Changes in plant diversity of European lowland forests: Increased homogenization and expansion of shade-tolerant trees

Result code in IS VaVaI

<a href="https://www.isvavai.cz/riv?ss=detail&h=RIV%2F60077344%3A_____%2F24%3A00599583" target="_blank" >RIV/60077344:_____/24:00599583 - isvavai.cz</a>

Alternative codes found

RIV/67985939:_____/24:00599583 RIV/60460709:41320/24:100437 RIV/60076658:12310/24:43908470

Result on the web

<a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2024.110719" target="_blank" >https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2024.110719</a>

DOI - Digital Object Identifier

<a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2024.110719" target="_blank" >10.1016/j.biocon.2024.110719</a>

Result language

angličtina

Original language name

Changes in plant diversity of European lowland forests: Increased homogenization and expansion of shade-tolerant trees

Original language description

European lowland forests have undergone significant transformations over the past century due to increased canopy closure, eutrophication and plant invasions. The new millennium has brought plant invasions, alien fungal pathogens, and extreme weather conditions, all contributing to forest diebacks. However, the response of plant diversity remains poorly understood. We examined changes in understorey vegetation following a decade (2012-2021) of severe drought in four temperate lowland forest types (dominated by oaks, hornbeams, ashes, and willows) to understand how water availability, canopy openness, and alien fungal pathogens altered diversity in interaction with climate change. Following an exceptionally warm decade, the vegetation exhibited increased homogeneity, with denser shrub and herb layers, likely resulting from diminished tree canopy, particularly in hornbeam and ash forests. Homogenization was manifested by the colonization of plants with conservative life-history strategies (higher leaf dry matter content) to cope with increased drought. Consequently, communities with fewer species increased their species richness, while species-rich communities experienced impoverishment. Conversely, herbaceous species with higher specific leaf area were declining. Compositional changes were particularly prominent in hornbeam and oakwoods at the drier end of moisture gradient where the understorey became dominated by woody plants. Ashwoods were opening up due to ash dieback by fungal pathogens, causing replacement of wetland forbs by nitrophilous forbs and woody saplings. The overall number of species decreased in oakwoods but increased in hornbeam and ashwoods due to increased cover of grasses and shade-tolerant woody species, mostly Acer campestre. Conversely, willow understorey vegetation at the wetter end of the moisture gradient remained relatively stable. Our findings suggest shifts towards more homogeneous vegetation. Conservation plans for managing the remnants of species-rich lowland forests should consider the accelerated environmental changes linked to canopy alterations, biological invasions, and extreme climate events.

Czech name

—

Czech description

—

Type

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

CEP classification

—

OECD FORD branch

10619 - Biodiversity conservation

Project

<a href="/en/project/GA23-07533S" target="_blank" >GA23-07533S: Temperate lowland woodlands in transition: How succession, climate change, exotic organisms, and management affect different trophic levels?</a><br>

Continuities

I - Institucionalni podpora na dlouhodoby koncepcni rozvoj vyzkumne organizace

Publication year

2024

Confidentiality

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

Name of the periodical

Biological Conservation

ISSN

0006-3207

e-ISSN

1873-2917

Volume of the periodical

296

Issue of the periodical within the volume

AUG 2024

Country of publishing house

NL - THE KINGDOM OF THE NETHERLANDS

Number of pages

12

Pages from-to

110719

UT code for WoS article

001331982600001

EID of the result in the Scopus database

2-s2.0-85197757351