| 1. |
- Angelstam, Per, et al.
(author)
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Gap analysis as a basis for strategic spatial planning of green infrastructure: a case study in the Ukrainian Carpathians
- 2017
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In: Écoscience. - : Informa UK Limited. - 1195-6860 .- 2376-7626. ; 24, s. 41-58
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Increased demand for natural resources and economic transition threaten natural and biocultural capital and thus ecosystem services for human well-being. We applied an evidence-based approach to strategic planning of functional green infrastructure in a European biodiversity hotspot: the Ukrainian Carpathian Mountains. We (1) described how potential natural vegetation types have been transformed, (2) applied evidence-based critical thresholds for each potential natural vegetation land cover, (3) measured how much of the potential natural vegetation land covers are protected, and (4) estimated the area of cultural landscapes that emerged. While only 2% of lowland land cover types were left, 55% of mountain forests and 94% of alpine land covers remained. Many mountain forests were transformed to valuable cultural landscapes. Beech and oak forests covered 42% of the study area but at low levels of protection (< 5%). The highest protection level (12-17%) was in mixed beech-fir-spruce and in spruce forests. However, taking connectivity into account, only alpine land covers formed a functional habitat network. More areas need to be protected and planned to build a functional green infrastructure. Traditional village systems with biocultural values need support. We discuss how strategic analyses can encourage collaborative spatial planning and international development cooperation.
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| 2. |
- Asplund, Johan, et al.
(author)
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Simulated nitrogen deposition influences gastropod grazing in lichens
- 2010
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In: Ecoscience. - : Informa UK Limited. - 1195-6860. ; 17:1, s. 83-89
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Lichens are often important photosynthetic organisms in oligotrophic environments where high-quality fodder plants are rare. A strong herbivore defence and/or low nutritional quality allows the accumulation of a high lichen biomass in such areas. However, it is not known how N deposition influences lichen palatability. This study analyzes possible changes in gastropod grazing preference after 3 months simulated N deposition on 3 foliose (Lobaria scrobiculata, Platismatia glauca, and Xanthoria aureola) and 1 pendulous lichen species (Alectoria sarmentosa). Lichens were daily irrigated in the field with rainwater containing 1.625 mM NH4NO3 from June to September, equivalent to a deposition of 50 kg N·ha-1·y-1. Irrigations applied at night, morning, or noon simulated different C-gain regimes. Afterwards in the lab, we offered 2 common lichen-feeding gastropods the choice between N-fertilized thalli and control thalli irrigated with artificial rainwater. The gastropods clearly preferred the unfertilized thalli of the 3 foliose species. For the pendulous A. sarmentosa, the gastropods preferred N-enriched thalli (irrigated at night) to controls. In conclusion, N-enrichment changes the palatability of lichens in species-specific ways.
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| 3. |
- Brodin, Anders, et al.
(author)
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Optimal energy allocation and behaviour in female raptorial birds during the nestling period
- 2003
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In: Écoscience. - : University Laval. - 1195-6860. ; 10:2, s. 140-150
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- In many raptors and owls the male is the main provider of food in the early phase of the nestling period while the female incubates the eggs and broods the young. In the nestling period the female often helps the male to feed the young, but the factors affecting whether and when she leaves the brood to hunt have not been investigated in detail. We present a dynamic state variable model that analyses female behaviour and fat storage dynamics over the nestling period. The results show that in the first half of the nestling period the female faces a conflict between the need to brood the young and the need to hunt to provision them with food. This conflict arises because the energy needs of the young peak early in the nestling period, at a time when they still cannot thermoregulate and therefore need brooding from the female. The most critical period is the second nestling week, when both female and nestling fat reserves will decrease to low levels. Large female fat reserves in the early nestling period provide a solution to this conflict and are essential for successful breeding. Stochasticity in male provisioning is thus not needed to explain why females should be fat when the eggs hatch. Under normal circumstances, the female broods during the first two weeks and leaves the young only if hunting is absolutely necessary. After the second week the energy requirements are relaxed, and whether the female assists the male in hunting or not depends on factors such as male hunting success, environmental stochasticity, and energy requirements of the young. Our model provides a framework for empirical investigations on female behaviour during breeding in raptors, owls, and other birds with marked division of labour.
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| 4. |
- Bruun, Hans Henrik, et al.
