Search for Articles:
Title / Keyword
Author / Affiliation / Email
Journal
Article Type
 
 
Advanced Search
 
Section
Special Issue
Volume
Issue
Number
Page
 
4.4
2.4
Journals
Forests
Special Issues
Conservation and Dynamics of Forest Biodiversity
share announcement

Conservation and Dynamics of Forest Biodiversity

A special issue of Forests (ISSN 1999-4907). This special issue belongs to the section "Forest Ecology and Management".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 September 2020) | Viewed by 8518

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Arno Thomaes

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Research Institute for Nature and Forest (INBO), Havenlaan 88 bus 73, 1000 Brussel, Belgium
Interests: ecology; biodiversity; natural resource management; conservation; species diversity; conservation biology; ecology and evolution; wildlife conservation; ecosystem ecology; evolution

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Global biodiversity is declining at unprecedented rates due to overpopulation causing deforestation, pollution, overexploitation, fragmentation, and climate change. Forest biodiversity is among the most affected, suffering furthermore from forest fires and cascading intensification. Effects might be relevant at intraspecific scale as well as for species and structural or ecosystem richness. The high diversity of forests is bound to their stable conditions and consequently is most sensitive to changing environments. Due to the complex structure of forests and high speciation, forests are inhabited by many elusive species complicating their evaluation.

Despite their stable nature in general, rare dynamic events such as storms, forest fires, and gap dynamics have detrimental effects on forest biodiversity. Unnatural increases of these disturbances, like increased rotation cycles, lead to the impoverishment of biodiversity. Due to the long time scales, often outrunning the human life span, their effects are difficult to assess due to shifting baselines and are difficult to discriminate from natural dynamics.

Our aim is to compile works dealing with the causes, effects, and solutions, as well as the assessment of forest biodiversity in natural or managed forests. Furthermore, we deal with the effects of natural and increased disturbances on the dynamics in forest biodiversity.

Dr. Arno Thomaes
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Forests is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • Diversity maintenance
  • Forest biodiversity hot spots
  • Biodiversity loss
  • Sustainable forest management
  • Biodiversity monitoring
  • Human interfered dynamics
  • Forest restoration

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • e-Book format: Special Issues with more than 10 articles can be published as dedicated e-books, ensuring wide and rapid dissemination.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue polices can be found here.

Published Papers (3 papers)

Download All Papers
Order results
Result details
Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

11 pages, 1025 KiB  
Article
Comparison of Two Sampling Methods to Estimate the Abundance of Lucanus cervus with Application of n-Mixture Models
by Francesca Della Rocca, Pietro Milanesi, Francesca Magna, Livio Mola, Tea Bezzicheri, Claudio Deiaco and Francesco Bracco
Forests 2020, 11(10), 1085; https://doi.org/10.3390/f11101085 - 12 Oct 2020
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 3113
Abstract
Monitoring programs should be based on the measurement of two main pillars for evaluating the conservation status of a species: population size and geographical distribution. To date, the only way reported in the literature to obtain detailed information on L. cervus population size [...] Read more.
Monitoring programs should be based on the measurement of two main pillars for evaluating the conservation status of a species: population size and geographical distribution. To date, the only way reported in the literature to obtain detailed information on L. cervus population size is to use the capture-mark-recapture method. This is an expensive and time-consuming technique that implies physical capture and handling of individuals, which could affect their survival. Therefore, in this study we tested and compared two non-invasive sampling approaches, namely evening walk transects and diurnal tree trunk surveys, to derive accurate abundance estimates by means of N-mixture models in a Bayesian framework. In our study, both methods showed relatively high detection probability (≥56%). However, tree surveys performed better than walk transects (≈80%), especially with the progression of the sampling season. Tree surveys proved to be more effective than walk transects in providing data for an accurate population density estimate (much smaller 95% Bayesian Confidence Intervals). In light of a cost and benefit assessment, the tree survey is undoubtedly more convenient, as well as more effective, as it is more time consuming but less expensive than a walk transect (one operator for 2–3 h vs. two operators for 30 min each). Moreover, it needs fewer expert operators because of the greater proximity to the species, increasing the probability of correctly identifying it, i.e., reducing type I error (false positive or overestimation of counts). For the first time, we applied N-mixture models for estimating population abundance of L. cervus. Overcoming all the limits imposed by the use of the capture-mark-recapture method, in this study we performed a further step forward in the planning of monitoring aimed at the conservation of L. cervus and the evaluation of its demographic trend. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Conservation and Dynamics of Forest Biodiversity)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

