Refine
Year of publication
Document Type
- Article (57)
- Postprint (10)
- Monograph/Edited Volume (1)
- Other (1)
Is part of the Bibliography
- yes (69) (remove)
Keywords
- nitrogen deposition (7)
- climate change (6)
- Climate change (4)
- biodiversity (4)
- dispersal (4)
- Latitudinal gradient (3)
- disturbance (3)
- forest management (3)
- forestREplot (3)
- landscape diversity (3)
- plant diversity (3)
- seed bank (3)
- species assembly (3)
- temperature (3)
- vegetation change (3)
- wetland vegetation (3)
- Acer platanoides (2)
- Acer pseudoplatanus (2)
- Canopy (2)
- Disturbance (2)
- Ellenberg indicator values (2)
- Global change (2)
- Global environmental change (2)
- Host-plant quality (2)
- Milium effusum (2)
- NE Germany (2)
- Nitrogen-limitation hypothesis (2)
- Pinus sylvestris (2)
- Rearing experiment (2)
- epizoochory (2)
- initial site conditions (2)
- latitude (2)
- life‐history traits (2)
- local adaptation (2)
- nutrient stoichiometry (2)
- past land use (2)
- phytodiversity (2)
- quasi-permanent plots (2)
- seed provisioning (2)
- sexual reproduction (2)
- species richness (2)
- winner and loser species (2)
- wood anemone (2)
- (semi-)permanent plots (1)
- <i>Fusarium oxysporum</i> (1)
- <i>Zygogonium ericetorum</i> (1)
- Above-ground (1)
- Acer (1)
- Aglais (1)
- Agricultural fertilization (1)
- Agricultural landscapes (1)
- Amur River (1)
- Ancient forest (1)
- Anemone nemorosa (1)
- Base cations (1)
- Below-ground (1)
- Biogeography (1)
- Bird species richness (1)
- Brandenburg (1)
- CLSM (1)
- CSR-strategies (1)
- Calcareous grassland (1)
- Canopy closure (1)
- Cell structures (1)
- Chronosequence (1)
- Clonal growth (1)
- Collection date (1)
- Community ecology (1)
- Competition (1)
- Confocal laser scanning microscopy (1)
- Coppice (1)
- Cover abundance (1)
- Cryptogams (1)
- Decomposition (1)
- Dendrochronology (1)
- Diasporenmorphologie (1)
- Diversity (1)
- Epizoochorie (1)
- Eutrophication (1)
- Fagus (1)
- Fertilization (1)
- Fire frequency (1)
- Forest species (1)
- Forest understorey (1)
- Fragmentation (1)
- Fraxinus (1)
- Functional trait diversity (1)
- Germination (1)
- Grime strategy (1)
- Habitat fragmentation (1)
- Herb layer (1)
- High forest (1)
- Interactive effects (1)
- Intraspecific variation (1)
- Isolation (1)
- Kettle holes (1)
- Landscape connectivity (1)
- Landscape eutrophication (1)
- Life history traits (1)
- Light availability (1)
- Litter raking (1)
- Macroclimatic gradient (1)
- Melampyrum pratense (1)
- Multi-scale analysis (1)
- NWEurope (1)
- Naturally rare species (1)
- Naturschutz (1)
- Nitrogen deposition (1)
- Nutrient cycling (1)
- Phenotypic plasticity (1)
- Phosphorus (1)
- Phytodiversität (1)
- Plant community (1)
- Plant conservation (1)
- Post-agricultural forest (1)
- Precipitation (1)
- Quercus (1)
- Recently rare species (1)
- Regeneration (1)
- Reh (1)
- Seed provenance (1)
- Seed traits (1)
- Shannon diversity (1)
- Soil fertility (1)
- Spatiotemporal resurvey data (1)
- Species co-existence (1)
- Species diversity (1)
- Species traits (1)
- Sphagnum magellanicum (1)
- Stachys sylvatica (1)
- Standort (1)
- Storage effect (1)
- Surface preparation (1)
- Taxonomic position (1)
- Temperate forest (1)
- Temperature (1)
- Tree regeneration (1)
- Vegetation structure (1)
- Waldbodenpflanzen (1)
- Walddynamik (1)
- Wetland species (1)
- Wildschwein (1)
- Wood anatomy (1)
- additive partitioning of biodiversity effects (1)
- artificial introduction (1)
- atmospheric deposition (1)
- atmospheric nitrogen deposition (1)
- basal area increment (1)
- biodiversity change (1)
- biological soil crust (1)
