Modern analogues from the Southern Urals provide insights into biodiversity change in the early Holocene forests of Central Europe

Abstract

Aim The diversity changes that occurred in Central European forests during the early Holocene can be better understood using ecological knowledge of modern analogues of these forests, which occur in far Eastern Europe. Here we compare the diversity of vascular plants, bryophytes and snails among different forest types of the Southern Urals to provide insights into the palaeoecology of the vanished Central European forests.Location Southern Ural Mountains, Bashkortostan, Russia.Methods We recorded all species of vascular plants, ground-dwelling bryophytes and land snails, and measured biotic and abiotic variables, in 100-m 2 plots located in four forest types dominated by different trees: Pinus sylvestris-Larix sibirica, Betula pendula-Populus tremula, Quercus robur and Acer platanoides-Tilia cordataUlmus glabra. These types correspond to the chronosequence of forest communities that occurred in Central Europe in the early Holocene. ResultsThe species richness of herb-layer plants was most affected by the canopy-transmitted light. The former three forest types had open canopy and were rich in species, whereas the Acer-Tilia-Ulmus forests were darker and poor in species. The species richness of ground-dwelling bryophytes decreased from coniferous to broad-leaved deciduous forests. In contrast, the highest species richness of snails was in the Acer-Tilia-Ulmus forests owing to the higher calcium content in the litter of these trees.Main conclusions Based on the modern analogue of the Southern Ural forests, we propose the hypothesis that the late-glacial open-canopy pine and larch forests of Central European lowlands were rich in light-demanding species of vascular plants, many of which were also typical of tall-grass steppes or mesic grasslands. They also contained several species of ground-dwelling bryophytes. The spread of birch, aspen and oak in the early Holocene reduced the local species richness of ground-dwelling bryophytes but not of vascular plants. The subsequent spread of elm, lime, maple and ash caused canopy closure, a retreat of the lightdemanding herbs and a decline in the local species richness of vascular plants. Besides the increased shading by these tree species, their litter enriched soils in calcium, and enhanced decomposition and nutrient cycling. This supported an increase in the species richness of land snails.

An ecological classification of Central European macromoths: habitat associations and conservation status returned from life history attributes

“…The natural dynamics of temperate deciduous woodlands, which reach their eastern limits at Ural Mts. (Chytry et al 2010), would likely be finer-scaled and patchy (Valverde and Silvertown 1997;Paluch 2007), with frequent open canopy conditions. Wooded steppes and grasslands occur to the south of the woodlands (Magyari et al 2010), corresponding with the Pontomediterranean element.…”

Environmental factors influencing herb layer productivity in Central European oak forests: insights from soil and biomass analyses and a phytometer experiment

“…Lieth and Whittaker 1975;Churkina and Running 1998), soil factors (nutrient content and moisture retention) and light availability become more relevant at a local scale (Al-Mufti et al 1977;Adkison and Gleeson 2004). In addition, the herb layer is also influenced by the dominant tree species, especially through the characteristics of the litter (Barbier et al 2008;Chytrý et al 2010). In general, variability in the forest herb layer biomass is complex, and further studies are needed to comprehend the relative roles of different factors in determining herb layer productivity.…”

Ecology and distribution of Dicranum viride (Sull. Lesq.) Lindb. (Bryophyta) in the Southern Ural Mts.

“…In spite of the poor nemoral flora of the Southern Urals in comparison with that of Central Europe (Chytrý et al, 2010), populations of the rare species Dicranum viride in Bashkortostan are abundant on suitable substrates and habitats. Conservation of luxurious Dicranum viride populations in the Southern Urals is dependent on several environmental and historical factors discussed below.…”