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Global warming is predicted to exert negative impacts on plant growth due to the damaging effect of high temperatures on plant physiology. Revealing the genetic architecture underlying the heat stress response is therefore crucial for the development of conservation strategies, and for breeding heat-resistant plant genotypes. Here we investigated the transcriptional changes induced by heat in Nothofagus pumilio, an emblematic tree species of the sub-Antarctic forests of South America. Through the performance of RNA-seq of leaves of plants exposed to 20˚C (control) or 34˚C (heat shock), we generated the first transcriptomic resource for the species. We also studied the changes in protein-coding transcripts expression in response to heat. We found 5,214 contigs differentially expressed between temperatures. The heat treatment resulted in a down-regulation of genes related to photosynthesis and carbon metabolism, whereas secondary metabolism, protein re-folding and response to stress were up-regulated. Moreover, several transcription factor families like WRKY or ERF were promoted by heat, alongside spliceosome machinery and hormone signaling pathways. Through a comparative analysis of gene regulation in response to heat in Arabidopsis thaliana, Populus tomentosa and N. pumilio we provide evidence of the existence of shared molecular features of heat stress responses across angiosperms, and identify genes of potential biotechnological application. Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Bariloche Fil: Estravis Barcala, Maximiliano. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Cientificas y Tecnicas. Instituto de Tecnologías Nucleares para la Salud; Argentina Fil: Heer, Katrin. Philipps-Universitat Marburg; Alemania Fil: Marchelli, Paula. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Bariloche; Argentina Fil: Marchelli, Paula. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Cientificas y Tecnicas. Instituto de Investigaciones Forestales y Agropecuarias Bariloche; Argentina Fil: Ziegenhagen, Birgit. Philipps-Universität Marburg; Alemania Fil: Arana, María Veronica. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Bariloche; Argentina Fil: Arana, María Veronica. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Cientificas y Tecnicas. Instituto de Investigaciones Forestales y Agropecuarias Bariloche; Argentina Fil: Bellora Pereyra, Nicolás. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Cientificas y Tecnicas. Instituto de Tecnologías Nucleares para la Salud; Argentina

One of the central goals of ecology is to determine the mechanisms that enable coexistence among species. Evidence is accruing that conspecific negative density dependence (CNDD), the process by which plant seedlings are unable to survive in the area surrounding adults of their same species, is a major contributor to tree species coexistence. However, for CNDD to maintain diversity, three conditions must be met. First, CNDD must maintain diversity for the majority of the woody plant community (rather than merely specific groups). Second, the pattern of repelled recruitment must increase in with plant size. Third, CNDD must occurs across life history strategies and not be restricted to a single life history strategy. These three conditions are rarely tested simultaneously. In this study, we simultaneously test all three conditions in a woody plant community in a North American temperate forest. We examined whether the different woody plant growth forms (shrubs, understory trees, mid-story trees, canopy trees, and lianas) at different ontogenetic stages (seedling, sapling, and adult) were overdispersed – a spatial pattern indicative of CNDD – using spatial point pattern analysis across life history stages and strategies. We found that there was a strong signal of overdispersal at the community level. However, this pattern was driven by adult canopy trees. By contrast, understory plants, which can constitute up to 80% of temperate forest plant diversity, were not overdispersed as adults. The lack of overdispersal suggests that CNDD is unlikely to be a major mechanism maintaining understory plant diversity. The focus on trees for the vast majority of CNDD studies may have biased the perception of the prevalence of CNDD as a dominant mechanism that maintains community-level diversity when, according to our data, CNDD may be restricted largely to trees.

Qinling-Daba Mountains (QDM), which are located in central China, are considered as a significant climatic boundary delimiting north and south. However, the influence of complex topographic and climatic features makes it challenging to identify the exact location of the boundary, and different scholars delimit the boundary with significant differences. In addition, there is a gradual transition between climate zones, and no real dividing line exists. To explore the climate regionalization of the QDM, we focused on the identification of the transition zone rather than the exact location of the boundary between subtropical and temperate zones. Thus, we proposed a new workflow for climate regionalization based on the Geodetector-SVM model (a combination of Geodetector and support vector machines). First, we selected the spatial distribution data of six vegetation types (including typical subtropical and temperate vegetation) to represent the spatial distribution of climatic zones. Environmental factors (such as topography, temperature, precipitation, and soil) were used as explanatory variables for the spatial distribution of vegetation. Second, using the Geodetector-SVM model, the distribution characteristics and suitable environment of typical vegetation in different climatic zones are comprehensively explored. By analyzing the multiple boundaries between subtropical and temperate vegetation, the location of the transition zone of the QDM was identified. The results revealed the following: (1) The new workflow for climate regionalization based on the Geodetector-SVM model is powerful for the identification of the transition zone. The q-statistics are generally greater than 0.35, indicating that the transition zone between subtropical and temperate zones can highly reflect the character of the QDM; (2) From west to east, the transition zone mainly passes through the cities of Heishui County, Kang County, Liuba County, and Yichuan County and is approximately 30 km wide.

Species distribution models can help predicting range shifts under climate change. The aim of this study is to investigate the late Quaternary distribution of Oriental beech (Fagus orientalis) and to project future distribution ranges under different climate change scenarios using a combined palaeobotanical, phylogeographic, and modelling approach. Five species distribution modelling algorithms under the R-package `biomod2`were applied to occurrence data of Fagus orientalis to predict distributions under present, past (Last Glacial Maximum, 21 ka, Mid-Holocene, 6 ka), and future climatic conditions with different scenarios obtained from MIROC-ESM and CCSM4 global climate models. Distribution models were compared to palaeobotanical and phylogeographic evidence. Pollen data indicate northern Turkey and the western Caucasus as refugia for Oriental beech during the Last Glacial Maximum. Although pollen records are missing, molecular data point to Last Glacial Maximum refugia in northern Iran. For the mid-Holocene, pollen data support the presence of beech in the study region. Species distribution models predicted present and Last Glacial Maximum distribution of Fagus orientalis moderately well yet underestimated mid-Holocene ranges. Future projections under various climate scenarios indicate northern Iran and the Caucasus region as major refugia for Oriental beech. Combining palaeobotanical, phylogeographic and modelling approaches is useful when making projections about distributions of plants. Palaeobotanical and molecular evidence reject some of the model projections. Nevertheless, the projected range reduction in the Caucasus region and northern Iran highlights their importance as long-term refugia, possibly related to higher humidity, stronger environmental and climatic heterogeneity and strong vertical zonation of the forest vegetation. Swedish Research Council (VR)Swedish Research Council [2015-03986] TD acknowledges funding from the Swedish Research Council (VR grant no. 2015-03986).

Documenting changes in ecosystem extent and protection is essential to understanding status of biodiversity and related ecosystem services and have direct applications to measuring Essential Biodiversity Variables, Targets under the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), and IUCN Red List of Ecosystems. We developed both potential and current distribution maps of terrestrial ecosystem types for the temperate and tropical Americas; with "potential" estimating where a type would likely occur today had there not been prior land conversion for modern land uses. We utilized a hierarchical classification to describe and map natural ecosystem types at six levels of thematic detail, with lower thematic levels defining more units each with narrower floristic range than upper levels. Current land use/land cover was derived using available global data on human land use intensity and combined with the potential distribution maps to estimate long-term change in extent for each ecosystem type. We also assessed representation of ecosystem types within protected areas as defined by IUCN I-VI land status categories. Of the 749 ecosystem types assessed, represented at 5th (n = 315) vs. 6th (n = 433) levels of the classification hierarchy, 5 types (1.6%) and 31 types (7.1%), respectively, have lost >90% of their potential extent. Some 66 types (20.9%) and 141 types (32.5%), respectively, have lost >50% of their potential extent; thus, crossing thresholds of Vulnerable status under IUCN Red List criterion A3. For ecosystem type representation within IUCN protected area classes, with reference to potential extent of each type, 111 (45.3%) and 125 (28.8%) of types, respectively, have higher representation (>17%) than CBD 2020 targets. Twelve types (3.8%) and 23 (5.3%) of types, respectively, are represented with

Social associations within mixed-species bird flocks can promote information flow about food availability and provide predator avoidance benefits. The relationship between flocking propensity, foraging habitat quality, and interspecific competition can be altered by human-induced habitat degradation. Here we take a close look at sociality within two ecologically important flock-leader (core) species, the Carolina chickadee (Poecile carolinensis) and tufted titmouse (Baeolophus bicolor), to better understand how degradation of foraging habitat quality affects mixed-species flocking dynamics. We compared interactions of free ranging wild birds across a gradient of foraging habitat quality in three managed forest remnants. Specifically, we examined aspects of the social network at each site, including network density, modularity, and species assortativity. Differences in the social networks between each end of our habitat gradient suggest that elevated levels of interspecific association are more valuable in the habitat with low quality foraging conditions. This conclusion is supported by two additional findings: First, foraging height for the subordinate Carolina chickadee relative to the tufted titmouse decreased with an increase in the number of satellite species in the most disturbed site but not in the other two sites. Second, the chickadee gargle call rate, an acoustic signal emitted during agonistic encounters between conspecifics, was relatively higher at the high-quality site. Collectively, these results suggest an increase in heterospecific associations increases the value of cross-species information flow in degraded habitats.

