Seasonal changes in the understorey biomass of an oak-hornbeam forest Galio sylvatici-Carpinetum betuli

Abstract

Abstract. We studied seasonal changes in the understorey biomass of an oak-hornbeam forest association Galio sylvatici-Carpinetum betuli. Samples were collected weekly during the most dynamic period of herbaceous layer development (April-May 2010), and every two weeks for the remainder of the growing season (June-October). Samples were collected from 10 randomly selected localities of 0.36 m 2 within the plant community. The plants harvested were separated by species, then oven-dried and weighed. There were statistically significant differences in aboveground understorey biomass during the time between harvests. For example, the lowest plant biomass (produced in 2010 and previous years) was found on April 3rd (37.2 kg/ha), whereas the two highest were on May 1 st (308.1 kg/ha) and June 12 th (337.6 kg/ha). The lowest biomass of plants produced in 2010 was on April 3 rd (13.0 kg/ha) and the highest was on May 1 st (259.8 kg/ha). When biomass of particular herbaceous plant species were analyzed, there was no one clearly dominant species. For example, from March 20 th to May 22 nd the biomass of Ficaria verna was the highest at ca. 36% of the total herbaceous layer plant biomass (range: 14.5-51.0%). During the next harvesting period (June-October), there were a few dominant herbaceous plant species, e.g. Geranium robertianum, Stachys sylvatica, Impatiens parviflora, Dryopteris dilatata, Dryopteris carthusiana, Dryopteris filix-mas, and Maianthemum bifolium.

Seasonal Dynamics of Floodplain Forest Understory–Impacts of Degradation, Light Availability and Temperature on Biomass and Species Composition

“…If a particular plant was partially within the frame, but the root was outside, the plant was not harvested. Using this method, we assumed that biomass of plants rooted outside the frame and partially covering the frame was equal to the biomass of plants rooted inside the frame and partially covering area outside the frame [27]. In cases of natural regeneration of trees and shrubs, we harvested only individuals <0.5 m height (assumed as a threshold between understory and shrub layer).…”

“…Seasonality of deciduous forest ecosystems is connected with foliage fall during the autumn and its emergence during spring [24][25][26]. These dynamics imply taxonomic and functional diversity of dominants in understory biomass [26][27][28]. Seasonal dynamics are driven by changes in canopy openness, which allow development of spring ephemerals during an early spring period of high light availability, followed by decreasing light availability during late spring and summer [29,30].…”

Species diversity, biomass accumulation and carbon sequestration in the understorey of post-agricultural Scots pine forests

“…The post-agricultural coniferous plantations are easily colonized by broadleaved plants (Wulf and Heinken 2008). Their admixture favours an increase in the understorey vascular species diversity (Kaźmierczakowa 1971;Kubiček and Jurko 1975;Barbier et al 2008;Jagodziński et al 2013) and accelerates the development of ground vegetation. The increasing moss and understorey vascular species richness and understorey vascular plant biomass correlated with the growing contribution of broadleaved trees, which was also observed in our study in the two older age-series of the Scots pine plantation (Table 2, Fig.…”

“…Thus, post-agricultural plantations of Scots pine contribute to climate change mitigation by C sequestration. The forest ground vegetation, however, also participate in C storage (Moore et al 2007;Parzych 2010;Jagodziński et al 2013). Usually the contribution of understorey plant biomass, expressed as a percentage of the total aboveground biomass of the forest community, is at the 2% level (Yarie 1980;Muller 2003;Gilliam 2007).…”

“…Usually the contribution of understorey plant biomass, expressed as a percentage of the total aboveground biomass of the forest community, is at the 2% level (Yarie 1980;Muller 2003;Gilliam 2007). The total annual production of the understorey may reach 20% of the total aboveground biomass if we consider the seasonal changes in the ground vegetation composition, particularly in deciduous forests (Kaźmierczakowa 1971;Kubiček and Jurko 1975;Tremblay and Larocque 2001;Jagodziński et al 2013). The seasonal differences in the understorey cover and the species composition are much less pronounced in coniferous forests where mosses and perennial vascular plants (some of them even evergreen) dominate (Matuszkiewicz 2001).…”