TY - JOUR
A1 - De Frenne, Pieter
A1 - Blondeel, H.
A1 - Brunet, J.
A1 - Caron, M. M.
A1 - Chabrerie, O.
A1 - Cougnon, M.
A1 - Cousins, S. A. O.
A1 - Decocq, G.
A1 - Diekmann, M.
A1 - Graae, B. J.
A1 - Hanley, M. E.
A1 - Heinken, Thilo
A1 - Hermy, M.
A1 - Kolb, A.
A1 - Lenoir, J.
A1 - Liira, J.
A1 - Orczewska, A.
A1 - Shevtsova, A.
A1 - Vanneste, T.
A1 - Verheyen, K.
T1 - Atmospheric nitrogen deposition on petals enhances seed quality of the forest herb Anemone nemorosa
JF - Plant biology
N2 - Elevated atmospheric input of nitrogen (N) is currently affecting plant biodiversity and ecosystem functioning. The growth and survival of numerous plant species is known to respond strongly to N fertilisation. Yet, few studies have assessed the effects of N deposition on seed quality and reproductive performance, which is an important life-history stage of plants. Here we address this knowledge gap by assessing the effects of atmospheric N deposition on seed quality of the ancient forest herb Anemone nemorosa using two complementary approaches. By taking advantage of the wide spatiotemporal variation in N deposition rates in pan-European temperate and boreal forests over 2years, we detected positive effects of N deposition on the N concentration (percentage N per unit seed mass, increased from 2.8% to 4.1%) and N content (total N mass per seed more than doubled) of A.nemorosa seeds. In a complementary experiment, we applied ammonium nitrate to aboveground plant tissues and the soil surface to determine whether dissolved N sources in precipitation could be incorporated into seeds. Although the addition of N to leaves and the soil surface had no effect, a concentrated N solution applied to petals during anthesis resulted in increased seed mass, seed N concentration and N content. Our results demonstrate that N deposition on the petals enhances bioaccumulation of N in the seeds of A.nemorosa. Enhanced atmospheric inputs of N can thus not only affect growth and population dynamics via root or canopy uptake, but can also influence seed quality and reproduction via intake through the inflorescences.
KW - Latitudinal gradient
KW - nitrogen deposition
KW - nutrient stoichiometry
KW - seed provisioning
KW - seed quality
KW - sexual reproduction
KW - wood anemone
Y1 - 2018
U6 - https://doi.org/10.1111/plb.12688
SN - 1435-8603
SN - 1438-8677
VL - 20
IS - 3
SP - 619
EP - 626
PB - Wiley
CY - Hoboken
ER -
TY - GEN
A1 - Wulf, Monika
A1 - Heinken, Thilo
T1 - Colonization of recent coniferous versus deciduous forest stands by vascular plants at the local scale
N2 - Questions: 1. Are there differences among species in their preference for coniferous vs. deciduous forest? 2. Are tree and shrub species better colonizers of recent forest stands than herbaceous species? 3. Do colonization patterns of plant species groups depend on tree species composition? Location: Three deciduous and one coniferous recent forest areas in Brandenburg, NE Germany. Methods: In 34 and 21 transects in coniferous and deciduous stands, respectively, we studied the occurrence and percentage cover of vascular plants in a total of 150 plots in ancient stands, 315 in recent stands and 55 at the ecotone. Habitat preference, diaspore weight, generative dispersal potential and clonal extension were used to explain mechanisms of local migration. Regression analysis was conducted to test whether migration distance was related to species’ life-history traits. Results: 25 species were significantly associated with ancient stands and ten species were significantly more frequent in recent stands. Tree and shrub species were good colonizers of recent coniferous and deciduous stands. In the coniferous stands, all herbaceous species showed a strong dispersal limitation during colonization, whereas in the deciduous stands generalist species may have survived in the grasslands which were present prior to afforestation. Conclusions: The fast colonization of recent stands by trees and shrubs can be explained by their effective dispersal via wind and animals. This, and the comparably efficient migration of herbaceous forest specialists into recent coniferous stands, implies that the conversion of coniferous into deciduous stands adjacent to ancient deciduous forests is promising even without planting of trees.
T3 - Zweitveröffentlichungen der Universität Potsdam : Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftliche Reihe - paper 149
KW - Clonal growth
KW - diaspore weight
KW - dispersal potential
KW - forest specialist
KW - generalist emergent group
Y1 - 2008
U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus-46080
ER -
TY - GEN
A1 - Heinken, Thilo
T1 - Die natürlichen Kiefernstandorte Deutschlands und ihre Gefährdung
T1 - Natural Scots pine forests in Germany : habitats, distribution, and threat
N2 - Natürliche Standorte der Waldkiefer gibt es in Deutschland nur kleinflächig. Während Kiefernforste anstelle natürlicher Laubwälder heute oft landschaftsprägend sind, bildet die konkurrenzschwache und lichtbedürftige Kiefer ausschließlich auf extrem trockenen oder nassen, nährstoffarmen Standorten naturnahe Schlusswaldgesellschaften. Regionale Schwerpunkte liegen in subkontinentalen Regionen wie dem nordostdeutschen Tiefland und Bayern, ein „natürliches Kiefernareal" lässt sich aber kaum abgrenzen. An der Trockengrenze des Waldes finden sich auf Kalk- und Dolomitgesteinen artenreiche Karbonat-Trockenkiefernwälder mit Elementen der alpinen Rasen und Kalkmagerrasen in der Bodenvegetation. Diese Wälder besiedeln steile, südexponierte Felsen und morphodynamisch aktive Bereiche wie Rutschhänge und FlussSchotterböden im Umkreis der Alpen, kommen aber auch in den Mittelgebirgen vor. Ihr Gegenstück auf sauren Standorten sind die Sand- und Silikat-Kiefernwälder der Quarzsande und Sandstein-Verwitterungsböden, deren Bodenvegetation durch Zwergsträucher, Moose und Strauchflechten geprägt ist. Hier siedelt die Kiefer in den Tieflagen besonders auf Binnendünen und Sandern, aber auch auf Küstendünen der Ostsee, in den Mittelgebirgen z. B. auf den Sandsteinriffen der Sächsischen Schweiz. Der dritte Wuchsbereich natürlicher Kiefernwälder sind saure, nährstoffarme Moore, die ganz überwiegend von Regenwasser gespeist werden. Auch die Kiefern-Moorwälder sind in Nordostdeutschland und Bayern am häufigsten. Von diesen Standorten ausgehend, wo ihr Platz kaum von anderen Baumarten streitig gemacht wird, tritt die Waldkiefer immer wieder als Pionier auf weniger extremen Standorten auf. In der Naturlandschaft kam dies etwa nach Waldbränden oder Stürmen vor, doch der Mensch förderte die Kiefer durch Auflichtung der Wälder, Waldweide und Streunutzung stark. Auch die damit verbundene Nährstoffverarmung macht eine exakte Abgrenzung natürlicher Kiefernstandorte unmöglich. Die schlechtwüchsigen und forstwirtschaftlich nicht interessanten, ästhetisch aber sehr ansprechenden natürlichen Kiefernbestände sind heute vor allem durch Stickstoff-Immissionen gefährdet. Trotz ihrer oft kargen Erscheinung besitzen sie einen hohen Wert für die Biodiversität und den Artenschutz. Neben bodenbewohnenden Flechten und regionalen Relikt-Endemiten ist vor allem die in den letzten Jahrzehnten zunehmend gefährdete Vielfalt an Mykorrhiza-Pilzen hervorzuheben, die der Kiefer das Leben auf extrem nährstoffarmen Standorten überhaupt ermöglichen. Abschließend werden mögliche Schutz- bzw. Regenerationsmaßnahmen wie das Abplaggen flechtenreicher Kiefernstandorte vorgestellt.
