The Effects of Disturbance on Forest Soils

Dear Colleagues,

Ecological disturbance is a short-term event affecting the ecosystem restructuring that makes resources available. In forests, disturbances cause the abrupt dying of dominant trees, thereby making originally used sources immediately available for other organisms. They happened either randomly or locally along predispositions, where the ecosystem is more vulnerable to damage. The predispositions are effects unfavourably affecting ecosystem development, which are formed by temporarily or permanently exposed conditions, uncontrollably over-populated organisms, or by planned simplification of plant community species composition. The disturbances are naturally caused due to weather events, hillslope movements after earthquakes, floods, or rock disintegration, and by pathogens. Forest re-structuralisation after disturbance begins with slope movement, enhancing change in the microrelief and an abrupt increase in dead organic matter content. Slope movements excite hillwash development, leading to deviations in soil evolution with consequences to potential plant community change. Abruptly increased dead organic matter content temporarily boosts biodiversity and quickens forest succession. Disturbances establish rejuvenisation of natural forest development, while in managed forests, they initiate renaturalisation. The disturbance range affects forest succession dynamics from the small cycle to the big cycle after large-area damage due to pollution, drought, windstorms, or fires.

Dr. Pavel Samec
Dr. Ladislav Holík
Guest Editors

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