Forest land use discontinuity and northern red oak Quercus rubra introduction change biomass allocation and life strategy of lingonberry Vaccinium vitis-idaea

Background:Multi-purpose use of forests in a sustainable way forces a recognition of how introduction of alien woody species in forests with different land use histories affect native plants other than trees.Lingonberry Vaccinium vitis-idaea is an important understory component of temperate and boreal forests and provider of valuable non-wood forest products.Here we studied effects of land use changes and introduction of Northern red oak Quercus rubra on lingonberry in mesic Scots pine forests(in central Poland).We measured lingonberry cover,height of shoots,biomass of stems and leaves,and fruit productivity.Shoots were collected within 200 research plots located in recent and ancient Scots pine forests,with and without Q.rubra.Results:We found that V.vitis-idaea reached lower cover,aboveground biomass and fruit production in recent than ancient forests and in forests with than without Q.rubra.The fruit production in recent pine forest was only 2%of that reported in ancient pine forest,and V.vitis-idaea did not reproduce generatively in forests with Q.rubra.Biomass and carbon sequestration of V.vitis-idaea in forests with alien(invasive)trees decreased by 75%compared to ancient pine forest.Effects were also clear at the individual shoot level–in less suitable conditions we found taller heights and higher biomass allocation into stems than foliage.Biomass allocation in fruiting and non-fruiting shoots in pine forests was also different–less of the dry biomass of fruiting shoots was allocated to leaves than to stems.Conclusions:In the age of high interest in ecosystem services and discussions about usage of alien tree species as alternatives in forest management,our results clearly indicate disruption of ecosystem services provided by V.vitisidaea in the presence of Q.rubra.Lingonberry benefited from the continuity of forest land use,however,regardless of land-use legacy,alien tree introduction led to decline in abundance of species crucial for ecosystem functioning.Therefore,to maintain valuable native species and for conservation of ecosystem services delivery,we suggest limiting the introduction of Q.rubra in areas with abundant V.vitis-idaea,especially in forests with continuous forest land-use history.

Response of understory vegetation over 10 years after thinning in an old-growth cedar and cypress plantation overgrazed by sika deer in eastern Japan

Background： Forest management strategies such as thinning have long been used to enhance ecosystem functions, especially in plantations.Thinning in plantations with high deer density, however, may not yield a desired increase in understory vegetation because deer graze on germinating plants after thinning.Here, we examine the changes in understory vegetation after thinning in plantations that have been overgrazed by sika deer to provide insight into the effects of thinning on ecosystem functions such as soil conservation and biological diversity.Methods： We conducted our survey in the Tanzawa Mountains of eastern Japan.We surveyed the change in understory vegetation within and outside of three deer exclosures on a single slope with three levels of understory vegetation cover： sparse（1%, exclosure ＂US＂）, moderate（30%, exclosure ＂MM＂）, and dense（80%, exclosure ＂LD＂） over10 years after a 30% thinning of an old-growth cedar and cypress plantation which was overgrazed by sika deer.Results： Understory vegetation cover, biomass and species richness increased within and outside the ＂US＂ and＂MM＂ exclosures after thinning, and biomass was greater within than outside the exclosures at 10 years after thinning.Unpalatable species dominated both ＂US＂ and ＂MM＂ exclosures before thinning, and trees and shrubs dominated within the exclosures over time after thinning.In contrast, unpalatable, grazing-tolerant, perennial,and annual species increased outside the ＂US＂ and ＂MM＂ exclosures.No noticeable changes were observed within and outside the ＂LD＂ exclosure when compared with the ＂US＂ and ＂MM＂ exclosures.Conclusions： Our results suggest that thinning a stand by 30% based on volume resulted in an increase in understory vegetation cover mainly composed of both unpalatable and grazing-tolerant species in a plantation forest where understory vegetation is sparse or moderate and sika deer density is high.We emphasize that establishing deer exclosures or controlling deer is essential to maintaining similar understory vegetation both within and outside exclosures.