Conversion of temperate forests into heaths: Role of ecosystem disturbance and ericaceous plants

Mallik, Azim U.

doi:10.1007/bf02471950

Cited by 104 publications

(77 citation statements)

References 67 publications

(65 reference statements)

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“…Both types of change can have cascading effects through ecosystems, including impacts on water flows, nutrient cycles, vegetation and soil composition and structure, and terrestrial and aquatic species diversity (Foley et al 2005). Recent research shows that land use change legacies can have profound influences on the nature of regeneration that occurs (Foster et al 2003) and, under some environments, removal of forest cover and resulting alteration of the physical environment strongly inhibit forest regeneration (Mallik 1995).…”

Section: Electronic Supplementary Materialsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Homogenization of northern U.S. Great Lakes forests due to land use

et al. 2007

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Human land use of forested regions has intensified worldwide in recent decades, threatening long-term sustainability. Primary effects include conversion of land cover or reversion to an earlier stage of successional development. Both types of change can have cascading effects through ecosystems; however, the longterm effects where forests are allowed to regrow are poorly understood. We quantify the regionalscale consequences of a century of Euro-American land use in the northern U.S. Great Lakes region using a combination of historical Public Land Survey records and current forest inventory and land cover data. Our analysis shows a distinct and rapid trajectory of vegetation change toward historically unprecedented and simplified conditions. In addition to overall loss of forestland, current forests are marked by lower species diversity, functional diversity, and structural complexity compared to pre-Euro-American forests. Today's forest is marked by dominance of broadleaf deciduous species-all 55 ecoregions that comprise the region exhibit a lower relative dominance of conifers in comparison to the pre-Euro-American period. Aspen (Populus grandidentata and P. tremuloides) and maple (Acer saccharum and A. rubrum) species comprise the primary deciduous species that have replaced conifers. These changes reflect the cumulative effects of local forest alterations over the region and they affect future ecosystem conditions as well as the ecosystem services they provide. Abstract Human land use of forested regions has intensified worldwide in recent decades, threatening long-term sustainability. Primary effects include conversion of land cover or reversion to an earlier stage of successional development. Both types of change can have cascading effects through ecosystems; however, the longterm effects where forests are allowed to regrow are poorly understood. We quantify the regionalscale consequences of a century of Euro-American land use in the northern U.S. Great Lakes region using a combination of historical PublicLand Survey records and current forest inventory and land cover data. Our analysis shows a distinct and rapid trajectory of vegetation change toward historically unprecedented and simplified conditions. In addition to overall loss of forestland, current forests are marked by lower species diversity, functional diversity, and structural complexity compared to pre-Euro-American forests. Today's forest is marked by dominance of broadleaf deciduous species-all 55 ecoregions that comprise the region exhibit a lower relative dominance of conifers in comparison to the preEuro-American period. Aspen (Populus grandidentata and P. tremuloides) and maple (Acer saccharum and A. rubrum) species comprise the primary deciduous species that have replaced conifers. These changes reflect the cumulative effects of local forest alterations over the region and they affect future ecosystem conditions as well as the ecosystem services they provide.

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Section: Electronic Supplementary Materialsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Homogenization of northern U.S. Great Lakes forests due to land use

et al. 2007

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“…Beauv. (Lieffers et al 1994), Rubus idaeus L. (Lautenschlager 1999), or Kalmia angustifolia L. (Mallik 1995) may point out where management practises have gone awry. Fig.…”

Section: Indicator Species or Species Group Responsesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Silvicultural disturbance severity and plant communities of the southern Canadian boreal forest

Haeussler¹,

Bedford²,

Leduc³

et al. 2002

Silva Fenn.

133

115

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Boreal forest ecosystems are adapted to periodic disturbance, but there is widespread concern that conventional forest practises degrade plant communities. We examined vegetation diversity and composition after clearcut logging, mechanical and chemical site preparation in eight 5-to 12-yr old studies located in southern boreal forests of British Columbia and Quebec, Canada to fi nd useful indicators for monitoring ecosystem integrity and to provide recommendations for the development and testing of new silvicultural approaches. Community-wide and species-specifi c responses were measured across gradients of disturbance severity and the results were explained in terms of the intermediate disturbance hypothesis and a simple regeneration model based on plant life history strategies. Species richness was 30 to 35% higher 5 to 8 years after clearcut logging than in old forest. Total and vascular species diversity generally peaked on moderately severe site treatments, while non-vascular diversity declined with increasing disturbance severity. On more-or-less mesic sites, there was little evidence of diversity loss within the range of conventional silvicultural disturbances; however, there were important changes in plant community composition. Removing soil organic layers caused a shift from residual and resprouting understory species to ruderal species regenerating from seeds and spores. Severe treatments dramatically increased non-native species invasion. Two important challenges for the proposed natural dynamics-based silviculture will be 1) to fi nd ways of maintaining populations of sensitive non-vascular species and forest mycoheterotrophs, and 2) to create regeneration niches for disturbance-dependent indigenous plants without accelerating non-native species invasion.

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“…In this kind of process, the keystone species can work as ecosystem-level engineers and convert coniferous forests into heaths, i.e. nutrient-poor sites with the dominance of ericaceous shrubs instead of trees (Mallik 1995;Mallik 2003;Nilsson and Wardle 2005).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The contradictory role of understory vegetation on the success of Scots pine regeneration

Hyppönen¹,

Hallikainen²,

Niemelä³

et al. 2013

Silva Fenn.

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The contradictory role of understory vegetation on the success of Scots pine regenerationHyppönen M., Hallikainen V., Niemelä J., Rautio P. (2013). The contradictory role of understory vegetation on the success of Scots pine regeneration. Silva Fennica vol. 47 no. 1 article id 903. 19 p. AbstractIn North-East Finland, severe problems have been encountered in the natural regeneration of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) on sites where regeneration through site preparation usually is quite successful. We hypothesized that in that area understory vegetation, especially heather (Calluna vulgaris), crowberry (Empetrum hermaphroditum), mosses and lichens, could play a key role in this pattern. We found that in general, ground-and field-layer vegetation tends to be in a negative relationship with the establishment, growth and survival of pine seedlings. Some positive relationships were also observed. Lingonberry (Vaccinium vitis-idea) tended to improve seedling height growth. Heather, instead, seemed to have a contradictory role. It was positively related to seedling establishment but negatively to seedling growth. This dual role raises further questions about the primary reasons for the regeneration problems in North-East Finland. All in all, our results suggest that conventional methods of forest regeneration in these kinds of areas are not always effective enough and additional measures are needed. These might include severe prescribed burning along with site preparation in order to decrease the impact of the dominant ground-and field-layer vegetation on the success of Scots pine regeneration.

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Conversion of temperate forests into heaths: Role of ecosystem disturbance and ericaceous plants

Cited by 104 publications

References 67 publications

Homogenization of northern U.S. Great Lakes forests due to land use

Homogenization of northern U.S. Great Lakes forests due to land use

Silvicultural disturbance severity and plant communities of the southern Canadian boreal forest

The contradictory role of understory vegetation on the success of Scots pine regeneration

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