Driving factors behind the eutrophication signal in understorey plant communities of deciduous temperate forests

Driving factors behind the eutrophication signal in understorey plant communities of deciduous temperate forests

Driving factors behind the eutrophication signal in understorey

Atmospheric nitrogen (N) deposition is expected to change forest understorey plant community composition and diversity, but results of experimental addition studies and observational studies are not yet conclusive. A shortcoming of observational studies, which are generally based on resurveys or sampling along large deposition gradients, is the occurrence of temporal or spatial confounding factors. We were able to assess the contribution of N deposition versus other ecological drivers on forest understorey plant communities by combining a temporal and spatial approach. Data from 1205 (semi-)permanent vegetation plots taken from 23 rigorously selected understorey resurvey studies along a large deposition gradient across deciduous temperate forest in Europe were compiled and related to various local and regional driving factors, including the rate of atmospheric N deposition, the change in large herbivore densities and the change in canopy cover and composition. Although no directional change in species richness occurred, there was considerable floristic turnover in the understorey plant community and a shift in species composition towards more shade-tolerant and nutrient-demanding species. However, atmospheric N deposition was not important in explaining the observed eutrophication signal. This signal seemed mainly related to a shift towards a denser canopy cover and a changed canopy species composition with a higher share of species with more easily decomposed litter. Synthesis. Our multi-site approach clearly demonstrates that one should be cautious when drawing conclusions about the impact of atmospheric N deposition based on the interpretation of plant community shifts in single sites or regions due to other, concurrent, ecological changes. Even though the effects of chronically increased N deposition on the forest plant communities are apparently obscured by the effects of canopy changes, the accumulated N might still have a significant impact. However, more research is needed to assess whether this N time bomb will indeed explode when canopies will open up again. © 2011 The Authors. Journal of Ecology © 2011 British Ecological Society.

http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?eid=2-s2.0-84856865306&partnerID=40&md5=03edd5ea67b9403212aaeda9b96cc2fa

Cited By (since 1996):8Export Date: 18 September 2013Source: ScopusReferences: Baeten, L., Bauwens, B., De Schrijver, A., De Keersmaeker, L., Van Calster, H., Vandekerkhove, K., Roelandt, B., Verheyen, K., Herb layer changes (1954-2000) related to the conversion of coppice-with-standards forest and soil acidification (2009) Applied Vegetation Science, 12, pp. 187-197;Baeten, L., Hermy, M., Van Daele, S., Verheyen, K., Unexpected understorey community development after 30 years in ancient and post-agricultural forests (2010) Journal of Ecology, 98, pp. 1447-1453; Bernhardt-Römermann, M., Kudernatsch, T., Pfadenhauer, J., Kirchner, M., Jakobi, G., Fischer, A., Long-term effects of nitrogen-deposition on vegetation in a deciduous forest near Munich, Germany (2007) Applied Vegetation Science, 10, pp. 399-406; Bláha, J., Kotecký, V., (2008) Over-Abundant animals Graze Tree Saplings in Czech Forests, , Hnutí Duha, Brno; Bobbink, R., Hicks, K., Galloway, J., Spranger, T., Alkemade, R., Ashmore, M., Global assessment of nitrogen deposition effects on terrestrial plant diversity: a synthesis (2010) Ecological Applications, 20, pp. 30-59; Bolker, B.M., (2008) Ecological Models and Data, , Princeton