1
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Xu C, Silliman BR, Chen J, Li X, Thomsen MS, Zhang Q, Lee J, Lefcheck JS, Daleo P, Hughes BB, Jones HP, Wang R, Wang S, Smith CS, Xi X, Altieri AH, van de Koppel J, Palmer TM, Liu L, Wu J, Li B, He Q. Herbivory limits success of vegetation restoration globally. Science 2023; 382:589-594. [PMID: 37917679 DOI: 10.1126/science.add2814] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2022] [Accepted: 09/21/2023] [Indexed: 11/04/2023]
Abstract
Restoring vegetation in degraded ecosystems is an increasingly common practice for promoting biodiversity and ecological function, but successful implementation is hampered by an incomplete understanding of the processes that limit restoration success. By synthesizing terrestrial and aquatic studies globally (2594 experimental tests from 610 articles), we reveal substantial herbivore control of vegetation under restoration. Herbivores at restoration sites reduced vegetation abundance more strongly (by 89%, on average) than those at relatively undegraded sites and suppressed, rather than fostered, plant diversity. These effects were particularly pronounced in regions with higher temperatures and lower precipitation. Excluding targeted herbivores temporarily or introducing their predators improved restoration by magnitudes similar to or greater than those achieved by managing plant competition or facilitation. Thus, managing herbivory is a promising strategy for enhancing vegetation restoration efforts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Changlin Xu
- MOE Key Laboratory for Biodiversity Science and Ecological Engineering, National Observations and Research Station for Wetland Ecosystems of the Yangtze Estuary, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Brian R Silliman
- Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University, Beaufort, NC, USA
| | - Jianshe Chen
- MOE Key Laboratory for Biodiversity Science and Ecological Engineering, National Observations and Research Station for Wetland Ecosystems of the Yangtze Estuary, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Xincheng Li
- MOE Key Laboratory for Biodiversity Science and Ecological Engineering, National Observations and Research Station for Wetland Ecosystems of the Yangtze Estuary, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Mads S Thomsen
- Marine Ecology Research Group and Centre for Integrative Ecology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand
- Department of Bioscience, Aarhus University, Roskilde, Denmark
| | - Qun Zhang
- MOE Key Laboratory for Biodiversity Science and Ecological Engineering, National Observations and Research Station for Wetland Ecosystems of the Yangtze Estuary, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Juhyung Lee
- Marine Science Center, Northeastern University, Nahant, MA, USA
- Department of Oceanography and Marine Research Institute, Pusan National University, Busan, Republic of Korea
| | - Jonathan S Lefcheck
- Tennenbaum Marine Observatories Network and MarineGEO Program, Smithsonian Environmental Research Center, Edgewater, MD, USA
- University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, Cambridge, MD, USA
| | - Pedro Daleo
- Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras (IIMyC), UNMdP, CONICETC, Mar del Plata, Argentina
| | - Brent B Hughes
- Department of Biology, Sonoma State University, Rohnert Park, CA, USA
| | - Holly P Jones
- Department of Biological Sciences and Institute for the Study of the Environment, Sustainability, and Energy, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, IL, USA
| | - Rong Wang
- School of Ecological and Environmental Sciences, Zhejiang Tiantong Forest Ecosystem National Observation and Research Station, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China
| | - Shaopeng Wang
- Institute of Ecology, College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, and Key Laboratory for Earth Surface Processes of the Ministry of Education, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Carter S Smith
- Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University, Beaufort, NC, USA
| | - Xinqiang Xi
- Department of Ecology, School of Life Science, Nanjing University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
| | - Andrew H Altieri
- Department of Environmental Engineering Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Johan van de Koppel
- Department of Estuarine and Delta Systems, Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, Yerseke, Netherlands
- Conservation Ecology Group, Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, Groningen, Netherlands
| | - Todd M Palmer
- Department of Biology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Lingli Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Jihua Wu
- State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agro-Ecosystems, and College of Ecology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, Gansu, China
| | - Bo Li
- Yunnan Key Laboratory of Plant Reproductive Adaptation and Evolutionary Ecology and Centre for Invasion Biology, Institute of Biodiversity, School of Ecology and Environmental Science, Yunnan University, Kunming, Yunnan, China
| | - Qiang He
