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Drivers of vascular species diversity on floodplain poplar stands: An integrated approach for ecological and functional assessment
Corli , Anna , Vannucchi , Francesca , Traversari , Silvia , Orsenigo , Simone , Giovannelli , Alessio , Chiarabaglio , Pier Mario , Chianucci , Francesco , Calfapietra , Carlo , Scartazza , Andrea , Mascherpa , Marco Carlo , Traversi , Maria Laura , Cristaldi , Luca , Trentanovi , Giovanni
soil properties stand structure management populus spp. soil enzymatic activities vascular plants diversity
Mostra abstract
Biodiversity restoration is pivotal to enhance natural ecological processes in riparian ecosystems, affected by intensive human impact. Improving the riparian area functionality through new plantations is an effective Nature-based Solution. Poplar plantations have great potential for preventing soil erosion and providing habitats, but their impact on biodiversity has been little studied. Aims of this study were to: (1) investigate the effect of different poplar woodland management on vascular species diversity; (2) define the main drivers of vascular plant species richness, community composition, invasiveness and functional strategies. In three sites (Po river, Italy), an integrated survey protocol was applied to assess vascular species diversity, stand structure and soil properties. For each site, three stands with different management (cultivated, semi-natural and natural) were surveyed. Differences among all stand structural parameters and the management types were found. Tree diameter did not change between natural and seminatural stands but mean quadratic diameter of seminatural stands (28.1 cm) was similar to cultivated ones (26.8 cm). While cultivated stands showed the highest species richness (mean 28 species), semi-natural stands showed the highest number of native species (82 %) and an efficient soil N cycle (microbial N limitation, MNL < 0). The total Ca and MNL in soil resulted the main drivers of species diversity in the studied poplar stands. Semi-natural stands highlighted the best trade-off amongst vascular plant species diversity, invasiveness and soil process. The used integrated approach was effective and extendable to ecological and functional assessment of poplar riparian forests under different management gradients. © 2025 The Authors
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2025
Rivista
Forest Ecology and Management
Dettagli
Vol. 595
DOI
Managed forests are a stronghold of non-native beetles in Europe
Basile , Marco , Lachat , Thibault , Balducci , Lorenzo , Chianucci , Francesco , Chojnacki , Lucas , Archaux , Frédéric , N Avtzis , Dimitrios N. , Bouget , Christophe , de Smedt , Pallieter , Doerfler , Inken , Dumas , Yann , Elek , Zoltán , Gosselin , Marion , Goßner , Martin M. , Heilmann-Clausen , Jacob , Hofmeister , Jeňýk , Hošek , Jan , Janssen , Philippe , Justesen , Mathias Just , Hansen , Aslak Kappel , Schmidt , Inger Kappel , Kepfer-Rojas , Sebastian , Mårell , Anders , Matula , Radim , Müller , Jörg C. C. , Nordén , Björn , Ódor , Péter , Paillet , Yoan , Ravera , Sonia , Sitzia , Tommaso , Tinya , Flóra , Burrascano , Sabina , Brockerhoff , Eckehard G.
biodiversity biological invasions biotic resistance coleoptera unmanaged forests vascular plants
Mostra abstract
The species richness of vascular plants in forests can have contrasting effects on the occurrence of non-native insects. The establishment of non-native insect populations may be facilitated by low plant species richness, which reflects the availability of few but easily accessible resources, or hampered by high plant species richness due to spatial dilution of resources or biotic resistance (i.e., resistance against biological invasions). The relationship between the species richness of plants and non-native insects is likely influenced by disturbance regimes, which, in European forests, mostly consists of timber harvesting. We investigated this relationship considering two major forest attributes: (i) species richness of non-native vascular plants and (ii) forest management. From 1101 forest plots in Europe, we gathered occurrences of 1212 vascular plant species, including 160 non-native species, and of 2404 beetle species, including 29 non-native species. We tested the relationship between the species richness of non-native beetles and plants using non-linear quantile regressions. We disentangled the effect of non-native plant species richness from that of management on the species richness of non-native beetles, while accounting for forest structural variables, using structural equation models. We found clear evidence of a hump-shaped relationship between non-native beetle and plant species richness. The general shape of the relationship persisted when considering only woody or non-woody plants, as well as only non-native plants. The relationship was also similar between managed and unmanaged forests. However, the proportion of non-native beetles in managed forests was higher than in unmanaged forests at the same plant species richness. Management had a direct negative effect on non-native beetle species richness, whereas non-native plant species richness had a direct positive effect. When considering all direct and indirect effects, management facilitated the occurrence of non-native beetles indirectly via non-native plants rather than directly. Synthesis and applications. Species richness of native and non-native vascular plants modulates the species richness of non-native beetles through relationships with opposite signs. The interplay with management regimes and forest structures determines whether non-native beetles are promoted. Forest management aimed at reducing the intensity of disturbance while encouraging native plant species richness could promote the dominance of dilution effects and biotic resistance and could moderate the establishment of non-native insects. © 2025 The Author(s). Journal of Applied Ecology © 2025 British Ecological Society.