N2 - Only small areas of natural Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) habitat occur in Germany. Today pine plantations instead of natural deciduous forests often dominate the landscape. Yet, due to the competitive weakness and light demands of Scots pine, near-natural Scots pine climax communities are only found on extremely dry or wet, nutrient-poor sites, primarily in subcontinental regions of the north-eastern German lowlands and Bavaria. However, the "natural distribution range" of Scots pine is difficult to define. Species-rich, dry Scots pine forests, with alpine and calcareous grassland species in the ground vegetation, are found at the aridity limit of forests on sites with carbonate rich soils developed from limestone and dolomite parent material. These forests occur on steep south-facing slopes, on morphodynamically active areas such as landslides and coarse river gravel beds in and near the Alps, and also in the low mountain ranges. Scots pine forests are also found on acidic sites, on quartz sands and soils overlying weathered silicate rocks with an understorey dominated by dwarf shrubs, bryophytes and fruticose lichens. These forests are present in the lowlands, particularly on inland dunes and glacifluvial deposits, but also on coastal dunes around the Baltic Sea and in the low mountain ranges, for example on the sandstone cliffs in the Elbe Sandstone Mountains. Acidic, oligo-trophic bogs, mainly supplied by rainwater, comprise the third natural Scots pine forest habitat. These Scots pine bog forests occur most frequently in north-eastern Germany and in Bavaria. Coming from these habitats, where virtually no other tree species grows, Scots pine is found again and again as a pioneer on less extreme sites. In the natural landscape, it occurs mainly after forest fires and storms. Yet humans promote Scots pine by thinning forests, creating woodland pasture and removing litter. The nutrient depletion associated with these practices makes an exact delimitation of natural Scots pine habitats unfeasible. Natural pine forest stands, which, although attractive and appealing, grow poorly and are of little interest for forestry, are endangered mainly by anthropo-genic nitrogen depositions. Despite their meagre appearance, these forests are important for biodiversity and species conservation. In addition to terricolous lichens and regional relic endemic plant species, the diversity of mycorrhiza fungi, which enable Scots pine to exist on these nutrient-poor sites, increasingly is becoming endangered. Finally, possible conservation and regeneration practices, such as manually cutting sods in lichen-rich Scots pine forests, are presented.
T3 - Zweitveröffentlichungen der Universität Potsdam : Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftliche Reihe - paper 153
KW - Naturschutz
KW - Phytodiversität
KW - Pinus sylvestris
KW - Standort
KW - Walddynamik
KW - nature conservation
KW - phytodiversity
KW - Pinus sylvestris
KW - site conditions
KW - forest dynamics
Y1 - 2008
U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus-46506
ER -
TY - JOUR
A1 - Schöpke, Benito
A1 - Heinze, Johannes
A1 - Pätzig, Marlene
A1 - Heinken, Thilo
T1 - Do dispersal traits of wetland plant species explain tolerance against isolation effects in naturally fragmented habitats?
JF - Plant ecology : an international journal
N2 - The effects of habitat fragmentation and isolation on plant species richness have been verified for a wide range of anthropogenically fragmented habitats, but there is currently little information about their effects in naturally small and isolated habitats. We tested whether habitat area, heterogeneity, and isolation affect the richness of wetland vascular plant species in kettle holes, i.e., small glacially created wetlands, in an agricultural landscape of 1 km(2) in NE Germany. We compared fragmentation effects with those of forest fragments in the same landscape window. Since wetland and forest species might differ in their tolerance to isolation, and because isolation effects on plant species may be trait dependent, we asked which key life history traits might foster differences in isolation tolerance between wetland and forest plants. We recorded the flora and vegetation types in 83 isolated sites that contained 81 kettle holes and 25 forest fragments. Overall, the number of wetland species increased with increasing area and heterogeneity, i.e., the number of vegetation types, while area was not a surrogate for heterogeneity in these naturally fragmented systems. Isolation did not influence the number of wetland species but decreased the number of forest species. We also found that seeds of wetland species were on average lighter, more persistent and better adapted to epizoochory, e.g., by waterfowl, than seeds of forest species. Therefore, we suggest that wetland species are more tolerant to isolation than forest species due to their higher dispersal potential in space and time, which may counterbalance the negative effects of isolation.
KW - Forest species
KW - Habitat fragmentation
KW - Isolation
KW - Kettle holes
KW - Life history traits
KW - Wetland species
Y1 - 2019
U6 - https://doi.org/10.1007/s11258-019-00955-8
SN - 1385-0237
SN - 1573-5052
VL - 220
IS - 9
SP - 801
EP - 815
PB - Springer
CY - Dordrecht
ER -
TY - GEN
A1 - Heinken, Thilo
A1 - Raudnitschka, Dorit
T1 - Do wild ungulates contribute to the dispersal of vascular plants in central European forests by epizoochory?
BT - A case study in NE Germany
BT - Eine Fallstudie aus Nordostdeutschland
N2 - The external dispersal ("epizoochory") of vascular plant diaspores (seeds and fruits) by roe deer and wild boar, i.e. the most common wild large mammals with a large home range in central Europe, was investigated in a 6.5-km² forest area in NE Germany dominated by mesic deciduous forests. The study involved brushing out the diaspores from the coats and hooves of 25 shot roe deer and nine wild boar. The results were compared with the forest vegetation of the study area. Whilst wild boar transported large amounts of various diaspores in the coat, the significance of roe deer for epizoochory was low due to their sleek fur and different behaviour compared to wild boar. Altogether, 55 vascular plant species were transported externally. Since only a limited number of seeds came from woodland habitats, the open landscape was at least as important as a source of attached seeds as the forest vegetation. Thus, most plant species occurring in the studied forest area, especially characteristic woodland herbs, showed no adaptations to epizoochorous dispersal, although being very abundant in the herb layer. We conclude that hoofed game play a particular role concerning the dispersal of ruderal and grassland species in the agricultural landscape of central Europe. However, the actual spread of some herb species in forests of northern Germany, e.g. Agrostis capillaris, Brachypodium sylvaticum, Deschampsia flexuosa, Galium aparine and Urtica dioica, may be mainly facilitated by wild ungulates. Though dispersal by large mammals is an important mechanism for long-distance dispersal of plants in general, our results suggest that most of the characteristic herb species of mesic deciduous forests have only low epizoochorous dispersal potentials. The implications for nature conservation and silviculture are discussed.
N2 - Die Ausbreitung von Gefäßpflanzen-Diasporen (Samen und Früchte) durch äußerliche Anhaftung ("Epizoochorie") an Rehen und Wildschweinen, den beiden häufigsten Schalenwild-Arten in Mitteleuropa, wurde im 6,5 km² großen Forst Brieselang bei Berlin (Bundesland Brandenburg) untersucht, in dem mesophile Laubwälder vorherrschen. Dazu wurden die Felle und Hufe von 25 geschossenen Rehen und neun Wildschweinen ausgekämmt und die Diasporen anschließend bestimmt. Die Ergebnisse wurden mit der Waldvegetation verglichen. Während Wildschweine große Mengen verschiedener Diasporentypen transportierten, war die Bedeutung von Rehen für die Ausbreitung von Pflanzen auf Grund des glatten Fells und der im Vergleich zum Wildschwein unterschiedlichen Verhaltensweisen wesentlich geringer. Insgesamt wurden 55 Phanerogamenarten epizoochor transportiert. Da nur ein kleiner Teil der ausgebreiteten Pflanzen Waldhabitate bevorzugt, war das Offenland eine mindestens ebenso wichtige Quelle anhaftender Diasporen wie die Waldvegetation. Die meisten Waldpflanzenarten wurden nicht ausgebreitet; insbesondere solche Arten, die ausschließlich in Wäldern wachsen, wurden nicht nachgewiesen. Viele Pflanzenarten sind – vermutlich auf Grund ihrer Diasporenmorphologie – weitgehend vom Transport ausgeschlossen, obwohl sie sehr häufig in der Krautschicht des untersuchten Waldes vorkommen. Daher ist Schalenwild in der Agrarlandschaft Mitteleuropas vermutlich vor allem für die Ausbreitung von Ruderal-, Segetal- und Grünlandpflanzen von Bedeutung. Die Ausbreitung einiger Pflanzenarten der Krautschicht in norddeutschen Wäldern z.B. Agrostis capillaris, Brachypodium sylvaticum, Deschampsia flexuosa, Galium aparine und Urtica dioica, könnte jedoch wesentlich auf Schalenwild zurückgehen. Obwohl Großsäuger insgesamt ein wichtiger Vektor für die Fernausbreitung von Pflanzen sind, zeigt unsere Studie, dass die meisten charakteristischen Waldbodenpflanzen mesophiler Laubwälder kaum ausgebreitet werden, also nur ein geringes epizoochores Ausbreitungspotenzial aufweisen. Die Bedeutung der Ergebnisse für den Waldnaturschutz und den Waldbau wird diskutiert.
T2 - Trägt Schalenwild durch Epizoochorie zur Ausbreitung von Gefäßpflanzen in mitteleuropäischen Wäldern bei?
