Tree species traits are the predominant control on the decomposition rate of tree log bark in a mesic old-growth boreal forest

Shorohova, Ekaterina; Kapitsa, Ekaterina; Казарцев, И. А.; Romashkin, Ivan; Polevoi, Alexei V.; Kushnevskaya, E. V.

doi:10.1016/j.foreco.2016.06.036

Cited by 31 publications

(22 citation statements)

References 24 publications

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“…Because no attempt was made to alter the porosity of synthetic logs, and the natural logs were moderately to well‐decayed, the range of different porosities (and therefore, possible moisture‐dynamics) in this study was limited. Given the high variability in decomposition observed among tree species (Shorohova & Kapitsa ; Shorohova, Kapitsa & Kazartsev ), additional experiments with further‐refined synthetic substrates, coupled with more detailed studies of the physical properties of natural rotting logs, are needed. Second, does microclimate vary across the log surface?…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Log moisture capacity does not predict epixylic bryophyte growth under thinned and unthinned forest canopies

Haughian

Frego

2017

Functional Ecology

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Summary Coarse woody debris (CWD) serves as habitat for diverse and rare taxa in forest systems. Because the abundance of mosses appears to be correlated with log size and stage of decay, many have suggested that CWD serves as a moisture reservoir, ensuring a humid microclimate and facilitating moss growth, but no one has tested this connection. Intact forest canopies are also thought to maintain humid conditions that benefit moss growth. If microclimatic regulation is the primary mechanism contributing to high moss abundance on CWD, then epixylic moss growth should increase with the capacity of the log moisture reservoir, and the importance of the reservoir size should increase with canopy opening. Three types of synthetic logs, identical in size and shape but differing in moisture capacity, and two natural substrates, well‐decayed birch and cedar logs, were used to test the effects of log moisture capacity on growth of Dicranum flagellare under thinned and intact canopies of a spruce plantation over 20 months. Surface humidity was positively associated with moisture capacity, but did not reach the water compensation point outside of precipitation events. Under a closed forest canopy, moss growth was negligible across all log types. Under an open forest canopy, moss growth was greater on natural substrates than synthetic ones, and negatively related to moisture capacity. Coarse woody debris facilitates a sufficiently humid surface for only a short time after precipitation, presumably when a film of liquid water is maintained near the surface. For D. flagellare, canopy condition is a more accurate predictor of growth than CWD‐moisture capacity; any beneficial properties of CWD appear to be lessened by a dense forest canopy (as in silvicultural plantations), probably because it reduces access to liquid water from precipitation. We propose that the surface moisture availability of CWD depends on optimal depth of a ‘resisting layer’ below the log surface, representing a tradeoff between water retention and loss (via percolation or runoff at extremely deep vs. shallow resisting layer depth). Coarse woody debris may possess microclimate‐regulating traits that benefit moss growth, but it does not appear to act as a moisture capacitor. A http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1365-2435.12864/suppinfo is available for this article.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Log moisture capacity does not predict epixylic bryophyte growth under thinned and unthinned forest canopies

Haughian

Frego

2017

Functional Ecology

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“…Important but after early stage the effect may weaken/disappear (Shorohova & Kapitsa, ; Shorohova et al., )…”

Section: Bark's Role In the Decomposition Of Woodmentioning

confidence: 99%

The cover uncovered: Bark control over wood decomposition

et al. 2018

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1. Woody debris (WD) represents a globally significant carbon stock and its decomposition returns nutrients to the soil while providing habitat to microbes, plants and animals. Understanding what drives WD decomposition is therefore important.2. WD decomposition rates differ greatly among species. However, the role of bark in the process remains poorly known.3. We ask how, and how much, interspecific variation in bark functional traits related to growth and protection have afterlife effects on the decomposition of wood, partly mediated by animals. We examine the roles of bark cover and bark traits throughout the wood decomposition process. 4.Synthesis. We find that: (1) bark effects on WD decomposition are species-and wood size-specific, (2) bark can enhance coarser WD decomposition but slows twig decomposition in some species, and (3) bark acts as an environmental filter to faunal assemblages in the early stage of wood decomposition. We highlight the need to account for bark effects on WD decomposition and offer an important complementary contribution to including woody species identity effects in biogeochemical and climate-change models via species bark traits. K E Y W O R D Sarthropod, bark traits, carbon cycling, coarse woody debris, decomposition, ecosystem function, fungi, species identity effect

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“…The biotope was Oxalis acetosella - Vaccinium myrtillus type spruce forest, over 150 years old (for details see Shorohova et al 2016). Trunk emergence traps (Polevoi and Pilipenko 2016) were used as a collecting method.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Fourteen traps were set on the fallen aspens, which had died from 1 to 16 years ago. The time since death was determined using dendrochronological methods (Shorohova et al 2016). The traps were installed on 25 April 2016 and kept until 28 September 2016, with monthly checking.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Eleven remarkable Diptera species, emerged from fallen aspens in Kivach Nature Reserve, Russian Karelia

Polevoi¹,

Руоколайнен²,

Shorohova³

2018

BDJ

Self Cite

717

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BackgroundIn 2016, saproxylic Diptera associated with aspen (Populus tremula L.) logs were studied in the Kivach Nature Reserve, Russian Karelia, using trunk emergence traps.New informationEleven rare species of Diptera (families Limoniidae, Scatopsidae, Axymyiidae, Mycetophilidae, Sciaridae, Platypezidae, Syrphidae and Clusiidae) with poorly known distribution and ecology were recorded. For each species, basic diagnostic characteristics were provided along with the information on microhabitats. An attempt was also undertaken to outline possible associations with wood-decaying macrofungi using nonparametric correlation.

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Tree species traits are the predominant control on the decomposition rate of tree log bark in a mesic old-growth boreal forest

Cited by 31 publications

References 24 publications

Log moisture capacity does not predict epixylic bryophyte growth under thinned and unthinned forest canopies

Log moisture capacity does not predict epixylic bryophyte growth under thinned and unthinned forest canopies

The cover uncovered: Bark control over wood decomposition

Eleven remarkable Diptera species, emerged from fallen aspens in Kivach Nature Reserve, Russian Karelia

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