Effects of undergrowth removal and edge proximity on ground beetles and vascular plants in urban boreal forests
Koivula, M., Virta, T., Kuitunen, M., & Vallius, E. (2019). Effects of undergrowth removal and edge proximity on ground beetles and vascular plants in urban boreal forests. Journal of Urban Ecology, 5(1), Article juz007. https://doi.org/10.1093/jue/juz007
Published in
Journal of Urban EcologyDate
2019Copyright
© The Author(s) 2019.
Urban forests are regularly managed for human safety and esthetic reasons, but they are crucial habitat for many species. Removals of undergrowth occur commonly in these forests, yet the ecological consequences of these operations are poorly understood. We sampled ground beetles (Coleoptera, Carabidae) and vascular plants along 20-m edge gradients in Finnish urban forests, in five stands treated 0.5–2.5 years earlier with undergrowth removal and in five untreated stands. We hypothesized that undergrowth removal and edge proximity would benefit opportunistic and open-habitat species, whereas shady-habitat species would be affected negatively. (1) Regarding carabids, diversity and evenness indices, open-habitat species and Carabus nemoralis responded positively, and forest species, Leistus terminatus and Pterostichus oblongopunctatus responded negatively, to the undergrowth removal. Regarding plants, generalists, Maianthemum bifolium, Rubus saxatilis and Sorbus aucuparia responded positively, and forest species, Geranium sylvaticum, Oxalis acetocella and Vaccinium myrtillus responded negatively, to the undergrowth removal. (2) Edge proximity had little effect on both plants and carabids. However, open-habitat carabids were less abundant and less speciose, and the plants Oxalis acetocella, Trientalis europaea and Rubus saxatilis had higher cover, 10–20 m from than right at the edge. (3) Plant (but not carabid) community responded to the undergrowth removal but not to the edge proximity. When managing urban forests, we recommend an avoidance of undergrowth removals at sites that host rare or threatened forest-associated flora and fauna.
...
Publisher
Oxford University PressISSN Search the Publication Forum
2058-5543Keywords
Publication in research information system
https://converis.jyu.fi/converis/portal/detail/Publication/30938862
Metadata
Show full item recordCollections
License
Related items
Showing items with similar title or keywords.
-
Surviving in Changing Forests : Abiotic Disturbance Legacy Effects on Arthropod Communities of Temperate Forests
Cours, J.; Bouget, C.; Barsoum, N.; Horák, J.; Le Souchu, E.; Leverkus, A. B.; Pincebourde, S.; Thorn, S.; Sallé, A. (Springer, 2023)Purpose of Review The increasing impact of droughts, wildfires and windstorms in temperate areas poses a significant challenge to the adaptation capacity of forests and their associated arthropod communities. Organisms, ... -
Kaupunkimetsien raivauksen ekologiset vaikutukset
Virta, Tiina (2010) -
Dead wood and fungi : detection, diversity and conservation in boreal forests
Purhonen, Jenna (Jyväskylän yliopisto, 2018)Dead wood and associated fungal communities are a crucial part of boreal forest ecosystems, and severely affected and threatened by human actions like commercial timber harvesting. Despite their importance for forest ... -
The effect of buffer strip width and selective logging on streamside plant communities
Oldén, Anna; Selonen, V. A. O.; Lehkonen, E.; Kotiaho, Janne Sakari (BioMed Central, 2019)Background: Riparian forests surrounding streams host high biodiversity values, but are threatened by clear-cut logging. Narrow buffer strips of about 15 m are commonly left between the stream and the clear-cut, but studies ... -
The effect of different forest management regimes on the ecosystem services and biodiversity of Finnish boreal forests
Salokannas, Jenni (2019)Talousmetsien hoito ja tasaikäisrakenteinen metsänkasvatus ovat muuttaneet metsien rakennetta, ja vähentäneet monien metsälajien elinympäristöjen määrää. Tämä yhdessä Suomen kasvaneen hakkuutavoitteen kanssa vaikuttaa ...