Academic Bibliography

 Search 200 years of publications by Ghent University researchers.
Advanced search
1 file | 3.43 MB
Add to list
  1. Search results
  2. Herb layer species richness declines ...

Herb layer species richness declines with heterogeneity of the forest structure in primary beech-dominated forests while proportion of forest specialists increases

Marie Smyčková, Tomáš Koutecký, Mariana Ujházyová, Karol Ujházy, Kris Verheyen (UGent) , Daniel Volařík, Jan Šebesta, Michal Friedl, František Máliš and Jeňýk Hofmeister
(2024) FOREST ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT. 556.
Author
Organization
Abstract
Nature conservation in the Carpathians focuses on primary forest remnants as biodiversity hotspots. They are often recognized by structural attributes such as tree size heterogeneity and the occurrence of ancient trees. Studies from managed forests or on gradients from managed to unmanaged forests suggest that structure heterogeneity increases herb layer diversity. We have focused on mountain beech primary forests and tested the effect of tree -stand structure, and natural disturbance history on the herb vegetation composition and richness in 150 plots across Slovakia to complement the recent evidence. The overall herb species richness is declining with the increase of recent tree and shrub layer cover, and this decline was also observed for the richness of forest specialists, although their proportion to the other species is growing. Interestingly, we did not find any effect of canopy continuity or time since the last disturbance in the plot on the forest specialist's proportion. Our results suggest that species rich understory of primary mountain beech forests are characterized by relatively low structural complexity and low tree and shrub layer cover, and this is true also if only forest specialist species are considered. These outcomes emphasize the need for tailored strategies in monitoring and managing protected forests. With the recent landscape changes in Europe, they are important for understanding herbaceous vegetation development after the abandonment of forest use.
Keywords
Natural forests, Biodiversity, Forest structure, Vegetation, Disturbance, OLD-GROWTH, PLANT DIVERSITY, UNDERSTORY VEGETATION, VASCULAR PLANT, NORTH-WESTERN, TEMPERATE, MANAGEMENT, CONSERVATION, BIODIVERSITY, DYNAMICS

Downloads

  • Download
    (...).pdf
    • full text (Published version)
    • |
    • UGent only
    • |
    • PDF
    • |
    • 3.43 MB

Citation

Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:

MLA
Smyčková, Marie, et al. “Herb Layer Species Richness Declines with Heterogeneity of the Forest Structure in Primary Beech-Dominated Forests While Proportion of Forest Specialists Increases.” FOREST ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT, vol. 556, 2024, doi:10.1016/j.foreco.2024.121728.
APA
Smyčková, M., Koutecký, T., Ujházyová, M., Ujházy, K., Verheyen, K., Volařík, D., … Hofmeister, J. (2024). Herb layer species richness declines with heterogeneity of the forest structure in primary beech-dominated forests while proportion of forest specialists increases. FOREST ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT, 556. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foreco.2024.121728
Chicago author-date
Smyčková, Marie, Tomáš Koutecký, Mariana Ujházyová, Karol Ujházy, Kris Verheyen, Daniel Volařík, Jan Šebesta, Michal Friedl, František Máliš, and Jeňýk Hofmeister. 2024. “Herb Layer Species Richness Declines with Heterogeneity of the Forest Structure in Primary Beech-Dominated Forests While Proportion of Forest Specialists Increases.” FOREST ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT 556. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foreco.2024.121728.
Chicago author-date (all authors)
Smyčková, Marie, Tomáš Koutecký, Mariana Ujházyová, Karol Ujházy, Kris Verheyen, Daniel Volařík, Jan Šebesta, Michal Friedl, František Máliš, and Jeňýk Hofmeister. 2024. “Herb Layer Species Richness Declines with Heterogeneity of the Forest Structure in Primary Beech-Dominated Forests While Proportion of Forest Specialists Increases.” FOREST ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT 556. doi:10.1016/j.foreco.2024.121728.
Vancouver
1.
Smyčková M, Koutecký T, Ujházyová M, Ujházy K, Verheyen K, Volařík D, et al. Herb layer species richness declines with heterogeneity of the forest structure in primary beech-dominated forests while proportion of forest specialists increases. FOREST ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT. 2024;556.
IEEE
[1]
M. Smyčková et al., “Herb layer species richness declines with heterogeneity of the forest structure in primary beech-dominated forests while proportion of forest specialists increases,” FOREST ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT, vol. 556, 2024.
@article{01JK88HVCCAJNTX1MGCF3VDHK6,
  abstract     = {{Nature conservation in the Carpathians focuses on primary forest remnants as biodiversity hotspots. They are often recognized by structural attributes such as tree size heterogeneity and the occurrence of ancient trees. Studies from managed forests or on gradients from managed to unmanaged forests suggest that structure heterogeneity increases herb layer diversity. We have focused on mountain beech primary forests and tested the effect of tree -stand structure, and natural disturbance history on the herb vegetation composition and richness in 150 plots across Slovakia to complement the recent evidence. The overall herb species richness is declining with the increase of recent tree and shrub layer cover, and this decline was also observed for the richness of forest specialists, although their proportion to the other species is growing. Interestingly, we did not find any effect of canopy continuity or time since the last disturbance in the plot on the forest specialist's proportion. Our results suggest that species rich understory of primary mountain beech forests are characterized by relatively low structural complexity and low tree and shrub layer cover, and this is true also if only forest specialist species are considered. These outcomes emphasize the need for tailored strategies in monitoring and managing protected forests. With the recent landscape changes in Europe, they are important for understanding herbaceous vegetation development after the abandonment of forest use.}},
  articleno    = {{121728}},
  author       = {{Smyčková, Marie and Koutecký, Tomáš and Ujházyová, Mariana and Ujházy, Karol and Verheyen, Kris and Volařík, Daniel and Šebesta, Jan and Friedl, Michal and Máliš, František and Hofmeister, Jeňýk}},
  issn         = {{0378-1127}},
  journal      = {{FOREST ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT}},
  keywords     = {{Natural forests,Biodiversity,Forest structure,Vegetation,Disturbance,OLD-GROWTH,PLANT DIVERSITY,UNDERSTORY VEGETATION,VASCULAR PLANT,NORTH-WESTERN,TEMPERATE,MANAGEMENT,CONSERVATION,BIODIVERSITY,DYNAMICS}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  pages        = {{17}},
  title        = {{Herb layer species richness declines with heterogeneity of the forest structure in primary beech-dominated forests while proportion of forest specialists increases}},
  url          = {{http://doi.org/10.1016/j.foreco.2024.121728}},
  volume       = {{556}},
  year         = {{2024}},
}
Altmetric
View in Altmetric
Web of Science
Times cited: