Predicting the decomposition of Scots pine, Norway spruce, and birch stems in Finland.

Models were developed for predicting the decomposition of dead wood for the main tree species in Finland, based on data collected from long-term thinning experiments in southern and central Finland. The decomposition rates were strongly related to the number of years after tree death. In contrast to previous studies, which have used the first-order exponential model, we found that the decomposition rate was not constant. Therefore, the Gompertz and Chapman-Richard's functions were fitted to the data. The slow initial decomposition period was mainly due to the fact that most dead trees remained standing as snags after their death. The initial period was followed by a period of rapid decomposition and, finally, by a period of moderately slow decomposition. Birch stems decomposed more rapidly than Scots pine and Norway spruce stems. Decomposition rates of Norway spruce stems were somewhat lower than those of Scots pine. Because the carbon concentration of decaying boles was relatively stable (about 50%) the rate of carbon loss follows that of mass loss. Models were also developed for the probability that a dead tree remains standing as a snag. During the first years after death, the probability was high. Thereafter, it decreased rapidly, the decrease being faster for birch stems than for Scots pine and Norway spruce stems. Almost all stems had fallen down within 40 years after their death. In Scots pine and Norway spruce, most snags remained hard and belonged to decay class 1. In birch, a higher proportion of snags belonged to the more advanced decay classes. The models provide a framework for predicting dead wood dynamics in managed as well as dense unthinned stands. The models can be incorporated into forest management planning systems, thereby facilitating estimates of carbon dynamics.     

The Future of Scattered Trees in Agricultural Landscapes

Abstract: Mature trees scattered throughout agricultural landscapes are critical habitat for some biota and provide a range of ecosystem services. These trees are declining in intensively managed agricultural landscapes globally. We developed a simulation model to predict the rates at which these trees are declining, identified the key variables that can be manipulated to mitigate this decline, and compared alternative management proposals. We used the initial numbers of trees in the stand, the predicted ages of these trees, their rate of growth, the number of recruits established, the frequency of recruitment, and the rate of tree mortality to simulate the dynamics of scattered trees in agricultural landscapes. We applied this simulation model to case studies from Spain, United States, Australia, and Costa Rica. We predicted that mature trees would be lost from these landscapes in 90–180 years under current management. Existing management recommendations for these landscapes—which focus on increasing recruitment—would not reverse this trend. The loss of scattered mature trees was most sensitive to tree mortality, stand age, number of recruits, and frequency of recruitment. We predicted that perpetuating mature trees in agricultural landscapes at or above existing densities requires a strategy that keeps mortality among established trees below around 0.5% per year, recruits new trees at a rate that is higher than the number of existing trees, and recruits new trees at a frequency in years equivalent to around 15% of the maximum life expectancy of trees. Numbers of mature trees in landscapes represented by the case studies will decline before they increase, even if strategies of this type are implemented immediately. This decline will be greater if a management response is delayed.     

The trait contribution to wood decomposition rates of 15 Neotropical tree species

The decomposition of dead wood is a critical uncertainty in models of the global carbon cycle. Despite this, relatively few studies have focused on dead wood decomposition, with a strong bias to higher latitudes. Especially the effect of interspecific variation in species traits on differences in wood decomposition rates remains unknown. In order to fill these gaps, we applied a novel method to study long-term wood decomposition of 15 tree species in a Bolivian semi-evergreen tropical moist forest. We hypothesized that interspecific differences in species traits are important drivers of variation in wood decomposition rates. Wood decomposition rates (fractional mass loss) varied between 0.01 and 0.31 yr(-1). We measured 10 different chemical, anatomical, and morphological traits for all species. The species' average traits were useful predictors of wood decomposition rates, particularly the average diameter (dbh) of the tree species (R2 = 0.41). Lignin concentration further increased the proportion of explained inter-specific variation in wood decomposition (both negative relations, cumulative R2 = 0.55), although it did not significantly explain variation in wood decomposition rates if considered alone. When dbh values of the actual dead trees sampled for decomposition rate determination were used as a predictor variable, the final model (including dead tree dbh and lignin concentration) explained even more variation in wood decomposition rates (R2 = 0.71), underlining the importance of dbh in wood decomposition. Other traits, including wood density, wood anatomical traits, macronutrient concentrations, and the amount of phenolic extractives could not significantly explain the variation in wood decomposition rates. The surprising results of this multi-species study, in which for the first time a large set of traits is explicitly linked to wood decomposition rates, merits further testing in other forest ecosystems.     

