The colonization of decaying logs by vascular plants and the consequences of fallen logs for herb layer diversity in a lowland alluvial forest

Unar, Pavel; Janík, David; Adam, Dušan; Vymazalová, Marie

doi:10.1007/s10342-017-1063-2

Cited by 10 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 63 publications

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“…Moss cover helps retain water and creates valuable conditions for the vascular plant's colonization [66] already at the early decay stages [9,25]. The plant species succession occurring in deadwood [9,23,28,67] increases the substrate complexity. Although deadwood is inhabited by plant species typical for a particular forest community [9,67], the plant species composition differs on deadwood and the forest floor at the beginning [68] and then tends to gradually converge along the decomposition [21].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Previous studies have focused on differences in the vascular plant diversity between deadwood and forest floor, as well as between deadwood of different decay stages [9,21,25,28,67,69,70]. We hypothesized that fallen logs of Picea abies (L.) Karst of moderate and advanced decay stages strongly influence the distribution of vascular plants in an undisturbed old-growth middle taiga spruce forest.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Influence of Picea Abies Logs on the Distribution of Vascular Plants in Old-Growth Spruce Forests

Kikeeva,

Romashkin,

Nukolova

et al. 2024

Forests

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The deadwood contributes to an increase in soil heterogeneity due to the changing the microrelief (by the formation of windthrow-soil complexes), as well as changes in physical and chemical characteristics of decaying wood directly during xylolysis. We hypothesized that fallen logs as an element of microrelief influence the species composition and cover structure of vascular plants. We studied the influence of Picea abies (L.) Karst fallen logs of moderate and advanced decay stages on the horizontal distribution and heterogeneity of vascular plant cover in different microsite types (small boreal grass type, blueberry type, small boreal grass-blueberry type, herbs, and blueberry type) in old-growth middle taiga spruce forest in the Kivach State Nature Reserve (Republic of Karelia, Russia). The fallen deadwood acts as a factor of heterogeneity, causing reversible changes in the homogeneity of the original plant cover. The decaying logs influence the horizontal distribution of small herbs by changing the occurrence and density of shoots of Oxalis acetosella L., Maianthemum bifolium (L.) F.W. Schmidt, Vaccinium myrtillus L., and Vaccinium vitis-idaea L., as well as the occurrence of Luzula pilosa (L.) Willd. and Calamagrostis arundinacea (L.) Roth. Its impact on the heterogeneity parameters can be traced up to 20 cm from the log. The differences in vascular plant cover between fallen logs and the surrounding forest floor depend on the soil conditions of the microsite. The heterogeneity of conditions created by the logs smoothed out with increasing decay class, resulting in decreasing differences in the heterogeneity parameters of vascular plant cover between deadwood and forest floor. The changes in the homogeneity of the initial vascular plant cover by deadwood and the gradual smoothing of heterogeneity between the logs and the forest floor in rich and poor conditions have different, mainly opposite, trends. Finally, the structure of the vegetation cover reaches a state that is typical of particular growth conditions beyond deadwood.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Influence of Picea Abies Logs on the Distribution of Vascular Plants in Old-Growth Spruce Forests

Kikeeva,

Romashkin,

Nukolova

et al. 2024

Forests

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“…Most of the current European beech forests have a simplified structure and composition (Abrego & Salcedo, 2011), the traditional way of wood extraction (Abrego & Salcedo, 2011) or the modern forestry practices (Nordén et al, 2004) causing the depletion of coarse woody debris (CWD) -an important naturalness criterion and biodiversity indicator (Unar et al, 2017). This is the main reason for the threatening status of saproxylic fungi in Europe (Preikša et al, 2015), organisms playing a key role in forest biodiversity (Abrego & Salcedo, 2011) as major wood decomposers (Kubart et al, 2016).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Substrate properties, forest structure and climate influences wood-inhabiting fungal diversity in broadleaved and mixed forests from Northeastern Romania

Copoţ

Tănase

2021

For. syst.

