Subscribe free to our newsletters via your
. Space Travel News .




WOOD PILE
Drivers of temporal changes in temperate forest plant diversity
by Staff Writers
Jena, Germany (SPX) Jul 29, 2015


A new study has analysed the biodiversity in forests of the temperate zone of Europe. The scientists found out that -- on average - the biodiversity in the herb layer has not changed in recent decades. Image courtesy Markus Bernhardt-Roemermann/FSU Jena. For a larger version of this image please go here.

Climate change, environmental pollution or land use changes - there are numerous influences threatening biodiversity in forests around the globe. The resulting decrease in biodiversity is a matter of common knowledge today - amongst scientists as well as amongst the general public.

But this is a simplified view, says Dr. Markus Bernhardt-Roemermann of the Friedrich Schiller University Jena (Germany). "At least a trend like this doesn't apply to all forests on the local scale."

Together with an international team of scientists from all over Europe, Bernhardt-Roemermann comprehensively analysed the biodiversity in forests of the temperate zone of Europe. They found out that - on average - the biodiversity in the herb layer has not changed in recent decades.

This initially surprising result however doesn't mean that all is well in terms of biodiversity, as the ecologist points out: "The changes can be really grave on the local level." In some areas, biodiversity has clearly been on the decrease, while at the same time it has been increasing in others.

Bernhardt-Roemermann and his colleagues analysed data derived from the research platform "forestREplot", which was established by scientists from Belgium, the Czech Republic and the USA together with the Jena ecologist Bernhardt-Roemermann. In a database, data characterizing the temporal development of plant species composition in forests of the temperate climate zone around the world is collected.

"When data on the vegetation is collected on the same plot at several time steps, temporal changes can be identified," Bernhardt-Roemermann says.

For the new study the ecologists combined data from 13 European countries - from Switzerland and Hungary in the South to Sweden in the North and from Ireland in the West to Poland in the East - in one joint analysis.

They analysed data form 39 selected deciduous forests at two different points in time (with a span of 17 to 75 years in between) and related them to changes in climate, forests management, nitrogen deposition and game population. The scientists were thus able to show the factors that are pivotal for the change of diversity in a particular area.

"We noticed that all in all the climate changes don't trigger a major change in diversity," Bernhardt-Roemermann sums up the baffling result.

Much more influential for the diversity in the herb layer - apart from local factors like lighting conditions which can vary depending on forestry use - are most of all the availability of nitrogen and the density of the local game population. Thus for instance, populations of species which prefer open, thermophilous forests on mostly nutrient-poor soils are declining - such as the mountain sedge (Carex montana) or the scentless feverfew (Tanacetum corymbosum).

At the same time, the remote sedge (Carex remota), the narrow buckler fern (Dryopteris carthusiana) and the rough bluegrass (Poa trivialis) - which grow in shaded and moist conditions often associated with increased nutrient availability - thrive distinctively better.

As a consequence from their findings, the researchers recommend to base future predictions for the development of biodiversity not only on global criteria like climate changes or land use scenarios, as these do not sufficiently take into consideration important local conditions. The local influences like game population and nitrogen availability should much rather be taken into account as well to improve the quality of predictions.

This is the result of a new study by the Jena ecologist and co-authors which is published 27th July in the scientific journal Global Change Biology (DOI: 10.1111/gcb.12993).


Thanks for being here;
We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain.

With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords.

Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year.

If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor
$5 Billed Once


credit card or paypal
SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter
$5 Billed Monthly


paypal only


.


Related Links
Friedrich-Schiller-Universitaet Jena
Forestry News - Global and Local News, Science and Application






Comment on this article via your Facebook, Yahoo, AOL, Hotmail login.

Share this article via these popular social media networks
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit GoogleGoogle








WOOD PILE
Mangroves help protect against sea level rise
Southampton UK (SPX) Jul 28, 2015
Mangrove forests could play a crucial role in protecting coastal areas from sea level rise caused by climate change, according to new research involving the University of Southampton. A joint study between researchers at the University of Southampton along with colleagues from the Universities of Auckland and Waikato in New Zealand used leading-edge mathematical simulations to study how ma ... read more


WOOD PILE
SMC goes "2-for-2" on weather delayed launch

China tests new carrier rocket

Arianespace inaugurates new fueling facility for Soyuz upper stage

India Earned Over $100Mln Launching Foreign Satellites

WOOD PILE
New Website Gathering Public Input on NASA Mars Images

Antarctic Offers Insights Into Life on Mars

Earth and Mars Could Share A Life History

Curiosity Rover Inspects Unusual Bedrock

WOOD PILE
NASA Could Return Humans to the Moon by 2021

Smithsonian embraces crowdfunding to preserve lunar spacesuit

NASA Sets Sights on Robot-Built Moon Colony

Technique may reveal the age of moon rocks during spaceflight

WOOD PILE
Flowing nitrogen ice glaciers seen on Pluto

New Horizons 'Captures' Two of Pluto's Smaller Moons

New Horizons Finds Second Mountain Range in Pluto's 'Heart'

10 year journey to Pluto achieves historic encounter

WOOD PILE
Finding Another Earth

Kepler Mission Discovers Bigger, Older Cousin to Earth

NASA discovers closest Earth-twin yet

Pulsar Punches Hole In Stellar Disk

WOOD PILE
United Launch Alliance announces propulsion development program

RS-25 Engine Revs Up Again

India tests locally developed high thrust cryogenic rocket for 800 seconds

Engineers help NASA fine-tune new Space Launch System

WOOD PILE
Chinese earth station is for exclusively scientific and civilian purposes

Cooperation in satellite technology put Belgium, China to forefront

China set to bolster space, polar security

China's super "eye" to speed up space rendezvous

WOOD PILE
Multi-Use Firing Room 4 used for Resource Prospector Mission Simulation

Vesta's Potassium-to-Thorium Ratio Reveals Hot Origins

Japan space scientists hunting for new asteroid name

Dawn Maneuvering to Third Science Orbit




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2014 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. Privacy Statement All images and articles appearing on Space Media Network have been edited or digitally altered in some way. Any requests to remove copyright material will be acted upon in a timely and appropriate manner. Any attempt to extort money from Space Media Network will be ignored and reported to Australian Law Enforcement Agencies as a potential case of financial fraud involving the use of a telephonic carriage device or postal service.