- cattle grazing (1)
- cell structure (1)
- climatic debt (1)
- colonization (1)
- common garden (1)
- common garden experiment (1)
- conservation responsibility (1)
- continuous pasture (1)
- dendroclimatology (1)
- desiccation tolerance (1)
- determinants of plant community diversity and structure (1)
- diaspore (1)
- diaspore morphology (1)
- diaspore weight (1)
- dispersal of cryptogams (1)
- dispersal potential (1)
- disturbance regime (1)
- drought (1)
- dry grasslands (1)
- ecosystem services (1)
- ecosystem stability (1)
- electron microscopy (1)
- environmental gradient (1)
- eutrophication (1)
- evenness (1)
- external dispersal (1)
- falling groundwater level (1)
- forest dynamics (1)
- forest herbs (1)
- forest plant species (1)
- forest specialist (1)
- forest understorey (1)
- fragmentation (1)
- game browsing (1)
- generalist emergent group (1)
- growth chambers (1)
- habitat type (1)
- herbaceous layer (1)
- historical ecology (1)
- homogenisation (1)
- homogenization (1)
- interspecific variation (1)
- intraspecific divergence (1)
- land use impact (1)
- large herbivores (1)
- large ungulate (1)
- latitudinal gradient (1)
- life form (1)
- life history attributes (1)
- life-history traits (1)
- lowland fen (1)
- management (1)
- management intensity (1)
- meadow (1)
- meta-analysis (1)
- multifactorial environmental change (1)
- myrmecochory (1)
- nature conservation (1)
- non-random dispersal (1)
- north-western Europe (1)
- northern peatlands (1)
- open-top chambers (1)
- organic farming (1)
- pH (1)
- phenotypic plasticity (1)
- plant community (1)
- plant functional traits (1)
- plant regeneration (1)
- plant-animal interaction (1)
- plant-climate interaction (1)
- population dynamics (1)
- pot experiment (1)
- quantitative wood anatomy (1)
- quasi-permanent plot (1)
- range edges (1)
- range shifts (1)
- re-survey (1)
- recruitment (1)
- red list (1)
- reproduction (1)
- resurveys (1)
- roe deer (1)
- rotational pasture (1)
- secondary seed dispersal (1)
- seed (1)
- seed dispersal (1)
- seed longevity (1)
- seed nitrogen (1)
- seed predation (1)
- seed production (1)
- seed quality (1)
- seedling establishment (1)
- shoot fragments (1)
- silviculture (1)
- site conditions (1)
- spatiotemporal resurvey data (1)
- species diversity (1)
- temperate deciduous forest (1)
- time lag (1)
- trampling (1)
- tree rings (1)
- tree-ring analysis (1)
- understory (1)
- vegetation resurvey (1)
- vegetative reproduction (1)
- wet grassland (1)
- wet grasslands (1)
- wetland ecosystems (1)
- wild boar (1)
- woodland herb (1)
Institute
The response of forest plant regeneration to temperature variation along a latitudinal gradient
(2012)
The response of forest herb regeneration from seed to temperature variations across latitudes was experimentally assessed in order to forecast the likely response of understorey community dynamics to climate warming.
Seeds of two characteristic forest plants (Anemone nemorosa and Milium effusum) were collected in natural populations along a latitudinal gradient from northern France to northern Sweden and exposed to three temperature regimes in growth chambers (first experiment). To test the importance of local adaptation, reciprocal transplants were also made of adult individuals that originated from the same populations in three common gardens located in southern, central and northern sites along the same gradient, and the resulting seeds were germinated (second experiment). Seedling establishment was quantified by measuring the timing and percentage of seedling emergence, and seedling biomass in both experiments.