鼎湖山粗死木质残体生物量特征

对鼎湖山季风常绿阔叶林1 hm2永久性样地内粗死木质残体(Coarse woody debris,简称CWD)的生物量、存在形式及分解状态进行研究.结果表明:1)鼎湖山季风常绿阔叶林CWD的生物量为42.09 t hm-2,其中倒木和枯立木分别为32.81 t hm-2、9.28 t hm-2,所占比例分别为77.9%、22.1%.1999~2010年间CWD年均输入量为1.68 t hm-2a-1.2)CWD主要优势树种为锥栗(Castanopsis chinensis)、黄杞(Engelhardtia roxburghiana)和荷木(Schima superba),所占比例分别为54.0%、15.1%和13.9%.3)CWD径级主要分布在30 cm以下,但对CWD生物量贡献最大的径级在30 cm以上.4)CWD的分解状态主要为中度分解状态,占CWD总生物量的61.2%.研究还表明,鼎湖山季风常绿阔叶林的CWD生物量呈逐年增加趋势.图2表3参17     

Detecting Rare Species with Random or Subjective Sampling: a Case Study of Red-Listed Saproxylic Beetles in Boreal Sweden

Abstract:  Efficient sampling design in field studies is important for economical and statistical reasons. We compared two ways to distribute sampling effort over an area, either randomly or subjectively. We searched for red-listed saproxylic (wood-living) beetles in 30 spruce stands in boreal Sweden by sifting wood from dead trees. We randomly selected positions within each stand with a geographic positioning system and sampled the nearest dead tree (random sample). In the same stand we also sampled dead trees that, based on literature, were likely to host such species (subjective sampling). The subjective sampling (two to five samples per stand, depending on stand size) was compared with the higher, random sampling effort (fixed level of 12 samples/stand). Subjective sampling was significantly more efficient. Red-listed species were found in 36% of the subjective samples and in 16% of the random samples. Nevertheless, the larger random effort resulted in a comparable number of red-listed species per stand and in 13 detected species in total (vs. 12 species with subjective sampling). Random sampling was less efficient, but provided an unbiased alternative more suitable for statistical purposes, as needed in, for example, monitoring programs. Moreover, new species-specific knowledge can be gained through random searches.     

Tree mortality following partial harvests is determined by skidding proximity

Recently developed structural retention harvesting strategies aim to improve habitat and ecological services provided by managed forest stands by better emulating natural disturbances. The potential for elevated mortality of residual trees following such harvests remains a critical concern for forest managers, and may present a barrier to more widespread implementation of the approach. We used a harvest chronosequence combined with dendrochronological techniques and an individual-based neighborhood analysis to examine the rate and time course of residual-tree mortality in the first decade following operational partial "structural retention" harvests in the boreal forest of Ontario, Canada. In the first year after harvest, residual-tree mortality peaked at 12.6 times the preharvest rate. Subsequently, mortality declined rapidly and approached preharvest levels within 10 years. Proximity to skid trails was the most important predictor both of windthrow and standing death, which contributed roughly equally to total postharvest mortality. Local exposure further increased windthrow risk, while crowding enhanced the risk of standing mortality. Ten years after harvest, an average of 10.5% of residual trees had died as a result of elevated postharvest mortality. Predicted cumulative elevated mortality in the first decade after harvest ranged from 2.4% to 37% of residual trees across the observed gradient of skid trail proximity, indicating that postharvest mortality will remain at or below acceptable rates only if skidding impacts are minimized. These results represent an important step toward understanding how elevated mortality may influence stand dynamics and habitat supply following moderate-severity disturbances such as partial harvests, insect outbreaks, and windstorms.     

