Managing climate change microrefugia for vascular plants in forested karst landscapes

Bátori, Zoltán; Erdős, László; Gajdács, Márió; Barta, Károly; Tobak, Zalán; Frei, Kata; Tölgyesi, Csaba

doi:10.1016/j.foreco.2021.119446

Cited by 15 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 64 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Typical examples are the occurrence of forest-steppe plants on the mild north-facing slopes of kurgans situated in the steppe biome (Deák et al, 2017) and steppe plants situated on the top and on south-facing slopes of the kurgans within the forest-steppe biome (Deák et al, 2021a). In this sense, the function of the kurgans is analogous to the patterns described from landmarks, such as inselbergs and dolines, which are also characterized by a high level of topographical heterogeneity (Bátori et al, 2021; Ottaviani et al, 2016).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 85%

Heritage of ancient cultures supports conservation: a continent-wide perspective from the Eurasian steppes

Deák

Bede

Rádai

et al. 2022

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Civilisations including ancient ones, have shaped the global ecosystems in many ways through a co-evolution of landscapes and humans. However, the cultural legacies of ancient and lost civilisations are seldom considered in conservation. Here using a continental-scale dataset containing over 1,000 data records on the localities, land cover, protection status and cultural values related to ancient steppic burial mounds (so-called kurgans), we evaluated how these iconic and widespread landmarks can contribute to grassland conservation in the Eurasian steppes, which is one of the most endangered biomes on Earth. By using Bayesian logistic generalized regressions and proportional odds logistic regressions, we aimed to reveal the potential of mounds in preserving grasslands considering landscapes with different levels of land use transformation. We also compared the conservation potential of mounds situated inside and outside protected areas and assessed whether the presence of cultural, historical or spiritual values support the maintenance of grasslands on them. We revealed that kurgans have enormous importance in preserving grasslands in transformed landscapes outside protected areas, where they can act as habitat islands, and provide an additional pillar for conservation by contributing to habitat conservation and improvement of habitat connectivity. We found that besides their steep slopes hindering ploughing, the existence of cultural, historical or religious values could almost double the chance for grassland occurrence on kurgans due to the related extensive land use and the respect of local communities. As the estimated number of steppic mounds is about 600,000 and also similar historical features exist in all continents, our results can be upscaled to a global level. Our results also suggest that an integrative socio-ecological approach in conservation might support the positive synergistic effects of conservational, landscape and cultural values.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 85%

Heritage of ancient cultures supports conservation: a continent-wide perspective from the Eurasian steppes

Deák

Bede

Rádai

et al. 2022

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…For instance, the presence of poleward-facing slopes within a disturbed area may buffer the negative effects of disturbances on the distribution of some cool-adapted species (Olivero and Hix 1998). In a previous study, we have found that plant species on the north-facing slopes in forested dolines indicated a similar mean temperature after some years of logging to that which existed before the logging, while species on the south-facing slopes indicated an appreciable temperature increase (Bátori et al 2021). We also found that some cool-adapted fern species have colonised the north-facing slopes shortly after logging.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 82%

“…As a result of these forestry activities, canopy cover within some dolines has decreased to approximately 20-50% of its original extent, and only smaller patches of mature trees have survived (where timber harvesting is not feasible). These dolines are dominated by 5-10-year-old saplings [the detailed description of these forestry activities is provided in Bátori et al (2021)]. Common hornbeam (Carpinus betulus L.), European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.), and oak species (Quercus cerris L. and Quercus petraea (Matt.)…”

Section: Study Areamentioning

confidence: 99%

“…More recently, some studies have been published showing that dolines and their climate change vulnerable plant species are also sensitive to anthropogenic disturbances (Breg Valjavec et al 2018;Jian et al 2018;Bátori et al 2020). Examples include overgrazing (Brullo and Giusso del Galdo 2001) and commercial forest management (Kermavnar et al 2020;Bátori et al 2021). Therefore, assessing the potential of dolines to support the populations of climate change vulnerable species requires a deep understanding of the effects of different anthropogenic disturbances (cf.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Forest age and topographic position jointly shape the species richness and composition of vascular plants in karstic habitats