- MOE Key Laboratory for Biodiversity Science and Ecological Engineering, National Observations and Research Station for Wetland Ecosystems of the Yangtze Estuary, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
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2
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Mirzaei J, Heydari M, Omidipour R, Jafarian N, Carcaillet C. Decrease in Soil Functionalities and Herbs' Diversity, but Not That of Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi, Linked to Short Fire Interval in Semi-Arid Oak Forest Ecosystem, West Iran. PLANTS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2023; 12:plants12051112. [PMID: 36903972 PMCID: PMC10005139 DOI: 10.3390/plants12051112] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2023] [Revised: 02/23/2023] [Accepted: 02/27/2023] [Indexed: 05/19/2023]
Abstract
The semi-arid forest ecosystems of western Iran dominated by Quercus brantii are often disturbed by wildfires. Here, we assessed the effects of short fire intervals on the soil properties and community diversity of herbaceous plants and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), as well as the interactions between these ecosystem features. Plots burned once or twice within 10 years were compared to unburned plots over a long time period (control sites). Soil physical properties were not affected by the short fire interval, except bulk density, which increased. Soil geochemical and biological properties were affected by the fires. Soil organic matter and nitrogen concentrations were depleted by two fires. Short intervals impaired microbial respiration, microbial biomass carbon, substrate-induced respiration, and urease enzyme activity. The successive fires affected the AMF's Shannon diversity. The diversity of the herb community increased after one fire and dropped after two, indicating that the whole community structure was altered. Two fires had greater direct than indirect effects on plant and fungal diversity, as well as soil properties. Short-interval fires depleted soil functional properties and reduced herb diversity. With short-interval fires probably fostered by anthropogenic climate change, the functionalities of this semi-arid oak forest could collapse, necessitating fire mitigation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Javad Mirzaei
- Department of Forest Science, Faculty of Agriculture, Ilam University, Ilam 69315-516, Iran
- Correspondence:
| | - Mehdi Heydari
- Department of Forest Science, Faculty of Agriculture, Ilam University, Ilam 69315-516, Iran
| | - Reza Omidipour
- Department of Rangeland and Watershed Management, Faculties of Natural Resources and Earth Sciences, Shahrekord University, Shahrekord 8818634141, Iran
| | - Nahid Jafarian
- Department of Forest Science, Faculty of Agriculture, Ilam University, Ilam 69315-516, Iran
| | - Christopher Carcaillet
- Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes (EPHE), Paris Sciences & Lettres Université (PSL), F-75014 Paris, France
- Univ Lyon, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, CNRS, ENTPE (UMR 5023 LEHNA), F-69622 Villeurbanne, France
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EA, UK
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3
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Cunha HFV, Andersen KM, Lugli LF, Santana FD, Aleixo IF, Moraes AM, Garcia S, Di Ponzio R, Mendoza EO, Brum B, Rosa JS, Cordeiro AL, Portela BTT, Ribeiro G, Coelho SD, de Souza ST, Silva LS, Antonieto F, Pires M, Salomão AC, Miron AC, de Assis RL, Domingues TF, Aragão LEOC, Meir P, Camargo JL, Manzi AO, Nagy L, Mercado LM, Hartley IP, Quesada CA. Direct evidence for phosphorus limitation on Amazon forest productivity. Nature 2022; 608:558-562. [PMID: 35948632 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-022-05085-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2021] [Accepted: 07/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
The productivity of rainforests growing on highly weathered tropical soils is expected to be limited by phosphorus availability1. Yet, controlled fertilization experiments have been unable to demonstrate a dominant role for phosphorus in controlling tropical forest net primary productivity. Recent syntheses have demonstrated that responses to nitrogen addition are as large as to phosphorus2, and adaptations to low phosphorus availability appear to enable net primary productivity to be maintained across major soil phosphorus gradients3. Thus, the extent to which phosphorus availability limits tropical forest productivity is highly uncertain. The majority of the Amazonia, however, is characterized by soils that are more depleted in phosphorus than those in which most tropical fertilization experiments have taken place2. Thus, we established a phosphorus, nitrogen and base cation addition experiment in an old growth Amazon rainforest, with a low soil phosphorus content that is representative of approximately 60% of the Amazon basin. Here we show that net primary productivity increased exclusively with phosphorus addition. After 2 years, strong responses were observed in fine root (+29%) and canopy productivity (+19%), but not stem growth. The direct evidence of phosphorus limitation of net primary productivity suggests that phosphorus availability may restrict Amazon forest responses to CO2 fertilization4, with major implications for future carbon sequestration and forest resilience to climate change.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Kelly M Andersen
