Questions: How developed ground vegetation and tree stands of two permanent plots on a clear-cut area and one plot in an adjacent then 160 years old stand over 70 years? Can drivers behind vegetation changes be deduced? Study area: The plots forested since the 18th century are placed on a mountain slope at 250 m a.s.l. in eastern Hesse (Germany). Parent material is nutrient-poor sandstone. Methods: The three plots have been recorded since 1951 every few years by vegetation relev & eacute;s. Additionally, basic stand parameters have been measured on the same plots three times since 1994. Vegetation data have been evaluated by PCA and CA along with diversity parameters and Ellenberg indicator values for light and nitrogen. Results: A total basal area (TBA) of 66 m2ha-1 of the plot in the old stand is extraordinarily high; with 48 respectively 39 m2ha-1 TBA of the stands on the former clear-cut site are considerable high as well. Tree stand composition and ground vegetation of the two clear-cut plots took individual pathways. The old stand and the clear-cut plots lost all species characteristic for nutrient-poor forests (Quercetalia species) suggesting a nutrient enrichment, which is in consent with results from large-scale studies. The immigration of the neophyte Impatiens parviflora provided additional change. Finally, a species-poor stage with slight fluctuations composed of shade-tolerant species including a constant core set of Fagetalia species is reached on all plots. Discussions/Conclusion: An old forest could still be a remarkable sink for carbon. After clear-cutting there is considerable small-scale variation in stand development and in ground floor vegetation. Along with increased shading eutrophication seems to be a driver of ground floor vegetation change. Even if results from individual plots cannot simply be generalised, it may support results from large-scale studies with many sites.
Aims: Studied winter deciduous forests are relict ecosystems restricted to microclimatic enclaves in high moun tain refugia areas of the western Mediterranean basin in the south of the Iberian Peninsula (Sierra Nevada. Spain). Despite its ecological and conservation importance,their ecomorphological characteristics remain insuf ficiently studied. This work aims to characterise the ecomorphological adaptations of these forests by calcula ting functional indexes for eighteen representative species and identifying their ecomorphological functional groups (FGs). Methods: The functional characterisation was based on directly measurable categorical traits. Field sampling was carried out to obtain individual data, followed by laboratory measurements. Key traits in cluded plant height (H), specific leaf area (SLA) and diaspore weight (DSW), together with supporting traits such as fresh leaf weight (FLW) and dry leaf weight (DLW). Other traits relevant to the deciduous nature of these communities were also recorded, such as seasonality of assimilation organs, periodic organ shedding leaf consistency (LC), average leaf size (LS) and leaf life span (LLS). Results: The plant community was dominated by mesophanerophytes (61%) with heights between 6 and 9 m and a predominance of malacophilous deciduous leaves (83%). The maximum SLA corresponded to Fraxinus and the minimum to Taxus. Maximum DSW values were observed in 16.7% of the taxa. The duration of the leaf of deciduous species ranged from 6 to 8 months within the annual cycle (83%). Cluster analysis revealed the presence of eight distinct functional groups (coe nomorphs). Conclusion: The deciduous species studied showed functional ecomorphological adaptations es pecially in the leaves. Through traitbased analyses, eight functional groups (FGs) have been identified that reflect different ecological strategies and high species specialisation. The conservation of these microclimatic refuges must be a priority as they are out of step with the current Mediterranean bioclimate and climate change may also affect them.
The aim of this study was to characterize the vegetation gradient and diversity of the Bodrum Peninsula, a hotspot for plant biodiversity in SW Anatolia (T & uuml;rkiye). This study focused on the classification and syntaxonomic assignment of the vegetation of the Bodrum (Mu & gbreve;la) Peninsula. The investigations, carried out between 2011 and 2013, are timely because the vegetation structure of the Bodrum Peninsula is at risk due to fire, construction, grazing, and tourism. Vegetation studies were undertaken applying the Braun-Blanquet method and analyzed using the JUICE classification and NMDS ordination. The authors isolated ten plant communities, seven of which were new descriptions, belonging to six different vegetation types (pine forest, riparian, macchie, garrigue, phrygana, and secondary ruderal vegetation). The forest vegetation consists of Junipero phoeniceae-Pinetum brutiae (Akman et al. 1998). The riparian vegetation was made up by Inulo viscosae-Nerietum oleandri. The macchie vegetation consists of Umbilico horizontalis-Oleetum europeae and the phrygana vegetation of Dactylio hispanicae-Sarcopoterietum spinosi. The garrigue vegetation represented Salvio fruticosae-Genistetum acanthocladae, Arbuto andrachnes-Calicotometum villosae, Cyano segeti-Euphorbietum acanthothamni, and Erico manipuliflorae-Cistetum salviifolii. The secondary ruderal community is represented by the Cakile maritima-Pancratium maritimum community and the Gynandriris sisyrinchium-Ferula communis subsp. communis community.
Forest provides food and other important materials to survive on land. Ethiopia is one of the richest assemblages of plants in Africa but, Nowadays, plant resources are under several threats. This study was conducted between September 2021 to September, 2021. The objective of this research was to study the diversity of woody plant species of Sese forest, in Alge Sachi district. Vegetation data were collected from a total of 45 plots using 20 x 20 m (400 m(2)) plot size for trees and 5 m x 5 m (25 m(2)) sub plots within the main plots for shrubs which were laid down along altitudinal gradient drops. Woody plant species having a diameter at breast height (DBH) > 2.5 cm were recorded. Vegetation data were analyzed using R software version 4.2.1, and Shannon-Wiener Diversity Index, Evenness, Sorensen's similarity coefficient, Cluster analysis were also computed. The density, frequency, basal area, DBH, and Importance Value Index were computed. The vegetation study resulted in the documentation of 80 (71 from plots and 9 from outside of sampling plots) woody plant species belonging to 68 genera and 38 families. Four plant community types were identified. The study area is rich in woody plant diversity, but it's under great pressure due to agricultural expansion, and coffee plantations. Therefore, it is recommended that government should be designed an immediate conservation intervention.
