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Recently, forest seed banks were proven to not only reflect former (decades-old) but also ancient (centuries- old) land use. Yet, as land-use intensity determines the magnitude of seed-bank changes in recent forests, this study aims to identify whether an ancient land-use gradient would also be reflected in the seed bank. On a forested 1600-year-old archaeological site, five different land-use intensities were mapped and sampled. Apart from seed density, species richness and composition, functional seedbank types, defined by nine seed-bank-related plant traits, were related to the land-use intensity gradient. The land-use gradient from gardens to undisturbed sites was still clearly reflected in the soil seed bank. Six emergent functional seed-bank types, characterized by specific plant traits, changed significantly in abundance, parallel to the land-use gradient. In particular, dispersal agent (and related traits) proved an important explanatory trait of present (functional) seed-bank patterns. Poor dispersers (large and heavy seeds) were not found in the intensively used areas, contrary to animal-dispersed species. Wind-dispersers may have been inhibited in the extension of their distribution by recruitment bottlenecks (low seed production) and/or competitive exclusion. Additionally, the agricultural land-use probably introduced ruderal species into the seed bank of the most intensively used areas, yielding a simultaneous increase in vegetation-seed-bank dissimilarity with land-use intensity, eliminating present vegetation as a driver behind the differences over the seed-bank gradient. We conclude by arguing how coppice-with-standards management possibly maintained the seed-bank gradient. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The carbon isotopic composition (δ13C) of wood and leaf cellulose of beech trees (Fagus sylvatica L.) was studied at 80 sites in northeastern France. We sampled sites with contrasting water balance, depending on soil type and precipitation. We tested the hypothesis that inter-site variations in plant δ13C reflect the spatial distribution of soilwater availability, and we assessed whether δ13C could be used as a bioindicator of soil water availability. Patterns of variation in δ13C were compared with estimates of monthly water balance and with other soil characteristics. Between-site variability in δ13C was high (2.9%) range in wood cellulose, 2.1% in leaf cellulose), but variation in water availability appeared to be only a minor factor contributing to this variation in δ13C. Unexpectedly, spatial variations in wood and leaf cellulose δ13C were significantly and positively related to soil fertility expressed by soil pH (r = 0.42 and 0.43, respectively) and cation content. On average, trees growing on acidic soils displayed 0.5% lower δ13C in both wood and leaf material than trees growing on neutral or calcareous soils. Our initial hypothesis of a strong negative relationship between δ13C and site water availability was not confirmed. In the study zone, neitherwood nor leaf δ13C appeared to be a reliable bioindicator of spatial variations inwater availability. Possible causes for the lack of a relationship are discussed. Our findings confirm, under natural conditions, the strong effect of soil fertility on water-use efficiency previously observed in experiments. This effect needs to be considered in isotopic studies involving different sites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Combined archaeological and ecological investigations in a large ancient oak forest in Central France have revealed a dense network of ancient human settlements dating from the Roman period. We demonstrate a strong correlation between present-day forest plant diversity patterns and the location of Roman farm buildings. Plant species richness strongly increases toward the center of the settlements, and the frequency of neutrophilous and nitrogen-demanding species is higher. This pattern is paralleled by an increase in soil pH, available P, and δ15N, indicating the long-term impact of former agricultural practices on forest biogeochemical cycles. These extensive observations in a forested region on acid soils complement and confirm previous results from a single Roman settlement on limestone. Ancient Roman agricultural systems are increasingly being identified in contemporary French forests; the broad extent and long-lasting effects of previous cultivation shown in this study require that land-use history be considered as a primary control over biodiversity variations in many forest landscapes, even after millennia of abandonment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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The aim of this study is to establish a calibration of the late wood cellulose carbon and oxygen isotopic inter-annual variability measured on four living oaks (1879–1998) in the Atlantic area (Rennes Forest, Brittany, western France) to meteorological (beginning in 1885) and hydrological (beginning in 1951) data. We find a better tree-to-tree consistency of the δ18O ratio, compared with that of the tree-to-tree variability of the ring width and the δ13C possibly affected by individual competition effects. On a century-long time scale, the δ13C ratio in the cellulose reflects