Impact of soil fertility and insolation on diversity of herbaceous woodland species colonizing afforestations in Muizen forest (Belgium)

Keersmaeker, Luc De; Martens, Leen; Verheyen, Kris; Hermy, Martin; Schrijver, An De; Lust, Noël

doi:10.1016/j.foreco.2003.07.025

Cited by 101 publications

(122 citation statements)

References 33 publications

(45 reference statements)

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“…Shrubs may create patches with light conditions on the oak forest floor similar to those in pure sycamore stands. Light conditions doubtless play a very important role in competition between woodland species and other plants (De Keersmaeker et al 2004). Migration rates and the abundance of Anemone nemorosa in broadleaf plantations across southern Sweden have been found to be positively correlated with canopy cover and negatively with cover of grasses (Brunet & von Oheimb 1998b).…”

Section: Canopy Speciesmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Plant colonization in heterogeneous landscapes: an 80‐year perspective on restoration of broadleaved forest vegetation

Brunet

2007

Journal of Applied Ecology

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Summary1. Afforestation of agricultural land has become an important issue in Europe during the past two decades. In particular, broadleaf plantations have been promoted as multifunctional forests for biodiversity, timber production and recreation. The aim of this study was to analyse how the colonization of ground-layer plants in recently planted woodlands is affected by stand age, spatial isolation, former land-use type and canopy species. 2. Colonization was studied in 50 plantations of pedunculate oak Quercus robur and 16 plantations of European sycamore Acer pseudoplatanus on former arable land and open pastures in the Torup-Skabersjö area of southern Sweden. Twelve oak plantations and 10 sycamore plantations on ancient woodland sites were used as reference areas. 3. Woodland species richness increased continuously with stand age in plantations contiguous with ancient woodland. The oldest plantations (70 -80 years) approached the species richness of ancient oak woodland. Species richness decreased with increasing distance from ancient woodlands, and there was no significant increase in species richness between stands aged 20 and 80 years in isolated plantations. Most species that regularly colonized isolated plantations had adhesive seeds or small, wind-dispersed diaspores. 4. Ordination analysis showed clear differentiation between former land-use categories and spatiotemporal stand categories (recently isolated, recently contiguous and ancient). No consistent differences were found in vegetation patterns in oak and sycamore stands. Woodland species richness was similar on former arable land and open pastures. Pasture plantations were characterized by the presence of more acid-tolerant species, whereas the frequency of some acid-sensitive species was higher on former fields. 5. Synthesis and applications. This study demonstrates that new woodland should build out from cores of ancient woodland for optimal ground vegetation development. A species-rich ground vegetation can be achieved by spontaneous colonization within 70-80 years when plantations are contiguous with ancient woods. Formerly cultivated soils are generally well suited for understorey plants of forests on base-rich loamy soils as long as closed canopy conditions are maintained. However, many typical forest species are not able to disperse across open fields and their establishment in isolated stands will require sowing or planting.

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Section: Canopy Speciesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Moreover, little is known about the influence of different tree species on the colonization of understorey species (Dzwonko & Gawronski 1994;Dzwonko & Loster 1997;De Keersmaeker et al . 2004).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Plant colonization in heterogeneous landscapes: an 80‐year perspective on restoration of broadleaved forest vegetation

Brunet

2007

Journal of Applied Ecology

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“…Although the influence of Alnus glutinosa on P transformation processes have been often investigated [10][11][12][13], acid phosphomonoesterase activity (PH ACID ), the main enzyme responsible for organic P mineralization in forest soils, has been poorly studied [14]. Soils under post-agricultural woods contain larger P amounts than soils under ancient woodlands (the latter ones are understood sensu de Keersmaeker et al [15], Koerner et al [16], and Peterken [17]). Therefore, the increased P level in soils covered by recent woods is taken as an indicator of their former agricultural use [15,16].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Soils under post-agricultural woods contain larger P amounts than soils under ancient woodlands (the latter ones are understood sensu de Keersmaeker et al [15], Koerner et al [16], and Peterken [17]). Therefore, the increased P level in soils covered by recent woods is taken as an indicator of their former agricultural use [15,16]. However, recent comparative studies between ancient and post-agricultural forests with stands dominated by black alder exhibited a reverse behaviour with continuously forested soils richer in available P than soils of former meadows currently occupied by black alder stands.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Soil acid phosphomonoesterase activity and phosphorus forms in ancient and post-agricultural black alder [Alnus glutinosa (L.) Gaertn.] woodlands