Root lifespan, often is estimated in landscape- and ecosystem-level carbon models using linear approximations. In water manipulation experiments, fine root lifespan can vary with soil water content. Soil water content is generally structured by complex topography, which is largely unaccounted for in landscape- and ecosystem-scale carbon models. Topography governs the range of soil water content experienced by roots which may impact their lifespan. We hypothesized that root lifespan varied nonlinearly across a temperate, mesic, forested catchment due to differences in soil water content associated with topographic position. We expected regions of the landscape that were too wet or too dry would have soils that were not optimal for roots and thus result in shorter root lifespans. Specifically, we hypothesized that root lifespan would be longest in areas that consistently had soil water content in the middle of the soil water content spectrum, while in soils at either very low or very high soil water content, root lifespan would be relatively short. We tested this hypothesis by collecting and analyzing two years of minirhizotron and soil moisture data in plots widely distributed in the Shale Hills catchment of the Susquehanna-Shale Hills Critical Zone Observatory in Pennsylvania. We found that fine root lifespans were longer in traditionally wetter topographic regions, but detected no short term (biweekly) effect of soil moisture on root lifespan. Additionally, depth in soil, soil series, slope face orientation, and season of birth strongly affected root lifespans across the catchment. In contrast, lifespan was unaffected by root diameter or mycorrhizal association. Failure to account for these variables could result in erroneous estimates of fine root lifespan and, consequentially, carbon flux in temperate forested regions.

