| Title: | Plant diversity decrease and directional species turnover induced by shifting overstory dominance in the oak-hornbeam forest reserve over 50 years |
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| Authors: | ID Kermavnar, Janez (Author)
ID Kutnar, Lado (Author) |
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| Files: |  URL - Source URL, visit https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0367253025000726?via%3Dihub
 PDF - Presentation file, download (3,26 MB)
MD5: 526F4A6DB9F3CF994060AE0BE29D4925
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| Language: | English |
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| Typology: | 1.01 - Original Scientific Article |
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| Organization: |  SciVie - Slovenian Forestry Institute
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| Abstract: | Due to a long history of various anthropogenic pressures, lowland forest reserves are scarce and lack historical datasets suitable for analysing long-term vegetation trends. This study investigated changes in plant diversity and species composition in the long-untouched Krakovo forest reserve, the only preserved remnant of lowland oak-hornbeam forests with primary status in Slovenia. The original vegetation sampling was conducted in the 1970s. In 2024, we resurveyed 30 semi-permanent plots capturing the natural variation in soil moisture gradient. We found the decline of Quercus robur in the upper tree layer and the expansion of shade-casting tree Carpinus betulus in the lower tree layer, a pattern mainly attributed to the lowering of the groundwater table. This shift in overstory dominance manifested in a directional change of herb-layer composition associated with high species turnover (61 %). The deterioration of light conditions at the forest floor resulted in significant decrease of species richness, accompanied by the process of taxonomic homogenization. The analysis of Ellenberg indicator values revealed a reorganization of the plant communities in response to the increasingly shaded and cooler understory environment, benefitting a limited number of perennial herbs preferring closed canopies. The change towards nutrient-demanding species was probably caused by improved litter quality, nitrogen input from agricultural areas and nutrient release from accumulated deadwood. In terms of soil moisture, the reserve still exhibits a mosaic of interchanging distribution between wetter and more mesic habitats. However, given that oak natural regeneration is very poor, we anticipate even more drastic vegetation changes in the future. |
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| Keywords: | lowland primary forest, Quercus robur dieback, Carpinus betulus, Light availability, taxonomic homogenization, semi-permanent plot |
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| Publication status: | Published |
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| Publication version: | Version of Record |
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| Publication date: | 01.01.2025 |
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| Year of publishing: | 2025 |
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| Number of pages: | str. 1-12 |
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| Numbering: | Vol. 327, article no. ǂ152742 |
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| PID: | 20.500.12556/DiRROS-22149  |
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| UDC: | 630*1 |
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| ISSN on article: | 1618-0585 |
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| DOI: | 10.1016/j.flora.2025.152742 |
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| COBISS.SI-ID: | 234804739 |
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| Note: | Nasl. z nasl. zaslona;
Opis vira z dne 5. 5. 2055;
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| Publication date in DiRROS: | 05.05.2025 |
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| Views: | 702 |
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| Downloads: | 296 |
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