University Press, Princeton; Bolker, B.M., Brooks, M.E., Clark, C.J., Geange, S.W., Poulsen, J.R., Stevens, M.H.H., White, J.S.S., Generalized linear mixed models: a practical guide for ecology and evolution (2009) Trends in Ecology and Evolution, 24, pp. 127-135; Brunet, J., Diekmann, M., Falkengren-Grerup, U., Effects of nitrogen deposition on field layer vegetation in South Swedish oak forests (1998) Environmental Pollution Supplement, 1, pp. 35-40; Bürger-Arndt, R., Zur Bedeutung von Stickstoffeinträgen für naturnahe Vegetationseinheiten in Mitteleuropa (1994) Dissertationes Botanicae, 220, pp. 1-226; Clark, C.M., Cleland, E.C., Collins, S.L., Fargione, J.E., Gough, L., Gross, K.L., Environmental and plant community determinants of species loss following nitrogen enrichment (2007) Ecology Letters, 10, pp. 596-607; Cornelis, J., Rombouts, L., Hermy, M., Changes in the vegetation of the 'Herenbossen' in Hulshout since 1980. Are effects of desiccation, acidification and eutrophication noticeable? (2007) Natuur Focus, 6, pp. 4-10. , in Dutch]; Cornwell, W.K., Cornelissen, J.H.C., Amatangelo, K., Dorrepaal, E., Eviner, V.T., Godoy, O., Plant species traits are the predominant control on litter decomposition rates within biomes worldwide (2008) Ecology Letters, 11, pp. 1065-1071; De Frenne, P., Baeten, L., Graae, B.J., Brunet, J., Wulf, M., Orczewska, A., Interregional variation in the floristic recovery of post-agricultural forests (2011) Journal of Ecology, 99, pp. 600-609; De Schrijver, A., De Frenne, P., Ampoorter, E., Van Nevel, L., Demey, A., Wuyts, K., Verheyen, K., Cumulative nitrogen input drives species loss in terrestrial ecosystems (2011) Global Ecology and Biogeography, 20, pp. 803-816; Dentener, F., Stevenson, D., Ellingsen, K., van Noije, T., Schultz, M., Amann, M., The global atmospheric environment for the next generation (2006) Environmental Science & Technology, 40, pp. 3586-3594; Diekmann, M., Species indicator values as an important tool in applied plant ecology - a review (2003) Basic and Applied Ecology, 4, pp. 493-506; Diekmann, M., Dupré, C., Acidification and eutrophication of deciduous forests in northwestern Germany demonstrated by indicator species analysis (1997) Journal of Vegetation Science, 8, pp. 855-864; Diekmann, M., Brunet, J., Rühling, Å., Falkengren-Grerup, U., Effects of nitrogen deposition: results of a temporal-spatial analysis of deciduous forests in South Sweden (1999) Plant Biology, 1, pp. 471-481; Dierschke, H., Vegetation dynamics of a fenced near-natural calcareous beech forest - comparison of vegetation relevées 1980 and 2001 (2009) Forstarchiv, 80, pp. 143-150. , in German]; Dupré, D., Steven, C.J., Ranke, T., Bleekers, A., Peppler-Lisbach, C., Gowing, D.J.G., Changes in species richness and composition in European acidic grasslands over the past 70years: the contribution of cumulative atmospheric nitrogen deposition (2010) Global Change Biology, 16, pp. 344-357; Dzwonko, Z., Assessment of light and soil conditions in ancient and recent woodlands by Ellenberg indicator values (2001) Journal of Applied Ecology, 38, pp. 942-951; Dzwonko, Z., Gawronski, S., Effect of litter removal on species richness and acidification of a mixed oak-pine woodland (2002) Biological Conservation, 106, pp. 389-398; Ehrlén, J., Lethilä, K., How perennial are perennial plants? (2002) Oikos, 98, pp. 308-322; Ellenberg, H., Leuschner, C., (2010) Vegetation Mitteleuropas mit den Alpen, , UTB, Ulmer [in German]; Ellenberg, H., Weber, H.E., Düll, R., Wirth, V., Werner, W., Paulissen, D., Zeigerwerte von Pflanzen in Mitteleuropa (1992) Scripta Geobotanica, 18, pp. 1-248. , 2nd edn; Eriksson, O., Seedling recruitment in deciduous forest herbs: the effect of litter, soil chemistry and seed bank (1995) Flora, 190, pp. 65-70; Erisman, J.W., Draaijers, G., Deposition to forests in Europe: most important factors influencing dry deposition and models used for generalisation (2003) Environmental Pollution, 124, pp. 379-388; (2005) NewLocClim. Vers. 1.10, , FAO. Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations, Rome; Fuller, R.J., Gill, R.M.A., Ecological impacts of increasing numbers of deer in British Woodland (2001) Forestry, 74, pp. 193-199; Gilliam, F.S., Response of the herbaceous layer of forest ecosystems to excess nitrogen deposition (2006) Journal of Ecology, 94, pp. 1176-1191; Gilliam, F.S., The ecological significance of the herbaceous layer in temperate forest ecosystems (2007) BioScience, 57, pp. 845-858; Gold, S., Korotkovb, A.V., Sasse, V., The development of European forest resources, 1950 to 2000 (2006) Forest Policy and Economics, 8, pp. 183-192; Hagen-Thorn, A., Callesen, I., Armolaitis, K., Nihlgård, B., The impact of six European tree species on the chemistry of mineral topsoil in forest plantations on former agricultural land (2004) Forest Ecology and Management, 195, pp. 373-384; Hedges, L.V., Gurevitch, J., Curtis, P.S., The meta-analysis of response ratios in experimental ecology (1999) Ecology, 80, pp. 1150-1156; Hédl, R., Vegetation of beech forests in the Rychlebské Mountains, Czech Republic, re-inspected after 60years with assessment of environmental changes (2004) Plant Ecology, 170, pp. 243-265; Hédl, R., Kopecký, M., Komárek, J., Half a century of succession in a temperate oakwood: from species-rich community to mesic forest (2010) Diversity and Distributions, 16, pp. 267-276; Hedwall, P.O., Nordin, A., Brunet, J., Bergh, J., Compositional changes of forest-floor vegetation in young stands of Norway spruce as an effect of repeated fertilisation (2010) Forest Ecology and Management, 259, pp. 2418-2425; Hermy, M., Honnay, O., Firbank, L., Grashof-Bokdam, C.J., Lawesson, J.-E., An ecological comparison between ancient and other forest plant species of Europe, and the implications for forest conservation (1999) Biological Conservation, 91, pp. 9-22; Hofmeister, J., Hošek, J., Modrý, M., Roleček, J., The influence of light and nutrient availability on herb layer species richness in oak-dominated forests in central Bohemia (2009) Plant Ecology, 205, pp. 57-75; Holland, E.A., Braswell, B.H., Sulzman, J.M., Lamarque, J.F., Nitrogen deposition onto the United States and Western Europe: synthesis of observations and models (2005) Ecological Applications, 15, pp. 38-57; Hopkins, J., Kirby, K.J., Ecological change in British broadleaved woodland since 1947 (2007) Ibis, 149, pp. 29-40; Hurteau, M., North, M., Mixed-conifer understory response to climate change, nitrogen, and fire (2008) Global Change Biology, 14, pp. 1543-1552; (2005) The Condition of Forests in Europe: Executive Report 2005, , ICP. Federal Research Centre for Forestry and Forest Products (BHF), Hamburg; Jacob, M., Weland, N., Platner, C., Schaefer, M., Leuschner, C., Thomas, F.M., Nutrient release from decomposing leaf litter of temperate deciduous forest trees along a gradient of increasing tree species diversity (2009) Soil Biology and Biochemistry, 41, pp. 2122-2130; Keith, S.A., Newton, A.C., Morecroft, M.D., Bealey, C.E., Bullock, J.M., Taxonomic homogenization of woodland plant communities over 70years (2009) Proceedings of the Royal Society B, 276, pp. 3539-3544; Kirby, K.J., The impact of deer on the ground flora of British broadleaved woodland (2001) Forestry, 74, pp. 219-229; Kirby, K.J., Morecroft, M.D., The flowers of the forest (2010) Wytham Woods: Oxford's Ecological Laboratory, pp. 75-89. , eds P.S. Savill, C.M. Perrins, K.J. Kirby & N. Fisher) Oxford University Press, Oxford; Kirby, K.J., Watkins, C., (1998) The Ecological History of European