Satellite telemetry is an increasingly utilized technology in wildlife research, and current devices can track individual animal movements at unprecedented spatial and temporal resolutions. However, as we enter the golden age of satellite telemetry, we need an in-depth understanding of the main technological, species-specific and environmental factors that determine the success and failure of satellite tracking devices across species and habitats. Here, we assess the relative influence of such factors on the ability of satellite telemetry units to provide the expected amount and quality of data by analyzing data from over 3,000 devices deployed on 62 terrestrial species in 167 projects worldwide. We evaluate the success rate in obtaining GPS fixes as well as in transferring these fixes to the user and we evaluate failure rates. Average fix success and data transfer rates were high and were generally better predicted by species and unit characteristics, while environmental characteristics influenced the variability of performance. However, 48% of the unit deployments ended prematurely, half of them due to technical failure. Nonetheless, this study shows that the performance of satellite telemetry applications has shown improvements over time, and based on our findings, we provide further recommendations for both users and manufacturers. Forest and Nature for Society (FONASO) Erasmus Mundus Joint Doctorate programme [2013-09] University of Goettingen Norwegian Environment Agency Research Council of Norway [212919] Norwegian Institute for Nature Research Messerli Foundation, WWF Landcare Research Ltd New Zealand TBfree New Zealand (AHB project) [R10737] Norwegian Research Counsil, Smafefondet, NMBU Research Council of Norway Federal State of Baden-Wuerttemberg (Landesjagdabgabe) Wildlife Conservation Society Swedish Environmental Protection Agency private foundation "Marie Clair Cronstedts stiftelse" NASA Arctic Boreal Vulnerability Experiment [NNX15AV92A] National Geographic Society Waitt Grant Program [W157-110] FAPESP [2013/50421-2, 2014/23132-2] CNPq [312045/2013-1, 312292/2016-3, 161089/2014-3] Silicon Valley Community Foundation The Overbrook Foundation International ReSource Award WCS Brasil Vanderbilt University PROCAD/CAPES [88881.068425/2014-01] MLSJ Fundacao de Amparo a Pesquisa do Estado de Sao Paulo Fapesp [2013/50421-2, 2014/23132-2] Projeto Pecarideos - WCS Brasil Howard G Buffett Foundation Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnologia -CONACYT Austrian Research Promotion Agency (FFG) [814274, 834118] Leobner Realgemeinschaft Forstbetrieb Kletschach WWF Nedbank Green Trust [GT 2251] DFG [Fi707/9-1/DFG Zi548/6-1/DAAD (D/12/41834), FI707/9-1, ZI548/6-1] DAAD [D/12/41834] Nottingham Trent University The Howard G. Buffett Foundation ISRO-IISc Space Technology Cell Wellcome Trust/DBT India Alliance and Space Technology Cell, Indian Institute of Science Lower Saxony Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Consumer Protection Panthera Kaplan Graduate Award Bank of America Reindeer Development Fund in Norway Rhodes University Robin Hurt Wildlife Foundation Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute Wildlife Conservation Network Humboldt State University HSU Marine and Coastal Science Initiative Humboldt State University Research, Scholarship and Creative Activities Grant Claude Leon Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship The Cape Leopard Trust Conservation South Africa South African National Parks HERD project (Hwange Environmental Research Development) - Agence Nationale de la Recherche (FEAR project) [ANR-08-BLAN-0022] Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (Programme Zones Ateliers) National Geographic Society [C151-08] NSERC CGS D U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Service public de Wallonie Direction generale de l'Agriculture, des Ressources naturelles et de l'Environnement U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Parrotia-Stiftung Stiftung Dr. Joachim de Giacomi Basler Stiftung fur biologische Forschung Messerli Stiftung Carl Burger Stiftung CIC Schweiz CIC Deutschland Paul Schiller Stiftung Karl Mayer Stiftung Consorcio Capim Branco de Energia Ministere de l'Agriculture de l'Agroalimentaire et de la Foret Conseil Regional de Bourgogne Conseil General de la Cote d'Or Federation Departementale des Chasseurs de Cote d'Or Groupement de Defense Sanitaire de Cote d'Or Federation Nationale des Chasseurs Office National de la Chasse et de la Faune Sauvage South African National Research Foundation [107099] Sao Paulo Research Foundation [FAPESP 2013/04957-8, FAPESP 2013/18526-9] MAVA Foundation, Switzerland The Deutsche Bundesstiftung Umwelt DBU (German Federal Environmental Foundation) Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales (CNES) Project GLOBE - Polish-Norwegian Research Programme [POLNOR/198352/85/2013] ASer: Norway Grants under the Polish-Norwegian Research Program [POL-NOR/198352/85/2013] The People's Trust for Endangered Species (PTES) Zoologische Gesellschaft fur Arten-und Populationsschutz (ZGAP) Iranian Cheetah Society Quagga Conservation Fund IdeaWild Association Francaise des Parcs Zoologiques (AFdPZ) DEAL (Direction de l'Environnement de l'Amenagement et du Logement) de Guyane CNES (Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales) The Nedbank WWF Green Trust The International Foundation for Science Cape Leopard Trust German Research Foundation [DFG: KA 1082/16-1] The Wildlife and Reserve Management Research Group (WRMRG) International Foundation for Science (IFS) Safari Club International Foundation (SCIF) The Rufford Small Grants Foundation Ernst & Ethel Eriksen Trust WWF Sweden Leakey Foundation National Geographic Society WennerGren Foundation Departamento Administrativo de Ciencia, Tecnologia e Innovacion Colciencias, Project "Efecto de la presencia de saladosnaturales en la distribucion y uso de habitat de la danta de tier-ras bajas (Tapirus terrestris) en las amazonas colombiano" [1101569-33286, 0385-2013] Alexander von Humboldt Foundation NSF Graduate Research Fellowship [DEG-125608] Sustainability East Asia LLC - SEA Amarula Trust National Geographic Earthwatch Institute World Wildlife Fund for Nature Columbus Zoo California North Coast Chapter of The Wildlife Society Sequoia Park Zoo Foundation Anses This work was supported by: Forest and Nature for Society (FONASO) Erasmus Mundus Joint Doctorate programme (CONTRACT NO. 2013-09) to MPGH, Publication costs were covered by the Open Access Publication Fund of the University of Goettingen; The Norwegian Environment Agency, the Research Council of Norway (project 212919), Norwegian Institute for Nature Research to JM; Messerli Foundation, WWF to JMel; CRou: The author was supported in the form of salary by a postdoctoral grant funded by Landcare Research Ltd New Zealand and data provided was funded by research project grant from TBfree New Zealand (AHB project number R10737). Norwegian Research Counsil, Smafefondet, NMBU to NHJ; The Research Council of Norway to GS; Federal State of Baden-Wuerttemberg (Landesjagdabgabe) to MK; Funding for the capture and collaring of khulan was received from Wildlife Conservation Society, administered through a cooperative agreement with Sustainability East Asia LLC - SEA and originating from Oy Du Tolgoi -OT gold and copper mining company to PK; Swedish fieldwork was supported by the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency and by the private foundation "Marie Clair Cronstedts stiftelse" to PKje; NASA Arctic Boreal Vulnerability Experiment (project #NNX15AV92A), National Geographic Society Waitt Grant Program (Grant #W157-110) to SL; Research Council of Norway to JDCL; FAPESP (2013/50421-2, 2014/23132-2), CNPq (312045/2013-1; 312292/2016-3; 161089/2014-3), Silicon Valley Community Foundation, The Overbrook Foundation, the International ReSource Award, WCS Brasil, and Vanderbilt University. PROCAD/CAPES (88881.068425/2014-01); MLSJ Fundacao de Amparo a Pesquisa do Estado de Sao Paulo Fapesp (process: 2013/50421-2 and scholarship: 2014/23132-2) and CNPQ (scholarship: 161089/2014-3), Projeto Pecarideos - WCS Brasil and Vanderbilt University for funding this research to JEFO.; Howard G Buffett Foundation, Amarula Trust to AS; Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnologia -CONACYT with resources from the FEE to JJT; Austrian Research Promotion Agency (FFG) grant numbers 814274 and 834118, Leobner Realgemeinschaft and Forstbetrieb Kletschach to RS; WWF Nedbank Green Trust (grant number GT 2251) to MD; DFG Fi707/9-1/DFG Zi548/6-1/DAAD (D/12/41834) to MKla; DFG FI707/9-1, DFG ZI548/6-1, DAAD D/12/41834 to DZ; GPS tags were funded by Nottingham Trent University, National Geographic, Earthwatch Institute, World Wildlife Fund for Nature, Columbus Zoo to RY; The Howard G. Buffett Foundation to AStr; ISRO-IISc Space Technology Cell to MT; Wellcome Trust/DBT India Alliance and Space Technology Cell, Indian Institute of Science to ATV; D.R.E. Am. Italia provided support in the form of salary for author SN, but did not have any additional role in the study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. The specific role of this author is articulated in the 'author contributions' section.; RG was supported by funds of the Lower Saxony Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Consumer Protection; Panthera Kaplan Graduate Award to AD; Bank of America to JAM; The Norwegian Environment Agency, the Research Council of Norway (Project 212919), the Reindeer Development Fund in Norway, and several County administrations around Norway to JO; Rhodes University to DMP; Robin Hurt Wildlife Foundation, Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute to AC; Wildlife Conservation Network, Panthera to CT; Humboldt State University, HSU Marine and Coastal Science Initiative, California North Coast Chapter of The Wildlife Society, Sequoia Park Zoo Foundation to CLA; Humboldt State University Research, Scholarship and Creative Activities Grant to IA; Humboldt State University Research, Scholarship and Creative Activities Grant to WTB; Claude Leon Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship, The Cape Leopard Trust, Conservation South Africa, South African National Parks to BC; GPS collars were funded by the HERD project (Hwange Environmental Research Development), funded by the Agence Nationale de la Recherche (FEAR project ANR-08-BLAN-0022), and the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (Programme Zones Ateliers). Some collars were funded by the National Geographic Society GRANT #C151-08 to SP; NSERC CGS D to KJT; SK: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to SK; Service public de Wallonie. Direction generale de l'Agriculture, des Ressources naturelles et de l'Environnement to AL; U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to KB; Parrotia-Stiftung, Stiftung Dr. Joachim de Giacomi, Basler Stiftung fur biologische Forschung, Messerli Stiftung, Carl Burger Stiftung, CIC Schweiz, CIC Deutschland, Paul Schiller Stiftung and Karl Mayer Stiftung to SCS; Consorcio Capim Branco de Energia to FCA; Consorcio Capim Branco de Energia to FGL; Ministere de l'Agriculture de l'Agroalimentaire et de la Foret, the Conseil Regional de Bourgogne, the Conseil General de la Cote d'Or, the Federation Departementale des Chasseurs de Cote d'Or, the Groupement de Defense Sanitaire de Cote d'Or, the Federation Nationale des Chasseurs and the Office National de la Chasse et de la Faune Sauvage to AP.; ; South African National Research Foundation (Grant number: 107099) to LHS; Sao Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP 2013/04957-8 and FAPESP 2013/18526-9) to ABer; MAVA Foundation, Switzerland; The Deutsche Bundesstiftung Umwelt DBU (German Federal Environmental Foundation) to DM; Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales (CNES) to CRic; Anses to ER; Project GLOBE (POLNOR/198352/85/2013) funded by the Polish-Norwegian Research Programme operated by the National Centre for Research and Development; ASer: Norway Grants under the Polish-Norwegian Research Program operated by the National Centre for Research and Development (GLOBE, POL-NOR/198352/85/2013) to NS; The People's Trust for Endangered Species (PTES), Zoologische Gesellschaft fur Arten-und Populationsschutz (ZGAP), Iranian Cheetah Society, Quagga Conservation Fund, IdeaWild, Panthera and Association Francaise des Parcs Zoologiques (AFdPZ) to MSF; DEAL (Direction de l'Environnement de l'Amenagement et du Logement) de Guyane, CNES (Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales) to RBer; The Nedbank WWF Green Trust, The International Foundation for Science, the Cape Leopard Trust, Rhodes University to GKM; German Research Foundation (DFG: KA 1082/16-1) to LP; The Wildlife and Reserve Management Research Group (WRMRG), International Foundation for Science (IFS), Safari Club International Foundation (SCIF), The Rufford Small Grants Foundation, Ernst & Ethel Eriksen Trust to TG; WWF Sweden to RSte; Leakey Foundation, National Geographic Society, WennerGren Foundation to LS; Departamento Administrativo de Ciencia, Tecnologia e Innovacion Colciencias, Project "Efecto de la presencia de saladosnaturales en la distribucion y uso de habitat de la danta de tier-ras bajas (Tapirus terrestris) en las amazonas colombiano" (grantnumber 1101569-33286, contract: 0385-2013) to DA; PostDoctoral Fellowship from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation to ORB; NSF Graduate Research Fellowship DEG-125608 to SKac. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.; We thank Horst Reinecke and Christian Trothe for database management and data entry, and James Gibbons, Matthias Schmid and Benjamin Hofner for their enlightening explanations on the statistics. We thank Stan Tomkiewicz for insightful discussion on GPS collar functioning, and the Eurodeer. org network, Sarah Davidson of Movebank. org, and Stephanie O'Donnell of WILDLABS. NET for helping to spread the word about this study. We also thank Jonah Gula, Olav Strand, Ole Roer, Liu Yanlin, Bernt-Erik Saether, Anders Borstad, Laura McMahon, Thomas Morrison, Maurizio Ramanzin, Vebjorn Veiberg, Erling Johan Solberg, Leif Soennichsen, Hans Christian Pedersen, Tom McCarthy, Jacqueline L. Frair, Siobhan Dyer, Morten Odden, Lars Haugaard, and Peter G. Crawshaw, Jr. for their data contributions. The publication was supported by the Open Access Publication Fund of the University of Goettingen.