Spring warming increased emergence rates and seedling growth in the early-flowering forb A. nemorosa. Seedlings of the summer-flowering grass M. effusum originating from northern populations responded more strongly in terms of biomass growth to temperature than southern populations. The above-ground biomass of the seedlings of both species decreased with increasing latitude of origin, irrespective of whether seeds were collected from natural populations or from the common gardens. The emergence percentage decreased with increasing home-away distance in seeds from the transplant experiment, suggesting that the maternal plants were locally adapted.
Decreasing seedling emergence and growth were found from the centre to the northern edge of the distribution range for both species. Stronger responses to temperature variation in seedling growth of the grass M. effusum in the north may offer a way to cope with environmental change. The results further suggest that climate warming might differentially affect seedling establishment of understorey plants across their distribution range and thus alter future understorey plant dynamics.
We measured LHS traits in 41 Anemone nemorosa and 44 Milium effusum populations along a 1900-2300 km latitudinal gradient from N France to N Sweden. We then applied multilevel models to identify the effects of regional (temperature, latitude) and local (soil fertility and acidity, overstorey canopy cover) environmental factors on LHS traits.
Both species displayed a significant 4% increase in plant height with every degree northward shift (almost a two-fold plant height difference between the southernmost and northernmost populations). Neither seed mass nor SLA showed a significant latitudinal cline. Temperature had a large effect on the three LHS traits of Anemone. Latitude, canopy cover and soil nutrients were related to the SLA and plant height of Milium. None of the investigated variables appeared to be related to the seed mass of Milium.
The variation in LHS traits indicates that the ecological strategy determined by the position of each population in this three-factor triangle is not constant along the latitudinal gradient. The significant increase in plant height suggests greater competitive abilities for both species in the northernmost populations. We also found that the studied environmental factors affected the LHS traits of the two species on various scales: spring-flowering Anemone was affected more by temperature, whereas early-summer flowering Milium was affected more by local and other latitude-related factors. Finally, previously reported cross-species correlations between LHS traits and latitude were generally unsupported by our within-species approach.
Significant effects of temperature on the reproductive output of the forest herb Anemone nemorosa L.
(2010)
Climate warming is already influencing plant migration in different parts of the world. Numerous models have been developed to forecast future plant distributions. Few studies, however, have investigated the potential effect of warming on the reproductive output of plants. Understorey forest herbs in particular, have received little attention in the debate on climate change impacts. This study focuses on the effect of temperature on sexual reproductive output (number of seeds, seed mass, germination percentage and seedling mass) of Anemone nemorosa L., a model species for slow colonizing herbaceous forest plants. We sampled seeds of A. nemorosa in populations along a 2400 km latitudinal gradient from northern France to northern Sweden during three growing seasons (2005,2006 and 2008). This study design allowed us to isolate the effects of accumulated temperature (Growing Degree Hours; GDH) from latitude and the local abiotic and biotic environment. Germination and seed sowing trials were performed in incubators, a greenhouse and under field conditions in a forest. Finally, we disentangled correlations between the different reproductive traits of A. nemorosa along the latitudinal gradient. We found a clear positive relationship between accumulated temperature and seed and seedling traits: reproductive output of A. nemorosa improved with increasing GDH along the latitudinal gradient. Seed mass and seedling mass, for instance, increased by 9.7% and 10.4%, respectively, for every 1000 degrees C h increase in GDH. We also derived strong correlations between several seed and seedling traits both under field conditions and in incubators. Our results indicate that seed mass, incubator-based germination percentage (Germ%(Inc)) and the output of germinable seeds (product of number of seeds and Germ%(Inc) divided by 100) from plants grown along a latitudinal gradient (i.e. at different temperature regimes) provide valuable proxies to parameterize key population processes in models. We conclude that (1) climate warming may have a pronounced positive impact on sexual reproduction of A. nemorosa and (2) climate models forecasting plant distributions would benefit from including the temperature sensitivity of key seed traits and population processes.
