Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Bo Zhao, Ashley P. Ballantyne, Shengwang Meng, Guang Zhao, Zhoutao Zheng, Juntao Zhu, Jing Cao, Yangjian Zhang, Xiuhai Zhao
Summary: This study investigated the effects of thinning, understory plant removal, and their interactions on soil respiration (Rs) and its components (Ra and Rh) in a Pinus tabuliformis plantation. Thinning increased Rs, while understory removal decreased Rs. Changes in Rs were mainly attributed to variations in Ra, which were influenced by the growth of fine root biomass. However, when thinning and understory removal were combined, Rs remained unchanged. No interaction effect was observed between thinning and understory removal on Rs, Ra, and Rh.
GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Forestry
Mercedes Valerio, Ricardo Ibanez, Antonio Gazol
Summary: The understory of temperate forests contains most of the plant species diversity in the ecosystem, which is maintained by canopy gap formation promoting spatiotemporal heterogeneity. Gap dynamics influence the species composition and richness of understory vegetation through changes in light availability and leaf litter cover, impacting the stability of these communities over a decade.
Article
Forestry
Atsushi Ohwaki, Takahiro Ishikawa, Seiji Morita, Yutaro Okatsu, Yosuke Nakano, Hitoshi Sakio
Summary: Old-growth forests are important for maintaining biodiversity and ecosystem services. This study investigated the effects of natural disturbances and heterogeneity on ground beetle diversity in an old-growth beech forest, and found that these factors enhance biodiversity in old-growth forests.
FOREST ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT
(2023)
Article
Forestry
Musa Akbas, Aydin Tufekcioglu
Summary: This study investigates the soil respiration and its components in beech stands, finding that the root respiration contributes 58.8% and the heterotrophic respiration contributes 41.2% to the total soil respiration. The study also reveals that soil respiration and its components are affected by biogeochemical factors and climatic conditions, and each component of respiration responds differently to changes in these factors.
Article
Forestry
Jan F. Wilkens, Sven Wagner
Summary: The success of beech regeneration is influenced by resource availability, with direct and diffuse solar radiation, soil fertility, and overstorey tree fine root density found to have significant effects on seedling survival. Direct solar radiation had a negative impact on survival, particularly intensifying on groundwater-dominated and higher elevated micro-sites, while the complementary effects of diffuse solar radiation, overstorey beech fine root density, and soil fertility were emphasized in improving beech seedling survival in the face of climate change impacts.
FOREST ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT
(2021)
Article
Forestry
Daniel Scherrer, Fabien Hiltebrand, Jurgen Dengler, Thomas Wohlgemuth
Summary: This study compared Tree Regeneration (TR) in representative plots of the Swiss National Forest Inventory with an opportunistic "gap sampling" strategy, revealing higher TR densities and species richness in the gap sampling. The gap sampling provided more consistent results and showed both general and species-specific patterns in TR composition. This suggests that an opportunistic gap-based monitoring of TR may be more effective in identifying the best forest management strategies in forests adapting to environmental change.
FOREST ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT
(2021)
Article
Forestry
Ursa Vilhar
Summary: This study investigated how changes in forest structural characteristics affect the water retention capacity of gaps and forests in fir-beech forests in the Dinaric Karst. The results showed that the water retention capacity was lowest in the experimental gap, followed by the old-growth gap, while it was highest and similar for both forests.
Article
Agronomy
Jordon C. Tourville, Michael R. Zarfos, Gregory B. Lawrence, Todd C. McDonnell, Timothy J. Sullivan, Martin Dovciak
Summary: Climate change may cause climatic envelopes of temperate tree species to shift into boreal forests with unsuitable soil conditions. This study found that both mycorrhizal colonization and soil pH can limit seedling establishment of temperate tree species. Among the species, sugar maple is more sensitive to soil chemistry, while American beech is more sensitive to soil pH. Mycorrhizal colonization of sugar maple is positively correlated with soil pH and conspecific overstory basal area. In montane conifer forests, the establishment of sugar maple is impeded by both biotic and abiotic soil components, while in temperate deciduous forests, it is hindered by soil acidity.
Article
Soil Science
Xiaoqin Cheng, Hairong Han, Jiang Zhu, Xinhao Peng, Bin Li, Hongwen Liu, Howard E. Epstein
Summary: The study found that forest thinning and organic matter manipulation significantly influence soil respiration in Larix principisrupprechtii plantation, with the highest respiration rate observed under medium thinning conditions, while low and high thinning had less impact on respiration. Organic matter manipulation led to a noticeable reduction in soil respiration, and temperature and moisture were key factors affecting soil respiration.
SOIL & TILLAGE RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Forestry
Natalie Coe, Obadiah Mulder, Kenneth Mulder
Summary: BBD is a significant threat to American beech forests, and we developed a novel hierarchical Bayesian model to simultaneously model disease dynamics and tree growth. The model can be adapted to different forest-pathogen systems and helps in predicting ecosystem loss.
Article
Forestry
Danni He, Daoli Peng, Hua Yang, Xiaohong Zhang
Summary: The environmental heterogeneity caused by forest gaps formation has significant implications for forest regeneration. Different tree species respond differently to the environment. Gap size and location have a notable effect on canopy structure and light environment. Knowledge of the ecological characteristics of the target species enables the selection of appropriate relative positions in silvicultural practices.
FOREST ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT
(2023)
Article
Agronomy
Azade Deljouei, Alessio Cislaghi, Ehsan Abdi, Stelian Alexandru Borz, Baris Majnounian, Tristram C. Hales
Summary: Root reinforcement is a crucial parameter in slope stability analysis, but its inclusion at the hillslope-scale is challenging. This study investigates root distributions and reinforcement at an unprecedented scale and explores the factors influencing them.
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Jasik Michal, Ziemblinska Klaudia, Urbaniak Marek, Olejnik Janusz, Skorupski Maciej, Malek Stanislaw
Summary: The aim of this research was to evaluate the changes in ecochemical indices in rainwater passing through tree canopies and penetrating soils, and it was found that introducing beech undergrowth in pine stands may lead to increased soil acidification.
Article
Soil Science
Xin Zhao, Naishen Liang, Jiye Zeng, Azian Mohti
Summary: Partitioning soil respiration into heterotrophic and autotrophic compartments is crucial for understanding the response of soil carbon flux to climate change, but current methods are costly and uncertain. A simple model based on root biomass was developed and applied to a tropical forest in Southeast Asia, showing a stronger linear correlation compared to traditional methods. The model has the potential for global application in partitioning soil respiration in various forests.
SOIL BIOLOGY & BIOCHEMISTRY
(2021)
Article
Remote Sensing
Zihan Du, Guang Zheng, Guochun Shen, L. Monika Moskal
Summary: This study introduced two new concepts, PCG and POCG, to describe the effects of forest canopy gaps on forest three-dimensional structure and direct incoming solar radiation. The ALS-based methods developed for extraction and validation provide a solid foundation for forest dynamic monitoring and management.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF APPLIED EARTH OBSERVATION AND GEOINFORMATION
(2021)