As major disturbance agents, natural catastrophes impact habitats, thereby maintaining the dynamics of ecological communities. Such discrete events are expected to positively affect biodiversity because they generate high habitat heterogeneity and thus numerous ecological niche opportunities. Species typical of open and semi-open habitats, which are often of high conservation concern in modern anthropized landscapes, may benefit most from recurrent natural catastrophes that regularly reset ecosystems. We investigated bird community changes and species-specific responses to wildfire at two recently burnt temperate, montane-subalpine forest stands in an inner-Alpine Swiss valley, with a special focus on red-listed and conservation priority species. We compared bird community changes in burnt forests (spanning 13 years) with bird assemblages occurring in adjacent non-burned forest stands that served as quasi-experimental controls. Strong species-specific responses to wildfire were evidenced, resulting in a dramatic post-fire decrease in overall bird abundance and species richness. Yet, red-listed bird species and conservation priority species in Switzerland were substantially more common in burnt than in control forest stands. Many red-listed species showed a bell-shaped numeric response to wildfire over time, suggesting low habitat suitability just after fire, high habitat suitability at pioneer and early stages of vegetation succession, followed by a long-term decrease in suitability while vegetation becomes denser, especially at ground level. As established for Mediterranean regions where wildfires are especially frequent, this study shows that forest fires can also boost the populations of red-listed and priority bird species typical of open and semi-open habitats in temperate biomes. Prescribed forest fire might represent a management option for preserving threatened elements of biodiversity despite the intense public debate it will trigger.

Studies of past forest use traditions are crucial in both understanding the present state of the oldest European forests, and in guiding decisions on future forest conservation and management. Current management of Poland’s Białowieża Forest (BF), one of the best-preserved forests of the European lowlands, is heavily influenced by anecdotal knowledge on forest history. Therefore, it is important to gain knowledge of the forest’s past in order to answer questions about its historical administration, utilisation, and associated anthropogenic changes. Such understanding can then inform future management. This study, based on surveys in Belarussian and Russian archives and a preliminary field survey in ten forest compartments of Białowieża National Park, focuses on culturally-modified trees (CMTs), which in this case are by-products of different forms of traditional forest use. Information about the formation of the CMTs can then be used to provide insight into former forest usage. Two types of CMTs were discovered to be still present in the contemporary BF. One type found in two forms was of 1) pine trees scorched and chopped in the bottom part of the trunk and 2) pine trees with carved beehives. A second type based on written accounts, and therefore known to be present in the past (what we call a ‘ghost CMT’), was of 3) lime-trees with strips of bark peeled from the trunk. Written accounts cover the period of transition between the traditional forest management (BF as a Polish royal hunting ground, until the end of the eighteenth century) and modern, “scientific” forestry (in most European countries introduced in the second half of the nineteenth century). These accounts document that both types of CMTs and the traditional forest uses responsible for their creation were considered harmful to “rational forestry” by the nineteenth-century forest administration. Thus the practices which created CMTs were banned and the trees gradually removed from the forest. Indeed, these activities drew the attention of forest administrators for several decades, and in our view delayed the introduction of new, timber-oriented, forest management in the BF.

The capacity of forests to recover after disturbance, i.e., their resilience, determines their ability to persist and function over time. Many variables, natural and managerial, affect forest resilience. Thus, understanding their effects is critical for the development of sound forest conservation and management strategies, especially in the context of ongoing global environmental changes. We conducted a representative review, meta-analysis, of the forest literature in this topic (search terms “forest AND resilience”). We aimed to identify natural conditions that promote or jeopardize resilience, assess the efficacy of post-disturbance management practices on forest recovery, and evaluate forest resilience under current environmental changes. We surveyed more than 2,500 articles and selected the 156 studies (724 observations) that compared and quantified forest recovery after disturbance under different contexts. Context of recovery included: resource gradients (moisture and fertility), post-disturbance biomass reduction treatments, species richness gradients, incidence of a second disturbance, and disturbance severity. Metrics of recovery varied from individual tree growth and reproduction, to population abundance, to species richness and cover. Analyses show management practices only favored recovery through increased reproduction (seed production) and abundance of recruitment stages. Higher moisture conditions favored recovery, particularly in dry temperate regions; and in boreal forests, this positive effect increased with regional humidity. Biomass reduction treatments were only effective in increasing resilience after a drought. Early recruiting plant stages benefited from increased severity, while disturbance severity was associated with lower recovery of remaining adult trees. This quantitative review provides insight into the natural conditions and management practices under which forest resilience is enhanced and highlights conditions that could jeopardize future resilience. We also identified important knowledge gaps, such as the role of diversity in determining forest resilience and the lack of data in many regions.

Slow growing oomycete isolates with morphological resemblance toPhytophthorawere obtained from forest streams during routine monitoring for the EU quarantine forest pathogenPhytophthora ramorumin Ireland and Northern Ireland. Internal Transcribed Spacer (ITS) sequence analysis indicated that they belonged to two previously unknown species ofNothophytophthora, a recently erected sister genus ofPhytophthora. Morphological and temperature-growth studies were carried out to characterise both new species. In addition, Bayesian and Maximum-Likelihood analyses of nuclear 5-loci and mitochondrial 3-loci datasets were performed to resolve the phylogenetic positions of the two new species. Both species were sterile, formed chlamydospores and partially caducous nonpapillate sporangia, and showed slower growth than any of the six knownNothophytophthoraspecies. In all phylogenetic analyses both species formed distinct, strongly supported clades, closely related toN.chlamydosporaandN.valdivianafrom Chile. Based on their unique combination of morphological and physiological characters and their distinct phylogenetic positions the two new species are described asNothophytophthora irlandicasp. nov. andN.liriisp. nov. Their potential lifestyle and geographic origin are discussed.

This study aimed at estimating temporal (1989-2018) change in forest cover, carbon stock and trend in corresponding CO2 emissions/sequestration of a sub-tropical pine forest (STPF) in AJK, Pakistan. Our field inventory estimation shows an average above ground biomass (AAGB) accumulation of 0.145 Kt/ha with average carbon stock (ACS) value of 0.072 Kt/ha. Landsat TM, ETM+ and OLI images of 1989, 1993, 1999, 2005, 2010, 2015 and 2018 were used to extract vegetation fractions through Linear Spectral Mixture Analysis (LSMA) and forest area was calculated for respective years. Based on the forest area and estimated ACS value, the biomass carbon stock with corresponding CO2 emissions/sequestration was worked out for each time and change in forest carbon stock was determined for different time periods from 1989 to 2018. Our analysis shows net increase of 561 ha in forest cover and 40.39 Kt of ACS along with increase in corresponding CO2 sequestrations of 147.83 Kt over the study period. The results based on combination of remote sensing and field inventory provide valuable information and scientific basis to plan and ensure sustainable forest management (SFM) through reforestation, protection and conservation to enhance and maintain adequate forest cover and reduce CO2 emissions.

Understanding forest carbon budget and dynamics for sustainable resource management and ecosystem functions requires quantification of above- and below-ground biomass at individual tree species and stand levels. In this study, a total of 122 trees (9-12 per species) were destructively sampled to determine above- and below-ground biomass of 12 tree species (Acer mandshuricum, Acer mono, Betula platyphylla, Carpinus cordata, Fraxinus mandshurica, Juglans mandshurica, Maackia amurensis, P. koraiensis, Populus ussuriensis, Quercus mongolica, Tilia amurensis and Ulmus japonica) in coniferous and broadleaved mixed forests of Northeastern China, an area of the largest natural forest in the country. Biomass allocation was examined and biomass models were developed using diameter as independent variable for individual tree species and all species combined. The results showed that the largest biomass allocation of all species combined was on stems (57.1%), followed by coarse root (21.3%), branch (18.7%), and foliage (2.9%). The log-transformed model was statistically significant for all biomass components, although predicting power was higher for species-specific models than for all species combined, general biomass models, and higher for stems, roots, above-ground biomass, and total tree biomass than for branch and foliage biomass. These findings supplement the previous studies on this forest type by additional sample trees, species and locations, and support biomass research on forest carbon budget and dynamics by management activities such as thinning and harvesting in the northeastern part of China.