- Asian School of the Environment, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore.,Geography, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK
| | - Laynara Figueiredo Lugli
- Coordination of Environmental Dynamics, National Institute for Amazonian Research, Manaus, Brazil.,TUM School of Life Sciences, Technical University of Munich, Freising, Germany
| | - Flavia Delgado Santana
- Coordination of Environmental Dynamics, National Institute for Amazonian Research, Manaus, Brazil
| | - Izabela Fonseca Aleixo
- Coordination of Environmental Dynamics, National Institute for Amazonian Research, Manaus, Brazil
| | - Anna Martins Moraes
- Coordination of Environmental Dynamics, National Institute for Amazonian Research, Manaus, Brazil
| | - Sabrina Garcia
- Coordination of Environmental Dynamics, National Institute for Amazonian Research, Manaus, Brazil
| | - Raffaello Di Ponzio
- Biological Dynamics of Forest Fragment Project, National Institute for Amazonian Research, Manaus, Brazil
| | - Erick Oblitas Mendoza
- Coordination of Environmental Dynamics, National Institute for Amazonian Research, Manaus, Brazil
| | - Bárbara Brum
- Coordination of Environmental Dynamics, National Institute for Amazonian Research, Manaus, Brazil
| | - Jéssica Schmeisk Rosa
- Coordination of Environmental Dynamics, National Institute for Amazonian Research, Manaus, Brazil
| | | | | | - Gyovanni Ribeiro
- Coordination of Environmental Dynamics, National Institute for Amazonian Research, Manaus, Brazil
| | - Sara Deambrozi Coelho
- Coordination of Environmental Dynamics, National Institute for Amazonian Research, Manaus, Brazil
| | | | - Lara Siebert Silva
- Coordination of Environmental Dynamics, National Institute for Amazonian Research, Manaus, Brazil
| | - Felipe Antonieto
- Coordination of Environmental Dynamics, National Institute for Amazonian Research, Manaus, Brazil
| | - Maria Pires
- Coordination of Environmental Dynamics, National Institute for Amazonian Research, Manaus, Brazil
| | - Ana Cláudia Salomão
- Biological Dynamics of Forest Fragment Project, National Institute for Amazonian Research, Manaus, Brazil
| | - Ana Caroline Miron
- Coordination of Environmental Dynamics, National Institute for Amazonian Research, Manaus, Brazil.,Department of Biology, University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Rafael L de Assis
- Coordination of Environmental Dynamics, National Institute for Amazonian Research, Manaus, Brazil.,Natural History Museum, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Tomas F Domingues
- Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciência e Letras de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Luiz E O C Aragão
- Geography, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK.,National Institute for Space Research, São Jose dos Campos, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Patrick Meir
- School of Geosciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK.,Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia
| | - José Luis Camargo
- Biological Dynamics of Forest Fragment Project, National Institute for Amazonian Research, Manaus, Brazil
| | - Antonio Ocimar Manzi
- Coordination of Environmental Dynamics, National Institute for Amazonian Research, Manaus, Brazil.,National Institute for Space Research, São Jose dos Campos, São Paulo, Brazil
| | | | - Lina M Mercado
- Geography, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK.,UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, Wallingford, UK
| | - Iain P Hartley
- Geography, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK
| | - Carlos Alberto Quesada
- Coordination of Environmental Dynamics, National Institute for Amazonian Research, Manaus, Brazil
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4
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Massad TJ, Richards LA, Philbin C, Fumiko Yamaguchi L, Kato MJ, Jeffrey CS, Oliveira C, Ochsenrider K, M de Moraes M, Tepe EJ, Cebrian Torrejon G, Sandivo M, Dyer LA. The chemical ecology of tropical forest diversity: Environmental variation, chemical similarity, herbivory, and richness. Ecology 2022; 103:e3762. [PMID: 35593436 DOI: 10.1002/ecy.3762] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2021] [Revised: 03/01/2022] [Accepted: 03/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
