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Old trees as a key source of epiphytic lichen persistence and spatial distribution in mountain Norway spruce forests

July 2017
Biodiversity and Conservation 26(2)

DOI:10.1007/s10531-017-1338-4

Authors:

Lucie Zemanová

Czech University of Life Sciences Prague

Volodymyr Trotsiuk

Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSL

Robert C. Morrissey

Radek Bače

Czech University of Life Sciences Prague

Show all 6 authorsHide

Habitat loss and fragmentation can negatively impact the persistence of dispersal-limited lichen species with narrow niches. Rapid change in microclimate due to canopy dieback exposes species to additional stressors that may limit their capacity to survive and colonize. We studied the importance of old trees as micro-refuges and microclimate stability in maintaining lichen survival and diversity. The study was situated in mountain Norway spruce (Picea abies) forests of the Gorgany Mountains of the Ukrainian Carpathian mountain belt. Lichens were collected on 13 circular study plots (1000 m²). Dendrochronological methods were used to reconstruct age structure and maximum disturbance event history. A linear mixed effects model and general additive models were used to explain patterns and variability of lichens based on stand age and disturbance history for each plot. Tree age was the strongest variable influencing lichen diversity and composition. Recent (<80 years ago) severely disturbed plots were colonized only by the most common species, however, old trees (>200 years old) that survived the disturbances served as microrefuges for the habitat-specialized and/or dispersal limited species, thus epiphytic lichen biodiversity was markedly higher on those plots in comparison to plots without any old trees. Most species were able to survive microclimatic change after disturbances, or recolonize disturbed patches from surrounding old-growth forests. We concluded that the survival of old trees after disturbances could maintain and/or recover large portions of epiphytic lichen biodiversity even in altered microclimates.

Relation between the number of lichen species and individual tree age, age of the oldest tree per plot, and tree diameter (DBH); left panel number of species per tree (y-axis) along tree age gradient (x-axis) split into two intervals of MaxAge (empty triangles trees from plots in which the oldest tree was younger than 270 years, black points trees from plots in which the oldest tree was older than 270 years); right panel number of species per tree (y-axis) along stem diameter (DBH, x-axis, empty triangles trees younger than 150 years, black points trees older than 150 years); linear trendlines were added (dotted line MaxAge ≤270 years in first panel and age ≤150 years in second panel, dashed line MaxAge >270 years in first panel and age >150 years in second panel)

…

Species chronology along tree age and plot-level maximum tree age gradients; species are ordered by the lowest MaxAge, top to bottom, and grouped by plot disturbance severity (high, which includes extreme and heavy disturbances, are above the solid black line, and low, which includes moderate and light disturbances, are below the solid black line (these groups are intended to represent differences in microclimatic continuity). Host tree ages are indicated by the empty grey circles (x-axis); MaxAges are indicated by black crosses (x-axis); the lowest MaxAge of the plot on which each species occurred is indicated by the dashed line. Species with significant response to any of the variables are indicated by asterisk and accompanied by an abbreviation of the significant variable (a age, m MaxAge, d low disturbance severity); for more details about species traits see Table 4

…

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ORIGINAL PAPER

Old trees as a key source of epiphytic lichen persistence

and spatial distribution in mountain Norway spruce

forests

Lucie Zemanova

•Volodymyr Trotsiuk

•Robert C. Morrissey

•

Radek Bac

ˇe

•Martin Mikola

´s

•Miroslav Svoboda

Received: 1 April 2016 / Revised: 18 March 2017 / Accepted: 30 March 2017 /

Published online: 22 April 2017

ÓSpringer Science+Business Media Dordrecht 2017

Abstract Habitat loss and fragmentation can negatively impact the persistence of dis-

persal-limited lichen species with narrow niches. Rapid change in microclimate due to

canopy dieback exposes species to additional stressors that may limit their capacity to

survive and colonize. We studied the importance of old trees as micro-refuges and

microclimate stability in maintaining lichen survival and diversity. The study was situated

in mountain Norway spruce (Picea abies) forests of the Gorgany Mountains of the

Ukrainian Carpathian mountain belt. Lichens were collected on 13 circular study plots

(1000 m

). Dendrochronological methods were used to reconstruct age structure and

maximum disturbance event history. A linear mixed effects model and general additive

models were used to explain patterns and variability of lichens based on stand age and

disturbance history for each plot. Tree age was the strongest variable inﬂuencing lichen

diversity and composition. Recent (\80 years ago) severely disturbed plots were colonized

only by the most common species, however, old trees ([200 years old) that survived the

disturbances served as microrefuges for the habitat-specialized and/or dispersal limited

species, thus epiphytic lichen biodiversity was markedly higher on those plots in com-

parison to plots without any old trees. Most species were able to survive microclimatic

change after disturbances, or recolonize disturbed patches from surrounding old-growth

forests. We concluded that the survival of old trees after disturbances could maintain and/

or recover large portions of epiphytic lichen biodiversity even in altered microclimates.