Forests, , CABI, Wallingford; Kirby, K.J., Smart, S.M., Black, H.I.J., Bunce, R.G.H., Corney, P.M., Smithers, R.J., (2005), Long term ecological change in British woodland (1971-2001). Research Report 653. English Nature, PeterboroughKöchy, M., Bråkenhielm, S., Separation of effects of moderate N deposition from natural change in ground vegetation of forests and bogs (2008) Forest Ecology and Management, 255, pp. 1654-1663; Koleff, P., Gaston, K.J., Lennon, J.J., Measuring beta diversity for presence-absence data (2003) Journal of Animal Ecology, 72, pp. 367-382; Kooijman, A.M., Litter quality effects of beech and hornbeam on undergrowth species diversity in Luxembourg forests on limestone and decalcified marl (2010) Journal of Vegetation Science, 21, pp. 248-261; Lameire, S., Hermy, M., Honnay, O., Two decades of change in the ground vegetation of a mixed deciduous forest in an agricultural landscape (2000) Journal of Vegetation Science, 11, pp. 695-704; Lennon, J.J., Koleff, P., Greenwood, J.J.D., Gaston, K.J., The geographical structure of British bird distributions: diversity, spatial turnover and scale (2001) Journal of Animal Ecology, 70, pp. 966-979; Luyssaert, S., Ciais, P., Piao, S.L., Schulze, E.D., Jung, M., Zaehle, S., The European carbon balance. Part 3: forests (2010) Global Change Biology, 16, pp. 1429-1450; Maskell, L.C., Smart, S.M., Bullock, J.M., Thompson, K., Stevens, C.J., Nitrogen deposition causes widespread loss of species richness in British habitats (2010) Global Change Biology, 16, pp. 671-679; May, J.D., Burdette, S.B., Gilliam, F.S., Adams, M.B., Interspecific divergence in foliar nutrient dynamics and stem growth in a temperate forest in response to chronic nitrogen inputs (2005) Canadian Journal of Forest Research, 35, pp. 1023-1030; McLauchlan, K.K., Craine, J.M., Oswald, W.W., Leavitt, P.R., Likens, G.E., Changes in nitrogen cycling during the past century in a northern hardwood forest (2007) Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 104, pp. 7466-7470; Milner, J.M., Bonenfant, C., Mysterud, A., Gaillard, J.-M., Csányi, S., Stenseth, N.C., Temporal and spatial development of red deer harvesting in Europe - biological and cultural factors (2006) Journal of Applied Ecology, 43, pp. 721-734; Naaf, T., Wulf, M., Habitat specialists and generalists drive homogenization and differentiation of temperate forest plant communities at the regional scale (2010) Biological Conservation, 143, pp. 848-855; Neirynck, J., Mirtcheva, S., Sioen, G., Lust, N., Impact of Tilia platyphyllos Scop., Fraxinus excelsior L., Acer pseudoplatanus L., Quercus robur L. and Fagus sylvatica L. on earthworm biomass and physico-chemical properties of a loamy topsoil (2000) Forest Ecology and Management, 133, pp. 275-286; Ostertag, R., Verville, J.H., Fertilization with nitrogen and phosphorus increases abundance of non-native species in Hawaiian montane forests (2002) Plant Ecology, 162, pp. 77-90; Persson, S., Malmer, N., Wallén, B., Leaf litter fall and soil acidity during half a century of secondary succession in a temperate deciduous forest (1987) Vegetatio, 73, pp. 31-45; Peterken, G.F., (1993) Woodland Conservation and Management, , Chapman and Hall, London; Peterken, G.F., (1996) Natural Woodland. Ecology and Conservation in Northern Temperate Regions, , Cambridge University Press, Cambridge; Petřík, P., Změny ve flóře Přírodní památky Milíčovský les a rybníky v Praze po více než 20 letech (2009) Muzeum a Současnost, Roztoky u Prahy, 24, pp. 133-152; Pinheiro, J., Bates, D., DebRoy, S., Sarkar, D., (2009), & the R Core team. nlme: Linear and Nonlinear Mixed Effects Models. R package version 3.1-96(2009) R: A Language and Environment for Statistical Computing, , R Development Core Team. R Foundation for Statistical