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2025
Rivista
Journal of Applied Ecology
Dettagli
Vol. 62 (5) pp. 1243 - 1257
DOI
Towards an effective in-situ biodiversity assessment in European forests
Burrascano , Sabina , Chojnacki , Lucas , Balducci , Lorenzo , Chianucci , Francesco , Haeler , Elena , Kepfer-Rojas , Sebastian , Paillet , Yoan , de Andrade , Rafael Barreto , Boch , Steffen , de Smedt , Pallieter , Fischer , Markus , Mijangos , Itziar Garcia , Heilmann-Clausen , Jacob , Hofmeister , Jeňýk , Hošek , Jan , Kozák , Daniel , Kutszegi , Gergely , Lachat , Thibault , Mikoláš , Martin , Samu , Ferenc , Ravera , Sonia , Schall , Peter , Sitzia , Tommaso , Svoboda , Miroslav , Trentanovi , Giovanni , Ujházyová , Mariana , Vandekerkhove , Kris , Tinya , Flóra , Ódor , Péter
forest biodiversity vascular plants birds epiphytic bryophytes epiphytic lichens monitoring network multivariate standard error rarefaction curves saproxylic beetles wood-inhabiting fungi
Mostra abstract
Assessing multi-taxon biodiversity is crucial to understand forests’ response to environmental changes and to inform management strategies. In Europe, forest biodiversity monitoring is still scattered and heterogeneous, although a long-term monitoring network has long been advocated. Given the monitoring aims reported in various EU policies, this network should be accurately designed also through the estimation of its sampling effort, here intended as the number of sampling plots and sites. We used a novel database of forest multi-taxon biodiversity for a pilot study to: estimate the minimum sampling effort needed to: assess variation in species richness and composition; compare these estimates with the efforts invested in the pilot database; discuss estimates’ differences across taxonomic groups and forest categories. We focused on six taxonomic groups (vascular plants, birds, epiphytic lichens and bryophytes, wood-inhabiting fungi and saproxylic beetles) across six forest categories. Based on 6,165 plots at 2,084 different locations across Europe, we benchmarked the effort to achieve: a complete species richness estimate through interpolation/extrapolation curves, and a precise evaluation of species composition variation through multivariate standard error. Our estimates differed widely, especially among taxonomic groups. For species richness, estimates range from 3 to 147 plots per site across 3 to 29 sites per forest category, with birds and epiphytic bryophytes requiring the least effort. For species composition, estimates range from 5 to over 25 plots per site across 5 to 20 sites per forest category, with saproxylic beetles, vascular plants, and fungi displaying the highest estimates. The taxonomic groups requiring an effort comparable to existing data were the least diverse, all the others need greater efforts, either for species richness (e.g., saproxylic beetles), or species composition (e.g., vascular plants), or both (e.g., wood-inhabiting fungi). An effective monitoring network of European forests’ biodiversity should thoroughly account for these benchmarks and for their taxon-dependency. © 2025
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2025
Rivista
Basic and Applied Ecology
Dettagli
Vol. 84 pp. 121 - 132
DOI