14 pages, 2013 KiB  
Article
The Persisting Influence of Edge on Vegetation in Hemiboreal Alnus Glutinosa (L.) Gaertn. Swamp Forest Set-Asides Adjacent to Recently Disturbed Stands
by Līga Liepa, Zigmārs Rendenieks, Āris Jansons, Inga Straupe, Edgars Dubrovskis and Olga Miezīte
Forests 2020, 11(10), 1084; https://doi.org/10.3390/f11101084 - 12 Oct 2020
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2112
Abstract
To increase set-aside areas and protect biodiversity values in managed hemiboreal forest landscapes, small forest parcels called Woodland Key Habitats have been designated in Baltic and Nordic countries. The aim of this study was to investigate the persisting influence of the edge on [...] Read more.
To increase set-aside areas and protect biodiversity values in managed hemiboreal forest landscapes, small forest parcels called Woodland Key Habitats have been designated in Baltic and Nordic countries. The aim of this study was to investigate the persisting influence of the edge on vegetation dynamics for young, medium-old and old edges in Alnus glutinosa (L.) Gaertn. Woodland Key Habitats. All of these edges are adjacent to recently disturbed (clear-cut) stands. We surveyed edge influence on vegetation in bryophyte, herbaceous, shrub and tree layers in 90 plots in 30 set-aside forest stands in Southern Latvia. We tested the differences in the number of species and projective coverage in all vegetation layers, but plant functional types were examined—separately in the herbaceous layer. We found that edge influence in protected forest stands of A. glutinosa swamp forests reflects strong changes in vegetation and plant functional types in the herbaceous layer mostly up to 20 years after clear-cut disturbance in adjacent stands. The greatest differences were between young edges (≤20 years) and old edges (≥41 years), but there were very few significant differences between medium-old (21–40 years) and old edges which signifies more rapid changes in the early stages of edge influence and gradual stabilization of vegetation later on. We found that in edges adjacent to recently disturbed stands (up to 20 years), significantly less rare and indicator epiphytic lichen species occur, but this occurrence increases over time and edge influence is no longer present beyond 20 years after disturbance. Changes in vegetation and species occurrence found in our study indicated the need to plan the allocation of set-aside patches in production forest landscapes to ensure connectivity over longer period of time. Careful planning of clear-cuts in neighboring areas over time can significantly reduce the impact of edge effect on these set-asides. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Conservation and Dynamics of Forest Biodiversity)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

20 pages, 4525 KiB  
Article
Drivers of Ectomycorrhizal Fungal Community Structure Associated with Pinus sylvestris var. mongolica Differ at Regional vs. Local Spatial Scales in Northern China
by Mishan Guo, Guanglei Gao, Guodong Ding and Ying Zhang
Forests 2020, 11(3), 323; https://doi.org/10.3390/f11030323 - 14 Mar 2020
Cited by 16 | Viewed by 2994
Abstract
Pinus sylvestris var. mongolica, a widely planted tree species, is facing long-lasting, unresolved degradation in desertified Northern China. Ectomycorrhizal fungi (EMF) are closely related to the stand status, because they substantially participate in ecological processes of terrestrial forest ecosystems. EMF may be [...] Read more.
Pinus sylvestris var. mongolica, a widely planted tree species, is facing long-lasting, unresolved degradation in desertified Northern China. Ectomycorrhizal fungi (EMF) are closely related to the stand status, because they substantially participate in ecological processes of terrestrial forest ecosystems. EMF may be key to solving the introduction recession. Therefore, we performed DNA sequencing of P. sylvestris root samples from plantations and natural forests as control to characterize the EMF from semi-arid and dry sub-humid regions, using ITS Illumina sequencing and conventional soil physicochemical index determination. The results indicated that (1) the dominant EMF genera were Suillus, Rhizopogon, and Wilcoxina in the Hulunbuir, Mu Us, and Horqin Sandy Lands, respectively. Their dominance retained with stand ageing. (2) Plantation EM fungal diversity differs significantly among the three sandy lands and was significantly lower than in natural forest. The diversity varied with stand age, showing distinct trends at the local scale. (3) At the regional scale, the mean annual sunshine times and the soil organic carbon content affect EMF diversity. The community composition and structure were more characterized by temperature and precipitation. At the local scale, besides the soil organic carbon content, the EM fungal community composition and structure were correlated with total nitrogen and phosphorus content (Hulunbuir), the total phosphorus content (Mu Us), and the pH and total soil porosity (Horqin). The EM fungal community composition and structure have the obvious geographical distribution variation; they were strongly correlated with the meteorological elements and soil nutrients at the regional scale. At the local scale, they were jointly driven by stand age and soil properties. This improved information contributes to increasing the understanding of the interaction between EMF and forest ecosystems and guides sustainable forest management of degraded P. sylvestris plantations. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Conservation and Dynamics of Forest Biodiversity)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:
 
Displaying articles 1-3
Back to TopTop