中亚热带杉木人工林冰雪灾害引发的林木损害及林地养分分布

对中亚热带被冰雪灾害破坏的杉木林地的杉木损害程度及其林地养分分布变化进行了调查,冻雨在杉木枝叶上形成冰柱,造成大量的林木折冠,林木折断的树干部位随胸径的增加而显著升高。树木残体的干质量达25987.6kg·hm-2,树干、枝、叶和皮分别占44%、27%、22%和7%。树木残体中叶、干、枝和皮的N、P和K储量分别占其N、P和K总储量的62%、18%、13%和7%。杉木林地的N、P、K3种养分的积累量为63294.5kg·hm-2,杉木残体的养分仅占杉木林地的0.23%,凋落物层的养分占0.09%,而土壤养分所占比例高达99.68%。3种养分数量在各组分中均为N〉K〉P。雨雪冰冻灾害造成的杉木折干增加了土壤肥力。林冠残体分解引起的养分含量下降,林冠破坏后几乎没有凋落物归还土壤,华南地区频降大雨造成的速效养分流失将使土壤变得贫瘠。     

Litter and dead wood dynamics in ponderosa pine forests along a 160-year chronosequence.

Disturbances such as fire play a key role in controlling ecosystem structure. In fire-prone forests, organic detritus comprises a large pool of carbon and can control the frequency and intensity of fire. The ponderosa pine forests of the Colorado Front Range, USA, where fire has been suppressed for a century, provide an ideal system for studying the long-term dynamics of detrital pools. Our objectives were (1) to quantify the long-term temporal dynamics of detrital pools; and (2) to determine to what extent present stand structure, topography, and soils constrain these dynamics. We collected data on downed dead wood, litter, duff (partially decomposed litter on the forest floor), stand structure, topographic position, and soils for 31 sites along a 160-year chronosequence. We developed a compartment model and parameterized it to describe the temporal trends in the detrital pools. We then developed four sets of statistical models, quantifying the hypothesized relationship between pool size and (1) stand structure, (2) topography, (3) soils variables, and (4) time since fire. We contrasted how much support each hypothesis had in the data using Akaike's Information Criterion (AIC). Time since fire explained 39-80% of the variability in dead wood of different size classes. Pool size increased to a peak as material killed by the fire fell, then decomposed rapidly to a minimum (61-85 years after fire for the different pools). It then increased, presumably as new detritus was produced by the regenerating stand. Litter was most strongly related to canopy cover (r2 = 77%), suggesting that litter fall, rather than decomposition, controls its dynamics. The temporal dynamics of duff were the hardest to predict. Detrital pool sizes were more strongly related to time since fire than to environmental variables. Woody debris peak-to-minimum time was 46-67 years, overlapping the range of historical fire return intervals (1 to > 100 years). Fires may therefore have burned under a wide range of fuel conditions, supporting the hypothesis that this region's fire regime was mixed severity.     

Laboratory studies of the effect of predation on production and the production:biomass ratio of the opportunistic polychaete Capitella capitata (Type I)

The effect of simulated predation upon the secondary production and P:B (production:biomass) ratio of the polychaete Capitella capitata (Type I) was estimated from laboratory studies. The first method (the maximum sustainable yield, MSY, method) summed net increases in biomass of each population over time with biomass exploited by predation. In the specific growth-rate method, experimentally determined specific-growth rates were applied to changes in size classes and standing stock over time, providing another estimate of production for comparison to the MSY method. Predation had a pronounced effect on the magnitude of production, standing stocks, and hence the P:B ratio causing a fourfold difference in P:B ratios between the controls (P:B=4.9) and the 23% wk^-1 predation rate (P:B=19.6). Production reached a high of 87 g ash-free dry wt m^-2 yr^-1 in the highest predation treatment (23% wk^-1). An estimate of the number of individuals recruited in each population showed that predation caused an increase in population turnover rate. Gross ecological efficiency (calories of food ingested by the predator/calories of food consumed by the prey) and food-chain efficiency (calories of prey ingested by the predator/calories of food supplied to the prey) were 7.4 and 5.8% respectively, for the 23% wk^-1 predation treatment.     

