Comparison of traits of non-colonized and colonized decaying logs by vascular plant species

Chmura, Damian; Żarnowiec, Jan; Staniaszek‐Kik, Monika

doi:10.3832/ifor2107-010

Cited by 9 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 23 publications

(29 reference statements)

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“…Oxalis acetosella, Vaccinium myrtillus, Calamagrostis villosa are frequntely observed on many types of CWD elements were also reported in other studies (Zielonka and Piątek 2004;Nowińska et al 2009;Kirchner et al 2011). The vascular plants showed preference for snags with larger DBH what is in with line with the same pattern for logs (Staniaszek-Kik et al 2014;Chećko et al 2015;Chmura et al 2018). It is probably a result of higher diversity of niches (cavities, crevices, humus) and more stable conditions.…”

Section: Influence Of Snag Properties On Epixylic Florasupporting

confidence: 71%

What factors influence colonization of lichens, liverworts, mosses and vascular plants on snags?

2019

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The dead standing trees i.e. snags are known as habitat for epiphytic and epixylic species including first of all lichens and bryophytes. The vascular plants are much rarer on this type of coarse woody debris (CWD). The eighty snags (CWD elements higher than 1.5 m) of Norway spruce Picea abies and beech Fagus sylvatica in the Karkonosze Mts. were examined for the presence of lichens, liverworts, mosses and vascular plants. The height of snags, their decomposition stage, cover of bark, diameter at breast height (DBH) as well as site conditions (elevation, slope and aspect, presence in forest community) were measured and noted. The percent cover of plants and lichens were estimated on each snag. Totally 99 taxa were recorded. There lichen species were dominant (44), followed by mosses (34), liverworts (13) and there were only 8 vascular plants. The total species richness varied from 1 to 22 taxa. The species composition growing on snags was subjected to canonical correspondence analysis and statistical analyses. They revealed that the species identity of snag is one of the most important factors influencing species composition. The number of species is positively correlated with DBH whereas decomposition stage, presence of bark, snag height are not significant factors. The species richness increases also with altitude what is connected with higher abundance of spruce snags. The occurrence of snags in this area is mainly associated with forest management practices in the past. Despite of some observed patterns in colonization of snags they are important habitat especially for lichens.

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Section: Influence Of Snag Properties On Epixylic Florasupporting

confidence: 71%

What factors influence colonization of lichens, liverworts, mosses and vascular plants on snags?

2019

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“…This is also important because dead wood is a refuge for saproxylic organisms. A higher degree of decomposition results in greater accessibility for bryophytes as well as for the seeds and roots of higher plants (Harmon et al 1986) and enhances the probability of colonisation (Chmura et al 2018).…”

Section: The Compositional Diversity Of Dead Wood In the Study Areamentioning

confidence: 99%

The effect of forest management practices on deadwood resources and structure in protected and managed montane forests during tree-stand reconstruction after dieback of Norway spruce

Staniaszek‐Kik¹,

Žarowiec²,

Chmura

2019

BALT FOR

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Forest management practices can not only influence the amount of deadwood but also the proportions of particular elements. The goal of the present paper was to compare the amount, number of logs, stumps and snags and their dendrometrical parameters between the protected and managed forests in the Karkonosze Mts after a huge dieback of Picea abies. A massive decline of Norway spruce has been observed since the 1980s. The protected forests belong to Karkonosze National Park and the managed forests are situated in its buffer zone. In total, 1336 elements of coarse woody debris (CWD) were included in the study. They were distributed on 180 study plots (10 m × 10 m) that were randomly selected. Among the deadwood elements, spruce Picea abies dominated (80.3%) followed by beech Fagus sylvatica (14.3%). Logs were more numerous in the protected forest (57.3%) than in the managed forests (42.7%). Snags and stumps were more frequent – 56.9% and 52.8%, respectively, in the managed forests than in the protected forests – 43.1% and 47.2%, respectively. The mean volume of CWD was ca 114 m3 ha-1 in the protected forests whereas ca 70 m3 ha-1 was in managed forests.The mean number of stumps per study plot was higher in the managed forests. The mean volume and mean area of logs were higher in the protected forest as was the mean volume and diameter at breast height, whereas the height of the snags was higher in the managed forests. In terms of differences in the decomposition of deadwood between the two types of forests, the mean weighted degree of decay on a five-degree scale amounted to 2.9 in the protected forests and 2.7 in the managed forests. A larger amount of deadwood as well as a greater volume and surface area are very important for nature conservation because deadwood can function as a niche for many saproxylobiont organisms. The forest management practices and especially the weak conditions of spruce lead to a larger number of snags in a managed forest due to the reconstruction of tree-stands and the removal of deadwood by foresters.

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“…We found that the presence of saplings strongly depends on the presence of moss, congruent with observations by Sugita and Nagaike [56] in Japan. Chmura et al [57] found that the presence of a bryophyte carpet made the colonization of vascular plants more probable on Norway spruce logs than on beech logs. Nakamura [58] also suggested a positive effect of bryophytes on the survival of conifer regeneration.…”

Section: Factors With a Significant Effect On Sapling Densitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Ecological Factors Influencing Norway Spruce Regeneration on Nurse Logs in a Subalpine Virgin Forest

Stroheker

Weiss

Sieber

et al. 2018

Forests

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Regeneration of Picea abies in high-elevation mountain forests often depends on the presence of coarse woody debris (CWD), as logs provide sites with more favorable conditions for spruce regeneration compared to the forest floor. However, there is little quantitative knowledge on the factors that are conducive to or hindering spruce establishment on CWD. We examined spruce regeneration on CWD by sampling 303 plots (50 cm × 50 cm each) on 56 downed logs in a virgin forest in the Swiss Alps. Variables describing microsite conditions were measured, and fungi were isolated from wood samples. To investigate the relationship between the ecological factors and establishment success, two models were fitted with seedling and sapling density as response variables, respectively. Besides log diameter, the models identified different ecological factors as significant for seedling and sapling establishment, i.e., regeneration depends on different factors in different development stages. Seedling density depended on the type of rot, log inclination, and decay stage. Sapling density depended mainly on light availability, cover by bark and moss, the time of tree fall, and the distance between the log surface and the forest floor. A total of 22 polypore fungi were isolated from the wood samples, four of them being threatened species. White-and brown-rot fungi were found in all decay stages. The visual assessment of the type of rot in the field corresponded in only 15% of cases to the type of rot caused by the isolated fungi; hence caution is needed when making field assessments of rot types.

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Comparison of traits of non-colonized and colonized decaying logs by vascular plant species

Cited by 9 publications

References 23 publications

What factors influence colonization of lichens, liverworts, mosses and vascular plants on snags?

What factors influence colonization of lichens, liverworts, mosses and vascular plants on snags?

The effect of forest management practices on deadwood resources and structure in protected and managed montane forests during tree-stand reconstruction after dieback of Norway spruce

Ecological Factors Influencing Norway Spruce Regeneration on Nurse Logs in a Subalpine Virgin Forest

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