KW - Diasporenmorphologie
KW - Epizoochorie
KW - Brandenburg
KW - Reh
KW - Waldbodenpflanzen
KW - Wildschwein
KW - diaspore morphology
KW - epizoochory
KW - forest plant species
KW - NE Germany
KW - roe deer
KW - wild boar
Y1 - 2002
U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus-5850
ER -
TY - GEN
A1 - Lozada Gobilard, Sissi Donna
A1 - Stang, Susanne
A1 - Pirhofer-Walzl, Karin
A1 - Kalettka, Thomas
A1 - Heinken, Thilo
A1 - Schröder, Boris
A1 - Eccard, Jana
A1 - Jasmin Radha, Jasmin
T1 - Environmental filtering predicts plant‐community trait distribution and diversity
BT - Kettle holes as models of meta‐community systems
T2 - Postprints der Universität Potsdam Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftliche Reihe
N2 - Meta‐communities of habitat islands may be essential to maintain biodiversity in anthropogenic landscapes allowing rescue effects in local habitat patches. To understand the species‐assembly mechanisms and dynamics of such ecosystems, it is important to test how local plant‐community diversity and composition is affected by spatial isolation and hence by dispersal limitation and local environmental conditions acting as filters for local species sorting. We used a system of 46 small wetlands (kettle holes)—natural small‐scale freshwater habitats rarely considered in nature conservation policies—embedded in an intensively managed agricultural matrix in northern Germany. We compared two types of kettle holes with distinct topographies (flatsloped, ephemeral, frequently plowed kettle holes vs. steep‐sloped, more permanent ones) and determined 254 vascular plant species within these ecosystems, as well as plant functional traits and nearest neighbor distances to other kettle holes. Differences in alpha and beta diversity between steep permanent compared with ephemeral flat kettle holes were mainly explained by species sorting and niche processes and mass effect processes in ephemeral flat kettle holes. The plant‐community composition as well as the community trait distribution in terms of life span, breeding system, dispersal ability, and longevity of seed banks significantly differed between the two habitat types. Flat ephemeral kettle holes held a higher percentage of non‐perennial plants with a more persistent seed bank, less obligate outbreeders and more species with seed dispersal abilities via animal vectors compared with steep‐sloped, more permanent kettle holes that had a higher percentage of wind‐dispersed species. In the flat kettle holes, plant‐species richness was negatively correlated with the degree of isolation, whereas no such pattern was found for the permanent kettle holes. Synthesis: Environment acts as filter shaping plant diversity (alpha and beta) and plant‐community trait distribution between steep permanent compared with ephemeral flat kettle holes supporting species sorting and niche mechanisms as expected, but we identified a mass effect in ephemeral kettle holes only. Flat ephemeral kettle holes can be regarded as meta‐ecosystems that strongly depend on seed dispersal and recruitment from a seed bank, whereas neighboring permanent kettle holes have a more stable local species diversity.
T3 - Zweitveröffentlichungen der Universität Potsdam : Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftliche Reihe - 629
KW - biodiversity
KW - dispersal
KW - disturbance
KW - landscape diversity
KW - life‐history traits
KW - plant diversity
KW - seed bank
KW - species assembly
KW - wetland vegetation
Y1 - 2019
U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus4-424843
SN - 1866-8372
IS - 629
ER -
TY - JOUR
A1 - Lozada Gobilard, Sissi Donna
A1 - Stang, Susanne
A1 - Pirhofer-Walzl, Karin
A1 - Kalettka, Thomas
A1 - Heinken, Thilo
A1 - Schröder, Boris
A1 - Eccard, Jana
A1 - Jasmin Radha, Jasmin
T1 - Environmental filtering predicts plant‐community trait distribution and diversity
BT - Kettle holes as models of meta‐community systems
JF - Ecology and Evolution
N2 - Meta‐communities of habitat islands may be essential to maintain biodiversity in anthropogenic landscapes allowing rescue effects in local habitat patches. To understand the species‐assembly mechanisms and dynamics of such ecosystems, it is important to test how local plant‐community diversity and composition is affected by spatial isolation and hence by dispersal limitation and local environmental conditions acting as filters for local species sorting. We used a system of 46 small wetlands (kettle holes)—natural small‐scale freshwater habitats rarely considered in nature conservation policies—embedded in an intensively managed agricultural matrix in northern Germany. We compared two types of kettle holes with distinct topographies (flatsloped, ephemeral, frequently plowed kettle holes vs. steep‐sloped, more permanent ones) and determined 254 vascular plant species within these ecosystems, as well as plant functional traits and nearest neighbor distances to other kettle holes. Differences in alpha and beta diversity between steep permanent compared with ephemeral flat kettle holes were mainly explained by species sorting and niche processes and mass effect processes in ephemeral flat kettle holes. The plant‐community composition as well as the community trait distribution in terms of life span, breeding system, dispersal ability, and longevity of seed banks significantly differed between the two habitat types. Flat ephemeral kettle holes held a higher percentage of non‐perennial plants with a more persistent seed bank, less obligate outbreeders and more species with seed dispersal abilities via animal vectors compared with steep‐sloped, more permanent kettle holes that had a higher percentage of wind‐dispersed species. In the flat kettle holes, plant‐species richness was negatively correlated with the degree of isolation, whereas no such pattern was found for the permanent kettle holes. Synthesis: Environment acts as filter shaping plant diversity (alpha and beta) and plant‐community trait distribution between steep permanent compared with ephemeral flat kettle holes supporting species sorting and niche mechanisms as expected, but we identified a mass effect in ephemeral kettle holes only. Flat ephemeral kettle holes can be regarded as meta‐ecosystems that strongly depend on seed dispersal and recruitment from a seed bank, whereas neighboring permanent kettle holes have a more stable local species diversity.
KW - biodiversity
KW - dispersal
KW - disturbance
KW - landscape diversity
KW - life‐history traits
KW - plant diversity
KW - seed bank
KW - species assembly
KW - wetland vegetation
Y1 - 2019
U6 - https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.4883
SN - 2045-7758
PB - John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
CY - Hoboken
ER -
TY - JOUR
A1 - Vanneste, Thomas
A1 - Valdes, Alicia
A1 - Verheyen, Kris
A1 - Perring, Michael P.
A1 - Bernhardt-Roemermann, Markus
A1 - Andrieu, Emilie
A1 - Brunet, Jorg
A1 - Cousins, Sara A. O.
A1 - Deconchat, Marc
A1 - De Smedt, Pallieter
A1 - Diekmann, Martin
A1 - Ehrmann, Steffen
A1 - Heinken, Thilo
A1 - Hermy, Martin
A1 - Kolb, Annette
A1 - Lenoir, Jonathan
A1 - Liira, Jaan
A1 - Naaf, Tobias
A1 - Paal, Taavi
A1 - Wulf, Monika
A1 - Decocq, Guillaume
A1 - De Frenne, Pieter
T1 - Functional trait variation of forest understorey plant communities across Europe
JF - Basic and applied ecology : Journal of the Gesellschaft für Ökologie
N2 - Global environmental changes are expected to alter the functional characteristics of understorey herb-layer communities, potentially affecting forest ecosystem functioning. However, little is known about what drives the variability of functional traits in forest understories. Here, we assessed the role of different environmental drivers in shaping the functional trait distribution of understorey herbs in fragmented forests across three spatial scales. We focused on 708 small, deciduous forest patches located in 16 agricultural landscape windows, spanning a 2500-km macroclimatic gradient across the temperate forest biome in Europe. We estimated the relative effect of patch-scale, landscape-scale and macroclimatic variables on the community mean and variation of plant height, specific leaf area and seed mass. Macroclimatic variables (monthly temperature and precipitation extremes) explained the largest proportion of variation in community trait means (on average 77% of the explained variation). In contrast, patch-scale factors dominated in explaining community trait variation (on average 68% of the explained variation). Notably, patch age, size and internal heterogeneity had a positive effect on the community-level variability. Landscape-scale variables explained only a minor part of the variation in both trait distribution properties. The variation explained by shared combinations of the variable groups was generally negligible. These findings highlight the importance of considering multiple spatial scales in predictions of environmental-change effects on the functionality of forest understories. We propose that forest management sustainability could benefit from conserving larger, historically continuous and internally heterogeneous forest patches to maximise ecosystem service diversity in rural landscapes. (C) 2018 Gesellschaft fur Okologie. Published by Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.
KW - Agricultural landscapes
KW - Biogeography
KW - Community ecology
KW - Forest understorey
KW - Functional trait diversity
KW - Fragmentation
KW - Global environmental change
KW - Landscape connectivity
KW - Macroclimatic gradient
KW - Multi-scale analysis
Y1 - 2018
U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.baae.2018.09.004
SN - 1439-1791
SN - 1618-0089
VL - 34
SP - 1
EP - 14
PB - Elsevier GmbH
CY - München
ER -
TY - JOUR
A1 - Perring, Michael P.
A1 - Bernhardt-Roemermann, Markus
A1 - Baeten, Lander
A1 - Midolo, Gabriele
A1 - Blondeel, Haben
A1 - Depauw, Leen
A1 - Landuyt, Dries
A1 - Maes, Sybryn L.
A1 - De Lombaerde, Emiel
A1 - Caron, Maria Mercedes
A1 - Vellend, Mark
A1 - Brunet, Joerg
A1 - Chudomelova, Marketa
A1 - Decocq, Guillaume
A1 - Diekmann, Martin
A1 - Dirnboeck, Thomas
A1 - Doerfler, Inken
A1 - Durak, Tomasz
A1 - De Frenne, Pieter
A1 - Gilliam, Frank S.