Communicated by Pradeep Kumar Divakar.

This article belongs to the Topical Collection: Forest and plantation biodiversity.

&Lucie Zemanova

zluxie@gmail.com

Department of Ecology, Faculty of Environmental Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences,

Kamy

´cka

´1176, 16521 Prague, Czech Republic

Department of Forest Ecology, Faculty of Forestry and Wood Science, Czech University of Life

Sciences, Kamy

´cka

´1176, 16521 Prague, Czech Republic

123

Biodivers Conserv (2017) 26:1943–1958

DOI 10.1007/s10531-017-1338-4

Content courtesy of Springer Nature, terms of use apply. Rights reserved.

Lobaria pulmonaria as an umbrella species for the protection of epiphytic lichen diversity in Polish Carpathians

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ECOSYSTEMS

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Sustaining forest biodiversity: Exploring the effect of long-term natural disturbance dynamics on contemporary lichen communities in primary forest ecosystems

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Sub-fossil bark beetles as indicators of past disturbance events intemperate Picea abies mountain forests

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Nov 2021
QUATERNARY SCI REV

Temperate mountain forests have experienced an increase in frequency and severity of natural disturbances (e.g., droughts, fires, windstorms and insect outbreaks) in recent decades due to climate and environmental change. Outbreaks of bark beetles have caused significant dieback of conifer forests in Central Europe and it is essential to model and predict the potential severity of future bark beetle outbreaks. However, to predict future bark beetle activity, historical baseline information is required to contextualize the magnitude of current and potential future outbreaks. A fossil beetle record from a forest hollow in the Tatra Mountains, Slovakia; one of the best-preserved national parks in Central Europe, was produced to identify insect outbreaks during the last millennia. Sub-fossil bark beetle re-mains were compared with parallel pollen and charcoal to assess whether peaks in conifer bark beetle remains correspond with indications of disturbance documented in historical or sedimentary fossil records. Three peaks in bark beetle remains were detected (1) post-2004, (2) AD 1140-1440, and (3) AD930-1030. The abundance of speciesPityogenes chalcographusandPityophthorus pityographus in the two top samples can be linked directly to large bark beetle outbreaks in the High Tatra Mountains after 2004. P. chalcographus and P. pityographus are also the abundant species in the second peak (AD 1140e1440) while the third peak (AD 930e1030) consists of the species Polygraphus poligraphus. The most prominent conifer bark beetle in Central Europe, Ips typographus, was found to be present in most of the samples but always at very low numbers. It is plausible that P. chalcographus and P. pityographus fossils might be useful proxies for past conifer bark beetle outbreaks in Central Europe, as they occur together with fossils of I. typographus but appear to be well-preserved. A significant correlation was found between primary bark beetles and macroscopic charcoal densities in the sediment, highlighting the complex interactions between disturbance agents, bark beetles and fire, in this long-term regime of natural disturbances. Our 1400-year disturbance record shows how bark beetle outbreaks have been an important component of the regional natural disturbance regime for over a millennium and have intensified with increasing anthropogenic activity. Bark beetle outbreaks are likely one of the drivers promoting the future ecological stability of the temperate conifer ecosystem over decades to centuries.

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Epiphytic lichens indicating process protection and ecological continuity in the Bavarian Forest National Park

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Piret Lõhmus

Package Lme4: Linear Mixed-Effects Models Using Eigen and S4

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J STAT SOFTW

Description Fit linear and generalized linear mixed-effects models. The models and their components are represented using S4 classes and methods. The core computational algorithms are implemented using the 'Eigen' C++ library for numerical linear algebra and 'RcppEigen' ``glue''.

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Increasing natural disturbances in conifer forests worldwide complicate political decisions about appropriate land management. In particular, allowing insects to kill trees without intervention has intensified public debate over the dual roles of strictly protected areas to sustain ecosystem services and to conserve biodiversity. Here we show that after large scale bark beetle Ips typographus infestation in spruce Picea abies forests in south-eastern Germany, maximum nitrate concentrations in runoff used for drinking water increased significantly but only temporarily at the headwater scale. Moreover, this major criterion of water quality remained consistently far below the limit recommended by the World Health Organization. At the same time, biodiversity, including numbers of Red-listed species, increased for most taxa across a broad range of lineages. Our study provides strong support for a policy to allow natural disturbance-recovery processes to operate unimpeded in conifer-dominated mountain forests, especially within protected areas.This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

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Monitoring with Lichens — Monitoring Lichens

Book

Jan 2002

A comprehensive, up-to-date review of lichens as biomonitors of air pollution (bioindication, metal and radionuclide accumulation, biomarkers), and as monitors of environmental change (including global climate change and biodiversity loss) in a wide array of terrestrial habitats. Several methods for using lichens as biomonitors are described in a special section of the book.

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A mixed severity disturbance regime in the primary Picea abies (L.) Karst. forests of the Ukrainian Carpathians

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