Harvesting influences functional identity and diversity over time in forests of the northeastern USA

FOREST ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT

卷:400

Article

Curzon, M. T.¹  D'Amato, A. W.²  Fraver, S.³  Palik, B. J.⁴  Bottero, A.⁵  Foster, J. R.^1,2  Gleason, K. E.⁶ 

[1] Univ Minnesota, Dept Forest Resources, 1530 Cleveland Ave North, St Paul, MN 55108 USA

[2] Univ Vermont, Rubenstein Sch Environm & Nat Resources, 81 Carrigan Dr, Burlington, VT 05405 USA

[3] Univ Maine, Sch Forest Resources, Orono, ME 04469 USA

[4] US Forest Serv, USDA, Northern Res Stn, 1831 Hwy 169 E, Grand Rapids, MN 55744 USA

[5] Swiss Fed Inst Forest Snow & Landscape Res WSL, Zurcherstr 111, CH-8903 Birmensdorf, Switzerland

[6] Desert Res Inst, 2215 Raggio Pkwy, Reno, NV 89512 USA

关键词: Functional diversity;    Silviculture;    Temperate forest;    Disturbance;    Functional identity;    Plant traits;    Productivity;    Forest management;   

DOI  :  10.1016/j.foreco.2017.05.056

来源: Elsevier

【 摘 要 】

Concern over global environmental change and associated uncertainty has given rise to greater emphasis on fostering resilience through forest management. We examined the impact of standard silvicultural systems (including clearcutting, shelterwood, and selection) compared with unharvested controls on tree functional identity and functional diversity in three forest types distributed across the northeastern United States. Sites included the Argonne, Bartlett, and Penobscot Experimental Forests located in Wisconsin, New Hampshire, and Maine, respectively. We quantified functional trait means for leaf mass per area, specific gravity, maximum height, height achieved at 20 years, seed mass, drought tolerance, shade tolerance, and flood tolerance as well as standard functional diversity measures from standing biomass reconstructed at the beginning and end of a 20-year study period using increment cores and historic inventory data. As expected, functional identity differed between harvest methods with means for plant traits associated with later stages of succession (e.g. shade tolerance) increasing in stands managed with selection systems. Opposite trends occurred with greater canopy disturbance, and functional diversity indices remained stable over time in the absence of disturbance. Estimates of functional diversity and functional identity hold promise as important approaches for evaluating outcomes of forest management, particularly as the connections among functional diversity, delivery of ecosystem services, and ecosystem resilience are further developed. (C) 2017 Published by Elsevier B.V.

【 授权许可】

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