Aim To investigate the effect of temperature, latitude and local environment on the reproductive traits of widespread perennial forest herbs to better understand the potential impacts of rising temperatures on their population dynamics and colonization capacities. Location Six regions along a latitudinal gradient from France to Sweden. Methods Within each region, we collected data from three to five populations of up to six species. For each species, several variables were recorded in each region (temperature, latitude) and population (local abiotic and biotic environmental variables), and seed production and germination were estimated. Resource investment in reproduction (RIR) was quantified as seed number ¥ seed mass, while germinable seed output (GSO) was expressed as seed number ¥ germination percentage.We performed linear regression and mixed effect models to investigate the effects of temperature (growing degree hours), latitude and local abiotic and biotic environment on RIR and GSO. Results Temperature and latitude explained most of the variation in RIR and GSO for early flowering species with a northerly distribution range edge (Anemone nemorosa, Paris quadrifolia and Oxalis acetosella). Reproduction of the more southerly distributed species (Brachypodium sylvaticum, Circaea lutetiana and Primula elatior), in contrast, was independent of temperature/latitude. In the late summer species, B. sylvaticum and C. lutetiana, variation in RIR and GSO was best explained by local environmental variables, while none of the investigated variables appeared to be related to reproduction in P. elatior. Main conclusions We showed that reproduction of only two early flowering, northerly distributed species was related to temperature. This suggests that the potential reproductive response of forest herbs to climate warming partly depends on their phenology and distribution, but also that the response is to some extent species dependent. These findings should be taken into account when predictions about future shifts in distribution range are made.
Recent global warming is acting across marine, freshwater, and terrestrial ecosystems to favor species adapted to warmer conditions and/or reduce the abundance of cold-adapted organisms (i.e., "thermophilization" of communities). Lack of community responses to increased temperature, however, has also been reported for several taxa and regions, suggesting that "climatic lags" may be frequent. Here we show that microclimatic effects brought about by forest canopy closure can buffer biotic responses to macroclimate warming, thus explaining an apparent climatic lag. Using data from 1,409 vegetation plots in European and North American temperate forests, each surveyed at least twice over an interval of 12-67 y, we document significant thermophilization of ground-layer plant communities. These changes reflect concurrent declines in species adapted to cooler conditions and increases in species adapted to warmer conditions. However, thermophilization, particularly the increase of warm-adapted species, is attenuated in forests whose canopies have become denser, probably reflecting cooler growing-season ground temperatures via increased shading. As standing stocks of trees have increased in many temperate forests in recent decades, local microclimatic effects may commonly be moderating the impacts of macroclimate warming on forest understories. Conversely, increases in harvesting woody biomass-e.g., for bioenergy-may open forest canopies and accelerate thermophilization of temperate forest biodiversity.
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.
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.
Aim - Plant reintroductions and other forms of targeted species translocations will in the future gain growing importance for nature conservation. In fragmented habitats, species reintroductions offer one of the most efficient tools for preserving or restoring plant diversity. In our study, we have compiled available data about plant reintroduction projects in Germany to answer the following questions: (1) What are the characteristics, habitat preferences and ecological strategies of species considered in plant reintroduction trials, and are these representative of the entire class of threatened species in Germany? (2) Is the judgment of the success or failure of plant reintroductions biased by the choice of species used in the experiments? (3) Do reintroduction efforts focus on those species for which Germany has a particularly high responsibility for conservation?
Methods - Information about reintroduction projects in Germany were obtained from published and internet sources as well as unpublished reports. In our search we focused on single-species trials in the framework of scientific or conservation projects. For all threatened species included in our database, we compiled information on their systematics, life form, ecological strategies and habitat preferences. A list of all species being threatened nationally or regionally, comprising both reintroduced and not reintroduced species, served as a reference for statistical analysis.
