Effects of deer on woodland structure revealed through terrestrial laser scanning

Eichhorn, Markus P.; Ryding, Joseph; Smith, Martin J.; Gill, Robin; Siriwardena, G.; Fuller, Robert

doi:10.1111/1365-2664.12902

Cited by 35 publications

(27 citation statements)

References 36 publications

(48 reference statements)

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“…Browsing can increase field and shrub layer abundance due to the creation and maintenance of canopy openings (Mcinnes et al 1992) but may also reduce it if browsing occurs on shrubs (Eichhorn et al 2017) or herbs directly (as is the case for this study). We found that moose exclosures greatly increased the biomass of large herbs and ferns (Fig.…”

Section: Understory Vegetationmentioning

confidence: 87%

Pervasive moose browsing in boreal forests alters successional trajectories by severely suppressing keystone species

et al. 2018

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Large herbivores can shape young forest stands and determine the successional trajectory of forested ecosystems by selectively browsing palatable species at the sapling stage. Moose (Alces alces) is the dominant vertebrate herbivore in Fennoscandian boreal forests, and high population densities have raised concerns about potential negative effects on ecosystem functioning and properties including biological diversity and timber production. We used 31 herbivore exclosures in Norway to investigate how forests developed after clear-cutting with or without moose present. We tested how tree demography, abundances of understory plant functional groups, community composition, and plant diversity (including bryophytes) across multiple scales varied with moose exclusion. After seven years, the exclosures were dominated by deciduous trees, including many large rowan (Sorbus aucuparia) individuals, a functionally important keystone species. In contrast, the open plots subject to moose impacts (browsing, trampling, defecation) were dominated by economically important coniferous trees and there was next to no rowan recruitment to taller height classes. The biomass of large herbs and ferns was much greater inside exclosures. This study emphasizes the large immediate effect of moose on early successional boreal forest stands. Landscape-level alterations caused by reduced deciduous dominance, and a reduction in large flowering herbs is likely to lead to cascading effects on ecosystem functioning. The management of boreal production forests needs to account for the combined effects of silvicultural practices and ungulate herbivory to ensure ecosystem functioning, but this management goal may be jeopardized in our study regions due to drastically reduced abundance of keystone species.

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Section: Understory Vegetationmentioning

confidence: 87%

Pervasive moose browsing in boreal forests alters successional trajectories by severely suppressing keystone species

et al. 2018

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“…Many ecosystem functions and services provided by forests, such as biodiversity (e.g., Lindenmayer, Margules, & Botkin, 2000), productivity (e.g., Ishii, Tanabe, & Hiura, 2004), habitat suitability (Eichhorn et al, 2017;MacArthur & MacArthur, 1961;Tilman & Kareiva, 1997), or recreational benefit (e.g., Ribe, 2009) as well as ecosystem resilience and adaptability (McElhinny, Gibbons, Brack, & Bauhus, 2005;Neill & Puettmann, 2013;Schulze, Beck, & Müller-Hohenstein, 2002), are affected by forest structure. Despite this great importance, very little is known about forest structure in all three dimensions and how it is naturally formed and artificially altered.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A holistic approach to determine tree structural complexity based on laser scanning data and fractal analysis

Seidel

2017

Ecology and Evolution

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The three‐dimensional forest structure affects many ecosystem functions and services provided by forests. As forests are made of trees it seems reasonable to approach their structure by investigating individual tree structure. Based on three‐dimensional point clouds from laser scanning, a newly developed holistic approach is presented that enables to calculate the box dimension as a measure of structural complexity of individual trees using fractal analysis. It was found that the box dimension of trees was significantly different among the tested species, among trees belonging to the same species but exposed to different growing conditions (at gap vs. forest interior) or to different kinds of competition (intraspecific vs. interspecific). Furthermore, it was shown that the box dimension is positively related to the trees’ growth rate. The box dimension was identified as an easy to calculate measure that integrates the effect of several external drivers of tree structure, such as competition strength and type, while simultaneously providing information on structure‐related properties, like tree growth.

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“…Successful management aimed at maintaining bird species in woodlands affected by fragmentation needs to ensure there is protection and/or rehabilitation of ground vegetation and overstorey, as pointed out by Montague-Drake et al [65] in relation to temperate woodlands of Australia. In temperate hardwood forests ground vegetation can be seriously disturbed by ungulate browsing with consequences for bird diversity [66] due to the absence of large predators [67]. Thus, we should also take into account ungulate management on the landscape scale [68,69].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Bird Diversity as a Support Decision Tool for Sustainable Management in Temperate Forested Floodplain Landscapes

et al. 2019

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Sustainably managed forests provide multiple ecosystem services in cultural landscapes, including maintaining biodiversity. Better understanding of the benefits regarding the biodiversity of different silvicultural practices is important for sustainable landscape management. Conservation targets in forested landscapes should be determined by land managers and policy-makers, based on serious ecological research. This study deals with response of bird diversity to three different habitat types of temperate hardwood floodplain forests, which reflect specific forms of forest management. Research was based on long-term field bird census in the years 1998 to 2002 applying the point count method. Data was analysed using regression analysis with dummy variables. The results of the study indicate that hardwood floodplain forest heterogeneity, supported by different types of forest management (old-growth forest protection, group-selection harvesting and forest edge protection), provides large-scale habitat mosaic conditions suitable for many breeding bird species with different ecological niches. This result suggests that comparison of bird diversity response to different forest management types can be used as a decision support tool for sustainable landscape management strategy and local management practices in forested cultural lowland landscapes. Improvements in both regional and local ecological knowledge are generally needed in order to control floodplain land use decisions, which are typically made on the scale of landscape management. 2 of 15 above transition zones, below which, species loss is likely to occur. Forest ecosystems are crucial in maintaining climate, biodiversity and human well-being [7]. At the landscape scale, the benefits produced by forests are strongly influenced by forest management [8]. This is especially important in cultural lowland landscapes along large rivers, areas which have suffered from a significant decline in riparian floodplain forests [9].In the European temperate zone, hardwood floodplain forests (HFF) are endangered habitats. HFF provide various important ecosystem services in the lowland landscapes [10]. Land use changes and land use intensification induced by human activities are closely connected to the current ecological status of HFF in many European regions [11]. Despite centuries of intense human pressure, HFF are forest ecosystems with very rich alpha-biodiversity on the scale of individual trees and on the scale of forest stands [12,13]. A mosaic of floodplain forest habitats (including rivers and wetlands) creates a unique ecological gradient of beta-biodiversity [14]. Thus, HFF are key ecosystems in the maintenance of biodiversity on the scale of lowland riparian landscapes [15]. Because of their high biodiversity value, the natural and semi-natural remnants of HFF are usually included in ecological networks in a landscape [16]. They are also protected within the framework of international (such as the Natura 2000 European Network) or national systems for protected area...

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Effects of deer on woodland structure revealed through terrestrial laser scanning

Cited by 35 publications

References 36 publications

Pervasive moose browsing in boreal forests alters successional trajectories by severely suppressing keystone species

Pervasive moose browsing in boreal forests alters successional trajectories by severely suppressing keystone species

A holistic approach to determine tree structural complexity based on laser scanning data and fractal analysis

Bird Diversity as a Support Decision Tool for Sustainable Management in Temperate Forested Floodplain Landscapes

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