(author)
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Recruitment advantage of large seeds is greater in shaded habitats
- 2008
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In: Écoscience. - : Informa UK Limited. - 1195-6860 .- 2376-7626. ; 15:4, s. 498-507
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Large seeds are assumed to have higher probability of successful recruitment than small seeds. This is because larger seeds give rise to larger seedlings and larger seedlings better withstand environmental hazards like deep shade and drought. Biotic and abiotic limitations to seedling growth and survival, and conversely availability of safe sites for recruitment, vary along environmental gradients and between habitat types. Thus, the value to plant species of possessing large seeds may differ between plant communities. We analyzed the relationship between seed mass and per-seed recruitment success (seedlings established per number of seeds produced) along an environmental gradient from open grassland to closed-canopy forest using data collected by Uuno Perttula in southern Finland in 1934. We found that larger seeds have greater recruitment success relative to smaller seeds in all investigated communities. However, the recruitment success of large seeds relative to small seeds strongly increased from grassland and open forest to closed-canopy forest. Of the measured environmental variables, canopy closure most strongly explained this increase. This indicates a strong direct effect of deep shade on seedling survival in natural plant communities. Additional explanatory power was associated with soil moisture. Litter cover, moss cover, and soil pH did not contribute to explaining the variation in relative recruitment success of larger seeds. Thus, the advantage of large seeds in recruitment success is pronounced in deeply shaded forest but may be insignificant in open vegetation.
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| 5. |
- Chiari, Stefano, et al.
(author)
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Habitat of an endangered saproxylic beetle, Osmoderma eremita, in Mediterranean woodlands
- 2012
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In: Écoscience. - : Informa UK Limited. - 1195-6860 .- 2376-7626. ; 19, s. 299-307
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The habitat of Osmoderma eremita, a European endangered beetle species restricted to tree cavities, was examined in central Italy, at the southernmost limit of its distributional range. The occurrence of adults, larvae, and fragments was investigated in 170 and 151 living hollow trees by pitfall trapping and sampling of wood mould (i.e., loose material) in the hollow, respectively. Overall, O. eremita was present in 22% of the trees, which belonged to 4 different tree species (Ostrya carpinifolia, Quercus suber, Acer obtusatum, and Quercus pubescens). The frequency of presence was higher in cavities with more than 4 L of wood mould, in cavities with dry or half-moist wood mould rather than wet wood mould, and with wood mould with low soil contamination. A comparison with northern regions indicated that the warmer macro-climatic conditions in the south make the species independent of a warm microclimate. As most of the hollow trees contain only a small amount of wood mould (<4 L), the habitat quality is generally poorer than in oak pastures studied in northern Europe.
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| 6. |
- Dahlberg, Anders, et al.
(author)
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Effects of ecological continuity on species richness and composition in forests and woodlands: A review
- 2014
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In: Écoscience. - : Informa UK Limited. - 1195-6860 .- 2376-7626. ; 21, s. 34-45
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Research review (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Forests and woodlands with a long, uninterrupted presence (continuity) are often associated with high biodiversity and many habitat specialist species. But the mechanisms by which, and the scales in time and space at which, populations are dependent on continuity remain debated. We examine the spatial and temporal scales at which occurrences of plants, fungi, and invertebrates are affected by continuity and consider whether they are restricted by time for colonization (continuity per se) or by habitat formation times. We give improved definitions of landscape and local levels of continuity anti evaluate the empirical literature with respect to these. By critically examining the reported effects of continuity on the occurrence of species in forests and woodlands, we explore the mechanisms behind the patterns at local and landscape scales. We conclude that many species are dispersal-limited in the current fragmented landscapes and occur mainly in landscapes with surplus continuity, meaning that the availability of habitats was greater in the past than it is currently. Our review indicates that local continuity per se is important at least for many forest herbs and for certain species of epiphytic lichens, insects, and land snails, but to a lesser extent for fungi. Several studies show that landscape-level continuity affects the current occurrence of species, in particular for vascular plants, but also for particular lichen, bryophyte, and invertebrate species. For continuity-dependent species, a successful conservation strategy should include both extending the period of habitat duration in relict patches and promoting habitat formation in the immediate surroundings of potential source patches. Conservation strategies need to acknowledge the continuity dependence of many species. Research on how to shorten habitat formation times by forest restoration is an urgent priority.
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| 7. |
- Forsum, A., et al.
(author)
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Nitrogen uptake by Hylocomium splendens during snowmelt in a boreal forest
- 2008
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In: Ecoscience. - : Informa UK Limited. - 1195-6860. ; 15:3, s. 315-319
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- In most boreal regions snow composes a large portion of the annual precipitation. Although many boreal forest floor bryophytes depend largely on precipitation for their nitrogen (N) supply, bryophyte uptake of snow N little explored. We studied chemical forms of plant-accessible N in snowmelt, as well as the temporal dynamics of their release. In conjuction we performed a N uptake experiment using the common boreal bryophyte Hylocomium splendens. the results demonstrated that the snowmelt N pool was dominated by NO3 (86%), followed by NH4+ (11%) and amino acid N (3%), in total providing ca 0.3 kg N.ha(-1) to the forest floor vegetation. Hylocomium splendens was able to access both inorganic and organic N-15 labelled N forms (NO3-, NH4+, and glycine) applied in situ to the snow covering the moss prior to snowmelt. Across all the N forms H. splendens took up ca 24% of the snow-deposited N. Nitrate uptake exceeded that of glycine, while NH4+ uptake was intermediate, reflecting the ambient distribution of the snowmelt N pool between plant-accessible N forms.
