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Povzetek: Forest ground vegetation may serve as an early warning system for monitoring anthropogenic global-change impacts on temperate forests. Climate warming may induce a decline of cool-adapted species to the benefit of more thermophilous plants. Nitrogen deposition has been documented to potentially result in soil eutrophication or acidification, which can increase the proportion of species with higher nutrient requirements and species impoverishment caused by competitive exclusion. Abiotic forest disturbances are changing the light conditions in the forest understorey environment. In this resurvey study, we tested the magnitude and direction of change in alpha (species richness) and beta (within-site dissimilarity) diversity and composition of forest ground vegetation in forests of different types in Slovenia over fifteen years. Using plant-derived characteristics (Ellenberg-type indicator values) and by testing a priori predictions concerning expected effects of environmental drivers, we show that the magnitude and direction of forest ground vegetation diversity and floristic changes varies greatly between forest sites. Divergent responses at different sites resulted in low net change of alpha and beta diversity and a weak overall environmental signal. The largest decrease in species number was observed in lowland oak-hornbeam forests, which were also among the sites with the greatest compositional shifts. Changes in beta diversity did not show any consistent trend, and anticipated floristic convergence was not confirmed when all sites were considered. Thermophilization was mainly detected in montane beech sites and alpine spruce forests whereas eutrophication signal was most significant on nutrient-poor sites. Vegetation responses were strongly dependent on initial site conditions. Shrinkage of ecological gradients (process of ecological homogenization) suggests that sites positioned at the ends of the gradients are losing their original ecological character and are becoming more similar to mid-gradient sites that generally exhibit smaller changes. Our results point to the importance of local stand dynamics and overstorey disturbances in explaining the temporal trends in forest ground vegetation. Ground vegetation in Slovenian forests is changing in directions also dictated by multiple regional and global change drivers.
Ključne besede: vegetation resurvey, thermophilization, eutrophication, forest disturbances, alpha and beta diversity, initial site conditions, ICP-Forests network
Objavljeno v DiRROS: 09.04.2024; Ogledov: 71; Prenosov: 28
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Povzetek: We analyzed variation in the functional composition and diversity of understory plant communities across different forest vegetation types in Slovenia. The study area comprises 10 representative forest sites covering broad gradients of environmental conditions (altitude, geology, light availability, soil type and reaction, nutrient availability, soil moisture), stand structural features and community attributes. The mean and variation of the trait values were quantified by community-weighted means and functional dispersion for four key plant functional traits: plant height, seed mass, specific leaf area and leaf dry matter content. At each study site, forest vegetation was surveyed at two different spatial scales (4 and 100 m2 ) in order to infer scale-dependent assembly rules. Patterns of community assembly were tested with a null model approach. We found that both trait means and diversity values responded to conspicuous gradients in environmental conditions and species composition across the studied forests. Our results mainly support the idea of abiotic filtering: more stressful environmental conditions (e.g., high altitude, low soil pH and low nutrient content) were occupied by communities of low functional diversity (trait convergence), which suggests a selective effect for species with traits adapted to such harsh conditions. However, trait convergence was also detected in some more resource-rich forest sites (e.g., low altitude, high soil productivity), most likely due to the presence of competitive understory species with high abundance domination. This could, at least to some extent, indicate the filtering effect of competitive interactions. Overall, we observed weak and inconsistent patterns regarding the impact of spatial scale, suggesting that similar assembly mechanisms are operating at both investigated spatial scales. Our findings contribute to the baseline understanding of the role of both abiotic and biotic constraints in forest community assembly, as evidenced by the non-random patterns in the functional structure of distinct temperate forest understories.
Ključne besede: functional composition, functional diversity, ecological gradients, abiotic filtering, trait convergence, trait divergence, spatial scale, forest ground-layer vegetation, Slovenia
Objavljeno v DiRROS: 26.05.2020; Ogledov: 1869; Prenosov: 1253
Celotno besedilo (4,12 MB)
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Povzetek: Background and purpose: The objectives of our study were to identify invasive alien plant species (IAS) in the main Natura 2000 forest habitat types (FHT) along the Mura River in Slovenia, and to estimate their abundance and cover. The aim of our study was to find out a) Which IAS appear in the research forests? b) What is their frequency and cover percentage? c) Whether individual IAS prosper better in some FHT than others? d) What is the correlation between the cover of IAS and the tree layer cover? Materials and methods: We analysed the fidelity of invasive plant species to individual FHT. The studied FHTs along the Mura River were the following: 91E0* (Alluvial forests with Alnus glutinosa and Fraxinus excelsior), 91F0 (Riparian mixed forests of Quercus robur, Ulmus laevis and Ulmus minor, Fraxinus excelsior or Fraxinus angustifolia, along the great rivers) and 91L0 (Illyrian oak-hornbeam forests). Two forest areas of about 600 ha were studied in total. With the intention to calculate number and cover of IAS some statistical analysis was made. In addition, correlations between the abundances of the most present IAS and cover of upper tree layer were carried out. Results: In total, 15 IAS were recorded in studied FHTs. Some species, like Robinia pseudoacacia, Impatiens glandulifera, I. parviflora, Fallopia japonica (incl. F. x bohemica), Erigeron annuus, Ambrosia artemisiifolia, Amorpha fruticosa, Conyza canadensis and Juncus tenuis occur only in one or two FHTs, while some species can be found in all studied FHTs (e.g. Solidago sp.). We found out that the most threatened forests are those with prevailing Salix alba, Alnus glutinosa, Fraxinus angustifolia and Ulmus laevis tree species. Those are the forests of FHT 91E0 which have less dense tree canopies, grow closest to the river and on the wettest sites. We found a statistically significant higher number and cover of IAS in the FHT 91E0 and the lowest number and cover in FHT 91L0. Conclusions: Alluvial forests with Alnus glutinosa and Fraxinus excelsior (FHT 91E0) along the Mura River are most prone to invasion of IAS. The increasing presence of IAS in the study areas seriously affects natural regeneration, stability, and continuity of floodplain forests in all other FHTs in the study area. At the same time the amount of IAS in these forests also depends on management measures and their intensities which accelerate light availability. Some measures and guidelines for managing of these forests with the purpose of reducing IAS impacts are suggested in this study.
Ključne besede: non-native plants, riparian vegetation, habitat types, conservation management, forest management
Objavljeno v DiRROS: 16.04.2018; Ogledov: 2848; Prenosov: 1502
Celotno besedilo (1,03 MB)
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