Dataset Information

Soil seed bank responses to edge effects in temperate European forests.

ABSTRACT:

Aim

The amount of forest edges is increasing globally due to forest fragmentation and land-use changes. However, edge effects on the soil seed bank of temperate forests are still poorly understood. Here, we assessed edge effects at contrasting spatial scales across Europe and quantified the extent to which edges can preserve the seeds of forest specialist plants.

Location

Temperate European deciduous forests along a 2,300-km latitudinal gradient.

Time period

2018-2021.

Major taxa studied

Vascular plants.

Methods

Through a greenhouse germination experiment, we studied how edge effects alter the density, diversity, composition and functionality of forest soil seed banks in 90 plots along different latitudes, elevations and forest management types. We also assessed which environmental conditions drive the seed bank responses at the forest edge versus interior and looked at the relationship between the seed bank and the herb layer species richness.

Results

Overall, 10,108 seedlings of 250 species emerged from the soil seed bank. Seed density and species richness of generalists (species not only associated with forests) were higher at edges compared to interiors, with a negative influence of C : N ratio and litter quality. Conversely, forest specialist species richness did not decline from the interior to the edge. Also, edges were compositionally, but not functionally, different from interiors. The correlation between the seed bank and the herb layer species richness was positive and affected by microclimate.

Main conclusions

Our results underpin how edge effects shape species diversity and composition of soil seed banks in ancient forests, especially increasing the proportion of generalist species and thus potentially favouring a shift in community composition. However, the presence of many forest specialists suggests that soil seed banks still play a key role in understorey species persistence and could support the resilience of our fragmented forests.

SUBMITTER: Gasperini C

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9546374 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Publications

Soil seed bank responses to edge effects in temperate European forests.

Gasperini Cristina C Bollmann Kurt K Brunet Jörg J Cousins Sara A O SAO Decocq Guillaume G De Pauw Karen K Diekmann Martin M Govaert Sanne S Graae Bente J BJ Hedwall Per-Ola PO Iacopetti Giovanni G Lenoir Jonathan J Lindmo Sigrid S Meeussen Camille C Orczewska Anna A Ponette Quentin Q Plue Jan J Sanczuk Pieter P Spicher Fabien F Vanneste Thomas T Vangansbeke Pieter P Zellweger Florian F Selvi Federico F Frenne Pieter De P

Global ecology and biogeography : a journal of macroecology 20220716 9

<h4>Aim</h4>The amount of forest edges is increasing globally due to forest fragmentation and land-use changes. However, edge effects on the soil seed bank of temperate forests are still poorly understood. Here, we assessed edge effects at contrasting spatial scales across Europe and quantified the extent to which edges can preserve the seeds of forest specialist plants.<h4>Location</h4>Temperate European deciduous forests along a 2,300-km latitudinal gradient.<h4>Time period</h4>2018-2021.<h4>M ...[more]

PMID: 36246451

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Project description:Depending on their tree species composition, forests recruit different soil microbial communities. Likewise, the vertical nutrient gradient along soil profiles impacts these communities and their activities. In forest soils, bacteria and fungi commonly compete, coexist, and interact, which is challenging for understanding the complex mechanisms behind microbial structuring. Using amplicon sequencing, we analyzed bacterial and fungal diversity in relation to forest composition and soil depth. Moreover, employing random forest models, we identified microbial indicator taxa of forest plots composed of either deciduous or evergreen trees, or their mixtures, as well as of three soil depths. We expected that forest composition and soil depth affect bacterial and fungal diversity and community structure differently. Indeed, relative abundances of microbial communities changed more across soil depths than in relation to forest composition. The microbial Shannon diversity was particularly affected by soil depth and by the proportion of evergreen trees. Our results also reflected that bacterial communities are primarily shaped by soil depth, while fungi were influenced by forest tree species composition. An increasing proportion of evergreen trees did not provoke differences in main bacterial metabolic functions, e.g., carbon fixation, degradation, or photosynthesis. However, significant responses related to specialized bacterial metabolisms were detected. Saprotrophic, arbuscular mycorrhizal, and plant pathogenic fungi were related to the proportion of evergreen trees, particularly in topsoil. Prominent microbial indicator taxa in the deciduous forests were characterized to be r-strategists, whereas K-strategists dominated evergreen plots. Considering simultaneously forest composition and soil depth to unravel differences in microbial communities, metabolic pathways and functional guilds have the potential to enlighten mechanisms that maintain forest soil functionality and provide resistance against disturbances.

Dataset Information

Soil seed bank responses to edge effects in temperate European forests.

Aim

Location

Time period

Major taxa studied

Methods

Results

Main conclusions

Publications

Soil seed bank responses to edge effects in temperate European forests.

Similar Datasets

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