Plant Demography

Mortality of remaining trees tends to increase after logging, and adapting forest management to climate change is another significant challenge to ensure the sustainability of forests, timber production, and provision of ecosystem services. This study investigated mortality in remaining trees (DBH ≥ 20 cm) in different ecological groups (pioneer, light-demanding, and shade-tolerant) during different phases of forest monitoring (initial, intermediate, and final), as well as their relationship with structural, climatic, and environmental characteristics. The research was conducted in five managed areas in the Brazilian Amazon (Jari, Km114, Km67, Peteco, and Moju) with continuous monitoring over six to 33 years. We analyzed a total of 212 permanent plots containing 62 pioneer species, 250 light-demanding species, and 304 shade-tolerant species. The mortality rate for the three monitoring phases in logged forests was 1.27 %, 1.49 %, and 0.75 % year − 1 , respectively, while the rate in unlogged forests was 1.04 %, 1.33 %, and 0.50 % year − 1. In post-logging forests, mortality was high for pioneer and light-demanding species, especially in the initial phase. For shade-tolerant species, mortality rate was influenced by soil silt and sand content, presence of phosphorus, and total carbon content. In unlogged forests, forest structure variables such as average height and total basal area, soil characteristics like phosphorus content, and climate factors such as intensity of dry months were most important for pioneer and light-demanding species. In the intermediate and final monitoring phases in logged forests, tree mortality was related to soil characteristics like sand and clay content, total carbon, and cation exchange capacity. Extreme climatic events such as severe drought, El Niño, and extreme temperatures also influenced tree mortality, along with time elapsed after logging. These findings highlight the complex interaction between soil characteristics, climate, and forest structure and tree mortality and ecology. These correlations are crucial to understand mortality processes in logged and unlogged forests, underscoring the importance of these factors for managing and conserving these ecosystems in the face of extreme climatic events and forest management practices.

As a result of forest modification, primates are increasingly having to rely on fragments; so too are the human populations that have historically relied on continuous forest for critical resources. The role of primates in seed dispersal is increasingly understood to have significant unique effects on plant demography and forest regeneration. Our aim in this paper is to explore the potential for monkey seed dispersers to maintain the utility of forest fragments for humans through seed dispersal in the Taï region, western Côte-d'Ivoire. We established a list of fruit species whose seeds are dispersed by seven of eight monkey species occurring in the Taï National Park by using primary data and published accounts of their fruit diet, and determined the abundance of human-used and monkey-dispersed tree species in forest fragments in the broader Taï region. The monkeys of the Taï National Park consumed 75 tree species. Of this total set of 75 species, 52 (69%) were dispersed almost e...

Изучен онтогенез дуба черешчатого (Quercus robur L.) в сосняках-зеленомошниках. При этом опирались на концепцию биологического возраста растений и представления о поливариантности развития особей. Показано, что в развитии дуба выделяются одинадцать онтогенетических состояний: семена, проростки, ювенильные особи, имматурные особи (две подгруппы), виргинильные особи (две подгруппы), молодые, средневозрастные и
старые генеративные деревья, а также сенильные особи. Дана подробная характеристика этих состояний. Выявлено, что у дуба в сосняках формируются особи трех уровней жизненности –пониженной, низкой и крайне низкой (сублетальной). Особи пониженной жизненности развиваются в крупных окнах, низкой – в небольших окнах, а крайне низкой – под лесным пологом. Дубы пониженной жизненности, постепенно наращивая свою мощность в крупных окнах, становятся эдификаторами лесного сообщества. Растения низкой и сублетальной жизненностей формируют популяционный резерв, который представлен большим числом угнетенных особей. Их развитие существенно задерживается в прегенеративном периоде в ожидании улучшения светового режима. Онтогенетические состояния дуба, выделенные в работе, можно использовать для анализа демографической структуры и прогнозов развития его популяций.

The study was conducted in Dong Nai Reserve, specially protected natural area (SPNA), Vietnam. It aims to analyze and forecast forest land cover in the Reserve. For these purposes were studied satellite images (Landsat 5, Landsat 7 and Landsat 8) taken in 2003, 2011 and 2019. The Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) was used to identify vegetation quality. Forest land cover was divided into 5 categories using maximum likelihood classifier algorithm. In order to detect and evaluate forest land cover changes, supervised classification and image differencing method are applied. Then, Cellular Automata and Markov Chain model was employed for making forecast of forest land cover in this area. The results of the study indicate that forest land cover change is being transformed in Dong Nai Reserve. According to our estimation, from 2003 to 2019, the area covered by woody vegetation increased by 7.0 %. By 2035, the area of broad-leaved forests will increase by 1.6 %, due to a decre...

