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The Impact of a forest fire event on moth assemblages in Western Bohemia, Czech Republic

Walter Jan, Sucháčková Bartoňová Alena, Faltýnek Fric Zdeněk

Polish Journal of Ecology

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2021

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Vol. 69, nr 3-4

156--171

EN

Fire has major impact on species diversity in natural ecosystems around the world. The consequences of fires for invertebrates can be immediate, and recovery of species assemblages may be a long-term process. We recorded moth communities from May to November 2019 in a pine forest in Western Bohemia, Czech Republic, where a local fire occurred in April of that year. We used UV light traps at one burned site and two neighboring unburned sites with a similar character as the burned site before the fire event. We analyzed moth assemblages using several species diversity indices – index of dominance, Shannon-Wiener index and Shannon-Wiener evenness, Simpson index, and Chao1 nonparametric estimation. We detected 67 species at the burned site, and 97 and 106 at the unburned sites. The three most frequently trapped species at all sites were Macaria liturata, Buphalus piniaria and Thera obeliscata, representing common forest geometrid moths. We observed a decline in species number and abundance at the burned site compared to the unburned sites, probably due to the direct mortality of larvae. On the contrary, the burned site was more diverse according to the diversity indices. The fire disrupted the original character of the coniferous forest, which was proved by a decline of species feeding on conifers and Vaccinium spp. The burned site attracted species associated with dry habitats such as Eublemma purpurina, Charissa obscurata and Scopula rubiginata. Even though wildfires are viewed negatively in general, they might temporarily enhance diversity in a homogeneous landscape.

2

Changes in the Structure of Avian Community along a Moisture Gradient in an Urbanized Tropical Riparian Forest

Kopij Grzegorz

Polish Journal of Ecology

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2020

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Vol. 68, nr 3

251--262

EN

In larger river valleys of southern Africa, riparian forests are among the main vegetation types. The forests are regarded as ones of the most diverse and distinct terrestrial habitats on earth. They also play a crucial role in wildlife conservation as corridors and refugia for wildlife. It is hypothesized that the closer to the river bank, the higher the species diversity, while population densities may increase with the increase of the distance from the river bank. In 2014, quantitative studies (by means of the mapping method) on avian community breeding in such forest on Zambezi River in Katima Mulilo were undertaken to measure this gradient. Four plots were designed along an increasing distance from the river bank in this forest. In terms of the number of species, there was a significant gradual decrease with the increasing distance from the bank (from 91 to 54 species). The number of breeding pairs per 100 ha increased with the moisture gradient (from 222 to 677). Shannon's (H') and Simpson's (D) indices were higher in the two plots closer to the bank river (H'= 3.44-3.85; D = 0.97-0.99), than in the two remaining plots (H' = 3.13-3.15; D = 0.92-0.93). Also the Pielou's Evenness Index was higher in two plots closer to the bank (J' = 0.84-0.85 vs. 0.77-0.78). The proportion of granivores in the avian community declined along the moisture gradient, while that of insectivores and frugivores – increased. These gradual changes can be linked to a parallel gradual changes of the amount of fruits and invertebrates.

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Topographic differences play a limited role on species distribution in a sub-tropical forest in South China

Gong G.-Q., Huang Z.-L., Ye W.-H., Cao H.-L., Lian J.-Y., Lin G.-J., Wei S.-G., Li L., Bin Y., Kong B., Li B.-W.

Polish Journal of Ecology

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2013

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Vol. 61, nr 3

477--491

EN

Habitat association test has been regarded as an effective way to evaluate the relative role of niche differentiation in a community. Topographical attributes are often selected as surrogates of niche processes. However, the inference for relative role of niche differentiation is likely problematic if the spatial dependence of plant community on underlying spatially structured topographic variables is not accounted for. In this study, we used the torus shift and principal component analysis (PCA) to resolve this problem, and tested the habitat associations by adjusted-SD test in a sub-tropical evergreen broad-leaved forest in south China. The result revealed that minority of 100 common species were specialist, among which 8 species associated with first two PC axes (accounted for 98% of total eigenvalue and contributed mainly by mean elevation and aspect) and 22 species associated with last two PC axes (contributed by slope and convexity). In conclusion, we found the niche processes represented by topographical attributes play a limited role in the Dinghushan sub-tropical evergreen broad-leaved forest plot. Further study should include more habitat variables to examine the habitat associations.

4

The slope aspect affects the heterogeneity and growth of ground vegetation in deciduous temperate forest

Chmura D.

Polish Journal of Ecology

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2008

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Vol. 56, nr 3

463-470

EN

The species richness, H' and D' diversity and evenness J in southwestern- and northeastern-facing slopes were compared and height of twelve herbaceous plant species was measured five times during vegetation season in old-growth beech forest. The opposite slopes chosen for studies were similar in relation to slope inclination, type of soil, species composition and canopy cover. Two study plots 60 m[^2] encompassing two rows of 1- by 2-m 15 rectangular quadrates[^2] were established. The study revealed that northern slopes were characterized by significantly lower mean species diversity (H' = 0.82; D' = 0.47) compared to southern slopes (H' = 1.2; D' = 0.59), similar evenness (ca. J = 0.72) and higher heterogeneity with respect to spatial structure using Euclidean distance and range of DCA scores of quadrates of plots. Two-way ANOVA yielded significant differences of effect of slope aspect (P <0.001) and period of time (P <0.01) on average vegetation height. Nevertheless, interaction of time and aspect turned out to be insignificant. The highest mean values of height of plants were observed at the end of July and the end of June. Generally plants growing on north-facing slope were taller and had higher cover than those growing in southern sloped forest. This can be the result of lower species diversity on northeastern slope which favours development of individual species in conditions of weak interspecific competition and stronger intraspecific interactions.