Changes in species and functional composition in the herb layer of sub-Mediterranean Ostrya carpinifolia abandoned coppices

Abstract

In recent decades, the traditional management of woods has ceased in several parts of the Apennine ridge, with the result that some woods have not undergone forestry for 40-70 years. The research aim was to assess the variation of species and functional composition in the herb layer of Ostrya carpinifolia woods (central Italy), after cessation of the usual management (coppice-withstandards). Using a space-for-time substitution, we compared stands at the end of the usual rotation cycle (20-25 years) with stands not subjected to silvicultural treatments for about 40-45 years and collected environmental and structural data. The main drivers of the herb layer modification, assessed using Ellenberg indicator values analysis and redundancy analysis (RDA), were primarily related to time since the last coppicing and wood structure. Results of indicator species analyses (ISAs) and Wilcoxon rank sum tests indicated that in abandoned coppices, the regenerative processes proceed through the spread of late-successional species, while the light filtering through canopy fosters species usually considered of fringe habitats. The functional strategies revealed by ISA and RDA underlined still stressful conditions in stands at the end of the usual coppicing rotation cycle, which might be thought as a legacy of the post-logging condition, and processes of recovery/maturation of the forest systems in abandoned woods leading to a better spatial and temporal niche partitioning. The preferential distribution of species usually growing in the Apennine beech woods supports the hypothesis that the studied O. carpinifolia woods are secondary forest ecosystems originating from the degradation of mixed beech woods.

A combined approach utilizing UAV 3D imaging methods, in-situ measurements, and laboratory experiments to assess water evaporation and trace element uptake by tree species growing in a red gypsum landfill

“…It also performed very well at two other phytomanagement sites (Ciadamidaro, unpublished data). O. carpinifolia needs a low amount of resources for growth (Tardella et al, 2019) and plays an important function in the forest vegetation in sub-Mediterranean areas in Italy at altitudes lower than 1200 m. It has been described as a species capable of growing on shallow and poorly developed soils, mainly on limestone and gypsum (Pasta et al, 2016). M. pomifera intrinsically has a strong adaptive capacity in nutrient-poor soils and a high resistance to severe drought (Khaleghi et al, 2019).…”

A Decade of Close-to-Nature Transformation Alters Species Composition and Increases Plant Community Diversity in Two Coniferous Plantations

“…PCK, PCN, CCK, and CCN represent the pure and close-to-nature managed P. massoniana plantation and the pure and close-to-nature managed C. lanceolata plantation, respectively. the shrub and herb layers were not only influenced by light, litterfall, and soil properties, but also by the species composition in the tree layer (Small and McCarthy, 2005;Tardella et al, 2019). Newly added plant species in the tree layer reduced the light intensity of the understory.…”

“…In contrast, the forest transformation did not affect the species richness and individual density of the shrub and herb layers ( Figures 2 and 3 ), but altered their dominant species ( Tables 3 and 4 ). This might because the changes in dominant species in the shrub and herb layers were not only influenced by light, litterfall, and soil properties, but also by the species composition in the tree layer ( Small and McCarthy, 2005 ; Tardella et al., 2019 ). Newly added plant species in the tree layer reduced the light intensity of the understory.…”

“…In our study, the diversity indexes of the shrub and herb layers were correlated with canopy density and basal area ( Table 6 ). In fact, canopy density and basal area can influence the light in the forest, which further impacts the understory plant diversity ( Heinrichs and Schmidt, 2009 ; Tardella et al., 2019 ). However, in our study, the transformed stands and the controls did not differ in canopy density and basal area ( Table 1 ), thus the shrub and herb diversity were not affected by the forest transformation ( Figure 4 ).…”