Studying habitat overlap between sympatric species is one of the best ways to identify interspecies relationships and to direct conservation efforts so that multiple species can benefit. However, studies exploring interspecies relationships are very limited in Nepal, making it difficult for the government of Nepal and conservation partners to manage wildlife in their habitats, especially in Himalayan protected areas. In this study, we identified habitat overlap between Asiatic black bear (Ursus thibetanus) and red panda (Ailurus fulgens) as well as important habitat types for both species in the Makalu Barun National Park, Nepal using Maximum Entropy (MaxEnt) modeling. GPS points of species occurrence were collected from the field, and environmental variables were extracted from freely available sources. We found that the study area contained 647 km2 of Asiatic black bear habitat and 443 km2 of the red panda habitat. 368 km2 supported both species, which constituted 57% of the Asiatic black bear habitat and 83% of the red panda habitat. We found that conifer forest was the most important habitat type for both species. Because the largest portions of both species’ habitat were located inside the buffer zone, a peripheral zone of national park, conservation efforts for these sympatric species should be focused inside the buffer zone to be most effective.

In recent decades large fires have affected communities throughout central and southern Chile with great social and ecological consequences. Despite this high fire activity, the controls and drivers and the spatiotemporal pattern of fires are not well understood. To identify the large-scale trends and drivers of recent fire activity across six regions in south-central Chile (~32–40° S Latitude) we evaluated MODIS satellite-derived fire detections and compared this data with Chilean Forest Service records for the period 2001–2017. MODIS burned area estimates provide a spatially and temporally comprehensive record of fire activity across an important bioclimatic transition zone between dry Mediterranean shrublands/sclerophyllous forests and wetter deciduous-broadleaf evergreen forests. Results suggest fire activity was highly variable in any given year, with no statistically significant trend in the number of fires or mean annual area burned. Evaluation of the variables associated with spatiotemporal patterns of fire for the 2001–2017 period indicate vegetation type, biophysical conditions (e.g., elevation, slope), mean annual and seasonal climatic conditions (e.g., precipitation) and mean population density have the greatest influence on the probability of fire occurrence and burned area for any given year. Both the number of fires and annual area burned were greatest in warmer, biomass-rich lowland Bío-Bío and Araucanía regions. Resource selection analyses indicate fire ‘preferentially’ occurs in exotic plantation forests, mixed native-exotic forests, native sclerophyll forests, pasture lands and matorral, vegetation types that all provide abundant, flammable and connected biomass for burning. Structurally and compositionally homogenous exotic plantation forests may promote fire spread greater than native deciduous-Nothofagaceae forests which were once widespread in the southern parts of the study area. In the future, the coincidence of warmer and drier conditions in landscapes dominated by flammable and fuel-rich forest plantations and mixed native-exotic and sclerophyll forests are likely to further promote large fires in south-central Chile.

Changing forest cover is a key driver of local climate change worldwide, as it affects both albedo and evapotranspiration (ET). Deforestation and forestation are predicted to have opposing influences on surface albedo and ET rates, and thus impact local surface temperatures differently. Relationships between forest change, albedo, ET, and local temperatures may further vary regionally, as the strengths of warming by albedo effects and cooling by ET effects vary with latitude. Despite these important relationships, the magnitude of forest cover effects on local surface temperature across the globe remains unclear. Using recently-released global forest change data, we first show that forestation and deforestation have pervasive and opposite effects on LST, ET and albedo worldwide. Deforestation from 2000 to 2010 caused consistent warming of 0.38 ± 0.02 (mean ± SE) and 0.16 ± 0.01°C in tropical and temperate regions respectively, while forestation caused cooling in those regions of -0.18 ± 0.02 and -0.19 ± 0.02°C. Tropical forests were particularly sensitive to the climate effects of forest change, with forest cover losses of ~50% associated with increased LST of 1.08 ± 0.25°C, whereas similar forest cover gains decreased LST by -1.11 ± 0.26°C. Secondly, based on a new structural equation model, we show that these changes on LST were largely mediated by changes in albedo and ET. Finally, based on this model, we show that predicted forest changes in Brazil associated with a business-as-usual land use scenario through 2050 may increase LST up to 1.45°C. Our results contribute to a better understanding of the mechanistic inter-relationships between forest change and changes in albedo, ET and LST, and provide additional evidence that forestation has the potential to reverse deforestation impacts on local climate, especially in tropical and temperate regions.

Ecological communities are structured in response to spatial and temporal variation of numerous factors, including edaphic conditions, biotic interactions, climatic patterns and disturbance regimes. Widespread anthropogenic factors such as timber harvesting can create long-lasting impacts, obscuring the relationship between community structure and environmental conditions. Minimally impacted systems such as old-growth forests can serve as a useful ecological baseline for predicting long-term compositional shifts. We utilized decadal tree species sampling data (1979–2010) divided into three strata (understory, midstory, overstory) to examine temporal changes in relative abundances and spatial distributions of dominant taxa, as well as overall shifts in community composition, in a relatively pristine Appalachian old-growth forest in eastern Kentucky, USA. Quercus and Carya species persisted mainly as mature canopy trees with decreasing juvenile recruitment, especially in mesic areas. In contrast, Acer, Fagus, and other mesophytic species were abundant and spatially widespread in subcanopy layers suggesting these species are more likely to recruit in gap-scale canopy openings. In the overstory, mesophytic species were spatially restricted to lower and mid-slope mesic habitats. Temporal changes in community composition were most evident in the understory and tended to be greater in mesic areas, a trend seemingly driven by recruitment failure among xerophytic species. In subcanopy vegetation we discovered a loss of distinction through time among the ecological community designations established following the 1979 survey (Chestnut oak, Mixed mesophytic, and Beech). The overstory was more stable through time, suggesting a storage effect where long-lived trees have maintained a particular community composition through time in areas where regeneration opportunities are minimal under current environmental conditions. Overall, sitewide canopy succession is occurring slowly in the absence of major disturbance, and topography-driven environmental variation appears to have an important local-scale filtering effect on communities.

Historical extirpations have resulted in depauperate large herbivore assemblages in many northern forests. In eastern North America, most forests are inhabited by a single wild ungulate species, white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus), and relationships between deer densities and impacts on forest regeneration are correspondingly well documented. Recent recolonizations by moose (Alces americanus) in northeastern regions complicate established deer density thresholds and predictions of browsing impacts on forest dynamics because size and foraging differences between the two animals suggest a lack of functional redundancy. We asked to what extent low densities of deer + moose would structure forest communities differently from that of low densities of deer in recently logged patch cuts of Massachusetts, USA. In each site, a randomized block with three treatment levels of large herbivores–no-ungulates (full exclosure), deer (partial exclosure), and deer + moose (control) was established. After 6–7 years, deer + moose reduced stem densities and basal area by 2-3-fold, Prunus pensylvanica and Quercus spp. recruitment by 3–6 fold, and species richness by 1.7 species (19%). In contrast, in the partial exclosures, deer had non-significant effects on stem density, basal area, and species composition, but significantly reduced species richness by 2.5 species on average (28%). Deer browsing in the partial exclosure was more selective than deer + moose browsing together, perhaps contributing to the decline in species richness in the former treatment and the lack of additional decline in the latter. Moose used the control plots at roughly the same frequency as deer (as determined by remote camera traps), suggesting that the much larger moose was the dominant browser species in terms of animal biomass in these cuts. A lack of functional redundancy with respect to foraging behavior between sympatric large herbivores may explain combined browsing effects that were both large and complex.

