133 Results Found

The effect of timber cutting and related management on species composition and diversity in tropical forests has been reported in earlier studies, but the potentially different effects on understory and canopy tree species remains unclear. Our study...

Forest understory significantly contributes to matter cycling in ecosystems, but little is known about its carbon pool. This is especially poorly understood in floodplain forests, one of the most threatened ecosystems worldwide. We studied seasonal d...

In the pine forests of Mexico, disturbances are primarily due to cattle, horses, goat, and sheep grazing, particularly in communal grazing lands. The most evident disturbances are low tree recruitment, invasive shrubs establishment, species compositi...

A better understanding of the mechanisms influencing compositional changes in understory plant communities is crucial to protect temperate forests against global change stressors, including anthropogenic disturbances and invasion by exotic species. W...

Understory vegetation is an important component of forest ecosystems, and the supply of nutrients in the soil is related to the growth and development of soil microorganisms and understory plants. The effects of different tree species composition rat...

Sustainable forest management needs to address biodiversity conservation concerns. For that purpose, forest managers need models and indicators that may help evaluate the impact of management options on biodiversity under the uncertainty of climate c...

Fire exclusion has dramatically altered historically fire adapted forests across western North America. In response, forest managers reduce forest fuels with mechanical thinning and/or prescribed burning to alter fire behavior, with additional object...

Plant communities are sensitive to perturbations and may display alternative recovery pathways depending on disturbance history. In sub-boreal lodgepole pine forests of central interior British Columbia, Canada, fire and logging are two widespread la...

Adelges tsugae Annand (hemlock woolly adelgid, HWA, an invasive insect native to Japan), which causes defoliation and death of Tsuga canadensis (L.) Carrière (eastern hemlock), was introduced to the United States in the early 1950s and has spr...

Artificial afforestation is considered as one of the key ecological restoration measures. The early large-scale, single-species afforestation method is considered detrimental to the environment. However, there is still a lack of empirical research on...

Understory vegetation is one of the most important links for improving forest biodiversity, and its restoration is conducive to sustainable forest development, energy flow, and nutrient cycling. However, little is known about the developmental dynami...

The understory of temperate forests harbour most of the plant species diversity present in these ecosystems. The maintenance of this diversity is strongly dependent on canopy gap formation, a disturbance naturally happening in non-managed forests, wh...

Vertical stratification is a recognized pattern in tropical forests; however, biotic and abiotic factors driving this pattern are little explored. We investigated the influence of daily climatic variation in the vertical stratification of fruit-feedi...

Overstory and understory vegetation play a vital role in forest ecosystem functionality. However, it is necessary to enhance the knowledge of their diversity and compositional dynamics following cessation of disturbance, which is required to inform r...

Understory trees occupy a spatially heterogeneous light environment owing to light interception by patchily distributed canopy leaves. We examined the spatial distribution of canopy leaves and the spatial structure of the understory tree community (h...

Understory vegetation diversity is the key indicator of ecological outcomes in the close-to-nature transformation of plantations, with its composition revealing successional dynamics and ecosystem functionality. In response to China’s “Gr...

Fire is a necessary disturbance in tropical deciduous forests, as it helps clear the understory community and allows regeneration of grasses and forbs for local wildlife. Huai Kha Khaeng Wildlife Sanctuary (HKK) and Huai Thab Salao-Huai Rabum Non-Hun...

The herbaceous understory represents a key component of forest biodiversity across temperate forests of Europe. Here, we quantified changes in the diversity and composition of the forest understory layer in representative Slovenian forest ecosystems...

Planting native groundcover is often recommended to restore the understory of longleaf pine stands in the southeastern United States, but the effectiveness of such restoration activities remains poorly evaluated. We conducted a study in 25-year-old l...

We assessed the understory herb-layer species composition in response to tree vegetation and its associated environmental factors in the reforested area of the Kulon Progo Community Forestry, Yogyakarta, Indonesia. The understory herb-layer compositi...

This study analyzed the spatial patterns of species composition and biodiversity according to elevation on Mt. Gyebangsan, a representative protected ecosystem and the national park in Korea. Based on existing vegetation survey data, differences in s...

Forest understory vegetation is largely influenced by disturbances and given local abiotic conditions. Our research focuses on the early response of understory vegetation to various forest management intensities in Dinaric fir-beech forests in Sloven...

Pine-forest bird communities are affected by the forest structure and the density and composition of its understory vegetation. In this study, we focused on the combined effects of vegetation structure and caller identity on the mobbing behavior of b...

Understory vegetation hosts high biodiversity and plays a critical role in the ecosystem processes of boreal forests. However, the drivers of understory plant diversity in this high-latitude ecosystem remain uncertain. To investigate the influences o...

Artificial light at night (ALAN) demonstrated a new ecological factor that influences organisms through a multi-approach. Yet, the impacts of ALAN on understory plants remain largely unknown. We evaluated whether ALAN would affect the leaf mass per a...