A1 - Hedl, Radim
A1 - Heinken, Thilo
A1 - Hommel, Patrick
A1 - Jaroszewicz, Bogdan
A1 - Kirby, Keith J.
A1 - Kopecky, Martin
A1 - Lenoir, Jonathan
A1 - Li, Daijiang
A1 - Malis, Frantisek
A1 - Mitchell, Fraser J. G.
A1 - Naaf, Tobias
A1 - Newman, Miles
A1 - Petrik, Petr
A1 - Reczynska, Kamila
A1 - Schmidt, Wolfgang
A1 - Standovar, Tibor
A1 - Swierkosz, Krzysztof
A1 - Van Calster, Hans
A1 - Vild, Ondrej
A1 - Wagner, Eva Rosa
A1 - Wulf, Monika
A1 - Verheyen, Kris
T1 - Global environmental change effects on plant community composition trajectories depend upon management legacies
JF - Global change biology
N2 - The contemporary state of functional traits and species richness in plant communities depends on legacy effects of past disturbances. Whether temporal responses of community properties to current environmental changes are altered by such legacies is, however, unknown. We expect global environmental changes to interact with land-use legacies given different community trajectories initiated by prior management, and subsequent responses to altered resources and conditions. We tested this expectation for species richness and functional traits using 1814 survey-resurvey plot pairs of understorey communities from 40 European temperate forest datasets, syntheses of management transitions since the year 1800, and a trait database. We also examined how plant community indicators of resources and conditions changed in response to management legacies and environmental change. Community trajectories were clearly influenced by interactions between management legacies from over 200 years ago and environmental change. Importantly, higher rates of nitrogen deposition led to increased species richness and plant height in forests managed less intensively in 1800 (i.e., high forests), and to decreases in forests with a more intensive historical management in 1800 (i.e., coppiced forests). There was evidence that these declines in community variables in formerly coppiced forests were ameliorated by increased rates of temperature change between surveys. Responses were generally apparent regardless of sites’ contemporary management classifications, although sometimes the management transition itself, rather than historic or contemporary management types, better explained understorey responses. Main effects of environmental change were rare, although higher rates of precipitation change increased plant height, accompanied by increases in fertility indicator values. Analysis of indicator values suggested the importance of directly characterising resources and conditions to better understand legacy and environmental change effects. Accounting for legacies of past disturbance can reconcile contradictory literature results and appears crucial to anticipating future responses to global environmental change.
KW - biodiversity change
KW - climate change
KW - disturbance regime
KW - forestREplot
KW - herbaceous layer
KW - management intensity
KW - nitrogen deposition
KW - plant functional traits
KW - time lag
KW - vegetation resurvey
Y1 - 2017
U6 - https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.14030
SN - 1354-1013
SN - 1365-2486
VL - 24
IS - 4
SP - 1722
EP - 1740
PB - Wiley
CY - Hoboken
ER -
TY - JOUR
A1 - Maes, Sybryn L.
A1 - Blondeel, Haben
A1 - Perring, Michael P.
A1 - Depauw, Leen
A1 - Brumelis, Guntis
A1 - Brunet, Jörg
A1 - Decocq, Guillaume
A1 - den Ouden, Jan
A1 - Haerdtle, Werner
A1 - Hedl, Radim
A1 - Heinken, Thilo
A1 - Heinrichs, Steffi
A1 - Jaroszewicz, Bogdan
A1 - Kirby, Keith J.
A1 - Kopecky, Martin
A1 - Malis, Frantisek
A1 - Wulf, Monika
A1 - Verheyen, Kris
T1 - Litter quality, land-use history, and nitrogen deposition effects on topsoil conditions across European temperate deciduous forests
JF - Forest ecology and management
N2 - Topsoil conditions in temperate forests are influenced by several soil-forming factors, such as canopy composition (e.g. through litter quality), land-use history, atmospheric deposition, and the parent material. Many studies have evaluated the effects of single factors on physicochemical topsoil conditions, but few have assessed the simultaneous effects of multiple drivers. Here, we evaluate the combined effects of litter quality, land-use history (past land cover as well as past forest management), and atmospheric deposition on several physicochemical topsoil conditions of European temperate deciduous forest soils: bulk density, proportion of exchangeable base cations, carbon/nitrogen-ratio (C/N), litter mass, bio-available and total phosphorus, pH(KCI)and soil organic matter. We collected mineral soil and litter layer samples, and measured site characteristics for 190 20 x 20 m European mixed forest plots across gradients of litter quality (derived from the canopy species composition) and atmospheric deposition, and for different categories of past land cover and past forest management. We accounted for the effects of parent material on topsoil conditions by clustering our plots into three soil type groups based on texture and carbonate concentration. We found that litter quality was a stronger driver of topsoil conditions compared to land-use history or atmospheric deposition, while the soil type also affected several topsoil conditions here. Plots with higher litter quality had soils with a higher proportion of exchangeable base cations, and total phosphorus, and lower C/N-ratios and litter mass. Furthermore, the observed litter quality effects on the topsoil were independent from the regional nitrogen deposition or the soil type, although the soil type likely (co)-determined canopy composition and thus litter quality to some extent in the investigated plots. Litter quality effects on topsoil phosphorus concentrations did interact with past land cover, highlighting the need to consider land-use history when evaluating canopy effects on soil conditions. We conclude that forest managers can use the canopy composition as an important tool for influencing topsoil conditions, although soil type remains an important factor to consider.
KW - Soil fertility
KW - Ancient forest
KW - Post-agricultural forest
KW - Coppice
KW - High forest
KW - pH
KW - Phosphorus
KW - Base cations
KW - Nutrient cycling
KW - Decomposition
Y1 - 2019
U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foreco.2018.10.056
SN - 0378-1127
SN - 1872-7042
VL - 433
SP - 405
EP - 418
PB - Elsevier
CY - Amsterdam
ER -
TY - GEN
A1 - Heinken, Thilo
T1 - Migration of an annual myrmecochore
BT - a four year experiment with Melampyrum pratense L.
N2 - A seed sowing experiment was conducted in a mixed secondary woodland on acidic soils in NE Germany with Melampyrum pratense, an annual ant-dispersed forest herb which lacks a natural population in the study area, but is abundant in similar habitats. Each set of 300 seeds was sown within one square metre at three sites in 1997, and the development of the populations was recorded from 1998 onward. Additionally, seed fall patterns were studied in a natural population by means of adhesive cardboard. All trials resulted in the recruitment of populations, which survived and increased in both individual number and area, up to the year 2001. Thus, local distribution of Melampyrum pratense is dispersallimited. Total individual number increased from 105 to 3,390, and total population area from 2.07 to 109.04 m². Migration occurred in all directions. Mean migration rate was 0.91 m per year, and the highest migration rate was 6.48 m. No individual was recorded beyond 7.63 m from the centres of the sawn squares after three years, suggesting exclusive short-distance dispersal. As primary dispersal enables only distances of up to 0.25 m, ants are presumed to be the main dispersal vectors. Despite differences in individual number and colonization patterns, migration rates did not differ significantly between the populations, but were significantly higher in 2001 due to an increased population size. Colonization patterns were characterized by a rapid, negative exponential decrease of population density with increasing distance from the sown plot, suggesting a colonization by establishment of more or less isolated outposts of individuals and a subsequent gradual infill of the gaps between. My results resemble myrmecochorous dispersal distances in temperate woodlands, and migration rates and patterns across ecotones from ancient to recent deciduous forests. They may function as a colonization model of Melampyrum pratense after accidental long-distance dispersal.
KW - artificial introduction
KW - colonization
KW - dispersal
KW - myrmecochory
KW - NE Germany
KW - woodland herb
Y1 - 2004
U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus-5865
ER -
TY - JOUR
A1 - Kurze, Susanne
A1 - Heinken, Thilo
A1 - Fartmann, Thomas
T1 - Nitrogen enrichment in host plants increases the mortality of common Lepidoptera species
JF - Oecologia
N2 - The recent decline of Lepidoptera species strongly correlates with the increasing intensification of agriculture in Western and Central Europe. However, the effects of changed host-plant quality through agricultural fertilization on this insect group remain largely unexplored. For this reason, we tested the response of six common butterfly and moth species to host-plant fertilization using fertilizer quantities usually applied in agriculture. The larvae of the study species Coenonympha pamphilus, Lycaena phlaeas, Lycaena tityrus, Pararge aegeria, Rivula sericealis and Timandra comae were distributed according to a split-brood design to three host-plant treatments comprising one control treatment without fertilization and two fertilization treatments with an input of 150 and 300kgNha(-1)year(-1), respectively. In L.tityrus, we used two additional fertilization treatments with an input of 30 and 90kgNha(-1)year(-1), respectively. Fertilization increased the nitrogen concentration of both host-plant species, Rumex acetosella and Poa pratensis, and decreased the survival of larvae in all six Lepidoptera species by at least one-third, without clear differences between sorrel- and grass-feeding species. The declining survival rate in all species contradicts the well-accepted nitrogen-limitation hypothesis, which predicts a positive response in species performance to dietary nitrogen content. In contrast, this study presents the first evidence that current fertilization quantities in agriculture exceed the physiological tolerance of common Lepidoptera species. Our results suggest that (1) the negative effect of plant fertilization on Lepidoptera has previously been underestimated and (2) that it contributes to the range-wide decline of Lepidoptera.
