Past levels of canopy closure affect the occurrence of veteran trees and flagship saproxylic beetles

Result code in IS VaVaI

<a href="https://www.isvavai.cz/riv?ss=detail&h=RIV%2F60076658%3A12310%2F18%3A43897195" target="_blank" >RIV/60076658:12310/18:43897195 - isvavai.cz</a>

Alternative codes found

RIV/60077344:_____/18:00481872

Result on the web

<a href="https://kopernio.com/viewer?doi=10.1111/ddi.12670&route=7" target="_blank" >https://kopernio.com/viewer?doi=10.1111/ddi.12670&route=7</a>

DOI - Digital Object Identifier

<a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/ddi.12670" target="_blank" >10.1111/ddi.12670</a>

Result language

angličtina

Original language name

Past levels of canopy closure affect the occurrence of veteran trees and flagship saproxylic beetles

Original language description

Aim: Open woodlands are biologically highly diverse habitats, and veteran (i.e., old, senescent) trees are key structures supporting their biodiversity. Open canopy structure had been maintained by both natural- and human-induced disturbances. In the past two centuries, suppression of such disturbances, together with forestry intensification, has turned most lowland woodlands into closed-canopy forests. We investigated the effect of increased canopy closure on veteran trees and several threatened beetles associated with them. Location: Floodplain woodlands along the lower Dyje and Morava rivers, Czech Republic. Methods: We used an approach combining the study of aerial photographs with on-ground survey of veteran trees and associated endangered beetles. The aerial images were used to obtain the information on historical (1938) and recent (2009) canopy closure in the area of 146 km(2), where we mapped large oaks (d.b.h. &gt;70 cm), hollow trees and three associated beetles including the hermit beetle (Osmoderma barnabita), the great capricorn beetle (Cerambyx cerdo) and the jewel beetle Eurythyrea quercus. Results: The presence of large oaks, hollow trees and their associated beetle species are negatively related to recent high canopy closure, and the historical level of canopy closure matters, as in nowadays closed-canopy stands, the beetles and veteran trees are more common in places that were rather open in 1938 than in the places with closed canopy already in 1938. Moreover, the health state of veteran trees highly depends on the canopy closure. Main conclusion: The negative effect of canopy closure on veteran trees and their endangered inhabitants is several decades delayed and may thus often go undetected. In the forests, however, large and hollow trees and their associated biodiversity are relics of the past, more open conditions. The restoration of open woodlands is therefore vital for preventing their further decline. Conservation management planning needs to take this into account wherever, veteran trees and associated biota are concerned.

Czech name

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Czech description

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Type

J_imp - Article in a specialist periodical, which is included in the Web of Science database

CEP classification

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OECD FORD branch

10619 - Biodiversity conservation

Project

—

Continuities

I - Institucionalni podpora na dlouhodoby koncepcni rozvoj vyzkumne organizace

Publication year

2018

Confidentiality

S - Úplné a pravdivé údaje o projektu nepodléhají ochraně podle zvláštních právních předpisů

Name of the periodical

Diversity and Distributions

ISSN

1366-9516

e-ISSN

—

Volume of the periodical

24

Issue of the periodical within the volume

2

Country of publishing house

US - UNITED STATES

Number of pages

11

Pages from-to

208-218

UT code for WoS article

000419339800007

EID of the result in the Scopus database

2-s2.0-85040096850