2012

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IntroductionSeveral phosphatases are involved in the hydrolysis of organic P compounds but the major role in the organic phosphorus mineralization process is attributed to the phosphomonoesterases. Acid phosphomonoesterase enzymes are the dominant group of enzymes involved in organic P mineralization in acidic soils [1]. These enzymes are produced mainly by plants and fungi and to a lesser degree by bacteria. The level of acid phosphomonoesterase secreted by plant roots has been shown to differ significantly between species, with N-fixing plants (legumes) secreting more phosphomonoesterase enzymes than cereals [2]. Plant available P (P AVAIL ) concentration also increases in soils underlying plantations of N-fixing trees [1], probably due to a higher P requirement by N-fixing plants [3]. The relationship between the available P concentration and phosphatase activity is usually very complex, since a positive, a negative or no relationship between these two parameters is possible [1,4]. There are studies which show that phosphatase activity is inversely proportional to the P AVAIL concentration [5], which confirms the thesis that the production and activity of soil phosphatases, especially the acid form, is connected with the demand of microorganisms and plants for P. Phosphatases are typical adaptive enzymes and their activity increases when plant available P concentration decreases. Kinetics studies indicate that orthophosphate ions, which are the product of the reaction conducted by the phosphatases, are competitive inhibitors of their activity in soil [6]. Other studies have found a significant positive correlation between phosphatase activity and available P concentration. Generally, a significant and positive relationship between phosphatase activity and P availability [7] is obtained in unfertilized soils or/ and those with a low content of nutrients, where P deficiency occurs. On the contrary, in soil where P fertilizers are applied and/ or in naturally fertile soil a significant but negative relationship between both of these parameters can be observed [4].It is a well known fact that trees can alter soil conditions, thus influencing ecological processes such as secondary succession and plant migration. Black alder [Alnus glutinosa (L.) Gaertn.] can have a great impact on its habitats and can form a symbiosis with Frankia and with ectomycorrhizal fungi. The actinobacteria provide the tree with N fixed from the atmosphere, whereas mycorrhizal fungi provide P and other nutrients [8], and on the other hand alders provide energy to microsymbionts [9]. Therefore, they play an important role AbstractBlack alder, an N-fixing tree is considered to accelerate the availability of phosphorus in soils due to the increased production of phosphatase enzymes, which are responsible for the P release from the litter. Acid phosphatase activity plays a pivotal role in organic P mineralization in forest soils and in making P available to plants. In order to check whether Alnus glutinosa stimulates acid phosphomonoesterase (P...

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“…Numerous studies indicate that past land use can impart important soil legacies, such as elevated pH and nitrogen and phosphorus content, as well as increased bulk density (Compton & Boone 2000;Dupouey et al 2002;Fraterrigo et al 2005), but consensus on how soil chemical and physical changes affect vegetation recovery in historically altered forests is still lacking. Such factors may reduce establishment (Graae et al 2004; or enhance competition among species (Honnay et al 1999;Verheyen & Hermy 2001;De Keersmaeker et al 2004). Additionally, because the physiological characteristics of herbaceous species vary widely (Bazzaz & Sultan 1987), the performance (i.e.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Previous land use alters plant allocation and growth in forest herbs

Fraterrigo¹,

Turner²,

Pearson³

2005

J Ecology

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Summary1 Former human practices can persistently influence forest ecosystems, particularly by altering the distribution and abundance of vegetation. Previous research has focused on the role of colonization success in governing plant community patterns in abandoned forests, but few studies have explored how changes in the performance of adult plants may contribute to changes in plant populations. 2 We examined patterns of biomass allocation and growth of 12 herbaceous plant species in southern Appalachian forest stands that have developed after agricultural abandonment or logging at least 55 years ago, to determine whether plant performance varied with land-use history. Soil nutrient availability and canopy closure were also investigated. 3 Adult plant biomass allocation varied appreciably among stands with different histories. Herbs in farmed stands generally allocated the most to leaves and the least to stems, while reference stands showed the opposite pattern. Plants in previously farmed sites had the highest rate of growth, although we observed considerable interspecific variation in plant performance. Stem allocation and relative growth rate were positively correlated in reference stands, but not in farmed or logged stands. Similarly, the growth of plants was clearly associated with soil nutrient concentration in reference stands but not in farmed or logged stands. 4 Differences in understorey density and soil nutrient availability may account for the observed patterns. Total herbaceous cover was appreciably lower in farmed and logged stands (58% and 51%) than in reference stands (78%), and soil phosphorus was higher in farmed stands than in logged and reference stands. Thus, competition for light and nutrients may be lower in farmed and logged stands than in reference stands, despite there being no difference in canopy closure with land-use history. 5 Overall, these results suggest that land-use history may influence environmental variables in ways that can enhance the performance of some herbaceous species. However, not all species may respond similarly to these changes.

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Impact of soil fertility and insolation on diversity of herbaceous woodland species colonizing afforestations in Muizen forest (Belgium)

Cited by 101 publications

References 33 publications

Plant colonization in heterogeneous landscapes: an 80‐year perspective on restoration of broadleaved forest vegetation

Plant colonization in heterogeneous landscapes: an 80‐year perspective on restoration of broadleaved forest vegetation

Soil acid phosphomonoesterase activity and phosphorus forms in ancient and post-agricultural black alder [Alnus glutinosa (L.) Gaertn.] woodlands

Previous land use alters plant allocation and growth in forest herbs

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