Changes in Understory Composition of Rural North American Temperate Forests after a 14-Year Period with Focus on Exotic and Sensitive Plant Species
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. We assessed changes in species composition after a...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2022-04-01
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| Series: | Forests |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4907/13/5/678 |
| _version_ | 1797499826807504896 |
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| author | Julien Bellerose Angélique Dupuch Isabelle Aubin |
| author_facet | Julien Bellerose Angélique Dupuch Isabelle Aubin |
| author_sort | Julien Bellerose |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | 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. We assessed changes in species composition after a 14-year period in 20 rural temperate forest stands located in the northern hardwood biome of eastern Canada. We identified species that underwent the largest changes in relative occurrence during that period and assessed the influence of biotic and anthropogenic filters on the trajectory of those understory communities. We found small but significant compositional changes after 14 years, mostly related to a decrease in species diversity in the younger forest stands originating from abandoned pasture. The largest occurrence gains for understory species were observed in these stands, but also in stands with lower understory community diversity. Understory species occurrence losses could not be linked to any of the biotic and anthropogenic filters considered in this study presumably because they were difficult to isolate from secondary successional dynamics. Shade tolerant exotic species showed a small but significant increase in relative occurrence over 14 years, with notable gains in only a few stands. We observed generalized occurrence gains for sensitive spring geophytes during the same period throughout most sites. Overall, the understory vegetation community of rural temperate forests in this region was found to be relatively stable and seems to retain its potential for natural recovery after disturbance. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T03:53:01Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-392b463a104647f6bd9dcc0552fd8672 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1999-4907 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T03:53:01Z |
| publishDate | 2022-04-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Forests |
| spelling | doaj.art-392b463a104647f6bd9dcc0552fd86722023-11-23T11:01:09ZengMDPI AGForests1999-49072022-04-0113567810.3390/f13050678Changes in Understory Composition of Rural North American Temperate Forests after a 14-Year Period with Focus on Exotic and Sensitive Plant SpeciesJulien Bellerose0Angélique Dupuch1Isabelle Aubin2Département des Sciences Naturelles and Institut des Sciences de la Forêt Tempérée (ISFORT), Université du Québec en Outaouais, 58 Rue Principale, Ripon, QC J0V 1V0, CanadaDépartement des Sciences Naturelles and Institut des Sciences de la Forêt Tempérée (ISFORT), Université du Québec en Outaouais, 58 Rue Principale, Ripon, QC J0V 1V0, CanadaGreat Lakes Forestry Centre, Canadian Forest Service, Natural Resources Canada, 1219 Queen Street E, Sault Ste. Marie, ON P6A 2E5, CanadaA 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. We assessed changes in species composition after a 14-year period in 20 rural temperate forest stands located in the northern hardwood biome of eastern Canada. We identified species that underwent the largest changes in relative occurrence during that period and assessed the influence of biotic and anthropogenic filters on the trajectory of those understory communities. We found small but significant compositional changes after 14 years, mostly related to a decrease in species diversity in the younger forest stands originating from abandoned pasture. The largest occurrence gains for understory species were observed in these stands, but also in stands with lower understory community diversity. Understory species occurrence losses could not be linked to any of the biotic and anthropogenic filters considered in this study presumably because they were difficult to isolate from secondary successional dynamics. Shade tolerant exotic species showed a small but significant increase in relative occurrence over 14 years, with notable gains in only a few stands. We observed generalized occurrence gains for sensitive spring geophytes during the same period throughout most sites. Overall, the understory vegetation community of rural temperate forests in this region was found to be relatively stable and seems to retain its potential for natural recovery after disturbance.https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4907/13/5/678biotic and anthropogenic filterscommunity assembly dynamicsinvasive plant speciesnorthern hardwood biomespring geophytesunderstory flora |
| spellingShingle | Julien Bellerose Angélique Dupuch Isabelle Aubin Changes in Understory Composition of Rural North American Temperate Forests after a 14-Year Period with Focus on Exotic and Sensitive Plant Species Forests biotic and anthropogenic filters community assembly dynamics invasive plant species northern hardwood biome spring geophytes understory flora |
| title | Changes in Understory Composition of Rural North American Temperate Forests after a 14-Year Period with Focus on Exotic and Sensitive Plant Species |
| title_full | Changes in Understory Composition of Rural North American Temperate Forests after a 14-Year Period with Focus on Exotic and Sensitive Plant Species |
| title_fullStr | Changes in Understory Composition of Rural North American Temperate Forests after a 14-Year Period with Focus on Exotic and Sensitive Plant Species |
| title_full_unstemmed | Changes in Understory Composition of Rural North American Temperate Forests after a 14-Year Period with Focus on Exotic and Sensitive Plant Species |
| title_short | Changes in Understory Composition of Rural North American Temperate Forests after a 14-Year Period with Focus on Exotic and Sensitive Plant Species |
| title_sort | changes in understory composition of rural north american temperate forests after a 14 year period with focus on exotic and sensitive plant species |
| topic | biotic and anthropogenic filters community assembly dynamics invasive plant species northern hardwood biome spring geophytes understory flora |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4907/13/5/678 |
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