Tropical forests have long been recognized for their biodiversity and ecosystem services. Despite their importance, tropical forests, and particularly those of central Africa, remain understudied. Until recently, most forest inventories in Central Africa have focused on trees ≥10 cm in diameter, even though several studies have shown that small-diameter tree population may be important to demographic rates and nutrient cycling. To determine the ecological importance of small-diameter trees in central African forests, we used data from a 25-ha permanent plot that we established in the rainforest of Gabon to study the diversity and dynamics of these forests. Within the plot, we censused 175,830 trees ≥1 cm dbh from 54 families, 192 genera, and 345 species. Average tree density was 7,026 trees/ha, basal area 31.64 m2/ha, and above-ground biomass 369.40 Mg/ha. Fabaceae, Ebenaceae and Euphorbiaceae were the most important families by basal area, density and above-ground biomass. Small-diameter trees (1 cm ≥ dbh

A significant concern about Metabolic Scaling Theory (MST) in real forests relates to consistent differences between the values of power law scaling exponents of tree primary size measures used to estimate mass and those predicted by MST. Here we consider why observed scaling exponents for diameter and height relationships deviate from MST predictions across three semi-arid conifer forests in relation to: (1) tree condition and physical form, (2) the level of inter-tree competition (e.g. open vs closed stand structure), (3) increasing tree age, and (4) differences in site productivity. Scaling exponent values derived from non-linear least-squares regression for trees in excellent condition (n = 381) were above the MST prediction at the 95% confidence level, while the exponent for trees in good condition were no different than MST (n = 926). Trees that were in fair or poor condition, characterized as diseased, leaning, or sparsely crowned had exponent values below MST predictions (n = 2,058), as did recently dead standing trees (n = 375). Exponent value of the mean-tree model that disregarded tree condition (n = 3,740) was consistent with other studies that reject MST scaling. Ostensibly, as stand density and competition increase trees exhibited greater morphological plasticity whereby the majority had characteristically fair or poor growth forms. Fitting by least-squares regression biases the mean-tree model scaling exponent toward values that are below MST idealized predictions. For 368 trees from Arizona with known establishment dates, increasing age had no significant impact on expected scaling. We further suggest height to diameter ratios below MST relate to vertical truncation caused by limitation in plant water availability. Even with environmentally imposed height limitation, proportionality between height and diameter scaling exponents were consistent with the predictions of MST.

China harbors diversified forest types, from tropical rainforest to boreal coniferous forest, and has implemented large-scale reforestation/afforestation programs over the past several decades. However, little information is available on changes in China's forest area and the causes. In this study, we used the classified forest distribution thematic map derived from Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) datasets and a revised IPAT model to examine China's forest area change and the possible driving factors from 1982 to 2006. Overall, NDVI-derived forest areas were numerically consistent with those reported in the 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th National Forest Inventories, respectively. Over the past 25 years, China's forest area was estimated to have an average of 169.18 million hectares with an annual increase of 0.15 million hectares (c.a. a total net increment of 3.60 million hectares), which is equivalent to 0.089% of the relative annual change rate. However, a large difference in the changing rate and direction of forest area at the province level was found; for instance, forest area has declined in 10 provinces, mainly in Northeastern and Southern China, while 21 provinces showed an increase. The changes were most likely attributed to the policy regarding the import and export of timber and affluence (per capita gross domestic product), and both contributed more than 80% of the total contribution of the six factors of the revised IPAT model.

Partitioning the components of soil respiration is crucial to understand and model carbon cycling in forest ecosystems. In this study, total soil respiration (RS), autotrophic respiration (RA), heterotrophic respiration (RH), litter respiration (RL), litterfall input and environmental factors were synchronously monitored for 2 years in a subtropical Michelia wilsonii forest of southwestern China. RH rates were often higher than RA rates during the two years except for the middle growing season (from July to September). The mean rate of Rs, RA, RH and RL was 1.94 μmol m-1 s-1, 0.85 μmol m-1 s-1, 1.09 μmol m-1 s-1 and 0.65 μmol m-1 s-1, respectively, during the 2-year experiment. Annual CO2 emission derived from RA, RH and RL was 3.26 Mg C ha-1 a-1, 4.67 Mg C ha-1 a-1 and 2.61 Mg C ha-1 a-1, respectively, which accounted for 41.4%, 58.6% and 32.9% of RS. Over the experimental period, the ratio of RA/RS increased with soil temperature but the opposite was true for RH/RS and RL/RS. The Q10 value was 2.01, 4.01, 1.34 and 1.30, respectively, for RS, RA, RH and RL. Path analysis indicated that environmental variables and litterfall production together explained 82.0%, 86.8%, 42.9% and 34.7% variations of monthly fluxes of RS, RA, RH and RL, respectively. Taken together, our results highlight the differential responses of the components of RS to environmental variables.

The Chinese pine (Pinus tabulaeformis Carr.) is an ecologically and economically important evergreen coniferous tree which dominates warm temperate forests throughout northern China. We established two permanent plots within the Chinese pine forest in the Jiulong Mountains, Beijing, China. To understand the structural characteristics and dynamics of these plots, we analyzed the spatial structural characteristics within nearest-neighbor relationships using the bivariate distributions of the stand spatial structural parameters: uniform angle index, W; mingling index, M; dominance index, U; and crowding index, C. Results revealed that most trees in the forest were randomly distributed. The predominant individuals and randomly arranged trees were in very dense areas and surrounded by the same species. In addition, both plots exhibited a uniform size differentiation pattern. The two plots differed mainly in the level of species mixture and dominance. The majority of reference trees in the pure Chinese pine forest (plot 1) exhibited poor species mingling and low dominance, whereas trees in the mixed Chinese pine forest (plot 2) were evenly distributed in each mingling class and most trees were of intermediate dominance. The study results are useful for optimizing forest management activities in the studied stands, promoting tree growth, regeneration and habitat diversity, and improving forest quality at a fine scale.

Increasing temperature and nitrogen (N) deposition are two large-scale changes projected to occur over the coming decades. The effects of these changes on dissolved organic matter (DOM) are largely unknown. This study aimed to assess the effects of warming and N addition on the quantity and quality of DOM from a subtropical Cunninghamia lanceolata plantation. Between 2014 and 2016, soil solutions were collected from 0-15, 15-30, and 30-60 cm depths by using a negative pressure sampling method. The quantity and quality of DOM were measured under six different treatments. The spectra showed that the DOM of the forest soil solution mainly consisted of aromatic protein-like components, microbial degradation products, and negligible amounts of humic-like substances. Warming, N addition, and warming + N addition significantly inhibited the concentration of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) in the surface (0-15 cm) soil solution. Our results suggested that warming reduced the amount of DOM originating from microbes. The decrease in protein and carboxylic acid contents was mostly attributed to the reduction of DOC following N addition. The warming + N addition treatment showed an interactive effect rather than an additive effect. Thus, short-term warming and warming + N addition decreased the quantity of DOM and facilitated the migration of nutrients to deeper soils. Further, N addition increased the complexity of the DOM structure. Hence, the loss of soil nutrients and the rational application of N need to be considered in order to prevent the accumulation of N compounds in soil.

Modern pollen records have been used to successfully distinguish between specific prairie types in North America. Whether the pollen records can be used to detect the occurrence of Eurasian steppe, or even to further delimit various steppe types was until now unclear. Here we characterized modern pollen assemblages of meadow steppe, typical steppe and desert steppe from eastern Eurasia along an ecological humidity gradient. The multivariate ordination of the pollen data indicated that Eurasian steppe types could be clearly differentiated. The different steppe types could be distinguished primarily by xerophilous elements in the pollen assemblages. Redundancy analysis indicated that the relative abundances of Ephedra, Tamarix, Nitraria and Zygophyllaceae were positively correlated with aridity. The relative abundances of Ephedra increased from meadow steppe to typical steppe and desert steppe. Tamarix and Zygophyllaceae were found in both typical steppe and desert steppe, but not in meadow steppe. Nitraria was only found in desert steppe. The relative abundances of xerophilous elements were greater in desert steppe than in typical steppe. These findings indicate that Eurasian steppe types can be differentiated based on recent pollen rain.