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| 8. |
- Fransson, Petra, et al.
(author)
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Host plant-ectomycorrhizal fungus combination drives resource allocation in willow: Evidence for complex species interaction from a simple experiment
- 2013
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In: Écoscience. - : Informa UK Limited. - 1195-6860 .- 2376-7626. ; 20, s. 112-121
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Root-associated mycorrhizal fungi affect plant growth and resource allocation. Our major aim was to explore the plant-internal mechanisms behind the effects of mycorrhizal colonization on leaf chemistry of willow (Salix spp.). Combinations of 2 willow varieties (Loden, Tora) and 2 ectomycorrhizal fungal species (Hebeloma fastibile, Tricholoma cingulatum) were grown under controlled conditions. Host plant variety and fungal species effects on host resource allocation (biomass and leaf chemistry) varied in a complex way. Shoot biomass growth and allocation was mostly affected by host plant variety, whereas leaf and root biomass allocation were strongly affected by mycorrhizal treatment. Leaf biomass production was affected by willow variety, mycorrhizal treatment, and the interaction between them. The results indicate a strong effect of mycorrhizal colonization on host plant biomass allocation, which can mediate mycorrhizal effects on leaf chemistry. For example, leaf biomass allocation was inversely correlated with foliar concentrations of salicylic acid, suggesting a functional link between the two. However, the apparent complexity of the host plant variety-fungal species interaction makes any prediction of their possible outcome very difficult, especially in an ecological context. Still, fungal species identity seems to be more important for the responses of Salix to mycorrhizal colonization than the amount of fungal biomass.
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| 9. |
- Graae, Bente J., et al.
(author)
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Germination requirements and seed mass of slow- and fast-colonizing temperate forest herbs along a latitudinal gradient
- 2009
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In: Écoscience. - : Informa UK Limited. - 1195-6860 .- 2376-7626. ; 16:2, s. 248-257
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Predictions on displacement of suitable habitats due to climate change suggest that plant species with poor colonization ability may be unable to move fast enough to match forecasted climate-induced changes in habitat distribution. However, studies on early Holocene plant migration show fast migration of many plant species that are poor colonizers today We hypothesize that warmer temperatures during the early Holocene yielded higher seed quality, contributing to explaining the fast migration. We studied how the 3 seed quality variables, seed mass, germinability, and requirements for break of seed dormancy, vary for seeds of 11 forest herb species with varying colonization capacity collected along a 1400-km latitudinal gradient. Within species, seed mass showed a positive correlation with latitude, whereas germinability was more positively correlated with temperature (growing degree hours obtained at time of seed collection). Only slow-colonizing species increased germinability with temperature, whereas only fast-colonizing species increased germinability with latitude. These interactions were only detectable when analyzing germinability of the seeds, even though this trait and seed mass were correlated. The requirement for dormancy break did not correlate with latitude or temperature. The results indicate that seed development of slow colonizers may be favoured by a warmer climate, which in turn may be important for their migration capacity.
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| 10. |
- Hambäck, Peter A., et al.
(author)
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Plant trait-mediated interactions between early and late herbivores on common figwort (Scrophularia nodosa) and effects on plant seed set
- 2011
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In: Ecoscience. - : Informa UK Limited. - 1195-6860 .- 2376-7626. ; 18:4, s. 375-381
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- This study examined the interactive effects of early and late season herbivory on the growth and reproductive output of figwort (Scrophularia nodosa). The early season herbivore is a pentatomid bug that feeds on and kills the apical meristem, while the late season herbivores are 2 weevil species and a sawfly that all feed on leaves and flowers. The direct effect of early season meristem damage on plant reproduction was quite limited, although meristem damage did cause increased branching. This change in plant morphology may entail that early season herbivores have profound indirect effects on plant reproduction by affecting the abundance of and damage caused by late season herbivores. Comparisons of plants with and without early season meristem damage, natural and artificial, also suggest that plants with meristem damage are significantly shorter throughout most of the summer and receive less damage late in season. However, the reduced damage translated to increased flowering but not to increased fruit production, suggesting that the plants were able to compensate for late season damage. In the end, and despite damage, figwort was well able to tolerate the observed meristem and leaf damage.
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