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Soil seed bank responses to edge effects in temperate European forests

Cristina Gasperini, Kurt Bollmann, Jörg Brunet, Sara A. O. Cousins, Guillaume Decocq, Karen De Pauw (UGent) , Martin Diekmann, Sanne Govaert, Bente J. Graae, Per‐Ola Hedwall, et al.
(2022) GLOBAL ECOLOGY AND BIOGEOGRAPHY. 31(9). p.1877-1893
Author
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  • FORMICA (Microclimatic buffering of plant responses to macroclimate warming in temperate forests)
Abstract
Aim The amount of forest edges is increasing globally due to forest fragmentation and land-use changes. However, edge effects on the soil seed bank of temperate forests are still poorly understood. Here, we assessed edge effects at contrasting spatial scales across Europe and quantified the extent to which edges can preserve the seeds of forest specialist plants. Location Temperate European deciduous forests along a 2,300-km latitudinal gradient. Time period 2018-2021. Major taxa studied Vascular plants. Methods Through a greenhouse germination experiment, we studied how edge effects alter the density, diversity, composition and functionality of forest soil seed banks in 90 plots along different latitudes, elevations and forest management types. We also assessed which environmental conditions drive the seed bank responses at the forest edge versus interior and looked at the relationship between the seed bank and the herb layer species richness. Results Overall, 10,108 seedlings of 250 species emerged from the soil seed bank. Seed density and species richness of generalists (species not only associated with forests) were higher at edges compared to interiors, with a negative influence of C : N ratio and litter quality. Conversely, forest specialist species richness did not decline from the interior to the edge. Also, edges were compositionally, but not functionally, different from interiors. The correlation between the seed bank and the herb layer species richness was positive and affected by microclimate. Main conclusions Our results underpin how edge effects shape species diversity and composition of soil seed banks in ancient forests, especially increasing the proportion of generalist species and thus potentially favouring a shift in community composition. However, the presence of many forest specialists suggests that soil seed banks still play a key role in understorey species persistence and could support the resilience of our fragmented forests.
Keywords
deciduous forests, edge effect, forest biodiversity, forest specialists, microclimate, plant traits, soil seed banks, understorey vegetation, LAND-USE HISTORY, HABITAT FRAGMENTATION, PLANT, UNDERSTOREY, TRAITS, LITTER, HETEROGENEITY, SPECIALIST, INDICATORS, VEGETATION

