microenvironmental changes than in the mixed and conifer forests.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Bryophyte abundance, diversity and composition after retention harvest in boreal mixedwood forest

Bartels

Macdonald

Johnson

et al. 2017

Journal of Applied Ecology

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Variable‐retention harvest is widely recognized as an alternative to more intensive methods such as clear‐cutting. However, present information is inadequate to judge the impact of variable retention on biodiversity of indigenous forest organisms intolerant of canopy removal, such as forest‐inhabiting bryophytes. We examined how bryophyte species cover, richness, diversity and composition change with time in response to a broad range of dispersed retention harvest treatments (2% [clear‐cut], 10%, 20%, 50%, 75% retention of original basal area) contrasted with uncut controls [100% retention]) in broadleaf deciduous, mixedwood and conifer‐dominated boreal forests in North West Alberta, Canada. Bryophytes were studied in 432 permanent sample plots within 72 compartments before harvest and at 3, 6 and 11 years after harvest. Clear‐cut and lower (10% and 20%) retention levels resulted in lower cover and richness of bryophytes than in unharvested control compartments in mixed and conifer‐dominated forests, but less so in deciduous‐dominated forests, which generally supported low cover and richness. Species composition in each forest type varied along the gradient of harvesting intensity; clear‐cuts and lower levels of retention supported similar composition, as did control plots and those representing higher retention levels. Over time, the retention harvest treatments became more similar to uncut controls. Synthesis and applications. Variable‐retention harvests can better maintain bryophyte biodiversity in managed boreal mixedwood forests, as compared to clear‐cuts. We found the efficacy of retention harvest scaled with harvest intensity. Higher levels of retention better moderated the negative impacts of harvesting on bryophyte assemblages across all forest types. Our results suggest, however, that even 10% retention will facilitate faster post‐harvest recovery of bryophytes, as compared to clear‐cutting.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Bryophyte abundance, diversity and composition after retention harvest in boreal mixedwood forest

Bartels

Macdonald

Johnson

et al. 2017

Journal of Applied Ecology

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“…Although there still is no explanation for these differences, it is now widely accepted that peak diversity coincides with optimum environmental conditions [12]. However, various factors such as forest properties include stand structure [20], canopy opening [21], [22], forest management [23], and climate [24], [25] can cause variation in species richness, growth rate, and community structure of bryophytes.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Bryophyte Species Richness and Composition along an Altitudinal Gradient in Gongga Mountain, China

Sun

Wang

et al. 2013

PLoS ONE

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An investigation of terrestrial bryophyte species diversity and community structure along an altitudinal gradient from 2,001 to 4,221 m a.s.l. in Gongga Mountain in Sichuan, China was carried out in June 2010. Factors which might affect bryophyte species composition and diversity, including climate, elevation, slope, depth of litter, vegetation type, soil pH and soil Eh, were examined to understand the altitudinal feature of bryophyte distribution. A total of 14 representative elevations were chosen along an altitudinal gradient, with study sites at each elevation chosen according to habitat type (forests, grasslands) and accessibility. At each elevation, three 100 m × 2 m transects that are 50 m apart were set along the contour line, and three 50 cm × 50 cm quadrats were set along each transect at an interval of 30 m. Species diversity, cover, biomass, and thickness of terrestrial bryophytes were examined. A total of 165 species, including 42 liverworts and 123 mosses, are recorded in Gongga mountain. Ground bryophyte species richness does not show any clear elevation trend. The terrestrial bryophyte cover increases with elevation. The terrestrial bryophyte biomass and thickness display a clear humped relationship with the elevation, with the maximum around 3,758 m. At this altitude, biomass is 700.3 g m−2 and the maximum thickness is 8 cm. Bryophyte distribution is primarily associated with the depth of litter, the air temperature and the precipitation. Further studies are necessary to include other epiphytes types and vascular vegetation in a larger altitudinal range.

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“…For the species primarily limited by old-forest resources, structural retention during timber harvesting and using natural mixtures of tree species for regeneration can dramatically improve the quality of managed forests (Hansen et al 1991, Kouki et al 2001, while species sensitive to microclimatic fluctuations under closed canopy may only tolerate continuous-cover forestry (Hedenås and Ericson 2003, Humphrey 2005, Shields et al 2007). For dispersal-limited populations, sustaining landscape connectivity is crucial in the long run, but very rare and threatened species may additionally need to be artificially dispersed in the short term (Lidén et al 2004).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Old-forest species: the importance of specific substrata vs. stand continuity in the case of calicioid fungi

Lõhmus¹,

Lõhmus²

2011

Silva Fenn.

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Appropriate conservation management of old-forest species depends on the causes of their oldforest affinity, which, however, are insufficiently known. Calicioid fungi are often considered old-forest dependent because of their special requirements for microhabitat, microclimate, and stand continuity for at least two tree generations. We demonstrate that, for several methodological or interpretational problems, published studies do not provide unequivocal evidence for such mechanisms and even for old-forest dependency of calicioids in general. We then analyse a large Estonian dataset (ca. 2300 records of 32 species) representing various management types and site types to answer whether old forests have more calicioid species, and any specific species, than could be expected for the substratum availability observed. Although old growth had more species and records than mature managed stands or cutover sites, those substratum types that occurred at roughly similar abundances also hosted comparable numbers of species in different management types. The characteristic substrata adding extra species to old growth were snags and root-plates of treefall mounds; wood surfaces in general comprised more than half of all calicioid records. Although substratum abundance did not fully explain the species-richness contrast between old growth and mature stands, additional evidence suggested that the unexplained variance is rather due to small-scale habitat characteristics than stand-scale continuity or microclimate. Finally, we review the evidence for old-forest affinity of calicioid species and distinguish a set of threatened species. We conclude that the availability of specific substrata is the main limiting factor for calicioid fungi in forests, and its quantitative and stochastic nature explains the large random and region-specific variation in the published lists of 'old-forest species'.

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Bryophyte community response to silvicultural opening size in a managed northern hardwood forest

Cited by 25 publications

References 39 publications

Bryophyte abundance, diversity and composition after retention harvest in boreal mixedwood forest

Bryophyte abundance, diversity and composition after retention harvest in boreal mixedwood forest

Bryophyte Species Richness and Composition along an Altitudinal Gradient in Gongga Mountain, China

Old-forest species: the importance of specific substrata vs. stand continuity in the case of calicioid fungi

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