KW - Agricultural fertilization
KW - Global change
KW - Host-plant quality
KW - Nitrogen-limitation hypothesis
KW - Rearing experiment
Y1 - 2018
U6 - https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-018-4266-4
SN - 0029-8549
SN - 1432-1939
VL - 188
IS - 4
SP - 1227
EP - 1237
PB - Springer
CY - New York
ER -
TY - GEN
A1 - Heinken, Thilo
A1 - Winkler, Eckart
T1 - Non-random dispersal by ants : long-term field data versus model predictions of population spread of a forest herb
N2 - Myrmecochory, i.e. dispersal of seeds by ants towards and around their nests, plays an important role in temperate forests. Yet hardly any study has examined plant population spread over several years and the underlying joint contribution of a hierarchy of dispersal modes and plant demography. We used a seed-sowing approach with three replicates to examine colonization patterns of Melampyrum pratense, an annual myrmecochorous herb, in a mixed Scots pine forest in northeastern Germany. Using a spatially explicit individualbased (SEIB) model population patterns over 4 years were explained by short-distance transport of seeds by small ant species with high nest densities, resulting in random spread. However, plant distributions in the field after another 4 years were clearly deviating from model predictions. Mean annual spread rate increased from 0.9 m to 5.1 m per year, with a clear inhomogeneous component. Obviously, after a lag-phase of several years, non-random seed dispersal by large red wood ants (Formica rufa) was determining the species’ spread, thus resulting in stratified dispersal due to interactions with different-sized ant species. Hypotheses on stratified dispersal, on dispersal lag, and on non-random dispersal were verified using an extended SEIB model, by comparison of model outputs with field patterns (individual numbers, population areas, and maximum distances). Dispersal towards red wood ant nests together with seed loss during transport and redistribution around nests were essential features of the model extension. The observed lag-phase in the initiation of non-random, medium-distance transport was probably due to a change of ant behaviour towards a new food source of increasing importance, being a meaningful example for a lag-phase in local plant species invasion. The results demonstrate that field studies should check model predictions wherever possible. Future research will show whether or not the M. pratense–ant system is representative for migration patterns of similar animal dispersal systems after having crossed range edges by long-distance dispersal events.
T3 - Zweitveröffentlichungen der Universität Potsdam : Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftliche Reihe - paper 151
KW - Melampyrum pratense
KW - population dynamics
KW - seed dispersal
KW - non-random dispersal
KW - plant-animal interaction
Y1 - 2009
U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus-46482
ER -
TY - JOUR
A1 - Diekmann, Martin
A1 - Andres, Christian
A1 - Becker, Thomas
A1 - Bennie, Jonathan
A1 - Blueml, Volker
A1 - Bullock, James M.
A1 - Culmsee, Heike
A1 - Fanigliulo, Miriam
A1 - Hahn, Annett
A1 - Heinken, Thilo
A1 - Leuschner, Christoph
A1 - Luka, Stefanie
A1 - Meissner, Justus
A1 - Müller, Josef
A1 - Newton, Adrian
A1 - Peppler-Lisbach, Cord
A1 - Rosenthal, Gert
A1 - van den Berg, Leon J. L.
A1 - Vergeer, Philippine
A1 - Wesche, Karsten
T1 - Patterns of long-term vegetation change vary between different types of semi-natural grasslands in Western and Central Europe
JF - Journal of vegetation science
N2 - Questions Has plant species richness in semi-natural grasslands changed over recent decades? Do the temporal trends of habitat specialists differ from those of habitat generalists? Has there been a homogenization of the grassland vegetation? Location Different regions in Germany and the UK. Methods We conducted a formal meta-analysis of re-survey vegetation studies of semi-natural grasslands. In total, 23 data sets were compiled, spanning up to 75 years between the surveys, including 13 data sets from wet grasslands, six from dry grasslands and four from other grassland types. Edaphic conditions were assessed using mean Ellenberg indicator values for soil moisture, nitrogen and pH. Changes in species richness and environmental variables were evaluated using response ratios. Results In most wet grasslands, total species richness declined over time, while habitat specialists almost completely vanished. The number of species losses increased with increasing time between the surveys and were associated with a strong decrease in soil moisture and higher soil nutrient contents. Wet grasslands in nature reserves showed no such changes or even opposite trends. In dry grasslands and other grassland types, total species richness did not consistently change, but the number or proportions of habitat specialists declined. There were also considerable changes in species composition, especially in wet grasslands that often have been converted into intensively managed, highly productive meadows or pastures. We did not find a general homogenization of the vegetation in any of the grassland types. Conclusions The results document the widespread deterioration of semi-natural grasslands, especially of those types that can easily be transformed to high production grasslands. The main causes for the loss of grassland specialists are changed management in combination with increased fertilization and nitrogen deposition. Dry grasslands are most resistant to change, but also show a long-term trend towards an increase in more mesotrophic species.
KW - dry grasslands
KW - fragmentation
KW - homogenization
KW - management
KW - meta-analysis
KW - nitrogen deposition
KW - quasi-permanent plot
KW - re-survey
KW - species richness
KW - wet grasslands
Y1 - 2019
U6 - https://doi.org/10.1111/jvs.12727
SN - 1100-9233
SN - 1654-1103
VL - 30
IS - 2
SP - 187
EP - 202
PB - Wiley
CY - Hoboken
ER -
TY - JOUR
A1 - Tischew, Sabine
A1 - Dierschke, Hartmut
A1 - Schwabe, Angelika
A1 - Garve, Eckhard
A1 - Heinken, Thilo
A1 - Holzel, Norbert
A1 - Bergmeier, Erwin
A1 - Remy, Dominique
A1 - Haerdtle, Werner
T1 - Pflanzengesellschaft des Jahres 2019: Die Glatthaferwiese
T1 - Plant Community of the Year 2019: Oatgras Meadow
JF - Tuexenia : Mitteilungen der Floristisch-Soziologischen Arbeitsgemeinschaft
N2 - Um Themen des Schutzes von Pflanzengemeinschaften wirksamer in der breiten Öffentlichkeit zu kommunizieren wird der Vorstand der „Floristisch-Soziologischen Arbeitsgemeinschaft (FlorSoz)“ ab 2019 eine „Pflanzengesellschaft des Jahres“ ausrufen. Damit sollen politische und administrative Entscheidungs- und Umsetzungsprozesse zur Erhaltung der Vielfalt von Ökosystemen und Pflanzengesellschaften in Deutschlands gezielt unterstützt werden. Für das Jahr 2019 wurde die Glatthaferwiese ausgewählt. Sie zählt aktuell zu den durch Artenverarmung und Flächenrückgang besonders bedrohten Pflanzengesellschaften Deutschlands. Es sind deshalb dringend Maßnahmen zum Schutz und zur Wiederherstellung notwendig. Dieser Artikel gibt einen kurzen Überblick zur naturschutzfachlichen Bedeutung von Glatthaferwiesen und deren Ökosystemleistungen sowie zur floristisch-soziologischen Erforschung, zu Ursachen ihres Rückgangs und zu geeigneten Gegenmaßnahmen.
N2 - Aiming at a better promotion of topics related to the conservation of ecosystems and plant communities, the board of the Floristisch-Soziologische Arbeitsgemeinschaft (FlorSoz)" has launched the initiative to announce a "Plant Community of the Year". Therewith we hope to raise awareness and stimulate civil society and politics in promoting more efficient conservation strategies. For the forthcoming year, we choose the oatgras meadow as Plant Community of the Year 2019. These lowland hay meadows belong to the most threatened plant communities in Germany. Concepts and schemes aiming at the conservation and restoration of lowland hay meadows are urgently needed. This article provides a short overview of the high nature-conservation value of lowland hay meadows and their ecosystem services as well as of the floristic-phytosociological research, reasons for their sharp decline and appropriate countermeasures.
