Skip to main content
Log in

Edge-related changes in tree communities in the understory of mesic temperate forest fragments of northern Japan

  • Note and Comment
  • Published:
Ecological Research

Abstract

We have assessed the effects of habitat fragmentation on understory tree communities in mesic temperate forests of the Tokachi plain of northern Japan. Tree community composition was analyzed across 13 forest fragments of various sizes ranging from 0.30 to 8.51 ha. The community composition varied along the edge-to-interior gradient: there was a lower abundance of shade-tolerant shrubs in forest edges than in forest interiors, while saplings of dominant canopy trees and pioneer trees were more abundant near the edges. The edge influence extended approximately 56 m into the forest interiors. Even the interior area of small fragments were likely to be affected not only by the nearest edge but also by more distant edges. Consequently, most areas in fragments smaller than 2 ha were covered by these “edge-type” communities. These results indicate that it is of primary importance to conserve and restore forests with an area at least larger than several hectares to sustain forest-interior tree communities.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5

References

  • Aguilar R, Ashworth L, Galetto L, Aizen MAA (2006) Plant reproductive susceptibility to habitat fragmentation: review and synthesis through a meta-analysis. Ecol Lett 9:968–980. doi:10.1111/j.1461-0248.2006.00927.x

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Arroyo-Rodríguez V, Pineda E, Escobar F, Benítez-Malvido J (2008) Value of small patches in the conservation of plant-species diversity in highly fragmented rainforest. Conserv Biol 23:729–739. doi:10.1111/j.1523-1739.2008.01120.x

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Avon C, Bergès L, Dumas Y, Dupouey J-L (2010) Does the effect of forest roads extend a few meters or more into the adjacent forest? A study on understory plant diversity in managed oak stands. Forest Ecol Manag 259:1546–1555. doi:10.1016/j.foreco.2010.01.031

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bates D, Maechler M (2010) lme4: linear mixed-effects models using S4 classes. R package version 0.999375-34. Available at: http://cran.r-project.org/package=lme4

  • Brown JH, Kodric-Brown A (1977) Turnover rates in insular biogeography: effect of immigration on extinction. Ecology 58:445–449

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Burton PJ (2002) Effects of clearcut edges on trees in the sub-boreal spruce zone of northwest-central British Columbia. Silva Fenn 36:329–352

    Google Scholar 

  • Didham RK, Lawton JH (1999) Edge structure determines the magnitude of changes in microclimate and vegetation structure in tropical forest fragments. Biotropica 31:17–30

    Google Scholar 

  • Euskirchen ES, Chen J, Bi R (2001) Effects of edges on plant communities in a managed landscape in northern Wisconsin. Forest Ecol Manag 148:93–108. doi:10.1016/S0378-1127(00)00527-2

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ewers RM, Thorpe S, Didham RK (2007) Synergistic interactions between edge and area effects in a heavily fragmented landscape. Ecology 88:96–106. doi:10.1890/0012-9658(2007)88[96:SIBEAA]2.0.CO;2

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Fletcher RJ Jr (2005) Multiple edge effects and their implications in fragmented landscapes. J Anim Ecol 74:342–352. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2656.2005.00930.x

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gehlhausen SM, Schwartz MW, Augspurger CK, Biology P, Hall M, Ave SG (2000) Vegetation and microclimatic edge effects in two mixed-mesophytic forest fragments. Plant Ecol 147:21–35

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Geographical Survey Institute (2010) The lakes and marshes survey (in Japanese). Available at: http://www1.gsi.go.jp/geowww/lake/chousahoukokusho.html. Accessed 7 May 2011

  • Godefroid S, Koedam N (2003) How important are large vs. small forest remnants for the conservation of the woodland flora in an urban context? Global Ecol Biogeogr 12:287–298. doi:10.1046/j.1466-822X.2003.00035.x

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Harper KA, Macdonald SE (2002) Structure and composition of edges next to regenerating clear-cuts in mixed-wood boreal forest. J Veg Sci 13:535–546. doi:10.1658/1100-9233(2002)013[0535:SACOEN]2.0.CO;2

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Harper KA, Macdonald SE (2011) Quantifying distance of edge influence: a comparison of methods and a new randomization method. Ecosphere 2:art94. doi:10.1890/ES11-00146.1

  • Harper KA, Macdonald SE, Burton PJ, Chen J, Brosofske KD, Saunders SC, Euskirchen ES, Roberts D, Jaiteh MS, Esseen P-A (2005) Edge influence on forest structure and composition in fragmented landscapes. Conserv Biol 19:768–782. doi:10.1111/j.1523-1739.2005.00045.x