Long-term burning interacts with herbivory to slow decomposition

Fires can generate spatial variation in trophic interactions such as insect herbivory. If trophic interactions mediated by fire influence nutrient cycling, they could feed back on the more immediate consequences of fire on nutrient dynamics. Here we consider herbivore-induced effects on oak litter quality and decomposition within a long-term manipulation of fire frequency in central Minnesota, USA. We focused on bur oak (Quercus macrocarpa) trees, which are common across the fire frequency gradient and are often heavily infested with either lace bugs (Corythuca arcuata) or aphids (Hoplochaithropsus quercicola). We used targeted exclusion to test for herbivore-specific effects on litter chemistry and subsequent decomposition rates. Lace bug exclusion led to lower lignin concentrations in litterfall and subsequently accelerated decomposition. In contrast, aphid exclusion had no effect on litterfall chemistry or on decomposition rate, despite heavy infestation levels. Effects of lace bug herbivory on litterfall chemistry and decomposition were similar in burned and unburned areas. However, lace bug herbivory was much more common in burned than in unburned areas, whereas aphid herbivory was more common in unburned areas. These results suggest that frequent fires promote oak-herbivore interactions that decelerate decomposition. This effect should amplify other influences of fire that slow nitrogen cycling.     

CERES — A model of forest stand biomass dynamics for predicting trace contaminant,nutrient, and water effects. I. Model description

CERES is a forest stand growth model which incorporates sugar transport in order to predict both short-term effects and long-term accumulation of trace contaminants and/or nutrients when coupled with the soil chemistry model (SCHEM), and models of solute uptake (DIFMAS and DRYADS) of the Unified Transport Model, UTM. An important feature of CERES is its ability to interface with the soil-plant-atmosphere water model (PROSPER) as a means of both predicting and studying the effects of plant water status on growth and solute transport.CERES considers the biomass dynamics of plants, standing dead and litter with plants divided into leaves, stems, roots, and fruits. The plant parts are divided further into sugar substrate, storage, and in the case of stems and roots, heartwood components.Each ecosystem component is described by a mass balance equation written as a first-order ordinary differential equation.     

扁刺栲-华木荷群系次生林林下物种多样性分析

对四川中亚热带扁刺栲(Castanopsis platyacantha)—华木荷(Schima sinensis)群系人工杉木林、水杉林、日本落叶松林和天然次生林林下植物进行了群落调查和物种多样性分析。结果表明：(1)杉木林、水杉林、日本落叶松林和次生扁刺栲—华木荷林(20a)的物种丰富度分别为62，59，53和32；Simpson多样性指数分别为7．95，7．08，9．24和5．38；Shannon—Wiener多样性指数分别为3．67，3．3l，3．64和2．46。(2)人工林林下植物群落之间的群落系数和相似度系数分别为0．45～0．60和0．62～0．82；人工林林下植物群落与次生阔叶林林下植物群落之间的群落系数和相似度系数分别为0．19～0．53和0．55～0．77。(3)人工林林下物种多样性比次生林高的主要原因可能是风倒木和站干死木导致人工林乔木层郁闭度减小，增加了林下的光照，从而改蛮了林下的微生境。表6参19。     

Spatial occurrence of a habitat-tracking saproxylic beetle inhabiting a managed forest landscape.

Because of the dynamic nature of many managed habitats, proper evaluation of conservation efforts calls for models that take into account both spatial and temporal habitat dynamics. We develop a metapopulation model for successional-type systems, in which habitat quality changes over time in a predictable fashion. The occupancy and recruitment of the predatory saproxylic (dependent on dead wood) beetle Harminius undulatus was studied in a managed boreal forest landscape, covering 24,449 ha, in central Sweden. In a first step, we analyzed the beetle's occupancy pattern in relation to stand characteristics, and the amounts of present and past habitat in the surrounding landscape. Managed forest is suitable habitat when > or =60 years old, and immediately after cutting, but not between the ages of 10 and 60 years. The observed occupancy of H. undulatus was positively correlated with the stand's age as habitat. We used a metapopulation model to predict the current probability of occurrence in each forest stand, given the spatiotemporal distribution of suitable forest stands during the last 50 years. Metapopulation parameters were estimated by matching predicted spatial distributions with observed spatial distributions. The model predicted observed spatial distributions better than a similar model that assumed constant habitat quality of each forest stand. Thus, metapopulation models for successional-type systems, such as dead wood dependent organisms in managed forest landscapes, should include habitat dynamics. An estimated 82% of the landscape-wide recruitment took place in managed stands, which covered 87% of the forest area, in comparison with 18% in unmanaged stands, which covered 13% of the forest area. Among the managed stand types, > or =60-year-old stands and 3-7-year-old clear-cuttings contributed to 79% of the total recruitment while 8-59-year-old stands only contributed 3%. The results suggest the following guidelines to improve conditions for H. undulatus and other species with similar habitat requirements: (1) the proportion of the landscape constituted by younger stands should not be allowed to grow too large, (2) the rotation period of managed stands should not be allowed to be too short, and (3) dead wood should be retained and created at final cutting.     

