Project:BB|3466

Title
Recruitment and performance of forest understorey plants in post-agricultural forests
Acronym
 
URL
StartDate
2007-01-01
EndDate
2010-12-01
Amount
 

Abstract

The large-scale conversion of forest to agricultural land and subsequent
abandonment and afforestation represents a major disturbance across
western European and eastern North-American landscapes during the past
centuries. Following the afforestion of agricultural land, herb species
need to establish again through colonization. However, it is thoroughly
documented that forest herbs have low abilities to colonize
post-agricultural
forest (20-100m per century). Previous studies mainly focussed on the
limited dispersal capacities of forest herbs to explain these patterns and
few studies have evaluated the relative importance of recruitment. Yet,
because former agricultural land use persistently changed habitat quality
(e.g. high phosphorus availability), it is not unlikely that recruitment
is a secondary bottle-neck hampering colonization. This project
therefore aims
to study recruitment and performance of forest herbs in
post-agricultural forest through: (1) a pot experiment; (2) introduction
experiments;
(3) observations on allocation and performance and (4) assessment of 25
years of vegetation development in post-agricultural forests

Keywords

competition, dispersal limitation, forest herb colonization, secondary forest succession, seed sowing experiments

Classifications

Conservation and Biodiversity {Research discipline}
Species {Integration level}
Conservation, Restoration and Sustainable use of Biodiversity {Research orientation}
Middle Europe {Geographical scope}
Forest {Habitat type}
Plantae {Taxonomical scope}

People

Name Role Start End
Baeten, Lander member 2007-01-01 2010-12-01

Orgunits

Name Role Start End
Laboratory of Forestry member 2007-01-01 2010-12-01

Collaborations

Name Role Start End
The effect of phosphorous bioavailability on the recovery of plant communities in post-agricultural forests partner

Publications

Reference Role
Baeten, L., Jacquemyn, H., Van Calster, H., Van Beek, E., Devlaeminck, R., Verheyen, K. & Hermy, M. (2009). Low recruitment across life stages partly accounts for the slow colonization of forest herbs. Journal of Ecology, 97: 109-117. author
Baeten, L., Hermy, M. & Verheyen, K. (2009). Environmental limitation contributes to the differential colonization capacity of two forest herbs. Journal of Vegetation Science, 20: 209-223. author

created:2011-12-14 14:18:59 UTC, source:web

© 2012 by the Belgian Biodiversity Platform