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Short-term effects of clear-cutting on the biomass and richness of epiphytic bryophytes in managed subtropical cloud forests

Effets à court terme de la coupe à blanc sur la biomasse et la richesse des bryophytes épiphytes dans des forêts gérées subtropicales

Annals of Forest Science volume 66, page 609 (2009)Cite this article

Abstract

  • • Managed laurel forests in the Canary Islands have undergone clear-cutting with rotation periods of less than 30 y. Forest owners have recently requested a drastic reduction in the cutting interval. The effects of this new harvesting cycle on organisms like epiphytic bryophytes are not well known.

  • • This study investigates how time since last clear-cut, host species and characteristics of tree zones influence the biomass, cover and richness of epiphyte bryophytes in managed laurel forests in La Palma, Canary Islands. Four forest ages (8, 15, 25 and 60 y) and three host tree species (Erica arborea, Laurus novocanariensis and Myricafaya) were studied.

  • • Biomass, cover and richness of bryophytes increased through the chronosequence, both at the level of each plot and overall for L. novocanariensis. Most of the biomass (53%) and richness (81%) was concentrated in one of the tree species (L. novocanariensis), in plots for which 60 y had elapsed since the last clear-cutting. Trunks supported greater bryophyte biomass and richness than canopies, even in the oldest plots.

  • • Our results suggest that the current rotation periods used to manage laurel forests are insufficiently long to allow for complete reestablishment of epiphytic bryophyte assemblages.

Résumé

  • • Les forêts de lauriers gérées dans les îles Canaries ont subi la coupe à blanc avec des périodes de rotation de moins de 30 ans. Les propriétaires des forêts ont récemment demandé une réduction drastique de l’intervalle de coupe. Les effets de ce nouveau cycle de récolte sur des organismes épiphytes comme les bryophytes ne sont pas bien connus.

  • • Cette étude examine la façon dont le temps depuis la dernière coupe, les espèces hôtes et les caractéristiques des espèces d’arbres influencent la biomasse, la couverture et la richesse des bryophytes épiphytes dans les forêts gérées de lauriers à La Palma, îles Canaries. Quatre forêts âgées de 8, 15, 25 et 60 ans et trois espèces d’arbres hôtes (Erica arborea, Laurus novocanariensis et Myrica faya) ont été étudiées.

  • • La biomasse, la couverture et la richesse des bryophytes ont augmenté à travers la chronoséquence, au niveau de chaque parcelle et de l’ensemble de L. novocanariensis. La plus grande partie de la biomasse (53 %) et de la richesse (81 %) est concentrée sur l’une des espèces d’arbres (L. novocanariensis), dans les parcelles pour lesquelles 60 ans se sont écoulés depuis la dernière coupe à blanc. Les troncs supportent une plus grande biomasse de bryophytes et une plus grande richesse que les canopées, même dans les parcelles les plus anciennes.

  • • Nos résultats suggèrent que les périodes courantes de rotation utilisées pour gérer les forêts de lauriers ne sont pas suffisamment longues pour permettre le rétablissement complet des assemblages des bryophytes épiphytes.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departamento de Biología Vegetal (Botánica), Universidad de La Laguna, 38271, La Laguna, Tenerife, Spain

    Jairo Patiño & Juana M. González-Mancebo

  2. Departamento de Ecología, Universidad de La Laguna, 38206, La Laguna, Tenerife, Spain

    José M. Fernández-Palacios, José R. Arévalo & Alfredo Bermúdez

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  1. Jairo Patiño
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  2. Juana M. González-Mancebo
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  3. José M. Fernández-Palacios
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  4. José R. Arévalo
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  5. Alfredo Bermúdez
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Correspondence to Jairo Patiño.

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Patiño, J., González-Mancebo, J.M., Fernández-Palacios, J.M. et al. Short-term effects of clear-cutting on the biomass and richness of epiphytic bryophytes in managed subtropical cloud forests. Ann. For. Sci. 66, 609 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1051/forest/2009042

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Annals of Forest Science

ISSN: 1297-966X