Ground vegetation dynamics in mountain spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karsten) forests recovering after air pollution stress impact

Abstract

Our study focuses on the ground vegetation dynamics and its dependence on microsite conditions in declined climax mountain Norway spruce forests during the recovery period (1995)(1996)(1997)(1998)(1999)(2000)(2001)(2002)(2003)(2004)(2005)(2006) following upon the considerable decrease of SO 2 pollution. We showed that ground vegetation development shifted from prevailing mosses and vegetation-free sites covered with spruce litter to dominance by Avenella flexuosa during the earlier period of massive decline of the observed ecosystems. The expansion of Vaccinium myrtillus seems to occur mainly under the gradually defoliating tree crowns whereas larger canopy gaps and quickly deforested areas are more successfully colonized by grasses, especially Calamagrostis villosa. The gradual spruce stand decline, as well as the corresponding ground vegetation dynamics, proceeded until the end of the twentieth century. Afterwards, the ground vegetation responded to the interruption of trees dying and stopped its expansion on spruce litter microsites. Retreat of both dominant grasses accompanied by the remarkable increase in cover of mosses occurred.

Temporal changes in the ground vegetation in spruce forests in the Erzgebirge (Ore Mountains) — bryophytes are better indicators of the impact of liming and of sulphur and nitrogen deposition than the herb layer

“…In our study, we observed a strong increase in the cover as well as a species turnover in the bryophyte layer in the unlimed plots. Vávrová et al (2009) present similar results for the Krkonoše Mountains. The authors interpret the strong changes in the bryophyte layer as being mainly due to a reduced competition from Deschampsia flexuosa and Calamagrostis villosa.…”

“…So far, however, few studies have analysed the extent to which a decrease in S deposition led to regeneration of the forest floor vegetation. Only Vávrová et al (2009) document the decline in the coverage of grasses as well as an increase in the coverage of the bryophyte layer between 1995 and 2006 in spruce stands in the Krkonoše Mountains (Giant Mountains), in response to decreasing S deposition.…”

Inventarisierung der Moosflora sächsischer Naturwaldzellen – Teil 2: Rungstock

“…Die hohe Artenzahl sowie der hohe Anteil gefährdeter Arten, welche im Rahmen der Studie auf Totholz festgestellt wurden, verdeutlicht die Bedeutung von Totholz als Besiedlungssubstrat für Moose in Waldökosystemen. Nach Jahrzehnten extrem hoher Säureeinträge konnte in den letzten beiden Jahrzehnten eine Regeneration der Moosschicht in Waldökosystemen des Erzgebirges und des Riesengebirges dokumentiert werden ( Baumann et al 2022, Vávrová et al 2009). Für viele Arten ließ sich dabei eine initiale Besiedlung von Totholz beobachten, v. a. von Durchforstungsresten auf Rückegassen, von wo aus dann in einem zweiten Schritt die Wiederausbreitung auf dem Waldboden erfolgte ( Baumann 2009).…”

Landsat-Based Indices Reveal Consistent Recovery of Forested Stream Catchments from Acid Deposition

“…Most of the catchments are climatically and lithologically predisposed to be sensitive to acidification, with the exception that PLB is well buffered by its ultrabasic bedrock [47]. The three catchments UDL, UHL, and JEZ were most exposed to direct air pollution in the second half of the 20th century and suffered from large-scale deforestation that reached its maximum in the mid of 1990s [44,48]. Locations of stream catchments within the GEOMON monitoring network in the Czech Republic.…”