Computing, Vienna, Austria; Rackham, O., (2003) Ancient Woodland: Its History, Vegetation and Uses in England, , Castlepoint Press, Colvend; Reich, P.B., Oleksyn, J., Modrzynski, J., Mrozinski, P., Hobbie, S., Eissenstat, D.M., Chorover, J., Tjoelker, M., Linking litter calcium, earthworms and soil properties: a common garden test with 14 tree species (2005) Ecology Letters, 8, pp. 811-818; Rogers, D.A., Rooney, T.P., Olson, D., Waller, D.M., Shifts in southern Wisconsin forest canopy and understory richness, composition, and heterogeneity (2008) Ecology, 89, pp. 2482-2492; Rooney, T.P., High white-tailed deer densities benefit graminoids and contribute to biotic homogenization of forest ground-layer vegetation (2009) Plant Ecology, 202, pp. 103-111; Rooney, T.P., Waller, D.M., Direct and indirect effects of white-tailed deer in forest ecosystems (2003) Forest Ecology and Management, 181, pp. 165-176; Royo, A.A., Collins, R., Adams, M.B., Kirschbaum, C., Carson, W.P., Pervasive interactions between ungulate browsers and disturbance regimes promote temperate forest herbaceous diversity (2010) Ecology, 91, pp. 93-105; Sayer, E.J., Using experimental manipulation to assess the roles of leaf litter in the functioning of forest ecosystems (2006) Biological Reviews, 81, pp. 1-31; Schaffers, A.P., Sýkora, K.V., Reliability of Ellenberg indicator values for moisture, nitrogen and soil reaction: a comparison with field measurements (2000) Journal of Vegetation Science, 11, pp. 225-244; Smith, M.D., Knapp, A.K., Collins, S.L., A framework for assessing ecosystem dynamics in response to chronic resource alterations induced by global change (2009) Ecology, 90, pp. 3279-3289; Stevens, C.J., Dise, N.B., Mountford, J.O., Gowing, D.J.G., Impacts of nitrogen deposition on the species richness of grasslands (2004) Science, 303, pp. 1876-1879; Stevens, C.J., Duprè, C., Dorland, E., Gaudnik, C., Gowing, D.J.G., Bleeker, A., Nitrogen deposition threatens species richness of grasslands across Europe (2010) Environmental Pollution, 158, pp. 2940-2945; Strengbom, J., Nordin, A., Näsholm, T., Ericson, L., Slow recovery of boreal forest ecosystem following decreased nitrogen input (2001) Functional Ecology, 15, pp. 451-457; Sydes, C., Grime, J.P., Effects of tree leaf litter on herbaceous vegetation in deciduous woodland II. An experimental investigation (1981) Journal of Ecology, 69, pp. 249-262; Szabó, P., Driving forces of stability and change in woodland structure: a case-study from the Czech lowlands (2010) Forest Ecology and Management, 259, pp. 650-656; Taverna, K., Peet, R.K., Phillips, L.C., Long-term change in ground-layer vegetation of deciduous forests of the North Carolina Piedmont, USA (2005) Journal of Ecology, 93, pp. 202-213; Thimonier, A., Dupouey, J.L., Timbal, J., Floristic changes in the herb-layer vegetation of a deciduous forest in the Lorraine plain under the influence of atmospheric deposition (1992) Forest Ecology and Management, 55, pp. 149-167; Thimonier, A., Dupouey, J.L., Bost, F., Becker, M., Simultaneous eutrophication and acidification of a forest ecosystem in North-East France (1994) New Phytologist, 126, pp. 533-539; Tyler, G., Probable effects of soil acidification and nitrogen deposition on the floristic composition of oak (Quercus robur L.) forest (1987) Flora, 179, pp. 165-170; Van Calster, H., Baeten, L., De Schrijver, A., De Keersmaeker, L., Rogister, J.E., Verheyen, K., Hermy, M., Management driven changes (1967-2005) in soil acidity and the understory plant community following conversion of a coppice-with-standards forest (2007) Forest Ecology and Management, 241, pp. 258-271; Van Calster, H., Baeten, L., Verheyen, K., De Keersmaeker, L., Dekeyser, S., Rogister, J.E., Hermy, M., Diverging effects of overstorey conversion scenarios