Species richness in tropical forests is correlated with other dimensions of diversity, including the diversity of plant-herbivore interactions and the phytochemical diversity that influences those interactions. Understanding the complexity of plant chemistry and the importance of phytochemical diversity for plant-insect interactions and overall forest richness has been enhanced significantly by the application of metabolomics to natural systems. The present work used proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1 H-NMR) profiling of crude leaf extracts to study phytochemical similarity and diversity among Piper plants growing naturally in the Atlantic Rainforest of Brazil. Spectral profile similarity and chemical diversity were quantified to examine the relationship between metrics of phytochemical diversity, specialist and generalist herbivory, and understory plant richness. Herbivory increased with understory species richness, while generalist herbivory increased and specialist herbivory decreased with the diversity of Piper leaf material available. Specialist herbivory increased when conspecific host plants were more spectroscopically dissimilar. Spectral similarity was lower among individuals of common species, and they were also more spectrally diverse, indicating phytochemical diversity is beneficial to plants. Canopy openness and soil nutrients also influenced chemistry and herbivory. The complex relationships uncovered in this study add information to our growing understanding of the importance of phytochemical diversity for plant-insect interactions and tropical plant species richness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tara Joy Massad
- Department of Scientific Services, Gorongosa National Park, Sofala, Mozambique.,Instituto de Química, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, São Paulo, Brasil
| | - Lora A Richards
- Department of Biology, Program in Ecology, Evolution and Conservation Biology, University of Nevada, Reno, NV, USA.,Hitchcock Center for Chemical Ecology, University of Nevada, Reno, NV, USA
| | - Casey Philbin
- Hitchcock Center for Chemical Ecology, University of Nevada, Reno, NV, USA.,Department of Chemistry, University of Nevada, Reno, NV, USA
| | | | - Massuo J Kato
- Instituto de Química, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, São Paulo, Brasil
| | - Christopher S Jeffrey
- Hitchcock Center for Chemical Ecology, University of Nevada, Reno, NV, USA.,Department of Chemistry, University of Nevada, Reno, NV, USA
| | - Celso Oliveira
- Department of Chemistry, University of Nevada, Reno, NV, USA
| | | | - Marcílio M de Moraes
- Departamento de Química, Universidade Federal Rural de Pernambuco, Pernambuco, Pernambuco, Brasil
| | - Eric J Tepe
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, USA
| | | | | | - Lee A Dyer
- Department of Biology, Program in Ecology, Evolution and Conservation Biology, University of Nevada, Reno, NV, USA.,Hitchcock Center for Chemical Ecology, University of Nevada, Reno, NV, USA
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5
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Assessing the roles of nitrogen, biomass, and niche dimensionality as drivers of species loss in grassland communities. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2022; 119:e2112010119. [PMID: 35235460 PMCID: PMC8915794 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2112010119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Nutrient enrichment of natural ecosystems is a primary characteristic of the Anthropocene and a known cause of biodiversity loss, particularly in grasslands. In a global meta-analysis of 630 resource addition experiments, we conduct a simultaneous test of the three most prominent explanations of this phenomenon. Our results conclusively indicate that nitrogen is the leading cause of species loss. This result is important because of the increase in nitrogen deposition and the frequent use of nitrogen-based fertilizers worldwide. Our findings provide global-scale, experimental evidence that minimizing nitrogen inputs to ecological systems may help to conserve the diversity of grassland ecosystems. Eutrophication is a major driver of species loss in plant communities worldwide. However, the underlying mechanisms of this phenomenon are controversial. Previous studies have raised three main explanations: 1) High levels of soil resources increase standing biomass, thereby intensifying competitive interactions (the “biomass-driven competition hypothesis”). 2) High levels of soil resources reduce the potential for resource-based niche partitioning (the “niche dimension hypothesis”). 3) Increasing soil nitrogen causes stress by changing the abiotic or biotic conditions (the “nitrogen detriment hypothesis”). Despite several syntheses of resource addition experiments, so far, no study has tested all of the hypotheses together. This is a major shortcoming, since the mechanisms underlying the three hypotheses are not independent. Here, we conduct a simultaneous test of the three hypotheses by integrating data from 630 resource addition experiments located in 99 sites worldwide. Our results provide strong support for the nitrogen detriment hypothesis, weaker support for the biomass-driven competition hypothesis, and negligible support for the niche dimension hypothesis. The results further show that the indirect effect of nitrogen through its effect on biomass is minor compared to its direct effect and is much larger than that of all other resources (phosphorus, potassium, and water). Thus, we conclude that nitrogen-specific mechanisms are more important than biomass or niche dimensionality as drivers of species loss under high levels of soil resources. This conclusion is highly relevant for future attempts to reduce biodiversity loss caused by global eutrophication.