Y1 - 2018
U6 - https://doi.org/10.14471/2018.38.011
SN - 0722-494X
IS - 38
SP - 287
EP - 295
PB - Floristisch-Soziologische Arbeitsgemeinschaft
CY - Göttingen
ER -
TY - JOUR
A1 - Schwabe, Angelika
A1 - Tischew, Sabine
A1 - Bergmeier, Erwin
A1 - Garve, Eckhard
A1 - Härdtle, Werner
A1 - Heinken, Thilo
A1 - Hölzel, Norbert
A1 - Peppler-Lisbach, Cord
A1 - Remy, Dominique
A1 - Dierschke, Hartmut
T1 - Pflanzengesellschaft des Jahres 2020
BT - Borstgrasrasen
JF - Tuexenia : Mitteilungen der Floristisch-Soziologischen Arbeitsgemeinschaft
N2 - Wie erstmals 2019 wird auch für das Jahr 2020 von der „Floristisch-soziologischen Arbeitsgemeinschaft“ (FlorSoz) für Deutschland die „Pflanzengesellschaft des Jahres“ vorgestellt. Damit soll wiederum für die Öffentlichkeit die Notwendigkeit des Schutzes gefährdeter Pflanzengesellschaften aufgezeigt werden. Für das Jahr 2020 wurden die Borstgrasrasen ausgewählt. Wie alle Pflanzengemeinschaften nährstoffarmer Standorte, sind auch die Borstgrasrasen stark gefährdet und regional sogar unmittelbar vom Aussterben bedroht. Wir konzentrieren uns vor allem auf die Bestände der planaren bis montanen Stufe (Unterverband Violenion caninae: Hundsveilchen-Borstgrasrasen). Die Standorte von Violenion caninae-Gesellschaften werden nicht gedüngt und sind auf extensive Beweidung, z.T. auch auf einschürige Mahd angewiesen. Für Borstgrasrasen bezeichnend sind eine Fülle gefährdeter Pflanzenarten wie z.B. Arnica montana (Arnika) und Antennaria dioica (Zweihäusiges Katzenpfötchen). Bei den Borstgrasrasen spielen für die zunehmend hohe Gefährdung nicht nur Flächenrückgänge durch Nutzungsaufgabe, Aufforstung, Sport- und Freizeitaktivitäten und Überbauung eine Rolle, sondern auch Änderungen der Struktur und Artenzusammensetzung durch direkte Düngung sowie atmogene Stickstoffeinträge sind von Bedeutung. Nährstoffanreicherungen führen zum Verlust der konkurrenzschwachen, gefährdeten Arten zugunsten einiger allgemein verbreiteter, häufig dominanter Gräser sowie konkurrenzkräftiger Kräuter. Wir skizzieren die Bedeutung der Borstgrasrasen als gefährdete Lebensgemeinschaften, geben Hinweise zur floristisch-soziologischen Erforschung und zu weiteren Naturschutz-Aspekten (Rückgang, Erhaltung, Möglichkeiten der Restitution). Ein wirksamer Schutz ist nur bei einem integrativen Naturschutzansatz mit geeigneter Nutzung möglich.
N2 - As for the first time in 2019 the ‘Floristisch-soziologische Arbeitsgemeinschaft (FlorSoz)’ intro-duces the ‘Plant Community of the Year 2020’ for Germany. The FlorSoz proposal aims to alert the public that the conservation of endangered plant communities and their biodiversity is essential.For the year 2020 the plant community of mat-grass swards (Nardus stricta grassland) has been selected. Similar to other plant communities on nutrient-poor sites, Nardus grassland is highly endan-gered and in some regions on the brink of extinction. We focus on Nardus grassland of the lowland to montane levels with the characteristic Violenion caninae suballiance (named after Viola canina,the Heath Dog-violet). The sites of Violenion caninae communities are not fertilized and depend on extensive grazing, but there are also mat-grass swards which are mown once a year. Nardus grasslands host many threatened species, e.g., Arnica montana (Arnica) and Antennaria dioica (Mountain Everlasting).The decline of Nardus grassland is not only due to abandonment, afforestation, outdoor activities and construction measures, but also due to changes in the structure and species composition through eutrophication by either direct manuring or by atmospheric nitrogen input. Eutrophication causes local decline or extinction of low-competitive, often endangered species which are replaced by ubiquists, mostly highly competitive species. For management, long-term conservation practices like extensive grazing or cutting once a year are essential. We give an outline of Nardus grassland as an endangered habitat type and summarize its current state of ecological and phytosociological research. In particular we take up the issue of conservation, including the loss of Nardus grasslands and their restoration. Effective conservation depends on an integrative nature-conservation approach, using suitable man-agement practices.
Y1 - 2019
U6 - https://doi.org/10.14471/2019.39.017
SN - 0722-494X
IS - 39
SP - 287
EP - 308
PB - Floristisch-soziologischen Arbeitsgemeinschaft e.V.
CY - Göttingen
ER -
TY - JOUR
A1 - Heim, Ramona J.
A1 - Hölzel, Norbert
A1 - Heinken, Thilo
A1 - Kamp, Johannes
A1 - Thomas, Alexander
A1 - Darman, Galina F.
A1 - Smirenski, Sergei M.
A1 - Heim, Wieland
T1 - Post-burn and long-term fire effects on plants and birds in floodplain wetlands of the Russian Far East
JF - Biodiversity and conservation
N2 - Wildfires affect biodiversity at multiple levels. While vegetation is directly changed by fire events, animals are often indirectly affected through changes in habitat and food availability. Globally, fire frequency and the extent of fires are predicted to increase in the future. The impact of fire on the biodiversity of temperate wetlands has gained little attention so far. We compared species richness and abundance of plants and birds in burnt and unburnt areas in the Amur floodplain/Russian Far East in the year of fire and 1 year after. We also analysed vegetation recovery in relation to time since fire over a period of 18 years. Plant species richness was higher in burnt compared to unburnt plots in the year of the fire, but not in the year after. This suggests that fire has a positive short-term effect on plant diversity. Bird species richness and abundance were lower on burnt compared to unburnt plots in the year of the fire, but not in the year after. Over a period of 18 years, high fire frequency led to an increase in herb cover and a decrease in grass cover. We show that the effects on biodiversity are taxon- and species-specific. Fire management strategies in temperate wetlands should consider fire frequency as a key driving force of vegetation structure, with carry-over effects on higher trophic levels. Designing fire refuges, i.e., areas that do not burn annually, might locally be necessary to maintain high species richness.
KW - Disturbance
KW - Bird species richness
KW - Vegetation structure
KW - Fire frequency
KW - Amur River
Y1 - 2019
U6 - https://doi.org/10.1007/s10531-019-01746-3
SN - 0960-3115
SN - 1572-9710
VL - 28
IS - 6
SP - 1611
EP - 1628
PB - Springer
CY - Dordrecht
ER -
TY - JOUR
A1 - De Lombaerde, Emiel
A1 - Verheyen, Kris
A1 - Perring, Michael P.
A1 - Bernhardt-Roemermann, Markus
A1 - Van Calster, Hans
A1 - Brunet, Jorg
A1 - Chudomelova, Marketa
A1 - Decocq, Guillaume
A1 - Diekmann, Martin
A1 - Durak, Tomasz
A1 - Hedl, Radim
A1 - Heinken, Thilo
A1 - Hommel, Patrick
A1 - Jaroszewicz, Bogdan
A1 - Kopecky, Martin
A1 - Lenoir, Jonathan
A1 - Macek, Martin
A1 - Máliš, František
A1 - Mitchell, Fraser J. G.
A1 - Naaf, Tobias
A1 - Newman, Miles
A1 - Petřík, Petr
A1 - Reczyńska, Kamila
A1 - Schmidt, Wolfgang
A1 - Swierkosz, Krzysztof
A1 - Vild, Ondrej
A1 - Wulf, Monika
A1 - Baetena, Lander
T1 - Responses of competitive understorey species to spatial environmental gradients inaccurately explain temporal changes
JF - Basic and applied ecology : Journal of the Gesellschaft für Ökologie
N2 - Understorey plant communities play a key role in the functioning of forest ecosystems. Under favourable environmental conditions, competitive understorey species may develop high abundances and influence important ecosystem processes such as tree regeneration. Thus, understanding and predicting the response of competitive understorey species as a function of changing environmental conditions is important for forest managers. In the absence of sufficient temporal data to quantify actual vegetation changes, space-for-time (SFT) substitution is often used, i.e. studies that use environmental gradients across space to infer vegetation responses to environmental change over time. Here we assess the validity of such SFT approaches and analysed 36 resurvey studies from ancient forests with low levels of recent disturbances across temperate Europe to assess how six competitive understorey plant species respond to gradients of overstorey cover, soil conditions, atmospheric N deposition and climatic conditions over space and time. The combination of historical and contemporary surveys allows (i) to test if observed contemporary patterns across space are consistent at the time of the historical survey, and, crucially, (ii) to assess whether changes in abundance over time given recorded environmental change match expectations from patterns recorded along environmental gradients in space. We found consistent spatial relationships at the two periods: local variation in soil variables and overstorey cover were the best predictors of individual species’ cover while interregional variation in coarse-scale variables, i.e. N deposition and climate, was less important. However, we found that our SFT approach could not accurately explain the large variation in abundance changes over time. We thus recommend to be cautious when using SFT substitution to infer species responses to temporal changes.
