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Evaluating short-term impacts of forest management and microsite conditions on understory vegetation in temperate fir-beech forests : floristic, ecological, and trait-based perspective
ID Kermavnar, Janez (Author), ID Marinšek, Aleksander (Author), ID Eler, Klemen (Author), ID Kutnar, Lado (Author)

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Abstract
Forest understory vegetation is largely influenced by disturbances and given local abiotic conditions. Our research focuses on the early response of understory vegetation to various forest management intensities in Dinaric fir-beech forests in Slovenia: (i) control, (ii) 50% cut of stand growing stock, and (iii) 100% cut of stand growing stock. Apart from identifying overstory removal effects, we were interested in fine-scale variation of understory vegetation and environmental determinants of its species composition. Vegetation was sampled within 27 karst sinkholes, which represent a dominant landform in studied forests. Within each sinkhole, five sampling plots, varying in slope aspect (centre, north, east, south, west), were established (135 in total), where pre-treatment (in 2012) and post-treatment (in 2014) floristic surveys were conducted. The sampled understory species were characterized in terms of Ellenberg's indicator values (EIVs) and plant functional traits (plant height, seed mass, specific leaf area, leaf dry matter content). Diversity metrics (species richness, total cover, Shannon index) increased in plots where the silvicultural measures were applied. Tree species richness also increased in 100% cutting. A redundancy analysis revealed that species composition was related to environmental variables, which are directly influenced by management interventions (overstory canopy cover, microclimate maximum daily temperature, soil properties thickness of organic soil layer) as well as by topographic factors (slope inclination and surface rockiness). EIVs for light were significantly affected by treatment intensity, whereas soil-related EIVs (moisture, reaction, nutrients) depended more on the within-sinkhole position. Canopy gaps, compared with uncut control plots, hosted a higher number of colonizing species with a higher plant height and smaller seeds, while leaf traits did not show a clear response. We found a negative correlation between pre-treatment species (functional) richness and post-treatment shifts in floristic (functional) composition. Plots with higher richness exhibited smaller changes compared with species-poor communities. Incorporating different perspectives, the results of this study offer valuable insights into patterns of understory vegetation response to forest management in fir-beech forests.

Language:English
Keywords:canopy gap, microsite environment, Ellenberg indicator values, plant functional traits, compositional resistance, karst topography, fir-beech forest
Work type:Article
Typology:1.01 - Original Scientific Article
Organization:BF - Biotechnical Faculty
Publication status:Published
Publication version:Version of Record
Year:2019
Number of pages:22 str.
Numbering:Vol. 10, iss. 10, art. 909
PID:20.500.12556/RUL-133167 This link opens in a new window
UDC:630*228:630*18(045)
ISSN on article:1999-4907
DOI:10.3390/f10100909 This link opens in a new window
COBISS.SI-ID:5572262 This link opens in a new window
Publication date in RUL:15.11.2021
Views:939
Downloads:166
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Record is a part of a journal

Title:Forests
Shortened title:Forests
Publisher:MDPI
ISSN:1999-4907
COBISS.SI-ID:3872166 This link opens in a new window

Licences

License:CC BY 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
Link:http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Description:This is the standard Creative Commons license that gives others maximum freedom to do what they want with the work as long as they credit the author.
Licensing start date:16.10.2019

Secondary language

Language:Slovenian
Keywords:sestojna vrzel, mikrorastiščne razmere, Ellenbergove fitoindikacijske vrednosti, rastlinski funkcionalni znaki, odpornost vrstne sestave, kraški relief, jelovo-bukovi gozdovi

Projects

Funder:EC - European Commission
Funding programme:LIFE
Project number:LIFE09 ENV/IT/000078
Acronym:ManFor C.BD

Funder:ARRS - Slovenian Research Agency
Project number:P4-0107
Name:Gozdna biologija, ekologija in tehnologija

Funder:ARRS - Slovenian Research Agency
Project number:P4-0085
Name:Agroekosistemi

Funder:ARRS - Slovenian Research Agency
Funding programme:Young researchers
Project number:1000-18-0404

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