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6
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Nolan RH, Collins L, Leigh A, Ooi MKJ, Curran TJ, Fairman TA, Resco de Dios V, Bradstock R. Limits to post-fire vegetation recovery under climate change. PLANT, CELL & ENVIRONMENT 2021; 44:3471-3489. [PMID: 34453442 DOI: 10.1111/pce.14176] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2020] [Revised: 08/09/2021] [Accepted: 08/13/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Record-breaking fire seasons in many regions across the globe raise important questions about plant community responses to shifting fire regimes (i.e., changing fire frequency, severity and seasonality). Here, we examine the impacts of climate-driven shifts in fire regimes on vegetation communities, and likely responses to fire coinciding with severe drought, heatwaves and/or insect outbreaks. We present scenario-based conceptual models on how overlapping disturbance events and shifting fire regimes interact differently to limit post-fire resprouting and recruitment capacity. We demonstrate that, although many communities will remain resilient to changing fire regimes in the short-term, longer-term changes to vegetation structure, demography and species composition are likely, with a range of subsequent effects on ecosystem function. Resprouting species are likely to be most resilient to changing fire regimes. However, even these species are susceptible if exposed to repeated short-interval fire in combination with other stressors. Post-fire recruitment is highly vulnerable to increased fire frequency, particularly as climatic limitations on propagule availability intensify. Prediction of community responses to fire under climate change will be greatly improved by addressing knowledge gaps on how overlapping disturbances and climate change-induced shifts in fire regime affect post-fire resprouting, recruitment, growth rates, and species-level adaptation capacity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rachael H Nolan
- Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University, Penrith, New South Wales, Australia
- NSW Bushfire Risk Management Research Hub, Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Luke Collins
- School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences, University of Melbourne, Creswick, Victoria, Australia
- Department of Ecology, Environment & Evolution, La Trobe University, Bundoora, Victoria, Australia
- Pacific Forestry Centre, Canadian Forest Service, Natural Resources Canada, Canada
| | - Andy Leigh
- School of Life Sciences, University of Technology Sydney, Broadway, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Mark K J Ooi
- NSW Bushfire Risk Management Research Hub, Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia
- School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales UNSW, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Timothy J Curran
- Department of Pest-management and Conservation, Lincoln University, Lincoln, New Zealand
| | - Thomas A Fairman
- School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences, University of Melbourne, Creswick, Victoria, Australia
| | - Víctor Resco de Dios
- School of Life Science and Engineering, Southwest University of Science and Technology, Mianyang, China
- Joint Research Unit CTFC-AGROTECNIO, University of Lleida, Lleida, Spain
- Department of Crop and Forest Sciences, University of Lleida, Lleida, Spain
| | - Ross Bradstock
- NSW Bushfire Risk Management Research Hub, Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia
- Centre for Environmental Risk Management of Bushfires, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia
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7
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Barreto JR, Berenguer E, Ferreira J, Joly CA, Malhi Y, de Seixas MMM, Barlow J. Assessing invertebrate herbivory in human-modified tropical forest canopies. Ecol Evol 2021; 11:4012-4022. [PMID: 33976790 PMCID: PMC8093672 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.7295] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2020] [Revised: 01/14/2021] [Accepted: 01/25/2021] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Studies on the effects of human-driven forest disturbance usually focus on either biodiversity or carbon dynamics but much less is known about ecosystem processes that span different trophic levels. Herbivory is a fundamental ecological process for ecosystem functioning, but it remains poorly quantified in human-modified tropical rainforests.Here, we present the results of the largest study to date on the impacts of human disturbances on herbivory. We quantified the incidence (percentage of leaves affected) and severity (the percentage of leaf area lost) of canopy insect herbivory caused by chewers, miners, and gall makers in leaves from 1,076 trees distributed across 20 undisturbed and human-modified forest plots in the Amazon.We found that chewers dominated herbivory incidence, yet were not a good predictor of the other forms of herbivory at either the stem or plot level. Chewing severity was higher in both logged and logged-and-burned primary forests when compared to undisturbed forests. We found no difference in herbivory severity between undisturbed primary forests and secondary forests. Despite evidence at the stem level, neither plot-level incidence nor severity of the three forms of herbivory responded to disturbance. Synthesis. Our large-scale study of canopy herbivory confirms that chewers dominate the herbivory signal in tropical forests, but that their influence on leaf area lost cannot predict the incidence or severity of other forms. We found only limited evidence suggesting that human disturbance affects the severity of leaf herbivory, with higher values in logged and logged-and-burned forests than undisturbed and secondary forests. Additionally, we found no effect of human disturbance on the incidence of leaf herbivory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julia Rodrigues Barreto
- Setor de Ecologia e ConservaçãoUniversidade Federal de LavrasLavrasBrazil
- Programa de Pós‐Graduação em Ecologia do Instituto de Biociências da USPUniversidade de São PauloSão PauloBrazil
| | - Erika Berenguer
- School of Geography and the EnvironmentEnvironmental Change InstituteUniversity of OxfordOxfordUK
- Lancaster Environment CentreLancaster UniversityLancasterUK
| | | | - Carlos A. Joly
- Departamento de Biologia VegetalInstituto de BiologiaUniversidade Estadual de CampinasCampinasBrazil
| | - Yadvinder Malhi
- School of Geography and the EnvironmentEnvironmental Change InstituteUniversity of OxfordOxfordUK
| | | | - Jos Barlow
- Setor de Ecologia e ConservaçãoUniversidade Federal de LavrasLavrasBrazil
- Lancaster Environment CentreLancaster UniversityLancasterUK
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8