on the understorey vegetation in a former coppice-with-standards forest (2008) Forest Ecology and Management, 256, pp. 519-528; Van Calster, H., Chevalier, R., Van Wyngene, B., Archaux, F., Verheyen, K., Hermy, M., Long-term seed bank dynamics in a temperate forest under conversion from coppice-with-standards to high forest management (2008) Applied Vegetation Science, 11, pp. 251-260; van Dobben, H., de Vries, W., Relation between forest vegetation, atmospheric deposition and site conditions at regional and European scales (2010) Environmental Pollution, 158, pp. 921-933; van Oijen, D., Feijen, M., Hommel, P.W.F.M., den Ouden, J., de Waal, R.W., Effects of tree species composition on within-forest distribution of understorey species (2005) Applied Vegetation Science, 8, pp. 155-166; Vandekerkhove, K., Hermy, M., Bosgebieden (2004) Natuurbeheer, pp. 306-359. , eds M. Hermy, G. de Blust & M. Slootmaekers) Davidsfonds, Leuven [In Dutch]; Verheyen, K., Honnay, O., Motzkin, G., Hermy, M., Foster, D., Response of forest plant species to land-use change: a life-history based approach (2003) Journal of Ecology, 91, pp. 563-577; Vesterdal, L., Schmidt, I.K., Callesen, I., Nilsson, L.O., Gundersen, P., Carbon and nitrogen in forest floor and mineral soil under six common European tree species (2008) Forest Ecology and Management, 255, pp. 35-48; von Oheimb, G., Brunet, J., Dalby Söderskog revisited: long-term vegetation changes in a south Swedish deciduous forest (2007) Acta Oecologica, 31, pp. 229-242; Walther, G.R., Grundmann, A., Trends of vegetation change in colline and submontane climax forests in Switzerland (2001) Bulletin of the Geobotanical Institute ETH, 67, pp. 3-12; Wamelink, G.W.W., Joosten, V., van Dobben, H.F., Berendse, F., Validity of Ellenberg indicator values judged from physico-chemical field measurements (2002) Journal of Vegetation Science, 13, pp. 269-278; Ward, A.I., Expanding ranges of wild and feral deer in Great Britain (2005) Mammal Review, 35, pp. 165-173; Welander, J., Spatial and temporal dynamics of wild boar (Sus scrofa) rooting in a mosaic landscape (2000) Journal of Zoology, 252, pp. 263-271; Wulf, M., Naaf, T., Herb layer response to broadleaf tree species with different leaf litter quality and canopy structure in temperate forests (2009) Journal of Vegetation Science, 20, pp. 517-526

<span class="Z3988" title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&amp;rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&amp;rft.atitle=Driving+factors+behind+the+eutrophication+signal+in+understorey+plant+communities+of+deciduous+temperate+forests&amp;rft.title=Journal+of+Ecology&amp;rft.date=2012&amp;rft.volume=100&amp;rft.issue=2&amp;rft.spage=352&amp;rft.epage=365&amp;rft.aulast=Verheyen&amp;rft.aufirst=K.&amp;rft.au=Baeten%2C+L.&amp;rft.au=De+Frenne%2C+P.&amp;rft.au=Bernhardt-R%C3%B6mermann%2C+M.&amp;rft.au=Brunet%2C+J.&amp;rft.au=Cornelis%2C+J.&amp;rft.au=Decocq%2C+G.&amp;rft.au=Dierschke%2C+H.&amp;rft.au=Eriksson%2C+O.&amp;rft.au=H%C3%A9dl%2C+R.&amp;rft.au=Heinken%2C+T.&amp;rft.au=Hermy%2C+M.&amp;rft.au=Hommel%2C+P.&amp;rft.au=Kirby%2C+K.&amp;rft.au=Naaf%2C+T.&amp;rft.au=Peterken%2C+G.&amp;rft.au=Pet%C5%99%C3%ADk%2C+P.&amp;rft.au=Pfadenhauer%2C+J.&amp;rft.au=Van+Calster%2C+H.&amp;rft.au=Walther%2C+G.-R.&amp;rft.au=Wulf%2C+M.&amp;rft.au=Verstraeten%2C+G."></span>

a:13:{s:19:"biblio_show_profile";i:1;s:19:"biblio_my_pubs_menu";i:1;s:21:"biblio_contributor_id";s:3:"177";s:22:"biblio_id_change_count";s:1:"1";s:17:"biblio_user_style";s:6:"system";s:18:"biblio_baseopenurl";s:0:"";s:18:"biblio_openurl_sid";s:0:"";s:19:"biblio_crossref_pid";s:0:"";s:16:"ckeditor_default";s:1:"t";s:20:"ckeditor_show_toggle";s:1:"t";s:14:"ckeditor_width";s:4:"100%";s:13:"ckeditor_lang";s:2:"en";s:18:"ckeditor_auto_lang";s:1:"t";}