Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Shun Li, Tianming Wang, Zhengyang Hou, Yinan Gong, Limin Feng, Jianping Ge
Summary: Forest understory vegetation is crucial for providing food, nutrition, and habitat for wildlife. Terrestrial Laser Scanning (TLS) has the potential to improve the accuracy of predicting understory biomass and monitoring biomass changes under the influence of wildlife.
ECOLOGICAL INDICATORS
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Christopher J. Frost
Summary: Through the use of visual estimation techniques, citizen science initiatives have helped collect a large amount of herbivory data, confirming that understory leaves have significantly higher herbivory rates than canopy leaves; although younger participants showed some bias, data integrity remained high.
Article
Forestry
Hathai A. Sangsupan, David E. Hibbs, Bradford A. Withrow-Robinson, Stephen Elliott
Summary: The framework species method (FSM) of forest restoration involves planting mixtures of native forest trees to catalyze or complement natural regeneration and accelerate recovery of a diverse understory in tropical forests. Our study investigated the relationship between microsite light availability and two-year survival and growth of naturally-recruited tree seedlings, revealing that most seedlings were tolerant of the range of understory light levels and were sensitive to increases in light levels. This suggests that light is a crucial factor driving regeneration and community assembly in seasonally dry tropical forests undergoing restoration.
FOREST ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT
(2021)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Felicity L. Newell, Ian J. Ausprey, Scott K. Robinson
Summary: Warming temperatures are increasing rainfall extremes, which in turn affects the biomass of arthropods. This study found that rainfall is the primary driver of arthropod biomass, with both high and low rainfall reducing arthropods by half. Additionally, the study predicts shifts in biomass timing within cloud forests due to changes in rainfall patterns. The study also highlights the susceptibility of arthropods to desiccation and the potential destabilization of insectivore food webs.
GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Forestry
Woongsoon Jang, Justin S. Crotteau, Yvette K. Ortega, Sharon M. Hood, Christopher R. Keyes, Dean E. Pearson, Duncan C. Lutes, Anna Sala
Summary: The study examined the long-term effects of restoration treatments on native and non-native understory vegetation in a forest in Montana. Native vegetation showed predictable successional patterns, while non-native vegetation responded more sharply to the treatments, with differences persisting through the 23-year observation period. The results suggest that understory responses in this forest type were fairly resilient to restoration treatments after 23 years, but retreatment may be necessary to prevent non-native plant invasion.
FOREST ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT
(2021)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Sangsan Phumsathan, Kunanon Daonurai, Ekaphan Kraichak, Sarawood Sungkaew, Atchara Teerawatananon, Nantachai Pongpattananurak
Summary: Fire plays an important role in tropical deciduous forests in clearing understory vegetation and promoting regeneration of grasses and forbs. However, the effects of past logging activities and fire suppression on understory communities have not been studied. This research investigated the understory composition and biomass before and after prescribed burns in Huai Kha Khaeng Wildlife Sanctuary and Huai Thab Salao-Huai Rabum Non-Hunting Area. The results indicate that logging and fire suppression have reduced key dipterocarp forests and hindered the regeneration of grasses and forbs.
Article
Plant Sciences
Dallas Hall Defrees, Joshua P. Averett, Bryan A. Endress
Summary: Research has shown that protection and foliar overlap have an impact on shrub height, with high levels of protection reducing the proportion of shrubs exhibiting arrested architecture and taller shrubs being more associated with intermediate levels of foliar overlap.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Xiaolin Zhu, Eileen H. Helmer, David Gwenzi, Melissa Collin, Sean Fleming, Jiaqi Tian, Humfredo Marcano-Vega, Elvia J. Melendez-Ackerman, Jess K. Zimmerman
Summary: This study successfully reconstructed a high-quality Landsat time series from 2005 to 2009 and extracted 15 phenology metrics for tropical forests using a series of advanced technologies. The results show that the reconstructed images can effectively detect clouds and shadows, and accurately fill data gaps caused by them.
