Functional Role of the Herbaceous Layer in Eastern Deciduous Forest Ecosystems

Elliott, Katherine J.; Vose, James M.; Knoepp, Jennifer D.; Clinton, Barton D.; Kloeppel, Brian D.

doi:10.1007/s10021-014-9825-x

Cited by 56 publications

(44 citation statements)

References 63 publications

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“…Whilst low P availability is likely to have constrained tree responses to eCO 2 at EucFACE, N availability could be more of a constraint on understorey performance. Changes in understorey community composition have the potential to alter nutrient cycling via altered litter quality (Ehrenfeld, Kourtev, & Huang, 2001) and to influence arthropod communities (Facey et al, 2017) and the succession of overstorey species via changes in competitive interactions (Elliott et al, 2015;Gilliam, 2007;Thrippleton et al, 2016). Furthermore, the shift in understorey plant community composition towards increasing dominance of the more nutrient-rich C 3 graminoids, relative to their C 4 counterparts, and the negative association between C 4 :C 3 ratios and soil N availability suggest that positive feedbacks between species shifts and nutrient cycling may accelerate succession and amplify CO 2 effects on the plant community (Polley, Jin, & Fay, 2012).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Increased atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) concentrations can alter plant community composition and diversity through changes in plant physiology and resource availability (Luo et al, 2011;Morgan, Pataki, et al, 2004;Smith, Knapp, & Collins, 2009). In many forest ecosystems, the understorey is the most species-rich of the different strata (Gilliam, 2007); it plays an important role in biogeochemical cycling via carbon (C) sequestration and rapid nutrient turnover rates (Kolari et al, 2006;O'Connell, Gower, & Norman, 2003;Yarie, 1980) and in the regeneration of overstorey species via competition for resources such as light (Elliott, Vose, Knoepp, Clinton, & Kloeppel, 2015;Thrippleton, Bugmann, Kramer-Priewasser, & Snell, 2016). Understorey gross primary productivity (GPP) and respiration contribute up to 14% of total canopy GPP and 55% of ecosystem respiration, respectively, estimated from eddy-covariance flux data collected across a range of forests including those in boreal, temperate and (semi-)arid regions where the understorey contains herbaceous and/or woody species (Misson et al, 2007).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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ElevatedCO₂concentrations reduce C₄cover and decrease diversity of understorey plant community in aEucalyptuswoodland

et al. 2018

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Compared to tree responses to elevated (e)CO2, little attention has been paid to understorey plant community responses in forest ecosystem studies, despite their critical role in nutrient cycling and the regeneration of overstorey species. Here, we present data on understorey responses from a 3‐year Free‐Air CO2 Enrichment experiment in a native, phosphorus‐limited Eucalyptus woodland in Australia (EucFACE). We conducted repeat surveys of the understorey plant community from 2012 to 2016, recording cover at the species level. Three years of eCO2 significantly decreased the diversity (Shannon‐Weaver; −30%) and species richness (−15%; c. −1 species per 4 m2 plot) of graminoid species, and the cover of C4 graminoids in both dominant (−38%) and subordinate (−48%) groups, relative to ambient conditions, leading to a significantly lower graminoid C4:C3 ratio (−59%) in the understorey plant community. The ratio of C4:C3 graminoids was negatively associated with soil nitrogen (N) availability suggesting that previously reported eCO2‐associated increases in N availability may contribute to (or be a consequence of) shifts in the composition of the graminoid community at the study site. There was, however, no effect of eCO2 on the diversity of forb species, which represented the most species‐rich functional group but only c. 1% of the understorey biomass. Synthesis. Our results suggest that eCO2 influences competition between C4 and C3 graminoid species both directly and indirectly via increasing N availability. The shift towards lower C4:C3 ratios and enhanced dominance by C3 species with their generally higher tissue N concentrations could further change soil nutrient availability and potentially accelerate community succession. Thus, eCO2 has altered the diversity and composition of the understorey plant community in this woodland, with the potential for cascading consequences for trophic interactions and ecosystem function.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

ElevatedCO₂concentrations reduce C₄cover and decrease diversity of understorey plant community in aEucalyptuswoodland

et al. 2018

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“…Thrippleton, Bugmann, Folini, & Snell, ) and nutrient and carbon dynamics (e.g. Elliott, Vose, Knoepp, Clinton, & Kloeppel, ; Muller ). The number of studies that provide a proper quantification of the importance of the understorey in determining ecosystem functions in temperate forests is, however, still limited (but see Gilliam, for a review).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The functional role of temperate forest understorey vegetation in a changing world