the globally decreasing trend of δ13C in atmospheric CO2, which is mainly due to fossil fuel burning. In contrast with the ring width, which here shows a weak and complex dependence on meteorological parameters, the isotopic composition of the cellulose enables a reliable reconstruction , mainly due to the δ18O signal, of selected summer climatic parameters: relative humidity, soil moisture deficit and temperature. The reconstructed parameters capture both low-frequency variations and extreme dry years (summer droughts). While both summer temperature and annual mean precipitation have a long-term increasing trend, the reconstructed water stress indicators do not show a significant trend during the 20th century. On average one summer drought occurs every seven summers, but this frequency varies in parallel to decadal changes in mean summer temperature, with fewer droughts in the 1930s and 1960s–1970s and more droughts in the 1900s, 1940s and 1990s. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary Except where nitrate is added to the soil artificially, nitrate is leached from forest soils only if it is produced. Although the factors influencing nitrification have been widely studied, nitrification activity still cannot be simply predicted from ecosystem characteristics. In France, about half of the present forest area was agricultural in 1850. Previous work suggested that former cultivation could be a major factor influencing nitrogen availability in forest soils. Using laboratory incubations, we compared the net production of ammonium and nitrate in soils from formerly manured lands planted with conifers 70–100 years ago with that in soils of surrounding ancient coniferous forests. Net nitrate production, available P content, and natural abundance of nitrogen 15, δ15 N, were greater in soils from formerly manured plots than other land, whereas the C:N ratio of the soil was less. The difference in net nitrate production between previously manured sites and adjacent ancient forests was related to differences in δ15 N values in the soil but not evidently to other soil properties. Because soil δ15 N increases with the intensity of organic manuring, these results suggest that nitrification in forest soils depends on previous manurial practices under agriculture. In this context, the soil δ15 N might be used as an indicator of both previous agricultural land use and potential nitrification. Because a significant proportion of West European forests grow on previously cultivated soils, past land use should be taken into account when evaluating the risks of nitrate leaching from forests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The two most common oak species in western Europe, Quercus robur and Quercus petraea, display different ecological behaviours, particularly with respect to their responses to drought. The ecophysiological basis of this niche difference is not understood well. Here we test the hypothesis that these two species present distinct water use efficiencies (WUEs), using the carbon isotope discrimination approach. Leaves and 13 dated ring sequences were sampled in 10 pairs of adult trees growing side by side. Carbon isotope composition was measured on cellulose extracts. In addition, relationships between carbon isotope discrimination and wood anatomy were assessed at the tree level. Quercus robur displayed a 1·0‰ larger isotopic discrimination than Q. petraea, and therefore a lower intrinsic WUE (-13%). This interspecific difference of isotopic discrimination was quite stable with time and independent of tree radial growth and climate fluctuations. A strong positive correlation was observed between average tree values of earlywood vessel surface area and 13C isotopic discrimination. This correlation was even higher with 13C of the 1976 dry year (r = 0·86). These observations led to the hypothesis that hydraulic properties of xylem could exert a constraint on leaf gas exchange, resulting in a larger WUE for individuals with smaller vessel cross-section area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Foliar mineral concentration may provide a basis for monitoring the consequences of long-term environmental changes, such as eutrophication and acidification of soils, or increase in atmospheric CO2 concentration. However, analytical drifts and inter-tree and year-to-year variations may confound environmental effects on long-term changes in foliar mineral concentration. We have characterized the relative effects of these potentially confounding factors on foliar carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, calcium, potassium, magnesium and manganese concentrations in 118 pure beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) stands, sampled in 1969–71 and 1996–97. Interannual fluctuations of these elements were quantified in a subset of six beech stands monitored for 5 years. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Since the middle of the 19th century, the area covered by forests in France has doubled. These new forests grow on previous agricultural lands. We have studied the influence of this agricultural history on the 15N abundance of present-day forests planted on farmlands in the Vosges mountains (north-eastern France) between 1898 and 1930. Different types of land use were identified from old cadastres (1814–1836) of 16 farms. Ancient forests adjacent to farmlands were used as controls. Former pastures, meadows, croplands, gardens and ancient forests were compared for soil δ15N (fraction <50 µm and total soil), C/N, P and N content and fern ( Dryopteris carthusiana) δ15N. The mean δ15N of soil increased in the order ancient forests (+0.0‰)15N with the intensity of former land use was related to the former input of 15N-enriched manure, and to an activation of soil nitrification leading to 15N-depleted nitrate export on previously manured parcels. Fern δ15N increased in the same order as soil δ15N in relation to past land use. The mean δ15N of fern in ancient forests (–4.4‰) and former pastures (–3.4‰) was 5‰ lower than soil δ15N and the two variables were strongly correlated. The δ15N of fern in formerly manured parcels varied little (cropland: –2.7‰, meadows: –2.6‰ and gardens: –2.2‰) and independently of soil δ15N, suggesting that the soil sources of fern N differed between unmanured and manured parcels. Understorey plant δ15N and soil δ15N appear to be excellent tracers of previous land use in forests, and could be used in historical studies. The persistence of high isotopic ratios in previously manured parcels, almost a century after afforestation, suggests a long-term influence of former land use on the N cycle in forest soils. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Surveys of ground layer vegetation are a reliable tool for monitoring spatial and temporal variations of the forest environment. In 1991, 47 vegetation plots first sampled in 1972 in a forest of the Lorraine Plain, North-East France, were resampled. This beech-oak forest had both acidic and calcareous soils depending on the thickness of alluvial deposits above the calcareous bedrock. The mean number of species per sample increased from 32 to 39 during this period and the frequency of nitrophilic species increased throughout the forest. On acidic soils, acidophilic species increased in frequency, while on calcareous soils there were no systematic changes. Multivariate statistical analysis clearly distinguished two gradients in this set of vegetation samples: acidity and nitrogen availability of soils. Along the first gradient, a shift of the plots towards a more acidic state occurred during the past 19 years on acidic soils only. Along the second one, a strong eutrophication happened on both acidic and calcareous soils, indicating an enrichment in nitrogen of forest ecosystems. Possible causes of these changes are discussed, namely sylvicultural changes, aging of the stands and pollution. Atmospheric nitrogen inputs seem to be the most probable cause of eutrophication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Environmental influences on carbon isotope fractionation in tree rings require further elucidation in order to use this parameter as a biological marker of climatic variations. δ13C values in tree-ring cellulose of beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) were analysed for the period from 1950 to 1990. A bioclimatic model of water balance was used to give the actual evapotranspiration as well as the soil water content on a daily basis. δ13C shows a significant decrease from -24.5‰ to -25‰ over this period. Internal CO2 concentration changes from 200 to 220 ppm in relation with the rise of atmospheric CO2. Beside a slight, non-significant inter-individual variation, a large year-to-year variation exists. The relative extractable soil water of July, combined with the value of δ13C for the previous year, predicts as much as 70% of this variance. Air temperature or precipitation accounted for less variation. δ13C is strongly correlated with basal area increment, but appeared a more reliable indicator of water status at the stand level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Heartwood ellagitannins and volatile extractives were studied by high-pressure liquid chromatography and gas chromatography - mass spectrometry after extraction of wood samples taken from 54 mature trees ofpedunculate oak (Quercus robur L.) and sessile oak (Quercus petraea (Matt.) Liebl.) from 14 mixed stands located in the forest of Cnteaux(Bourgogne). These same trees had been previously subject to detailed study of leaf morphology and wood anatomy. Over 50 compounds, of diverse chemical types, were identified in the wood extracts and over 30 of these compounds were quantified. No species-specific extractiveswere identified, but the amounts of ellagitannins and a small numberof volatile compounds, including cis- and trans--methyl--octalactoneisomers, were found to vary significantly between the two species. Multivariate analyses of these extractives allowed the classification of samples according to species, although less distinctly than similar analyses using leaf morphological characteristics. No strong intraspecific correlations between chemical constituents and anatomical or morphological characteristics were found that were common for both species. Nonetheless, sessile oaks displaying atypical wood anatomy were also less morphologically and chemically representative of their species. Trees possessing the lowest levels of cis- and trans--methyl--octalactone are found to be those with a morphology the least distinct of either species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]