In climate change ecology, simplistic research approaches may yield unrealistically simplistic answers to often more complicated problems. In particular, the complexity of vegetation responses to global climate change begs a better understanding of the impacts of concomitant changes in several climatic drivers, how these impacts vary across different climatic contexts, and of the demographic processes underlying population changes. Using a replicated, factorial, whole‐community transplant experiment, we investigated regional variation in demographic responses of plant populations to increased temperature and/or precipitation. Across four perennial forb species and 12 sites, we found strong responses to both temperature and precipitation change. Changes in population growth rates were mainly due to changes in survival and clonality. In three of the four study species, the combined increase in temperature and precipitation reflected nonadditive, antagonistic interactions of the single...

Summary Natural and anthropogenic disturbances co‐occur in most systems, but how they interact to shape demographic outcomes remains poorly understood. Such interactions may alter dynamics of populations in non‐additive ways, making demographic predictions challenging when focusing on only one disturbance. Thus, understanding the interactive effects of such disturbances is critically important to determine the population viability of most species under a diversity of stressors. We used a hierarchical integral projection model (IPM), parameterized with 13 years of field data across 20 populations, encompassing 2435 individuals of an endangered herb, Liatris ohlingerae. We examined interactive effects of vertebrate herbivory, fire and anthropogenic activities (sand roads) on vital rates (e.g. survival, growth, reproduction, recruitment) and ultimately on population growth rates (λ), to test the hypothesis that interactions amplify or dampen differences in λ depending on environmental ...

The results of the first lichenological studies in the old park of the museum-reserve “Gorki Leninsky” (Leninsky urban district of the Moscow oblast) are presented. The checklist of lichen biota is given including 71 species of lichens and 3 species of allied non-lichenized fungi from 40 genera, 25 families. Acarospora moenium (Vain.) Räsänen, Lecania erysibe (Ach.) Mudd are new species for Moscow oblast. Four indicator species of biologically valuable forest and park communities are identified: Alyxoria varia, Biatoridium monasteriense, Chaenotheca stemonea, Physconia perisidiosa. The absolute index of lichen biota species richness of the park of the museum-reserve “Gorki Leninsky” is higher than in the previously studied parks of the museum-reserve “Abramtsevo”, the museum-reserve of A. S. Pushkin and the museum-estate “Ostafyevo” – “Russian Parnassus”. However, the relative index of species richness (Menchinic Index) of the lichen biota of the park “Gorki Leninsky” is lower than ...

The research is aimed at a comprehensive assessment of the forest site resources deposited in a birch blueberry forest. The relevance of the work is based on the increasing interest of countries and regions in the diversity of forest ecosystem resources. A material and financial assessment of the major types of resources of the forest site with a birch stand is given for the first time. The stand composition is as follows: birch, 65 %; spruce, 21 %; aspen, 8 %; alder, 3%; elm, 2 %; and maple, 1 %. The stand is described by the following parameters: the relative density – 0.6; the quality class – II; and the growing stock – 344 m3/ha. Food and medicinal resources, wood and forest chemical raw materials, honey plants and birch sap, and household products were taken into account in the comprehensive assessment. The composition and reserves of the forest site reserves were assessed on the 10 m2 circular survey plots in accordance with the patent no. RU 2084129 C1 “Seedling Growth Regist...

We have developed a system of plant functional groups for modeling dynamics of forest ground vegetation. Ecological and coenotic traits of species together with species life form and biomass values were used to classify species into the functional groups. Ground vegetation patches dominated by species of different plant functional groups were distinguished in the forest floor. We have characterized biomass of these patches by applying of statistical analysis of published data and results of our own field investigations combined into the database "Biomass". Biomass of vascular plants and bryophytes quite well differs between the patches. Variations of above and below ground biomass of vascular plants are minimal within the types of forest floor patches as compared to their variations within the plant functional groups and forest types. Database "Elements" on element concentrations of herbaceous species and cryptogams was also developed on the basis of results of f...