Understanding the influence of invasive species on community composition and ecosystem properties is necessary to maintain ecosystem functions. However, little is known about how understory plant communities and soil nutrients respond to invasion und...

The majority of the world’s forests are located at landscape edges and are highly fragmented; the plantations on the Loess Plateau are no exception, experiencing pronounced edge effects. However, edge effects are often overlooked in assessments...

Glossy buckthorn (Frangula alnus Miller) is an invasive alien plant species (IAPS) rapidly expanding in North America but is largely understudied compared to the common buckthorn (Rhamnus cathartica). Our study investigated the effects of a 27-year-o...

Alien species invasion affects local community biodiversity and stability considerably, and ecosystem services and functions will accordingly be dramatically changed. Many studies have reported a correlation between invasibility and the chemical natu...

Plant facilitation has a pivotal role in regulating species coexistence, particularly under arid environments. The present study aimed to evaluate the facilitative effect of Calligonum polygonoides L. on its understory plants in coastal habitat. Fort...

Moso bamboo (Phyllostachys edulis (Carrière) J. Houz.) forests are a vital forest type in subtropical China. This study investigates the diversity, floristic composition, and phylogenetic structure of understory vegetation in these bamboo fore...

Vertical stratification is a property of forest habitats related to the differential distribution of organisms according to the variation in the conditions, from the understory to the canopy. Here, we aimed to test whether butterfly assemblages from...

Morel mushrooms (Morchella spp.) are highly prized for their culinary and economic value. Understory cultivation, leveraging the symbiotic relationship between morels and trees, has gained increasing popularity. However, the effects of this practice...

Emerald ash borer is an invasive pest in North American forests. Ecological impacts of ash mortality from emerald ash borer are wide-ranging, including shifts in insect communities and wildlife behavior. Additionally, loss of ash from forests may hav...

This study examines the impact of ungulate browsing on the understory dynamics of the Cansiglio Forest, the only European beech high forest in the Southern Limestone Alps. Utilizing seven pairs of fenced versus unfenced forest stands established over...

Exploring carbon allocation pattern and its influencing factors is of great significance for estimating the carbon sequestration rate and potential of forest ecosystems. Here, we investigate all carbon pool components (including above and belowground...

Wildfires, which constitute the most extensive natural disturbance of the boreal biome, produce a broad range of ecological impacts to vegetation and soils that may influence post-fire vegetation assemblies and seedling recruitment. We inventoried po...

Increased nitrogen (N) deposition may have profound effects on forest ecosystems. However, information on the impacts of elevated N deposition on belowground soil seed bank in forests is lacking. In a field experiment, we added N at 50 and 25 kg N ha...

Invasive species are considered a serious problem in different ecosystems worldwide. They can compete and interfere with native plants, leading to a shift in community assembly and ecosystem function. The present study aimed to evaluate the effects o...

European ash (Fraxinus excelsior L.) dieback caused by the fungus Hymenoscyphus fraxineus (T. Kowalski) Baral, Queloz, and Hosoya has been affecting European forests since 1992. The disease drives severe crown defoliation, branch loss, and finally tr...

Changes in the light availability in forests generated by diversified retention patterns (e.g., clear cut, partial harvest) have been shown to strongly filter the plant species present. Modified soil microsite conditions due to post-harvest site prep...

Ecological restoration and biodiversity are currently hot issues of global environmental concern. However, knowledge about the specific impacts of restoration duration on understory vegetation diversity remains limited. Therefore, this study comprehe...

Diatoms are of major importance in marine and freshwater systems, but their occurrence in terrestrial situations is generally thought to be exceptional. Following up on the accidental discovery of epiphytic diatoms on bark samples in an unrelated stu...

Wildfires are integral to many forest ecosystems, yet their ecological effects are often influenced by historical land use and management. In this study, we assess the short-term impacts of fire and management on Castanea sativa Mill. stands in the f...

This study looked at the impact of planting year differences on vegetation and soil parameters in Pinus sylvestris plantation forests in northern Mongolia. Tujiin nars region has three study sites: 18- to 20-year-old plantation forests planted in 200...

In order to quantify the plant species diversity characteristics of Pinus massoniana plantations with different stand densities in the Danjiangkou reservoir area of Hubei Province and the relationship of their trade-offs and synergies with the water...

The herb layer plays a significant role in maintaining forest functions, and its community composition is determined by various abiotic factors and biotic interactions. This study attempted to investigate the interspecific plant–plant biotic interact...

Increased demand for sustainable timber products has resulted in large investments in agroforestry in Australia, with plantations growing various Pinus species, selected to suit a plantation’s environment. Juvenile Pinus species have a low fire...

The aim of this study was to determine whether the iPad Pro 12th generation LiDAR sensor is useful to measure tree diameter at breast height (DBH) in natural boreal forests. This is a follow-up to a previous study that was conducted in a research for...

Although exploring soil seed bank characteristics and dynamics is conducive to plant diversity protection and restoration, few investigations have been undertaken in the rocky mountainous area of North China. To address this research gap, qualitative...