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hennenberg KJ, Orthmann B, Steinke I, Porembski S (2007) Core area analysis at semi-deciduous forest islands in the Comoé National Park, NE Ivory Coast. Biodivers Conserv 17:2787–2797. doi:10.1007/s10531-007-9292-1

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hill MO, Gauch HG Jr (1980) Detrended correspondence analysis: an improved ordination technique. Vegetation 42:47–58

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Honnay O, Jacquemyn H (2007) Susceptibility of common and rare plant species to the genetic consequences of habitat fragmentation. Conserv Biol 21:823–831. doi:10.1111/j.1523-1739.2006.00646.x

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Honnay O, Hermy M, Coppin P (1999) Effects of area, age and diversity of forest patch in Belgium on plant species richness, and implications for conservation and reforestation. Biol Conserv 87:73–84. doi:10.1016/S0006-3207(98)00038-X

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Honnay O, Bossuyt B, Verheyen K, Butaye J, Jacquemyn H, Hermy M (2002) Ecological perspectives for the restoration of plant community in European temperate forests. Biodivers Conserv 11:213–242. doi:10.1023/A:1014531011060

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Konno Y (2002a) Present status of remnant forests in Obihiro, eastern Hokkaido, Japan. In: The Organizing Committee of Obihiro Asia and the Pacific Seminar on Education for Rural Development (ed) Global perspective in forest conservation and sustainable agriculture. Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, Obihiro, pp 39–46

  • Konno Y (2002b) Effects of competitive exclusion by the dominant Sasa tsuboiana on associate species. Veg Sci 19:1–10

    Google Scholar 

  • LaPaix R, Harper K, Freedman B (2012) Patterns of exotic plants in relation to anthropogenic edges within urban forest remnants. Appl Veg Sci 15:525–535. doi:10.1111/j.1654-109X.2012.01195.x

    Google Scholar 

  • Laurance WF, Ferreira LV, Rankin-de Merona JM, Laurance SG (1998) Rain forest fragmentation and the dynamics of amazonian tree communities. Ecology 79:2032–2040. doi:10.1890/0012-9658(1998)079[2032:RFFATD]2.0.CO;2

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Laurance WF, Lovejoy TE, Vasconcelos HL, Bruna EM, Didham RK, Stouffer PC, Gascon C, Bierregaard RO, Laurance SG, Sampaio E (2002) Ecosystem decay of amazonian forest fragments: a 22-year investigation. Conserv Biol 16:605–618. doi:10.1046/j.1523-1739.2002.01025.x

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Laurance WF, Nascimento HEM, Laurance SG, Andrade A, Ribeiro JELS, Giraldo JP, Lovejoy TE, Condit R, Chave J, Harms KE, D’Angelo S (2006a) Rapid decay of tree-community composition in Amazonian forest fragments. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 103:19010–19014. doi:10.1073/pnas.0609048103

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Laurance WF, Nascimento HEM, Laurance SG, Andrade AC, Fearnside PM, Ribeiro JEL, Capretz RL (2006b) Rain forest fragmentation and the proliferation of successional trees. Ecology 87:469–482

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Laurance WF, Nascimento HEM, Laurance SG, Andrade A, Ewers RM, Harms KE, Luizão RCC, Ribeiro JE (2007) Habitat fragmentation, variable edge effects, and the landscape-divergence hypothesis. PLoS ONE 2:e1017. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0001017

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Li L, He X, Li X, Wen Q, He HS (2007) Depth of edge influence of the agricultural-forest landscape boundary, Southwestern China. Ecol Res 22:774–783. doi:10.1007/s11284-006-0319-y

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Lindenmayer DB, Fischer J (2006) Habitat fragmentation and landscape change. Island Press, Washington D.C.

    Google Scholar 

  • Makita A (1993) Recovery of a Sasa tsuboiana population after mass flowering and death. Ecol Res 8:215–224

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Malcolm JR (1994) Edge effects in central Amazonian forest fragments. Ecology 75:2438–2445

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Matlack GR (1993) Microenvironment variation within and among forest edge sites in the eastern United States. Biol Conserv 66:185–194

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ministry of the Environment Japan (2007) Red List of Japanese plants (in Japanese). Available at: http://www.biodic.go.jp/rdb/rdb_f.html. Accessed 7 May 2011

  • Murcia C (1995) Edge effects in fragmented forests: implications for conservation. Trends Ecol Evol 10:58–62

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Nakashizuka T (1988) Regeneration of beech (Fagus crenata) after the simultaneous death of undergrowing dwarf bamboo (Sasa kurilensis). Ecol Res 3:21–35