The research is aimed at a comprehensive assessment of the forest site resources deposited in a birch blueberry forest. The relevance of the work is based on the increasing interest of countries and regions in the diversity of forest ecosystem resources. A material and financial assessment of the major types of resources of the forest site with a birch stand is given for the first time. The stand composition is as follows: birch, 65 %; spruce, 21 %; aspen, 8 %; alder, 3%; elm, 2 %; and maple, 1 %. The stand is described by the following parameters: the relative density – 0.6; the quality class – II; and the growing stock – 344 m3/ha. Food and medicinal resources, wood and forest chemical raw materials, honey plants and birch sap, and household products were taken into account in the comprehensive assessment. The composition and reserves of the forest site reserves were assessed on the 10 m2 circular survey plots in accordance with the patent no. RU 2084129 C1 “Seedling Growth Regist...

PremiseLife span varies greatly across plants with some species capable of extreme longevity. Yet, even long‐lived individuals are susceptible to climatic events, fire, and other challenges. Here, we examined rare mortality events and their causes over four decades for two long‐lived palmettos.MethodsWe monitored the survival of the clonal Serenoa repens and non‐clonal, Florida‐endemic Sabal etonia from 1981‐2022 in four habitats along an elevational gradient within the globally imperiled Florida scrub ecosystem. We considered several challenges to palmetto survival including extreme fires, shading due to lack of fire, droughts, periods of high precipitation, and possible pathogens.ResultsSurvival of palmettos was remarkably high, and mortality was infrequent (Serenoa cumulative 5.7% and annualized 0‐0.68%, Sabal cumulative 3.5% and annualized 0‐0.43%). Mortality was highest in higher elevation habitats with greater soil drainage, and smaller palmettos were more likely to die. When ...

Relevance and purpose. The Russian geobotanical science has a profound tradition of studying the vegetation cover heterogeneities. However, the number of studies on the mosaics in complexly organized coniferous-deciduous forests is very limited, and there is high ambiguity in the obtained results. In addition, there has appeared a need to resolve the “terminological issue”. The aim of this study was to assess the vegetation cover mosaics of widespread forest phytocenoses in the Moskva-Oka Plain. Material and methods. We present a review of publications on the intracenotic heterogeneity of forest cover and make an attempt to systematize the existing terminology. The field studies were carried out on the territory of the Valuevsky forest park (Novomoskovsky AO, Moscow) using classical geobotanical methods. The acquired data was analyzed with various modern methods of statistical data analysis. Results and conclusions. The obtained results indicate that differences in vegetation are mu...

Premise: Life span varies greatly across plants, with some species being capable of extreme longevity. Yet even long-lived individuals are susceptible to climatic events, fire, and other challenges. We examined rare mortality events and their causes in two long-lived palmettos over four decades.
Methods: We monitored the survival of the clonal Serenoa repens and non-clonal, Florida-endemic Sabal etonia from 1981 to 2022 in four habitats along an elevational gradient within the globally imperiled Florida scrub ecosystem. We considered several challenges to palmetto survival, including extreme fires, shading due to lack of fire, droughts, periods of high precipitation, and possible pathogens.
Results: Survival of palmettos was remarkably high, and mortality was infrequent (Serenoa: cumulative, 5.7%; annualized, 0%–0.68%; Sabal: cumulative, 3.5%; annualized, 0%–0.43%). Mortality was highest in higher-elevation habitats with greater soil drainage, and smaller palmettos were more likely to die. When subjected to extreme fire, Serenoa suffered greater mortality than Sabal. Mortality in long-unburned habitats with increased shading rivaled that which occurred with extreme fire. There was no evidence of mortality due to lethal bronzing palm disease.
Conclusions: Both palmettos had exceptionally low mortality rates, which, coupled with earlier work showing slow rates of transition from seedling to adult and remarkable adult longevity, suggest notably low rates of population turnover. Observed mortality in long-unburned habitats suggests the importance of fire-management planning with prescription burning. Lengthy age to reproduction and/or dependency on clonal propagation limits migration or genetic adaptation to altered conditions caused by climate change.