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Jakovac CC, Junqueira AB, Crouzeilles R, Peña-Claros M, Mesquita RCG, Bongers F. The role of land-use history in driving successional pathways and its implications for the restoration of tropical forests. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2021; 96:1114-1134. [PMID: 33709566 PMCID: PMC8360101 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12694] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2020] [Revised: 02/03/2021] [Accepted: 02/04/2021] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
Abstract
Secondary forests are increasingly important components of human‐modified landscapes in the tropics. Successional pathways, however, can vary enormously across and within landscapes, with divergent regrowth rates, vegetation structure and species composition. While climatic and edaphic conditions drive variations across regions, land‐use history plays a central role in driving alternative successional pathways within human‐modified landscapes. How land use affects succession depends on its intensity, spatial extent, frequency, duration and management practices, and is mediated by a complex combination of mechanisms acting on different ecosystem components and at different spatial and temporal scales. We review the literature aiming to provide a comprehensive understanding of the mechanisms underlying the long‐lasting effects of land use on tropical forest succession and to discuss its implications for forest restoration. We organize it following a framework based on the hierarchical model of succession and ecological filtering theory. This review shows that our knowledge is mostly derived from studies in Neotropical forests regenerating after abandonment of shifting cultivation or pasture systems. Vegetation is the ecological component assessed most often. Little is known regarding how the recovery of belowground processes and microbiota communities is affected by previous land‐use history. In published studies, land‐use history has been mostly characterized by type, without discrimination of intensity, extent, duration or frequency. We compile and discuss the metrics used to describe land‐use history, aiming to facilitate future studies. The literature shows that (i) species availability to succession is affected by transformations in the landscape that affect dispersal, and by management practices and seed predation, which affect the composition and diversity of propagules on site. Once a species successfully reaches an abandoned field, its establishment and performance are dependent on resistance to management practices, tolerance to (modified) soil conditions, herbivory, competition with weeds and invasive species, and facilitation by remnant trees. (ii) Structural and compositional divergences at early stages of succession remain for decades, suggesting that early communities play an important role in governing further ecosystem functioning and processes during succession. Management interventions at early stages could help enhance recovery rates and manipulate successional pathways. (iii) The combination of local and landscape conditions defines the limitations to succession and therefore the potential for natural regeneration to restore ecosystem properties effectively. The knowledge summarized here could enable the identification of conditions in which natural regeneration could efficiently promote forest restoration, and where specific management practices are required to foster succession. Finally, characterization of the landscape context and previous land‐use history is essential to understand the limitations to succession and therefore to define cost‐effective restoration strategies. Advancing knowledge on these two aspects is key for finding generalizable relations that will increase the predictability of succession and the efficiency of forest restoration under different landscape contexts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Catarina C Jakovac
- International Institute for Sustainability, Estrada Dona Castorina, 124, Rio de Janeiro, 22460-320, Brazil.,Forest Ecology and Management Group, Wageningen University & Research, Wageningen, 6700 AA, The Netherlands
| | - André B Junqueira
- International Institute for Sustainability, Estrada Dona Castorina, 124, Rio de Janeiro, 22460-320, Brazil.,Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Carrer de les Columnes s/n, Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona, 08193, Spain
| | - Renato Crouzeilles
- International Institute for Sustainability, Estrada Dona Castorina, 124, Rio de Janeiro, 22460-320, Brazil.,International Institute for Sustainability Australia, Canberra, ACT, 2602, Australia.,Mestrado Profissional em Ciências do Meio Ambiente, Universidade Veiga de Almeida, Rio de Janeiro, 20271-901, Brazil
| | - Marielos Peña-Claros
- Forest Ecology and Management Group, Wageningen University & Research, Wageningen, 6700 AA, The Netherlands
| | - Rita C G Mesquita
- Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia, Av. André Araújo, 2936, Manaus, 69083-000, Brazil
| | - Frans Bongers
- Forest Ecology and Management Group, Wageningen University & Research, Wageningen, 6700 AA, The Netherlands
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9
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Higher fire frequency impaired woody species regeneration in a south-eastern Amazonian forest. JOURNAL OF TROPICAL ECOLOGY 2020. [DOI: 10.1017/s0266467420000176] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
AbstractUnderstorey wildfires harm tropical forests by affecting natural regeneration, but the trajectories of fire-disturbed forests after disturbance are poorly understood. To fill this gap, we conducted experimental burns in a transitional forest between the Amazon forests and the Brazilian Savanna (Cerrado) and investigated their effects on plant community diversity of regeneration. The experiment consisted of three 50-ha plots that between 2004 and 2010 were burned either annually (six times), every three years (thrice) or not at all (Control). To evaluate early post-fire recovery, we recorded grass occurrence and regenerating stems (≤1 cm in diameter at breast height). We noted that high fire-frequency plots had a reduction of species richness (62%) and abundance (84%) and were associated with floristic and structural changes, dominance of few species and increase of grass colonization when compared with low fire-frequency. We observed that resprouts were the main pathway for forest restoration in both burned regimes, particularly in low fire-frequency. However, the forest can recover from fires by means of resprouting, until a threshold in fire frequency is reached, when resprouts and seedlings declined for most of the species, with a few fire-tolerant species becoming dominant.