KW - Temperate forest
KW - Herb layer
KW - Tree regeneration
KW - Global change
KW - Nitrogen deposition
KW - Canopy
KW - Spatiotemporal resurvey data
KW - Cover abundance
KW - Chronosequence
KW - forestREplot
Y1 - 2018
U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.baae.2018.05.013
SN - 1439-1791
SN - 1618-0089
VL - 30
SP - 52
EP - 64
PB - Elsevier GMBH
CY - München
ER -
TY - GEN
A1 - Heinken, Thilo
T1 - Sand- und Silikat-Kiefernwälder (Dicrano-Pinion) in Deutschland : Gliederungskonzept und Ökologie
T1 - Pine forests on sandy and silicate soils (Dicrano-Pinion) in Germany : classification concept and ecology
N2 - In preparation for the „Synopsis of plant communities of Germany“ a comprehensive classification concept for the Scots pine forests on sandy and silicate soils is presented. On the basis of 2699 relevés from all natural provinces with important occurrences this classification for the first time integrates both northern and southern German forest stands. Pine forests are stable (“climax”) communities on three distinct habitat types at the drought and wetness limits of forest growth. In the phytosociological system these are reflected by the clearly separated syntaxa Erico-Pinetea (dry-calcareous), Dicrano-Pinion (dry-acidic) and Vaccinio uliginosi- Pinetea (wet-acidic). However, Pulsatillo-Pinetea (dry-moderate basicity) described in earlier publications cannot be separated floristically. In addition to the stable communities on extreme habitats pine forests of the mentioned syntaxa are widespread on potential mixed deciduous forest stands, especially after anthropogenic devastation and even beyond their original range. Six communites of the Dicrano-Pinion which also includes such secondary pine forest stands are occurring in Germany. They are presented in detail and classified according to their dynamic and edaphic differentiation. Lichen-rich pine forests (Cladonio- Pinetum) which grow on extremely dry and nutrient-poor sites are ecologically and floristically well-defined, though closely connected with other Dicrano-Pinion communities by forest succession. After separation of the Cladonio-Pinetum the Leucobryo-Pinetum is a speciespoor “central association” within the alliance. The Deschampsia flexuosa-Pinus-sylvestriscommunity is the most widespread forest type and dynamically and floristically passes into the mixed oak forests on acidic soils (Quercion roboris). On base-rich habitats the Empetro- Pinetum as endemic community of the southern Baltic Sea coasts, and the Peucedano-Pinetum in the northeastern and southern German inland are distinguished. The latter is found both on calcareous sands and primarily acidic sands which are secondary limed by calciferous pollutions. Finally, differences and similarities between the geographically separated northern and southern German Dicrano-Pinion forests are discussed in a biogeographic context, emphasising the advantages of the presented nation-wide classification concept.
T3 - Zweitveröffentlichungen der Universität Potsdam : Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftliche Reihe - paper 154
Y1 - 2007
U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus-46518
ER -
TY - GEN
A1 - Heinken, Thilo
A1 - von Oheimb, Goddert
A1 - Schmidt, Marcus
A1 - Kriebitzsch, Wolf-Ulrich
A1 - Ellenberg, Hermann
T1 - Schalenwild breitet Gefäßpflanzen in der mitteleuropäischen Kulturlandschaft aus : ein erster Überblick
T1 - The dispersal by hoofed game of vascularplants in the Central European cultural landscape : a first overview
N2 - Im Norddeutschen Tiefland wurde die Ausbreitung von Gefäßpflanzen durch Rehe, Dam- und Rothirsche sowie Wildschweine untersucht. Diese Tiere transportieren zahlreiche Pflanzenarten in teilweise erheblichen Mengen über größere Distanzen, sowohl durch den Kot nach Darmpassage (Endozoochorie) als auch durch Anheftung an Fell und Schalen (Epizoochorie). Besondere Bedeutung kommt dabei Wildschweinen zu, die potenziell fast alle Pflanzenarten ausbreiten können. Bevorzugt werden im Wald wie im Offenland vorkommende Pflanzen und Arten des Offenlands ausgebreitet, während Arten mit enger Waldbindung nur in geringem Maße transportiert werden. Zoochorie durch Schalenwild bietet Erklärungsansätze sowohl für Ausbreitungsphänomene wie auch für das weitgehend fehlende Ausbreitungspotenzial vieler Pflanzenarten. Der Einfluss des Schalenwilds auf die Artenzusammensetzung und Gefäßpflanzen-Diversität in der mitteleuropäischen Kulturlandschaft sollte in seine naturschutzfachliche Neubewertung miteinbezogen werden. Die Einschränkung von Aktionsradien der Tiere durch die Zerschneidung von Lebensräumen sowie die Wildfütterung können für Ausbreitungsprozesse bisher kaum beachtete Konsequenzen haben.
N2 - The dispersal of vascular plants by roe deer, fallow deer, reed deer and wild boar was studied in the lowlands of northern Germany. Hoofed game species transport numerous plant species - partially in large amounts - over relatively long distances, both by faeces after gut passage (endozoochory) and by adhesion to coats and hooves (epizoochory). Wild boar are of particular importance as they potentially disperse almost all plant species. Species occurring both in forests and the open landscape as well as species of the open landscape are preferentially dispersed, while species restricted to forests are only transported to a minor degree. Patterns of zoochory by hoofed game provide explanations for dispersal phenomena and for the low dispersal potential of many plant species. Hoofed game's influence on species composition and phytodiversity in the Central European cultural landscape needs to be re-assessed in terms of its nature conservation relevance. The reduction of home ranges by habitat dissection and the feeding of game animals may have consequences for dispersal processes that have been underestimated until now.
T3 - Zweitveröffentlichungen der Universität Potsdam : Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftliche Reihe - paper 155
Y1 - 2005
U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus-46522
ER -
TY - GEN
A1 - Heinken, Thilo
A1 - Schmidt, Marcus
A1 - von Oheimb, Goddert
A1 - Kriebitzsch, Wolf-Ulrich
A1 - Ellenberg, Hermann
T1 - Soil seed banks near rubbing trees indicate dispersal of plant species into forests by wild boar
N2 - Current knowledge about processes that generate long-distance dispersal of plants is still limited despite its importance for persistence of populations and colonization of new potential habitats. Today wild large mammals are presumed to be important vectors for long-distance transport of diaspores within and between European temperate forest patches, and in particular wild boars recently came into focus. Here we use a specific habit of wild boar, i.e. wallowing in mud and subsequent rubbing against trees, to evaluate epizoic dispersal of vascular plant diaspores. We present soil seed bank data from 27 rubbing trees versus 27 control trees from seven forest areas in Germany. The mean number of viable seeds and the plant species number were higher in soil samples near rubbing trees compared with control trees. Ten of the 20 most frequent species were more frequent, and many species exclusively appeared in the soil samples near rubbing trees. The large number of plant species and seeds – approximated > 1000 per tree – in the soils near rubbing trees is difficult to explain unless the majority were dispersed by wild boar. Hooked and bristly diaspores, i.e. those adapted to epizoochory, were more frequent, above that many species with unspecialised diaspores occurred exclusively near rubbing trees. Different to plant species closely tied to forest species which occur both in forest and open vegetation, and non-forest species were more frequent near rubbing trees compared with controls. These findings are consistent with previous studies on diaspore loads in the coats and hooves of shot wild boars. However, our method allows to identify the transport of diaspores from the open landscape into forest stands where they might especially emerge after disturbance, and a clustered distribution of epizoochorically dispersed seeds. Moreover, accumulation of seeds of wetness indicators near rubbing trees demonstrates directed dispersal of plant species inhabiting wet places between remote wallows.