Landuyt

Lombaerde

Perring

et al. 2019

Global Change Biology

195

129

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Temperate forests cover 16% of the global forest area. Within these forests, the understorey is an important biodiversity reservoir that can influence ecosystem processes and functions in multiple ways. However, we still lack a thorough understanding of the relative importance of the understorey for temperate forest functioning. As a result, understoreys are often ignored during assessments of forest functioning and changes thereof under global change. We here compiled studies that quantify the relative importance of the understorey for temperate forest functioning, focussing on litter production, nutrient cycling, evapotranspiration, tree regeneration, pollination and pathogen dynamics. We describe the mechanisms driving understorey functioning and develop a conceptual framework synthesizing possible effects of multiple global change drivers on understorey‐mediated forest ecosystem functioning. Our review illustrates that the understorey's contribution to temperate forest functioning is significant but varies depending on the ecosystem function and the environmental context, and more importantly, the characteristics of the overstorey. To predict changes in understorey functioning and its relative importance for temperate forest functioning under global change, we argue that a simultaneous investigation of both overstorey and understorey functional responses to global change will be crucial. Our review shows that such studies are still very scarce, only available for a limited set of ecosystem functions and limited to quantification, providing little data to forecast functional responses to global change.

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“…These vegetation responses may have important implications for wildlife habitat (O'Keefe et al, 2013;Clipp and Anderson, 2014;Maigret et al, 2014;Studinski and Hartman, 2015) and other ecosystem functions such as biogeochemical cycling (Elliott et al, 2015) and ecohydrology Bosch et al, 2014;Boggs et al, 2015). Lichens and mosses could also be influenced by partial harvests (Dynesius and Hylander, 2007;Ray et al, 2015), and they may respond differently than vascular plants.…”

Section: Management Implicationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of riparian zone buffer widths on vegetation diversity in southern Appalachian headwater catchments

Elliott

Vose

2016

Forest Ecology and Management

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a b s t r a c tIn mountainous areas such as the southern Appalachians USA, riparian zones are difficult to define. Vegetation is a commonly used riparian indicator and plays a key role in protecting water resources, but adequate knowledge of floristic responses to riparian disturbances is lacking. Our objective was to quantify changes in stand-level floristic diversity of riparian plant communities before (2004) and two, three, and seven years after shelterwood harvest using highlead cable-yarding and with differing nocut buffer widths of 0 m, 10 m, and 30 m distance from the stream edge. An unharvested reference stand was also studied for comparison. We examined: (1) differences among treatment sites using a mixed linear model with repeated measures; (2) multivariate relationships between ground-layer species composition and environmental variables (soil water content, light transmittance, tree basal area, shrub density, and distance from stream) using nonmetric multidimensional scaling; and (3) changes in species composition over time using a multi-response permutation procedure. We hypothesized that vegetation responses (i.e., changes in density, species composition, and diversity across the hillslope) will be greatest on harvest sites with an intermediate buffer width (10-m buffer) compared to more extreme (0-m buffer) and less extreme (30-m buffer and no-harvest reference) disturbance intensities. Harvesting initially reduced overstory density and basal area by 83% and 65%, respectively, in the 0-m buffer site; reduced by 50% and 74% in the 10-m buffer site; and reduced by 45% and 29% in the 30-m buffer site. Both the 0-m and 10-m buffer sites showed increased incident light variability across the hillslope after harvesting; whereas, there was no change in the 30-m and reference sites over time. We found significant changes in midstory and ground-layer vegetation in response to harvesting with the greatest responses on the 10-m buffer site, supporting our hypotheses that responses will be greatest on sites with intermediate disturbance. Ground-layer species composition differed significantly over time in the 0-m buffer and 10-m buffer sites (both P < 0.0001), but did not change in the 30-m buffer and reference sites (both P > 0.100). Average compositional dissimilarity increased after seven years, indicating greater withinstand heterogeneity (species diversity) after harvesting. These vegetation recovery patterns provide useful information for evaluating management options in riparian zones in the southern Appalachians.Published by Elsevier B.V.

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Functional Role of the Herbaceous Layer in Eastern Deciduous Forest Ecosystems

Cited by 56 publications

References 63 publications

ElevatedCO₂concentrations reduce C₄cover and decrease diversity of understorey plant community in aEucalyptuswoodland

ElevatedCO₂concentrations reduce C₄cover and decrease diversity of understorey plant community in aEucalyptuswoodland

The functional role of temperate forest understorey vegetation in a changing world

Effects of riparian zone buffer widths on vegetation diversity in southern Appalachian headwater catchments

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Functional Role of the Herbaceous Layer in Eastern Deciduous Forest Ecosystems

Cited by 56 publications

References 63 publications

ElevatedCO2concentrations reduce C4cover and decrease diversity of understorey plant community in aEucalyptuswoodland

ElevatedCO2concentrations reduce C4cover and decrease diversity of understorey plant community in aEucalyptuswoodland

The functional role of temperate forest understorey vegetation in a changing world

Effects of riparian zone buffer widths on vegetation diversity in southern Appalachian headwater catchments

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ElevatedCO₂concentrations reduce C₄cover and decrease diversity of understorey plant community in aEucalyptuswoodland

ElevatedCO₂concentrations reduce C₄cover and decrease diversity of understorey plant community in aEucalyptuswoodland