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Spiller DA, Schoener TW, Piovia-Scott J. Recovery of food webs following natural physical disturbances. Ann N Y Acad Sci 2018; 1429:100-117. [DOI: 10.1111/nyas.13921] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2018] [Revised: 06/10/2018] [Accepted: 06/12/2018] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- David A. Spiller
- Department of Evolution and Ecology; University of California Davis; Davis California
| | - Thomas W. Schoener
- Department of Evolution and Ecology; University of California Davis; Davis California
| | - Jonah Piovia-Scott
- Department of Biological Sciences; Washington State University Vancouver; Vancouver Washington
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Crandall RM, Knight TM. Role of multiple invasion mechanisms and their interaction in regulating the population dynamics of an exotic tree. J Appl Ecol 2017. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2664.13020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Raelene M. Crandall
- Biology Department University of Missouri‐St. Louis St. Louis MO USA
- School of Forest Resources and Conservation University of Florida Gainesville FL USA
| | - Tiffany M. Knight
- Department of Community Ecology Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research‐UFZ Halle (Saale) Germany
- Institute of Biology Martin Luther University Halle‐Wittenberg Halle (Saale) Germany
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle‐Jena‐Leipzig Leipzig Germany
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Fire in the Amazon: impact of experimental fuel addition on responses of ants and their interactions with myrmecochorous seeds. Oecologia 2016; 182:335-46. [DOI: 10.1007/s00442-016-3638-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2016] [Accepted: 04/19/2016] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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Balch JK, Brando PM, Nepstad DC, Coe MT, Silvério D, Massad TJ, Davidson EA, Lefebvre P, Oliveira-Santos C, Rocha W, Cury RTS, Parsons A, Carvalho KS. The Susceptibility of Southeastern Amazon Forests to Fire: Insights from a Large-Scale Burn Experiment. Bioscience 2015. [DOI: 10.1093/biosci/biv106] [Citation(s) in RCA: 68] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
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Early recruitment responses to interactions between frequent fires, nutrients, and herbivory in the southern Amazon. Oecologia 2015; 178:807-17. [PMID: 25676107 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-015-3259-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2013] [Accepted: 01/30/2015] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
Abstract
Understanding tropical forest diversity is a long-standing challenge in ecology. With global change, it has become increasingly important to understand how anthropogenic and natural factors interact to determine diversity. Anthropogenic increases in fire frequency are among the global change variables affecting forest diversity and functioning, and seasonally dry forest of the southern Amazon is among the ecosystems most affected by such pressures. Studying how fire will impact forests in this region is therefore important for understanding ecosystem functioning and for designing effective conservation action. We report the results of an experiment in which we manipulated fire, nutrient availability, and herbivory. We measured the effects of these interacting factors on the regenerative capacity of the ecotone between humid Amazon forest and Brazilian savanna. Regeneration density, diversity, and community composition were severely altered by fire. Additions of P and N + P reduced losses of density and richness in the first year post-fire. Herbivory was most important just after germination. Diversity was positively correlated with herbivory in unburned forest, likely because fire reduced the number of reproductive individuals. This contrasts with earlier results from the same study system in which herbivory was related to increased diversity after fire. We documented a significant effect of fire frequency; diversity in triennially burned forest was more similar to that in unburned than in annually burned forest, and the community composition of triennially burned forest was intermediate between unburned and annually burned areas. Preventing frequent fires will therefore help reduce losses in diversity in the southern Amazon's matrix of human-altered landscapes.
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Predation on artificial caterpillars is higher in countryside than near-natural forest habitat in lowland south-western Costa Rica. JOURNAL OF TROPICAL ECOLOGY 2015. [DOI: 10.1017/s0266467415000012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Abstract:Predation pressure is essential in regulating population dynamics of herbivorous insects. We used artificial caterpillars (25 × 4 mm) made from brown-or green-coloured plasticine to compare predation pressure between countryside and near-natural rain-forest habitat in the Gulfo Dulce region (Costa Rica). Within each habitat, 162 caterpillars were placed randomly on different substrates along a 1200-m transect and at heights between 0.5 and 2.0 m. Artificial caterpillars were inspected at 24-h intervals for 3 consecutive days. Predation pressure was almost twice as high for countryside (mean attack frequency per capita: 1.11 ± 0.08 SE) compared with rain forest (0.66 ± 0.07 SE). In both habitats arthropods emerged as chief predator group, followed by birds. Attacks by non-volant mammals were very rare and restricted to rain-forest sites. In the countryside, bird attacks were more than four times as common as in forest, indicating a change in their relative importance across habitats.