小陇山林区主要森林群落凋落物及死木质残体储量

采用固定面积样方取样法研究了小陇山林区锐齿栎和油松天然林死木质残体及凋落物的总储量.结果表明:小陇山林区锐齿栎天然林粗死木质残体(Coarse woody debris,简称CWD)和细小木质残体(Fine woody debris,简称FWD)储量分别为29 350.92 kg hm-2和2 298.41 kg hm-2,分别为油松天然林的3.8和1.3倍.油松林CWD组成中枯立木占到85.65%,倒木只占14.35%,而锐齿栎天然林枯立木和倒木所占的比例基本为1.从CWD的径级结构上来说,锐齿栎林内以大径级CWD为主(≥20 cm),占样地CWD总储量的60.81%,天然油松林以小径级(20 cm≥小径级≥10 cm)CWD为主,大、小径级分别占CWD储量的55.33%和44.67%.油松林内凋落物储量为30 472.31 kg hm-2,是天然锐齿栎凋落物储量8 902.29 kg hm-2的3倍以上.凋落物和死木质残体储量的不同是锐齿栎天然林和油松天然林种群结构、林分更新和群落内部竞争状况及凋落物分解状况差异所导致的结果.     

滨海沙地木麻黄人工林细根生物量及其动态研究

2005年1月到11月对福建省惠安县赤湖林场不同林龄木麻黄人工林细根的生物量及其动态特征进行了研究.结果表明,24a生木麻黄林细根生物量分别占其地下部分生物量和林分总生物量的53.1%和3.8%;活细根的生物量随林龄的增大而逐渐增加,至30a林龄时达到最大值12.373thm-2,而后逐渐下降,死细根的生物量则呈现一直增大的趋势,木麻黄人工林细根的生物量与林分地上部分的生长具有显著的相关关系;细根生物量具有明显的季节动态,各林龄无论活细根还是死细根都表现为双峰型,3a生和18a生的活细根出现在1月和7月,而12a生出现在3月和7月,对于死细根,12a生和18a生的两个峰值出现在3月和7月,5a生则出现在7月和11月.各林龄木麻黄防护林活、死细根密度垂直分布呈单峰型,最大值出现在表层的0~10cm土层中,后随土层厚度增加逐渐减少,其中5a林龄细根生物量随土层深度增加而减少表现最为明显.在0~10cm土层中的活、死细根生物量分别占全部活细根生物量的51.9%和死细根生物量的53.3%,活细根生物量的84.6%和死细根生物量的82.8%分布在0~30cm的土层中.以后随着林龄的增加,表层土壤中细根生物量的比重降低而深层的比重增加.图3表2参31     

Changes in nutrient content and stable isotope ratios of C and N during decomposition of seagrasses and mangrove leaves along a nutrient availability gradient in Florida Bay, USA

The decomposition of the mangrove Rhizophora mangle and the seagrass Thalassia testudinum was examined using litterbags along a natural gradient in nutrient availability. Seagrass leaves had a higher fraction of their biomass in the labile pool (57%), compared to mangrove leaves (36%) and seagrass rhizomes (29%); the overall decomposition rates of the starting material reflected the fractionation into labile and refractory components. There was no relationship between the N or P content of the starting material and the decomposition rate.

Nutrient availability had no influence on decomposition rate, and mass was lost at the same rate from litterbags that were buried in the sediment and litterbags that were left on the sediment surface. The dynamics of N and P content during decomposition varied as a function of starting material and burial state. N content of decomposing mangrove leaves increased, but seagrass rhizomes decreased in N content during decomposition while there was no change in seagrass leaf N content. These same general patterns held for P content, but buried seagrass leaves increased in P content while surficial leaves decreased. δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N changed by as much as 2‰ during decomposition.     