The response of resistant soil organic matter to temperature change is crucial for predicting climate change impacts on C cycling in terrestrial ecosystems. However, the response of the decomposition of different soil organic carbon (SOC) fractions to temperature is still under debate. To investigate whether the labile and resistant SOC components have different temperature sensitivities, soil samples were collected from three forest and two grass land sites, along with a gradient of latitude from 18°40'to 43°17'N and elevation from 600 to 3510 m across China, and were incubated under changing temperature (from 12 to 32 oC) for at least 260 days. Soil respiration rates were positively related to the content of soil organic carbon and soil microbial carbon. The temperature sensitivity of soil respiration, presented as Q10 value, varies from 1.93 ± 0.15 to 2.60 ± 0.21. During the incubation, there were no significant differences between the Q10 values of soil samples from different layers of the same site, nor a clear pattern of Q10 values along with the gradient of latitude. The result of this study does not support current opinion that resistant soil carbon decomposition is more sensitive to temperature change than labile soil carbon.

Current understanding of litterfall and fine root dynamics in temperate forests is limited, even though these are the major contributors to carbon and nutrient cycling in the ecosystems. In this study, we investigated litterfall and fine root biomass and production in five deciduous and four coniferous forests at the Gwangneung Experimental Forest in Korea. We used ingrowth cores to measure fine root production and root turnover rate. The litterfall was separated into leaves, twigs, and others, and then leaves were further separated according to species. Annual litterfall mass was not significantly different between the years, 360 to 651 g m(-2) in 2011 and 300 to 656 g m(-2) in 2012. Annual fine root (

This study reports the assembly of a DNA barcode reference library for species in the lepidopteran superfamily Noctuoidea from Canada and the USA. Based on the analysis of 69,378 specimens, the library provides coverage for 97.3% of the noctuoid fauna (3565 of 3664 species). In addition to verifying the strong performance of DNA barcodes in the discrimination of these species, the results indicate close congruence between the number of species analyzed (3565) and the number of sequence clusters (3816) recognized by the Barcode Index Number (BIN) system. Distributional patterns across 12 North American ecoregions are examined for the 3251 species that have GPS data while BIN analysis is used to quantify overlap between the noctuoid faunas of North America and other zoogeographic regions. This analysis reveals that 90% of North American noctuoids are endemic and that just 7.5% and 1.8% of BINs are shared with the Neotropics and with the Palearctic, respectively. One third (29) of the latter species are recent introductions and, as expected, they possess low intraspecific divergences.

Metacommunity theory provides an understanding of how ecological processes regulate local community assemblies. However, few field studies have evaluated the underlying mechanisms of a metacommunity on a small scale through revealing the relative roles of spatial and environmental filtering in structuring local community composition. Based on a spatially explicit sampling design in 2012 and 2013, this study aims to evaluate the underlying processes of a soil mite metacommunity on a small spatial scale (50 m) in a temperate deciduous forest located at the Maoershan Ecosystem Research Station, Northeast China. Moran's eigenvector maps (MEMs) were used to model independent spatial variables. The relative importance of spatial (including trend variables, i.e., geographical coordinates, and broad- and fine-scale spatial variables) and environmental factors in driving the soil mite metacommunity was determined by variation partitioning. Mantel and partial Mantel tests and a redundancy analysis (RDA) were also used to identify the relative contributions of spatial and environmental variables. The results of variation partitioning suggested that the relatively large and significant variance was a result of spatial variables (including broad- and fine-scale spatial variables and trend), indicating the importance of dispersal limitation and autocorrelation processes. The significant contribution of environmental variables was detected in 2012 based on a partial Mantel test, and soil moisture and soil organic matter were especially important for the soil mite metacommunity composition in both years. The study suggested that the soil mite metacommunity was primarily regulated by dispersal limitation due to broad-scale and neutral biotic processes at a fine-scale and that environmental filtering might be of subordinate importance. In conclusion, a combination of metacommunity perspectives between neutral and species sorting theories was suggested to be important in the observed structure of the soil mite metacommunity at the studied small scale.

We investigated the effect of leaf litter on below ground carbon export and soil carbon formation in order to understand how litter diversity affects carbon cycling in forest ecosystems. 13C labeled and unlabeled leaf litter of beech (Fagus sylvatica) and ash (Fraxinus excelsior), characterized by low and high decomposability, were used in a litter exchange experiment in the Hainich National Park (Thuringia, Germany). Litter was added in pure and mixed treatments with either beech or ash labeled with 13C. We collected soil water in 5 cm mineral soil depth below each treatment biweekly and determined dissolved organic carbon (DOC), δ13C values and anion contents. In addition, we measured carbon concentrations and δ13C values in the organic and mineral soil (collected in 1 cm increments) up to 5 cm soil depth at the end of the experiment. Litter-derived C contributes less than 1% to dissolved organic matter (DOM) collected in 5 cm mineral soil depth. Better decomposable ash litter released significantly more (0.50±0.17%) litter carbon than beech litter (0.17±0.07%). All soil layers held in total around 30% of litter-derived carbon, indicating the large retention potential of litter-derived C in the top soil. Interestingly, in mixed (ash and beech litter) treatments we did not find a higher contribution of better decomposable ash-derived carbon in DOM, O horizon or mineral soil. This suggest that the known selective decomposition of better decomposable litter by soil fauna has no or only minor effects on the release and formation of litter-derived DOM and soil organic matter. Overall our experiment showed that 1) litter-derived carbon is of low importance for dissolved organic carbon release and 2) litter of higher decomposability is faster decomposed, but litter diversity does not influence the carbon flow.

Access to high quality spatial data raises fundamental questions about how to select the appropriate scale and unit of analysis. Studies that evaluate the impact of conservation programs have used multiple scales and areal units: from 5x5 km grids; to 30m pixels; to irregular units based on land uses or political boundaries. These choices affect the estimate of program impact. The bias associated with scale and unit selection is a part of a well-known dilemma called the modifiable areal unit problem (MAUP). We introduce this dilemma to the literature on impact evaluation and then explore the tradeoffs made when choosing different areal units. To illustrate the consequences of the MAUP, we begin by examining the effect of scale selection when evaluating a protected area in Mexico using real data. We then develop a Monte Carlo experiment that simulates a conservation intervention. We find that estimates of treatment effects and variable coefficients are only accurate under restrictive circumstances. Under more realistic conditions, we find biased estimates associated with scale choices that are both too large or too small relative to the data generating process or decision unit. In our context, the MAUP may reflect an errors in variables problem, where imprecise measures of the independent variables will bias the coefficient estimates toward zero. This problem may be pronounced at small scales of analysis. Aggregation may reduce this bias for continuous variables, but aggregation exacerbates bias when using a discrete measure of treatment. While we do not find a solution to these issues, even though treatment effects are generally underestimated. We conclude with suggestions on how researchers might navigate their choice of scale and aerial unit when evaluating conservation policies.

Symbiotic nitrogen (N) fixation is the major N input to many ecosystems. Although temperate forests are commonly N limited, symbiotic N-fixing trees ("N fixers") are rare and decline in abundance as succession proceeds-a challenging paradox that remains unexplained. Understanding demographic processes that underlie N fixers' rarity and successional decline would provide a proximate answer to the paradox. Do N fixers grow slower, die more frequently, or recruit less in temperate forests? We quantified demographic rates of N-fixing and non-fixing trees across succession using U.S. forest inventory data. We used an individual-based model to evaluate the relative contribution of each demographic process to community dynamics. Compared to non-fixers, N fixers had lower growth rates, higher mortality rates, and lower recruitment rates throughout succession. The mortality effect contributed more than the growth effect to N fixers' successional decline. Canopy and understory N fixers experienced these demographic disadvantages, indicating that factors in addition to light limitation likely contribute to N fixers' successional decline. We show that the rarity and successional decline of N-fixing trees in temperate forests is due more to their survival disadvantage than their growth disadvantage, and a recruitment disadvantage might also play a large role.