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Aim of the study: The main objective of this study was to find the factors which best explains the wood-inhabiting fungal species’ richness in beech and oak-dominated forests.Area of study: We focused on broadleaved and mixed forests found in Northeastern Romania.Materials and methods: 59 plots were randomly set up in broadleaved and mixed forest stands, in which vegetation structure, composition, and topoclimatic factors were quantified along with wood-inhabiting fungal richness. Generalized linear models were used to characterize relationship between fungal diversity and biotic and abiotic factors.Main results: 374 taxa were identified, with numerous species found to cohabitate, the highest sharing being between Fine Woody Debris and Downed Coarse Woody Debris. The best predictors of total diversity were related to the substrate, management, stand structure, and macroclimate. Higher volumes of logs and large branches in various decay stages increased fungal richness. The same effect was found in diverse forests, with large snags. Macroclimate and topoclimate positively influenced diversity, through De Martonne Aridity Index and snow cover length, both indicating macrofungi preferences for higher moisture of substrate. Silvicultural interventions had an ambivalent effect to fungal diversity, phenomenon observed through stump numbers and proportion.Research highlights: Particular environmental characteristics proved significantly important in explaining different wood-inhabiting fungal richness patterns. Substrate-related variables were the most common ones found, but they were closely linked to climate and forest stand variables.Keywords: Wood-inhabiting fungi; oak, beech and coniferous forests; substrate diversity; dead wood types; coarse woody debris; fine woody debris; climatic variables.Abbreviations used:ALT, elevation; ASPI, Aspect Index; BIO1, mean annual temperature; BIO4, temperature seasonality; BIO7, annual temperature range; BIO12, annual precipitation; BIO15, precipitation seasonality; CWD, coarse woody debris; DBH, diameter at breast height; DCWD, downed coarse woody debris; DCWD_DECAY, DCWD decay diversity; DCWD_DIV, DCWD taxonomic diversity; DCWD_SV, surface-volume ratio of DCWD; DCWD_VOL, DCWD volume; DMAI, De Martonne Aridity Index; DMAI_AU, Autumn DMAI; DMAI_SP, Spring DMAI; DMAI_SU, Summer DMAI; DMAI_WI, Winter DMAI; FAI, Forestry Aridity Index; FWD, fine woody debris; L_SNAG_BA, large snag basal area; OLD_BA, basal area of old trees; POI, Positive Openness Index; RAI, Recent Activity Index; SCL, snow cover length; SLOPE, slope; SNAG_N, snag density; STUMP_N, stump density; TPI, Topographic Position Index; TREE_BA, mean basal area of trees; TREE_DIV, tree' Shannon diversity.

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“…Woody debris are an important component for forest ecosystems [HEILMANN-CLAUSEN & CHRISTENSEN, 2004], as they provide developing space and nutritional resources for a variety of lifeforms, including fungi [UNAR & al. 2017].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Many studies have pointed out the importance of large woody debris [BÎRSAN & al. 2014;ZHOU & DAI, 2012], with emphasis on the log category [HEILMANN-CLAUSEN & CHRISTENSEN, 2004;HEILMANN-CLAUSEN & CHRISTENSEN, 2005], which was shown to be an indicator to forest biodiversity [UNAR & al. 2017].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Climatic Predictors Influences VFWD Fungal Diversity Through Dominant Tree' Ecology in Beech Forests in the North-Eastern Romania

Copoţ¹,

Balaeş²,

Bîrsan³

et al. 2018

J. Plant Develop.

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Lignicolous fungi plays are a vital part of forest ecosystems in Europe. They are involved in Carbon cycle, through decay processes of woody debris. Very fine woody debris (VFWD) forms an important component of this dead wood, being found in any forest in the World. Among European and Romanian forests, Fagus spp. dominating forests are the most important broadleaved ecosystems, of great biotic and abiotic complexity. The present distribution of lignicolous fungi is mainly linked to trees distribution. In the context of climate change, European beech forests will also shift in distribution, structure and composition, triggering changes in lignicolous fungal communities and diversity as well. Considering this background, VFWD lignicolous diversity might be a future beech forests climate change indicator. This will bring the necessity of assessing the main climatic factors that are influencing the lignicolous fungal diversity distribution across European beech forests in Romanian's NorthEast Region. In the present study, our findings confirms the fact that macroclimate have a great influence on lignicolous mycodiversity in beech forests. It seems that minimum temperature and Gams Continentality Index explains approximately 48% of the mycodiversity variation. While dropping minimum temperatures and increasing Gams CI values, the lignicolous fungal richness will rise. While minimum temperature of January might be linked to a complex ecological and phonological framework, Gams CI is a known ecological indicator for optimum habitat of beech forests, which in turn influence lignicolous diversity distribution. Those climatic variables might characterize the relation between plants-fungi-climate in the near future, as increasing atmospheric temperatures will manifest at different scales. Thereafter, VFWD mycodiversity might function as a valuable macroclimatic changing indicator.

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The colonization of decaying logs by vascular plants and the consequences of fallen logs for herb layer diversity in a lowland alluvial forest

Cited by 10 publications

References 63 publications

Influence of Picea Abies Logs on the Distribution of Vascular Plants in Old-Growth Spruce Forests

Influence of Picea Abies Logs on the Distribution of Vascular Plants in Old-Growth Spruce Forests

Substrate properties, forest structure and climate influences wood-inhabiting fungal diversity in broadleaved and mixed forests from Northeastern Romania

Climatic Predictors Influences VFWD Fungal Diversity Through Dominant Tree' Ecology in Beech Forests in the North-Eastern Romania

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