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Carnell PE, Keough MJ. Spatially variable synergistic effects of disturbance and additional nutrients on kelp recruitment and recovery. Oecologia 2014; 175:409-16. [PMID: 24604540 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-014-2907-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2013] [Accepted: 02/13/2014] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
Understanding the impact of multiple stressors on ecosystems is of pronounced importance, particularly when one or more of those stressors is anthropogenic. Here we investigated the role of physical disturbance and increased nutrients on reefs dominated by the canopy-forming kelp Ecklonia radiata. We combined experimental kelp canopy removals and additional nutrient at three different locations in a large embayment in temperate southeastern Australia. Over the following winter recruitment season, Ecklonia recruitment was unaffected by increased nutrients alone, but tripled at all sites where the canopy had been removed. At one site, the combination of disturbance and increased nutrients resulted in more than four times the recruitment of the introduced kelp Undaria pinnatifida. Six months after disturbance, the proliferation of the Undaria canopy in the canopy-removal and nutrient-addition treatment negatively influenced the recovery of the native kelp Ecklonia. Given the otherwise competitive dominance of adult Ecklonia, this provides a mechanism whereby Undaria could maintain open space for the following recruitment season. This interplay between disturbance, nutrients and the response of native and invasive species makes a compelling case for how a combination of factors can influence species dynamics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul E Carnell
- Department of Zoology, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, 3010, Australia,
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Silvério DV, Brando PM, Balch JK, Putz FE, Nepstad DC, Oliveira-Santos C, Bustamante MMC. Testing the Amazon savannization hypothesis: fire effects on invasion of a neotropical forest by native cerrado and exotic pasture grasses. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2013; 368:20120427. [PMID: 23610179 PMCID: PMC3638439 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2012.0427] [Citation(s) in RCA: 123] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Changes in climate and land use that interact synergistically to increase fire frequencies and intensities in tropical regions are predicted to drive forests to new grass-dominated stable states. To reveal the mechanisms for such a transition, we established 50 ha plots in a transitional forest in the southwestern Brazilian Amazon to different fire treatments (unburned, burned annually (B1yr) or at 3-year intervals (B3yr)). Over an 8-year period since the commencement of these treatments, we documented: (i) the annual rate of pasture and native grass invasion in response to increasing fire frequency; (ii) the establishment of Brachiaria decumbens (an African C4 grass) as a function of decreasing canopy cover and (iii) the effects of grass fine fuel on fire intensity. Grasses invaded approximately 200 m from the edge into the interiors of burned plots (B1yr: 4.31 ha; B3yr: 4.96 ha) but invaded less than 10 m into the unburned plot (0.33 ha). The probability of B. decumbens establishment increased with seed availability and decreased with leaf area index. Fine fuel loads along the forest edge were more than three times higher in grass-dominated areas, which resulted in especially intense fires. Our results indicate that synergies between fires and invasive C4 grasses jeopardize the future of tropical forests.
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Affiliation(s)
- Divino V Silvério
- Departamento de Ecologia Brasília, Universidade de Brasília, Brasilia, Distrito Federal, Brazil.
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Balch JK, Massad TJ, Brando PM, Nepstad DC, Curran LM. Effects of high-frequency understorey fires on woody plant regeneration in southeastern Amazonian forests. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2013; 368:20120157. [PMID: 23610167 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2012.0157] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Anthropogenic understorey fires affect large areas of tropical forest, yet their effects on woody plant regeneration post-fire remain poorly understood. We examined the effects of repeated experimental fires on woody stem (less than 1 cm at base) mortality, recruitment, species diversity, community similarity and regeneration mode (seed versus sprout) in Mato Grosso, Brazil. From 2004 to 2010, forest plots (50 ha) were burned twice (B2) or five times (B5), and compared with an unburned control (B0). Stem density recovered within a year after the first burn (initial density: 12.4-13.2 stems m(-2)), but after 6 years, increased mortality and decreased regeneration--primarily of seedlings--led to a 63 per cent and 85 per cent reduction in stem density in B2 and B5, respectively. Seedlings and sprouts across plots in 2010 displayed remarkable community similarity owing to shared abundant species. Although the dominant surviving species were similar across plots, a major increase in sprouting occurred--almost three- and fourfold greater in B2 and B5 than in B0. In B5, 29 species disappeared and were replaced by 11 new species often present along fragmented forest edges. By 2010, the annual burn regime created substantial divergence between the seedling community and the initial adult tree community (greater than or equal to 20 cm dbh). Increased droughts and continued anthropogenic ignitions associated with frontier land uses may promote high-frequency fire regimes that may substantially alter regeneration and therefore successional processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer K Balch
- Department of Geography, The Pennsylvania State University, 315 Walker Building, University Park, PA 16802, USA.
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