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Oksanen J, Blanchet FG, Kindt R, Legendre P, O’Hara RB, Simpson GL, Solymos PM, Stevens HH, Wagner H (2011) Vegan: community ecology package. R package version 1.17-9. Available at: http://cran.r-project.org/package=vegan

  • Oliveira MA, Grillo AS, Tabarelli M (2004) Forest edge in the Brazilian Atlantic forest: drastic changes in tree species assemblages. Oryx 38:389–394. doi:10.1017/S0030605304000754

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Porensky LM (2011) When edges meet: interacting edge effects in an African savanna. J Ecol 99:923–934. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2745.2011.01824.x

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • R Development Core Team (2010) R: a language and environment for statistical computing. R Foundation for Statistical Computing, Vienna

    Google Scholar 

  • Ries L, Fletcher RJ, Battin J, Sisk TD (2004) Ecological responses to habitat edges: mechanisms, models, and variability explained. Annu Rev Ecol Evol Syst 35:491–522. doi:10.1146/annurev.ecolsys.35.112202.130148

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sakio H, Tamura T (2008) Ecology of Riparian forests in Japan: disturbance, life history, and regeneration. Springer, Tokyo

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Satake Y, Hara H, Watari S, Tominari T (1989a) Wild flowers of Japan—woody plants I (in Japanese). Heibonsha, Tokyo

    Google Scholar 

  • Satake Y, Hara H, Watari S, Tominari T (1989b) Wild flowers of Japan—woody plants II (in Japanese). Heibonsha, Tokyo

    Google Scholar 

  • Sharpe DM, Stearns F, Leitner LA, Dorney JR (1986) Fate of natural vegetation during urban development. Urban Ecol 9:267–287

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sturtz S, Ligges U, Gelman A (2005) R2WinBUGS: a package for running WinBUGS from R. J Stat Softw 12:1–16

    Google Scholar 

  • Thomas B (1977) Changes in flood-plain vegetation and land use along the Missouri River from 1826 to 1972. Environ Manag 1:343–348

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tojima H, Koike F, Sakai A, Fujiwara K (2004) Plagiosere succession in urban fragmented forest (in Japanese with English summary). Jpn J Ecol 54:133–141

    Google Scholar 

  • Tomimatsu H, Ohara M (2004) Edge effects on recruitment of Trillium camschatcense in small forest fragments. Biol Conserv 117:509–519

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tomimatsu H, Yamagishi H, Tanaka I, Sato M, Kondo R, Konno Y (2011) Consequences of forest fragmentation in an understory plant community: extensive range expansion of native dwarf bamboo. Plant Spec Biol 26:3–12. doi:10.1111/j.1442-1984.2010.00310.x

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Toms JD, Lesperance ML (2003) Piecewise regression: a tool for identifying ecological thresholds. Ecology 84:2034–2041. doi:10.1890/02-0472

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Turner IM (1996) Species loss in fragments of tropical rain forest: a review of the evidence continuous. J Appl Ecol 33:200–209

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Washitani I (2001) Plant conservation ecology for management and restoration of riparian habitats of lowland Japan. Popul Ecol 43:189–195. doi:10.1007/s10144-001-8182-8

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Washitani I (2007) Restoration of biologically-diverse floodplain wetlands including paddy fields. Global Environ Res 11:135–140

    Google Scholar 

  • Watkins RZ, Chen J, Pickens J, Brosofske KD (2003) Effects of forest roads on understory plants in a managed hardwood landscape. Conserv Biol 17:411–419. doi:10.1046/j.1523-1739.2003.01285.x

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wuyts K, De Schrijver A, Staelens J, Gielis M, Geudens G, Verheyen K (2008) Patterns of throughfall deposition along a transect in forest edges of silver birch and Corsican pine. Can J For Res 38(3):449–461. doi: 10.1139/X07-181

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

We thank the landowners who kindly allowed us to conduct surveys on their properties; Hiroki Yamagishi for constructive discussion; Chihiro Sato, Toshie Murai, Ippei Tanaka, and Makiko Yoshida for their assistance in the field. Financial support was provided from the JSPS KAKENHI (24770012) to H.T. and MEXT Global COE Program (J03).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Satoshi N. Suzuki.

Electronic supplementary material

About this article

Cite this article

Suzuki, S.N., Tomimatsu, H., Oishi, Y. et al. Edge-related changes in tree communities in the understory of mesic temperate forest fragments of northern Japan. Ecol Res 28, 117–124 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11284-012-0995-8

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11284-012-0995-8

Keywords

Navigation