Bátori

Tölgyesi

et al. 2023

Annals of Forest Science

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Key message Dolines may provide important safe havens for many plant species and play a key role in maintaining biodiversity. The combined effects of forest age and topographic position influence the biodiversity patterns of these unique habitats. Forest managers, conservationists, and researchers need to work together in order to maintain the species richness and composition of these habitats under environmental changes. Context Dolines are the most prominent geomorphological features in many karst landscapes that may provide important microhabitats for many species. Aims We aim to contribute to a better understanding of how forest age and topographic position influence the plant species richness and composition of vascular plants within doline habitats. Methods We studied the effects of forest age (four age classes: from 5- to 10-year-old stands to more than 90-year-old stands), topographic position (south-facing slope, bottom, and north-facing slope), and their interaction on the distribution of vascular plants and mean Ellenberg indicator values in dolines using detrended correspondence analysis and mixed-effects models. Diagnostic species for the forest age classes and topographic positions were also determined. Results Different groups of vascular plant species usually showed significant preferences for certain topographic positions and/or forest age classes in dolines. In general, the number of species in all studied groups of plants increased after a few years of canopy removal. The number of plant species in almost all groups was lowest in dolines covered with 40–45-year-old forests. The moist and nutrient-rich doline bottoms covered with 90–120-year-old forests harboured many climate change vulnerable plant species. Conclusions Forest age and topographic position considerably influence the species richness and composition of vascular plants in dolines; therefore, forest managers and conservationists need to consider their potential impacts when evaluating the effects of climate warming on karst landscapes.

show abstract

“…dead and decayed branches and detached barks) used by different ant species 43 . Steep mound slopes can also contribute to the heterogeneity of microsites within the mounds because steep slopes with different aspects are characterised by contrasting environmental conditions (solar radiation, microclimates and soil properties) (see also Bátori et al 40 , 44 ). As the steepness of the slope can increase the contrasts among the microsites by influencing the amount of solar radiation received and precipitation runoff, between-microhabitat differences are larger in mounds with steeper slopes 17 .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Functional composition of ant assemblages in habitat islands is driven by habitat factors and landscape composition

Deák

Báthori

Lőrinczi

et al. 2021

Sci Rep

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Fragmented natural habitats within human-transformed landscapes play a key role in preserving biodiversity. Ants as keystone species are essential elements of terrestrial ecosystems; thus, it is important to understand the factors influencing their presence. In a large-scale multi-site study, we surveyed ant assemblages using sweep netting and D-vac sampling on 158 ancient burial mounds preserving grassland habitats in agricultural landscapes in East-Hungary. We asked the following questions: (1) How do habitat factors and landscape composition affect species richness and functional diversity of ants? (2) Which ant traits are affected by habitat factors and landscape composition? Despite their small sizes, mounds as permanent and relatively undisturbed landscape elements could provide safe havens for diverse ant assemblages even in transformed agricultural landscapes. The complex habitat structure of wooded mounds supported high species and functional diversity of ant assemblages. Ant species on wooded mounds had small or medium-sized colonies, enabling the co-existence of more species. The effect of landscape composition on ant assemblages was mediated by habitat factors: steep slopes buffered the negative effect of the cropland matrix and enabled higher ant diversity.

show abstract

Managing climate change microrefugia for vascular plants in forested karst landscapes

Cited by 15 publications

References 64 publications

Heritage of ancient cultures supports conservation: a continent-wide perspective from the Eurasian steppes

Heritage of ancient cultures supports conservation: a continent-wide perspective from the Eurasian steppes

Forest age and topographic position jointly shape the species richness and composition of vascular plants in karstic habitats

Functional composition of ant assemblages in habitat islands is driven by habitat factors and landscape composition

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About