As a result of forest modification, primates are increasingly having to rely on fragments; so too are the human populations that have historically relied on continuous forest for critical resources. The role of primates in seed dispersal is increasingly understood to have significant unique effects on plant demography and forest regeneration. Our aim in this paper is to explore the potential for monkey seed dispersers to maintain the utility of forest fragments for humans through seed dispersal in the Taï region, western Côte-d'Ivoire. We established a list of fruit species whose seeds are dispersed by seven of eight monkey species occurring in the Taï National Park by using primary data and published accounts of their fruit diet, and determined the abundance of human-used and monkey-dispersed tree species in forest fragments in the broader Taï region. The monkeys of the Taï National Park consumed 75 tree species. Of this total set of 75 species, 52 (69%) were dispersed almost e...

Описано индивидуальное развитие дуба черешчатого (Quercus robur L.) на пойменных лугах в условиях свободного роста. При этом в работе использована концепция биологического возраста растений, разработанная российскими учеными. В развитии дуба выделяются 11 онтогенетических состояний: семена, проростки, ювенильные особи, имматурные особи (2 подгруппы), виргинильные особи (2 подгруппы), молодые, средневозрастные и старые генеративные деревья, а также сенильные особи. Дана подробная характеристика этих состояний. Онтогенетические состояния выделены на основе комплекса качественных и количественных признаков растений. Показано, что основная ценотическая роль семян - в расселении популяции, проростков - в приживании в сообществе, ювенильных - в адаптации к травостою, имматурных - в приспособлении к ярусу подлеска, а виргинильных-к захвату второго яруса древостоя, генеративных - в создании ценотической среды и производстве семян, а сенильных - в постепенном освобождении дополнительных ресурсов (света, пространства и т.п.), которые необходимы для подрастающего поколения деревьев. Онтогенетические состояния дуба, выделенные в работе, можно использовать для анализа демографической структуры и прогнозов развития его популяций в растительных сообществах.

Статья, опираясь на концепцию биологического возраста растений, разработанную российскими учеными, знакомит читателя с онтогенетическими состояниями, которые выделяются в индивидуальном развитии деревьев: семенами, проростками, ювенильными особями, имматурными (2 подгруппы),
виргинильными (2 подгруппы), молодыми, средневозрастными и старыми генеративными, а также сенильными особями. Дана подробная характеристика этих состояний. Онтогенетические состояния выделяются на основе комплекса качественных и количественных признаков растений. К качественным признакам относятся: наличие или отсутствие эмбриональных, ювенильных, полувзрослых или взрослых структур; способность индивида к семенному и вегетативному размножению; соотношение процессов новообразования и отмирания в побеговой и корневой системах. К количественным признакам принадлежат: календарный возраст, высота надземной части, диаметр ствола на уровне 1.3 м и в его основании, высота очищения ствола от нижних сучьев, протяженность трещиноватой коры на стволе, длина и ширина кроны, порядок ветвления в побеговой системе, длина годичного побега по главной оси и на боковой ветви, число семязачатков и др. Основная ценотическая роль семян – в расселении популяции, проростков – в приживании в сообществе, ювенильных – в адаптации к травостою, имматурных – в приспособлении к ярусу подлеска, а виргинильных – ко второму ярусу древостоя, генеративных – в создании ценотической среды и в производстве семян, а сенильных – в постепенном освобождении дополнительных ресурсов (света, пространства и т.п.) для подрастающего поколения.

La actividad de la construcción y demolición produce cuantiosos residuos sólidos que deterioran el medio ambiente urbano y ocupan lugar en el espacio público. Asimismo, es conocido el impacto ambiental que ocasiona la producción de materiales como agregados finos, gruesos, metálicos, entre otros. En consecuencia, la industria de la construcción se presenta como una de las actividades menos sostenibles del planeta. Teniendo en cuenta la problemática mencionada, el objetivo del presente artículo es transmitir la experiencia realizada en el proyecto con trayectoria de Extensión Universitaria “Hacia un Corralón Solidario FAU: Transformando residuos en recursos” donde se busca dar respuesta al destino final de los residuos de obras de construcción y demolición en un entorno de capacitación y seguimiento técnico. De esta manera, a través del uso de tecnología aplicada, se recuperan y reutilizan materiales residuales, rezagos de obras o en desuso para vincularlos en actividades de extensió...

Spatial pattern and patterns of mortality were analyzed from a five year re-census of over 7000 mapped perennial shrubs within a one hectare study plot in Joshua Tree National Park. A five year interval revealed evidence for negative intraspecific interactions which was not evident after a one year evaluation of the same plants within the study area. Juvenile mortality was