Search results for "Scots"
showing 10 items of 58 documents
Nest sites of a strong excavator, the Great Spotted Woodpecker Dendrocopos major, in a primeval forest
2017
In managed forests, birds that create their own breeding holes in trees have limited access to substrates in which they can excavate. Therefore, nest site use in these forests possibly reflects availability of substrates more than species preferences. We analysed data on nest sites of Great Spotted Woodpeckers Dendrocopos major collected during 1987–2013 in the strictly protected part of Białowieża National Park in East Poland. The woodpeckers excavated breeding holes in 11 tree species, but species used in individual habitats varied greatly: Alder Alnus glutinosa was almost the only species used in the riverine forest; Common Aspen Populus tremula, Common Hornbeam Carpinus betulus and Pedu…
How to reconcile wood production and biodiversity conservation? The Pan-European boreal forest history gradient as an "experiment".
2018
There are currently competing demands on Europe's forests and the finite resources and services that they can offer. Forestry intensification that aims at mitigating climate change and biodiversity conservation is one example. Whether or not these two objectives compete can be evaluated by comparative studies of forest landscapes with different histories. We test the hypothesis that indicators of wood production and biodiversity conservation are inversely related in a gradient of long to short forestry intensification histories. Forest management data containing stand age, volume and tree species were used to model the opportunity for wood production and biodiversity conservation in five no…
Leaf-Level Spectral Fluorescence Measurements : Comparing Methodologies for Broadleaves and Needles
2019
Successful measurements of chlorophyll fluorescence (ChlF) spectral properties (typically in the wavelength range of 650–850 nm) across plant species, environmental conditions, and stress levels are a first step towards establishing a quantitative link between solar-induced chlorophyll fluorescence (SIF), which can only be measured at discrete ChlF spectral bands, and photosynthetic functionality. Despite its importance and significance, the various methodologies for the estimation of leaf-level ChlF spectral properties have not yet been compared, especially when applied to leaves with complex morphology, such as needles. Here we present, to the best of our knowledge, a first comparison of …
Population asynchrony alone does not explain stability in species‐rich soil animal assemblages: The stabilizing role of forest age on oribatid mite c…
2020
The importance of microbial and plant communities in the control of the diversity and structure of soil animal communities has been clarified over the last decade. Previous research focused on abiotic factors, niche separation and spatial patterns. Significant gaps still exist in our knowledge of the factors that control the stability of these communities over time. We analysed a 9-year dataset from the national Long-term Ecological Research Network of Latvia. We focused on 117 oribatid species from three Scots pine forests of different age (40, 65 and150 years) and structure. For each forest type, 100 samples were collected each year, providing very high replication and long time series fo…
Occurrence of ‘blue’ and ‘frost’ rings reveal frost sensitivity of eastern Baltic provenances of Scots pine
2020
Abstract Assisted gene flow is advised as one of the most effective means to sustain the productivity of forests under warming climate via application of the provenances (genotypes) capable to utilize longer vegetation season. Nevertheless in the temperate and boreal zones, the extension of vegetation period also subjects trees to effects of frosts, which can have severe economic impact under warming climate. In this study, wood anatomical anomalies related to late frosts in spring (‘frost’ rings) and early frosts in late summer (‘blue’ rings) for the eastern Baltic provenances of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) with a contrasting field performance were analysed retrospectively. Three tria…
Species composition modulates seedling competitiveness of temperate tree species under hemiboreal conditions
2020
Abstract Mixed stands are advised for reduction of impacts of natural hazards, and species composition can largely affect sustainability and productivity of the stands. Early development of a stands after a stand-replacing disturbance can have considerable legacy effects on growth via alterations in the diversity-productivity relationships. Accordingly compatibility of growth and competitiveness of different species is one of the key issues for susceptibility of mixed stands. A two-year chamber experiment was conducted to assess early growth and intra- and inter-specific competition for light and soil resources among the seedlings of temperate tree species simulating the predicted effect of…
Immediate Effects of Prescribed Burning on Soil Mite (Acari: Oribatida) Communities in a Scots Pine (Pinus Sylvestris) Forest, Latvia
2021
Abstract Prescribed burning is used to maintain and restore habitats, to protect and increase species bio-diversity. Knowledge about soil fauna is limited, especially on community responses to fire disturbances. The aim of this study was to determine the immediate effects of prescribed burning on soil armoured mite (Acari: Oribatida) communities, vegetation cover and soil physiochemical properties in a boreal Scots pine forest in Latvia. Soil samples were collected on the day of the prescribed burning in the protected landscape area “Ādaži” and 16 days after. No significant changes in abiotic factors were found. Fire significantly decreased the vegetation cover. After the burning, the total…
Non-linear regional weather-growth relationships indicate limited adaptability of the eastern Baltic Scots pine
2021
Abstract Under changing climate, temporal and spatial stability (stationarity) of growth responses of trees to weather and climate, which has often been presumed without explicit testing, is crucial for prediction of productivity and sustainability of forests. However, considering evolutionary adaptation of tree populations to wide spatiotemporal ecological gradients, extrapolation of linear responses, which could be observed in limited parts of the gradients (certain locality), can result in biased results. Accordingly, the plasticity of responses of tree-ring width of the eastern Baltic populations of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) to meteorological conditions across the regional climat…
Chlorophyll a fluorescence illuminates a path connecting plant molecular biology to Earth-system science
2021
Remote sensing methods enable detection of solar-induced chlorophyll a fluorescence. However, to unleash the full potential of this signal, intensive cross-disciplinary work is required to harmonize biophysical and ecophysiological studies. For decades, the dynamic nature of chlorophyll a fluorescence (ChlaF) has provided insight into the biophysics and ecophysiology of the light reactions of photosynthesis from the subcellular to leaf scales. Recent advances in remote sensing methods enable detection of ChlaF induced by sunlight across a range of larger scales, from using instruments mounted on towers above plant canopies to Earth-orbiting satellites. This signal is referred to as solar-in…
Effects of local forest continuity on the diversity of fungi on standing dead pines
2018
Human-induced fragmentation affects forest continuity, i.e. availability of a suitable habitat for the target species over a time period. The dependence of wood-inhabiting fungi on landscape level continuity has been well demonstrated, but the importance of local continuity has remained controversial. In this study, we explored the effects of local forest continuity (microhabitat and stand level) on the diversity of wood-inhabiting fungi on standing dead trunks of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.). We studied species richness and community composition of decomposers and Micarea lichens on 70 trunks in 14 forests in central Finland that differed in their state of continuity. We used dendrochr…