Dynamic growth model for Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) plantations in Galicia (north-western Spain)

In this study we developed a dynamic growth model for Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) plantations in Galicia (north-western Spain). The data used to develop the model were obtained from a network of permanent plots, of between 10 and 55-year-old, which the Unidade de Xestión Forestal Sostible (Sustainable Forest Management Unit) of the University of Santiago de Compostela has set up in pure plantations of this species of pine in its area of distribution in Galicia. In this model, the initial stand conditions at any point in time are defined by three state variables (number of trees per hectare, stand basal area and dominant height), and are used to estimate stand volume, classified by commercial classes, for a given projection age. The model uses three transition functions expressed as algebraic difference equations of the three corresponding state variables used to project the stand state at any point in time. In addition, the model incorporates a function for predicting initial stand basal area, which can be used to establish the starting point for the simulation. This alternative should only be used when the stand is not yet established or when no inventory data are available. Once the state variables are known for a specific moment, a distribution function is used to estimate the number of trees in each diameter class, by recovering the parameters of the Weibull function, using the moments of first and second order of the distribution (arithmetic mean diameter and variance, respectively). By using a generalized height–diameter function to estimate the height of the average tree in each diameter class, combined with a taper function that uses the above predicted diameter and height, it is then possible to estimate total or merchantable stand volume.     

Simulation and analysis of outbreaks of bark beetle infestations and their management at the stand level

Outbreaks of bark beetles in forests can result in substantial economic losses. Understanding the factors that influence the development and spread of bark beetle outbreaks is crucial for forest management and for predicting outbreak risks, especially with the expected global warming. Although much research has been done on the ecology and phenology of bark beetles, the complex interplay between beetles, host trees, beetle antagonists and forest management makes predicting beetle population development especially difficult. Using the recent infestations of the European Spruce Bark Beetle (Ips typographus L. Col. Scol.) in the Bavarian Forest National Park (Germany) as a case study, we developed a spatially explicit agent-based simulation model (SAMBIA) that takes into account individual trees and beetles. This model primarily provides a tool for analysing and understanding the spatial and temporal aspects of bark beetles outbreaks at the stand scale. Furthermore, the model should allow an estimation of the effectiveness of concurrent impacts of both antagonists and management to confine outbreak dynamics in practice. We also used the model to predict outbreak probabilities in various settings. The simulation results indicated a distinct threshold behaviour of the system in response to pressure by antagonists or management of the bark beetle population. Despite the different scenarios considered, we were able to extract from the simulations a simple rule of thumb for the successful control of an outbreak: if roughly 80% of individual beetles are killed by antagonists or foresters, outbreaks will rarely take place. Our model allows the core dynamics of this complex system to be reduced to this inherent common denominator.     

Land Use, Lag Times and the Detection of Demographic Change: The Case of the Acorn Woodpecker

Changes in land-use patterns that alter habitat may have a delayed negative effect on animal species occupying that habitat, and thus such effects may not be recognized for years. In Water Canyon, located in the Magdalena Mountains of southcentral New Mexico, we studied a relatively stable population of the cooperatively breeding Acorn Woodpecker ( Melanerpes formicivorus ) from 1975 to 1984. These woodpeckers rely on self-constructed storage sites, or "granary trees," to hold the acorns used during the winter and spring. Most granaries were in dead trunks and limbs of the narrow-leafed cottonwood trees ( Populus angustifolia . Storage sites form the primary basis for differential quality among territories. Groups of woodpeckers with large storage facilities (high-quality territories) have greater annual reproductive success and survival than do pairs or groups with poorly developed storage sites. In the summers of 1994 and 1995 we censused the original study site, which had held 21 territories. Most territories that had contained birds a decade earlier were unoccupied. This drastic decline was correlated with the loss of nearly all large storage facilities because of the collapse of the granary trees. Most neighboring territories with lesser storage facilities also were vacant. The lack of production of new, high-quality granaries for the period 1975–1995 probably is due inpart to the age structure of the cottonwood trees, which is distinctly bimodal: nearly all trees are either very young or old. There are now fewer old, partly dead trees that could provide granary sites. The scarcity of middle-aged trees reflects a period of intensive cattle grazing in Water Canyon, during which time production of young cottonwoods was suppressed.