N2 - Das aktuelle Wissen über Prozesse, die zur Fernausbreitung von Pflanzen führen, ist trotz ihrer Bedeutung für das Überleben von Populationen und die Besiedlung neuer potenzieller Habitate noch immer sehr begrenzt. Wildlebende Großsäuger sind heutzutage vermutlich wichtige Vektoren für den Ferntransport von Diasporen innerhalb und zwischen den einzelnen Waldflächen in Mitteleuropa, und speziell das Wildschwein (Sus scrofa L.) spielt dabei offenbar eine herausragende Rolle. Wir nutzen hier ein spezifisches Verhalten des Wildschweins – Suhlen im Schlamm und nachfolgendes Scheuern an sogenannten Malbäumen – um die epizoochore Ausbreitung von Gefäßpflanzen-Diasporen einzuschätzen. Dargestellt werden die Ergebnisse von Samenbank-Untersuchungen von 27 Malbäumen im Vergleich zu 27 Kontrollbäumen aus sieben Waldgebieten in Deutschland. Sowohl die mittlere Zahl lebensfähiger Samen als auch die Artenzahl waren höher in Bodenproben neben Malbäumen. Zehn der 20 in der Samenbank verbreitetsten Pflanzenarten hatten hier ihren Schwerpunkt, und viele Arten kamen ausschließlich in den neben Malbäumen gewonnenen Proben vor. Die große Zahl von Pflanzenarten und Samen – zumindest > 1000 pro Baum – im Boden an Malbäumen lässt sich nur durch die Aktivität der Wildschweine erklären. Mit Haken oder Borsten ausgestattete, d.h. an Epizoochorie angepasste Diasporen waren häufiger, aber auch viele Arten mit unspezialisierten Diasporen kamen ausschließlich in der Samenbank bei Malbäumen vor. Anders als weitgehend an Wald gebundene Pflanzenarten waren solche, die sowohl im Wald und im Offenland vorkommen, sowie nicht im Wald vorkommende Arten häufiger neben Malbäumen als neben Kontrollbäumen. Diese Befunde stimmen mit denen früherer Untersuchungen von Diasporenladungen im Fell und in den Hufen geschossener Wildschweine überein. Unsere Methode erlaubt darüber hinaus aber die Identifizierung des Diasporentransports aus dem Offenland in die Waldbestände, wo sie insbesondere nach Störungen keimen dürften, sowie einer ungleichmäßigen Verteilung epizoochor ausgebreiteter Diasporen. Außerdem zeigt die Akkumulation von Samen von Nässezeigern neben den Malbäumen eine gezielte Ausbreitung nasse Standorte bewohnender Pflanzenarten zwischen entfernt gelegenen Suhlen.
T3 - Zweitveröffentlichungen der Universität Potsdam : Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftliche Reihe - paper 150
KW - Diaspore morphology
KW - directed dispersal
KW - epizoochory
KW - long-distance dispersal
KW - Sus scrofa
Y1 - 2006
U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus-46476
ER -
TY - GEN
A1 - Winkler, Eckart
A1 - Heinken, Thilo
T1 - Spread of an ant-dispersed annual herb : an individual-based simulation study on population development of Melampyrum pratense L.
N2 - The paper presents a simulation and parameter-estimation approach for evaluating stochastic patterns of population growth and spread of an annual forest herb, Melampyrum pratense (Orobanchaceae). The survival of a species during large-scale changes in land use and climate will depend, to a considerable extent, on its dispersal and colonisation abilities. Predictions on species migration need a combination of field studies and modelling efforts. Our study on the ability of M. pratense to disperse into so far unoccupied areas was based on experiments in secondary woodland in NE Germany. Experiments started in 1997 at three sites where the species was not yet present, with 300 seeds sown within one square meter. Population development was then recorded until 2001 by mapping of individuals with a resolution of 5 cm. Additional observations considered density dependence of seed production. We designed a spatially explicit individual-based computer simulation model to explain the spatial patterns of population development and to predict future population spread. Besides primary drop of seeds (barochory) it assumed secondary seed transport by ants (myrmecochory) with an exponentially decreasing dispersal tail. An important feature of populationpattern explanation was the simultaneous estimation of both population-growth and dispersal parameters from consistent spatio-temporal data sets. As the simulation model produced stochastic time series and random spatially discrete distributions of individuals we estimated parameters by minimising the expectation of weighted sums of squares. These sums-ofsquares criteria considered population sizes, radial population distributions around the area of origin and distributions of individuals within squares of 25*25 cm, the range of density action. Optimal parameter values, together with the precision of the estimates, were obtained from calculating sums of squares in regular grids of parameter values. Our modelling results showed that transport of fractions of seeds by ants over distances of 1…2 m was indispensable for explaining the observed population spread that led to distances of at most 8 m from population origin within 3 years. Projections of population development over 4 additional years gave a diffusion-like increase of population area without any “outposts”. This prediction generated by the simulation model gave a hypothesis which should be revised by additional field observations. Some structural deviations between observations and model output already indicated that for full understanding of population spread the set of dispersal mechanisms assumed in the model may have to be extended by additional features of plant-animal mutualism.
T3 - Zweitveröffentlichungen der Universität Potsdam : Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftliche Reihe - paper 152
KW - Pattern-oriented parameter estimation
KW - spatially explicit modelling
KW - individual-based model
KW - Melampyrum pratense
KW - seed dispersal
Y1 - 2007
U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus-46491
ER -
TY - GEN
A1 - Hoppert, Michael
A1 - Reimer, Rudolph
A1 - Kemmling, Anne
A1 - Schröder, Annekatrin
A1 - Günzl, Bettina
A1 - Heinken, Thilo
T1 - Structure and reactivity of a biological soil crust from a xeric sandy soil in Central Europe
N2 - The investigation was designed to explore the structure, composition and activity of a biological soil crust on an acidic, sandy soil from a temperate climate. The crust covers several hundreds of square meters on the hilltop of a large terminal moraine. The conjugate alga Zygogonium ericetorum forms the essential matrix for the crust, a dense web of algal filaments with interspersed lichens and mosses. The crust is composed of three layers, with an uppermost layer consisting nearly entirely of a dense algal mat. In lower layers, a parasitic fungus, penetrating the algal cells, is another important component of the crust community. In this soil crust, photosynthetic and respiratory activity is stabilized at low water activities.
KW - biological soil crust
KW - desiccation tolerance
KW - electron microscopy
KW - Fusarium oxysporum
KW - Zygogonium ericetorum
Y1 - 2004
U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus-5872
ER -
TY - GEN
A1 - Dierschke, Hartmut
A1 - Heinken, Thilo
T1 - Vorwort
T2 - Tuexenia : Mitteilungen der Floristisch-Soziologischen Arbeitsgemeinschaft
Y1 - 2019
UR - https://www.tuexenia.de/publications/tuexenia/Tuexenia_2019_NS_039_0007-0007.pdf
SN - 0722-494X
IS - 39
SP - 7
EP - 7
PB - Floristisch-Soziologische Arbeitsgemeinschaft
CY - Göttingen
ER -
TY - JOUR
A1 - Plue, Jan
A1 - De Frenne, Pieter
A1 - Acharya, Kamal
A1 - Brunet, Jörg
A1 - Chabrerie, Olivier
A1 - Decocq, Guillaume
A1 - Diekmann, Martin
A1 - Graae, Bente J.
A1 - Heinken, Thilo
A1 - Hermy, Martin
A1 - Kolb, Annette
A1 - Lemke, Isgard
A1 - Liira, Jaan
A1 - Naaf, Tobias
A1 - Verheyen, Kris
A1 - Wulf, Monika
A1 - Cousins, Sara A. O.
T1 - Where does the community start, and where does it end?
BT - including the seed bank to reassess forest herb layer responses to the environment
JF - Journal of vegetation science
N2 - QuestionBelow-ground processes are key determinants of above-ground plant population and community dynamics. Still, our understanding of how environmental drivers shape plant communities is mostly based on above-ground diversity patterns, bypassing below-ground plant diversity stored in seed banks. As seed banks may shape above-ground plant communities, we question whether concurrently analysing the above- and below-ground species assemblages may potentially enhance our understanding of community responses to environmental variation. LocationTemperate deciduous forests along a 2000km latitudinal gradient in NW Europe. MethodsHerb layer, seed bank and local environmental data including soil pH, canopy cover, forest cover continuity and time since last canopy disturbance were collected in 129 temperate deciduous forest plots. We quantified herb layer and seed bank diversity per plot and evaluated how environmental variation structured community diversity in the herb layer, seed bank and the combined herb layer-seed bank community. ResultsSeed banks consistently held more plant species than the herb layer. How local plot diversity was partitioned across the herb layer and seed bank was mediated by environmental variation in drivers serving as proxies of light availability. The herb layer and seed bank contained an ever smaller and ever larger share of local diversity, respectively, as both canopy cover and time since last canopy disturbance decreased. Species richness and -diversity of the combined herb layer-seed bank community responded distinctly differently compared to the separate assemblages in response to environmental variation in, e.g. forest cover continuity and canopy cover. ConclusionsThe seed bank is a below-ground diversity reservoir of the herbaceous forest community, which interacts with the herb layer, although constrained by environmental variation in e.g. light availability. The herb layer and seed bank co-exist as a single community by means of the so-called storage effect, resulting in distinct responses to environmental variation not necessarily recorded in the individual herb layer or seed bank assemblages. Thus, concurrently analysing above- and below-ground diversity will improve our ecological understanding of how understorey plant communities respond to environmental variation.
KW - Above-ground
KW - Below-ground
KW - Canopy
KW - Disturbance
KW - Diversity
KW - Light availability
KW - NWEurope
KW - Plant community
KW - Species co-existence
KW - Storage effect
Y1 - 2017
U6 - https://doi.org/10.1111/jvs.12493
SN - 1100-9233
SN - 1654-1103
VL - 28
IS - 2
SP - 424
EP - 435
PB - Wiley
CY - Hoboken
ER -