Article
Ecology
Alejandro A. Royo, Walter P. Carson
Summary: Chronic ungulate browse pressure in temperate forests can lead to ecological legacies characterized by low plant diversity and dense understory vegetation. An experiment in Pennsylvania, USA, showed that fern cover gaps enhanced tree seedling establishment, while excluding deer increased the height growth of other regeneration species. This highlights the need for stand-replacing disturbances to promote greater forest diversity.
ECOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Alexa S. Wagnerl, Sheryl M. Petersen, Sarah Camino-Kyker, Mike Watson, David J. Burke, Katharine L. Stuble
Summary: White-tailed deer have the ability to impact the ecological integrity of eastern deciduous forests by altering plant community composition and structure. The strength and nature of these impacts can be influenced by forest edges, which provide suitable habitats for deer and introduced plant species. This study suggests that deer have relatively weak impacts on plant communities across different forest habitats, but forest fragmentation and the creation of edge habitat can significantly affect the composition of the forest understory.
NATURAL AREAS JOURNAL
(2023)
Article
Forestry
Lucie Bon, Laurent Augusto, Jonathan Gaudry, Mark R. Bakker, Catherine Lambrot, Sylvie Milin, Pierre Trichet, Nicolas Fanin
Summary: This study investigates the effects of phosphorus fertilisation, understory removal, and their interaction on carbon storage and soil enzyme activities in two moorlands planted with maritime pines. Results show that in wet moorlands, fertilisation and understory removal have a positive effect on tree biomass, but do not affect soil carbon stocks or enzyme activities. In dry moorlands, understory removal has a positive effect on tree biomass but decreases topsoil organic carbon stocks and enzyme activities. Overall, the study highlights the importance of adapting forest practices based on environmental context and carbon sequestration objectives.
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF FOREST RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Biology
Angela Marcela Barrera-Bello, Alba Marina Torres-Gonzalez
Summary: This study characterized the distribution, building, diversity, demography, and phenology of ant gardens in a dry tropical forest. Gardens built by Azteca ulei were found near water bodies and benefited the germination, establishment, and reproduction of diverse epiphytes in the dry tropical ecosystem.
REVISTA DE BIOLOGIA TROPICAL
(2022)
Article
Ecology
J. J. Cordeiro, I. S. Costa, V. J. Salgado, R. G. Costa-Filho, M. P. Santos, M. P. dos Santos, E. M. Coutinho, M. A. Castellani, M. M. Correa, R. J. Sa-Neto
Summary: The study analyzed the removal of a toxic plant by ant colonies, finding a preference for mature and fresh leaves removal to reduce the number of secondary compounds and ensure food availability stability. Despite lower consumption of T. glaucocarpa than previous reports, a preference for removing fresh leaves was observed during the experiment.
ARTHROPOD-PLANT INTERACTIONS
(2021)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Pedro E. Santos-Neto, Xavier Arnan, Jose D. Ribeiro-Neto, Rainer Wirth, Inara R. Leal
Summary: Aridity and chronic disturbance have different effects on plant and insect communities. Aridity reduces plant species richness, while disturbance increases sap-sucking insect species richness. Both aridity and disturbance impact plant community composition, while insect assemblages are only influenced by aridity. Aridity is associated with reduced network specialization and modularity. Aridity can also alter the specialization of specific insect species.
JOURNAL OF INSECT CONSERVATION
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Carlos Daniel Cardenas, Daniela Varon-Garcia, Freddy Suarez-Rodriguez, Camila Pizano
Summary: Tropical dry forests (TDF) are highly threatened and poorly protected ecosystems in the Americas. In a greenhouse experiment, it was found that the non-legume species G. ulmifolia performed best in terms of seedling performance, biomass allocation, and water usage compared to legume species in the face of water limitation and herbivory. Moreover, N-fixing legume species were recommended for TDF restoration projects due to their ability to fix nitrogen in the soil.
JOURNAL OF TROPICAL ECOLOGY
(2022)