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Citation

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MLA
Gasperini, Cristina, et al. “Soil Seed Bank Responses to Edge Effects in Temperate European Forests.” GLOBAL ECOLOGY AND BIOGEOGRAPHY, vol. 31, no. 9, 2022, pp. 1877–93, doi:10.1111/geb.13568.
APA
Gasperini, C., Bollmann, K., Brunet, J., Cousins, S. A. O., Decocq, G., De Pauw, K., … De Frenne, P. (2022). Soil seed bank responses to edge effects in temperate European forests. GLOBAL ECOLOGY AND BIOGEOGRAPHY, 31(9), 1877–1893. https://doi.org/10.1111/geb.13568
Chicago author-date
Gasperini, Cristina, Kurt Bollmann, Jörg Brunet, Sara A. O. Cousins, Guillaume Decocq, Karen De Pauw, Martin Diekmann, et al. 2022. “Soil Seed Bank Responses to Edge Effects in Temperate European Forests.” GLOBAL ECOLOGY AND BIOGEOGRAPHY 31 (9): 1877–93. https://doi.org/10.1111/geb.13568.
Chicago author-date (all authors)
Gasperini, Cristina, Kurt Bollmann, Jörg Brunet, Sara A. O. Cousins, Guillaume Decocq, Karen De Pauw, Martin Diekmann, Sanne Govaert, Bente J. Graae, Per‐Ola Hedwall, Giovanni Iacopetti, Jonathan Lenoir, Sigrid Lindmo, Camille Meeussen, Anna Orczewska, Quentin Ponette, Jan Plue, Pieter Sanczuk, Fabien Spicher, Thomas Vanneste, Pieter Vangansbeke, Florian Zellweger, Federico Selvi, and Pieter De Frenne. 2022. “Soil Seed Bank Responses to Edge Effects in Temperate European Forests.” GLOBAL ECOLOGY AND BIOGEOGRAPHY 31 (9): 1877–1893. doi:10.1111/geb.13568.
Vancouver
1.
Gasperini C, Bollmann K, Brunet J, Cousins SAO, Decocq G, De Pauw K, et al. Soil seed bank responses to edge effects in temperate European forests. GLOBAL ECOLOGY AND BIOGEOGRAPHY. 2022;31(9):1877–93.
IEEE
[1]
C. Gasperini et al., “Soil seed bank responses to edge effects in temperate European forests,” GLOBAL ECOLOGY AND BIOGEOGRAPHY, vol. 31, no. 9, pp. 1877–1893, 2022.
@article{8766235,
  abstract     = {{Aim The amount of forest edges is increasing globally due to forest fragmentation and land-use changes. However, edge effects on the soil seed bank of temperate forests are still poorly understood. Here, we assessed edge effects at contrasting spatial scales across Europe and quantified the extent to which edges can preserve the seeds of forest specialist plants. Location Temperate European deciduous forests along a 2,300-km latitudinal gradient. Time period 2018-2021. Major taxa studied Vascular plants. Methods Through a greenhouse germination experiment, we studied how edge effects alter the density, diversity, composition and functionality of forest soil seed banks in 90 plots along different latitudes, elevations and forest management types. We also assessed which environmental conditions drive the seed bank responses at the forest edge versus interior and looked at the relationship between the seed bank and the herb layer species richness. Results Overall, 10,108 seedlings of 250 species emerged from the soil seed bank. Seed density and species richness of generalists (species not only associated with forests) were higher at edges compared to interiors, with a negative influence of C : N ratio and litter quality. Conversely, forest specialist species richness did not decline from the interior to the edge. Also, edges were compositionally, but not functionally, different from interiors. The correlation between the seed bank and the herb layer species richness was positive and affected by microclimate. Main conclusions Our results underpin how edge effects shape species diversity and composition of soil seed banks in ancient forests, especially increasing the proportion of generalist species and thus potentially favouring a shift in community composition. However, the presence of many forest specialists suggests that soil seed banks still play a key role in understorey species persistence and could support the resilience of our fragmented forests.}},
  author       = {{Gasperini, Cristina and Bollmann, Kurt and Brunet, Jörg and Cousins, Sara A. O. and Decocq, Guillaume and De Pauw, Karen and Diekmann, Martin and Govaert, Sanne and Graae, Bente J. and Hedwall, Per‐Ola and Iacopetti, Giovanni and Lenoir, Jonathan and Lindmo, Sigrid and Meeussen, Camille and Orczewska, Anna and Ponette, Quentin and Plue, Jan and Sanczuk, Pieter and Spicher, Fabien and Vanneste, Thomas and Vangansbeke, Pieter and Zellweger, Florian and Selvi, Federico and De Frenne, Pieter}},
  issn         = {{1466-822X}},
  journal      = {{GLOBAL ECOLOGY AND BIOGEOGRAPHY}},
  keywords     = {{deciduous forests,edge effect,forest biodiversity,forest specialists,microclimate,plant traits,soil seed banks,understorey vegetation,LAND-USE HISTORY,HABITAT FRAGMENTATION,PLANT,UNDERSTOREY,TRAITS,LITTER,HETEROGENEITY,SPECIALIST,INDICATORS,VEGETATION}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{9}},
  pages        = {{1877--1893}},
  title        = {{Soil seed bank responses to edge effects in temperate European forests}},
  url          = {{http://doi.org/10.1111/geb.13568}},
  volume       = {{31}},
  year         = {{2022}},
}
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