Results - The list of vascular plants used in conservation-oriented reintroductions consisted of 196 taxa. Species of families with large and conspicuous, mostly insect-pollinated flowers (for example, Orchidaceae) were over-represented among the reintroduced species compared to those threatened species not included in reintroduction trials. Species considered were also more often than expected found in semi-natural open habitats such as heathlands and grasslands. Notably, many projects focused on calcareous grasslands, characterized by dry, high-pH and infertile soils. In contrast, species of more near-natural vegetation (alpine and rocky formations, forests) were under-represented. About 25% of the species that were reintroduced are not threatened on the national scale. Out of 150 species for which Germany has a particularly high responsibility for conservation, only 14 (9.3%) were reintroduced. For only about 1/3 of all reintroduction attempts, success or failure were documented; whereas the success rate appears to be relatively low in nutrient-poor environments, trials with nutrient-demanding and competitive species were more successful.
Conclusions - We conclude that conservation-oriented reintroduction attempts should focus more on species for which the country or a region has a particular high responsibility. Reintroductions, to a larger extent than at present, also need to consider the different chances of success in different habitat types and environments.
Vorwort
(2019)
In einem rund 2.200 ha großen Waldgebiet bei Magdeburgerforth (Fläming, Sachsen-Anhalt) wurden 1948 bis 1950 von Harro Passarge 120 Vegetationsaufnahmen sowie eine Vegetationskartierung erstellt. Das Gebiet zeichnet sich durch eine große Vielfalt an Waldtypen aus den Verbänden Agrostio-Quercion petraeae, Alnion glutinosae, Alnion incanae, Carpinion betuli, Dicrano-Pinion und Quercion roboris aus. Daher und weil viele der heute in Wäldern wirksamen Prozesse (z. B. Stickstoffeintrag,
Klimawandel) vor 60 Jahren noch nicht spürbar waren, bietet sich das Gebiet für eine Wiederholungsuntersuchung besonders an. Da die Aufnahmeflächen von Passarge nicht punktgenau verortet waren, wurden im Jahr 2014 in einem über die Forstabteilungen und die Vegetationskarte definierten Suchraum immer die der Erstaufnahme ähnlichsten Waldbestände erfasst. Insgesamt konnten 97 (81 %) der Aufnahmen wiederholt werden. Vegetationsveränderungen werden mithilfe einer NMDS-Ordination, der Gegenüberstellung von α -Diversität, Zeigerwerten und Waldbindungskategorien für die beiden
Aufnahmezeitpunkte sowie über die Identifikation von Gewinner- und Verlierer-Arten analysiert.
Auch wenn methodenbedingt bei der Wiederholungsuntersuchung nur die jeweils geringstmögliche
Vegetationsveränderung abgebildet wird, konnten Ergebnisse erzielt werden, die mit denen quasi permanenter Plots übereinstimmen. Die beobachteten allgemeinen Trends (Eutrophierung, Sukzession nach Nutzungswandel, Verlust lichtliebender und magerkeitszeigender Arten, Ausbreitung von stickstoffliebenden Arten und mesophilen Waldarten, Einwanderung von Neophyten, keine generelle Abnahme der Artenzahl) stimmen gut mit den in zahlreichen Studien aus mitteleuropäischen Wäldern festgestellten überein. Durch das von nassen bis trockenen sowie von bodensauer-nährstoffarmen bis zu relativ basenreichen Böden reichende Standortsspektrum innerhalb des Untersuchungsgebietes konnte aber – deutlicher als in den meisten bisherigen Fallstudien – gezeigt werden, dass sich die Resilienz der
Wälder gegenüber Vegetationsveränderung je nach Ausgangsgesellschaft stark unterscheidet und jeweils unterschiedliche Treiber wirksam sind. Stellario-Carpinetum und Luzulo-Quercetum erwiesen
sich als relativ stabil, und auch in den Feuchtwäldern des Circaeo-Alnetum gab es trotz eines Artenwechsels wenig Hinweise auf Umweltveränderungen. Dagegen wiesen die Wälder nährstoffarmer Standorte (Sphagno-Alnetum, Betulo-Quercetum, Dicrano-Pinion) viele Verliererarten und eine starke Eutrophierungstendenz auf. Die in besonderem Maße von historischen Waldnutzungsformen abhängigen thermophilen Wälder und die Flechten-Kiefernwälder gingen weitgehend verloren.