Edge effects play key roles in the anthropogenic transformation of forested ecosystems and their biota, and are therefore a prime field of contemporary fragmentation research. We present the first empirical study to address edge effects on the population level of a widespread galling herbivore in a temperate deciduous forest. By analyzing edge effects on abundance and trophic interactions of beech gall midge (Mikiola fagi Htg.), we found 30% higher gall abundance in the edge habitat as well as lower mortality rates due to decreased top-down control, especially by parasitoids. Two GLM models with similar explanatory power (58%) identified habitat specific traits (such as canopy closure and altitude) and parasitism as the best predictors of gall abundance. Further analyses revealed a crucial influence of light exposure (46%) on top-down control by the parasitoid complex. Guided by a conceptual framework synthesizing the key factors driving gall density, we conclude that forest edge proliferation of M. fagi is due to a complex interplay of abiotic changes and trophic control mechanisms. Most prominently, it is caused by the microclimatic regime in forest edges, acting alone or in synergistic concert with top-down pressure by parasitoids. Contrary to the prevailing notion that specialists are edge-sensitive, this turns M. fagi into a winner species in fragmented temperate beech forests. In view of the increasing proportion of edge habitats and the documented benefits from edge microclimate, we call for investigations exploring the pest status of this galling insect and the modulators of its biological control.

Climate change is increasing the risk of drought to forested ecosystems. Although drought impacts are often anecdotally noted to occur in discrete patches of high canopy mortality, the landscape effects of drought disturbances have received virtually no study. This study characterized the landscape configuration of drought impact patches and investigated the relationships between patch characteristics, as indicators of drought impact intensity, and environmental gradients related to water availability to determine factors influencing drought vulnerability. Drought impact patches were delineated from aerial surveys following an extreme drought in 2011 in southwestern Australia, which led to patchy canopy dieback of the Northern Jarrah Forest, a Mediterranean forest ecosystem. On average, forest gaps produced by drought-induced dieback were moderate in size (6.6 ± 9.7 ha, max = 85.7 ha), compact in shape, and relatively isolated from each other at the scale of several kilometers. However, there was considerable spatial variation in the size, shape, and clustering of forest gaps. Drought impact patches were larger and more densely clustered in xeric areas, with significant relationships observed with topographic wetness index, meteorological variables, and stand height. Drought impact patch clustering was more strongly associated with the environmental factors assessed (R2 = 0.32) than was patch size (R2 = 0.21); variation in patch shape remained largely unexplained (R2 = 0.02). There is evidence that the xeric areas with more intense drought impacts are 'chronic disturbance patches' susceptible to recurrent drought disturbance. The spatial configuration of drought disturbances is likely to influence ecological processes including forest recovery and interacting disturbances such as fire. Regime shifts to an alternate, non-forested ecosystem may occur preferentially in areas with large or clustered drought impact patches. Improved understanding of drought impacts and their patterning in space and time will expand our knowledge of forest ecosystems and landscape processes, informing management of these dynamic systems in an uncertain future.

Objective The finer scale patterns of arthropod vertical stratification in forests are rarely studied and poorly understood. Further, there are no studies investigating whether and how altitude affects arthropod vertical stratification in temperate forests. We therefore investigated the fine-scale vertical stratification of diversity and guild structure of saproxylic beetles in temperate lowland and montane forests and compared the resulting patterns between the two habitats. Methods The beetles were sampled with flight intercept traps arranged into vertical transects (sampling heights 0.4, 1.2, 7, 14, and 21 m). A triplet of such transects was installed in each of the five sites in the lowland and in the mountains; 75 traps were used in each forest type. Results 381 species were collected in the lowlands and 236 species in the mountains. Only 105 species (21%) were found at both habitats; in the montane forest as well as in the lowlands, the species richness peaked at 1.2 m, and the change in assemblage composition was most rapid near the ground. The assemblages clearly differed between the understorey (0.4 m, 1.2 m) and the canopy (7 m, 14 m, 21 m) and between the two sampling heights within the understorey, but less within the canopy. The stratification was better pronounced in the lowland, where canopy assemblages were richer than those near the forest floor (0.4 m). In the mountains the samples from 14 and 21 m were more species poor than those from the lower heights. The guild structure was similar in both habitats. Conclusions The main patterns of vertical stratification and guild composition were strikingly similar between the montane and the lowland forest despite the low overlap of their faunas. The assemblages of saproxylic beetles were most stratified near ground. The comparisons of species richness between canopy and understorey may thus give contrasting results depending on the exact sampling height in the understorey.

Boreal forests are sensitive to climatic warming, because low temperatures hold back ecosystem processes, such as the mobilization of nitrogen in soils. A greening of the boreal landscape has been observed using remote sensing, and the seasonal amplitude of CO2 in the northern hemisphere has increased, indicating warming effects on ecosystem productivity. However, field observations on responses of ecosystem productivity have been lacking on a large sub-biome scale. Here we report a significant increase in the annual growth of boreal forests in Finland in response to climatic warming, especially since 1990. This finding is obtained by linking meteorological records and forest inventory data on an area between 60° and 70° northern latitude. An additional increase in growth has occurred in response to changes in other drivers, such as forest management, nitrogen deposition and/or CO2 concentration. A similar warming impact can be expected in the entire boreal zone, where warming takes place. Given the large size of the boreal biome – more than ten million km2– important climate feedbacks are at stake, such as the future carbon balance, transpiration and albedo.

Ecogeographical rules help explain spatial and temporal patterns in intraspecific body size. However, many of these rules, when applied to ectothermic organisms such as reptiles, are controversial and require further investigation. To explore factors that influence body size in reptiles, we performed a heuristic study to examine body size variation in an Australian lizard, Boulenger's Skink Morethia boulengeri from agricultural landscapes in southern New South Wales, south-eastern Australia. We collected tissue and morphological data on 337 adult lizards across a broad elevation and climate gradient. We used a model-selection procedure to determine if environmental or ecological variables best explained body size variation. We explored the relationship between morphology and phylogenetic structure before modeling candidate variables from four broad domains: (1) geography (latitude, longitude and elevation), (2) climate (temperature and rainfall), (3) habitat (vegetation type, number of logs and ground cover attributes), and (4) management (land use and grazing history). Broad phylogenetic structure was evident, but on a scale larger than our study area. Lizards were sexually dimorphic, whereby females had longer snout-vent length than males, providing support for the fecundity selection hypothesis. Body size variation in M. boulengeri was correlated with temperature and rainfall, a pattern consistent with larger individuals occupying cooler and more productive parts of the landscape. Climate change forecasts, which predict warmer temperature and increased aridity, may result in reduced lizard biomass and decoupling of trophic interactions with potential implications for community organization and ecosystem function.

Windstorms, bark beetle outbreaks and fires are important natural disturbances in coniferous forests worldwide. Wind-thrown trees promote biodiversity and restoration within production forests, but also cause large economic losses due to bark beetle infestation and accelerated fungal decomposition. Such damaged trees are often removed by salvage logging, which leads to decreased biodiversity and thus increasingly evokes discussions between economists and ecologists about appropriate strategies. To reveal the reasons behind species loss after salvage logging, we used a functional approach based on four habitat-related ecological traits and focused on saproxylic beetles. We predicted that salvage logging would decrease functional diversity (measured as effect sizes of mean pairwise distances using null models) as well as mean values of beetle body size, wood diameter niche and canopy cover niche, but would increase decay stage niche. As expected, salvage logging caused a decrease in species richness, but led to an increase in functional diversity by altering the species composition from habitat-filtered assemblages toward random assemblages. Even though salvage logging removes tree trunks, the most negative effects were found for small and heliophilous species and for species specialized on wood of small diameter. Our results suggested that salvage logging disrupts the natural assembly process on windthrown trees and that negative ecological impacts are caused more by microclimate alteration of the dead-wood objects than by loss of resource amount. These insights underline the power of functional approaches to detect ecosystem responses to anthropogenic disturbance and form a basis for management decisions in conservation. To mitigate negative effects on saproxylic beetle diversity after windthrows, we recommend preserving single windthrown trees or at least their tops with exposed branches during salvage logging. Such an extension of the green-tree retention approach to windthrown trees will preserve natural succession and associated communities of disturbed spruce forests.