Vegetation Changes in Temperate Floodplain Forests: Temporal Scale Matters
The result's identifiers
Result code in IS VaVaI
<a href="https://www.isvavai.cz/riv?ss=detail&h=RIV%2F60077344%3A_____%2F25%3A00643204" target="_blank" >RIV/60077344:_____/25:00643204 - isvavai.cz</a>
Alternative codes found
RIV/67985939:_____/25:00645645 RIV/60460709:41320/25:106196 RIV/60460709:41330/25:106196 RIV/60076658:12310/25:43910515
Result on the web
<a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jvs.70094" target="_blank" >https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jvs.70094</a>
DOI - Digital Object Identifier
<a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/jvs.70094" target="_blank" >10.1111/jvs.70094</a>
Alternative languages
Result language
angličtina
Original language name
Vegetation Changes in Temperate Floodplain Forests: Temporal Scale Matters
Original language description
Aim Understanding temporal patterns of vegetation change is crucial for assessing the ecological integrity of forest understoreys under shifting management and climate regimes. This study investigates long-term (60-year) and short-term (10-year) changes in species composition, functional traits, and phylogenetic diversity (PD) of understorey communities in Central European floodplain forests. The goal is to determine how different temporal scales capture ecological dynamics and to identify trait-based mechanisms underlying community shifts.Location The research was conducted in floodplain forests across Central Europe, encompassing oak, ash, hornbeam, and willow-dominated stands distributed along a gradient of soil moisture availability.Methods We analyzed repeated vegetation plot records across two temporal scales. Changes in species richness, functional diversity (FD), and PD were quantified. Species-level shifts were linked to plant traits such as height, seed mass, and leaf dry matter content (LDMC), with analyses stratified by forest type.Results Over 60 years, species richness and PD declined, driven by the loss of phylogenetically distinct light-demanding specialists and an increase in tall woody generalists with conservative strategies. FD remained stable but showed directional trait shifts. In contrast, the 10-year data showed limited changes in diversity indices, despite continued increases in some woody species and temporary gains of specialists in drier hornbeam stands. Trait-abundance correlations indicated that taller species with high LDMC or heavier seeds were favored under conditions of canopy closure and drought. Invasive species also increased in abundance over the 60-year period, whereas short-term trends exhibited weaker signals.Conclusions Long-term data revealed compositional and trait-based transformations missed in short-term assessments, emphasizing the value of extended temporal monitoring. Trait-environment interactions varied among forest types, reflecting site-specific drivers such as differences in moisture conditions. These findings highlight the need for temporally informed forest management strategies that promote resilience by addressing both species impoverishment in the forest understorey and trait-based filters.
Czech name
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Czech description
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Classification
Type
J<sub>imp</sub> - Article in a specialist periodical, which is included in the Web of Science database
CEP classification
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OECD FORD branch
10618 - Ecology
Result continuities
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
Others
Publication year
2025
Confidentiality
S - Úplné a pravdivé údaje o projektu nepodléhají ochraně podle zvláštních právních předpisů
Data specific for result type
Name of the periodical
Journal of Vegetation Science
ISSN
1100-9233
e-ISSN
1654-1103
Volume of the periodical
36
Issue of the periodical within the volume
6
Country of publishing house
US - UNITED STATES
Number of pages
13
Pages from-to
e70094
UT code for WoS article
001627679100001
EID of the result in the Scopus database
2-s2.0-105023432237