Plant Ecology

, Volume 202, Issue 1, pp 67–78 | Cite as

Population structures and individual performances of Trillium grandiflorum in hedgerow and forest habitats

Article
First Online:
Received:
Accepted:

Abstract

In agricultural landscapes, linear habitats, such as hedgerows at field margins increase structural connectivity among forest patches, potentially providing dispersal corridors for forest herbs. The spatial structure of linear habitats, however, also results in edge effects and perturbations that can influence the individual and population performance of forest plants. This study compares the stage structure and components of growth and reproduction of 14 Trillium grandiflorum populations in hedgerows and forests. Hedgerow Trillium tended to grow faster and, when mature, produced more flowers and more ovules per flowers than forest Trillium, a pattern possibly associated to differences in nutrients and light availability between the two habitats. Seed production and germination rate, however, did not differ between hedgerows and forests. At the population level, seedlings and juveniles were proportionally less abundant in hedgerows than in forests. Although well-established plants can thrive in hedgerows, reduced recruitment may eventually limit the capacity to establish new populations and therefore hamper migration along hedgerow-corridors. Considering the strategies by which plants persist in linear habitats becomes particularly relevant at a time when species are expected to be much in need of dispersal corridors because of climatic stress.

Keywords

Agricultural landscape Biodiversity conservation Forest herb Habitat corridor Plant demography Plant migration 
This is a preview of subscription content, log in to check access.

Notes

Acknowledgments

This study was supported by NSERC and FQRNT grants to S. de Blois. We are grateful to F. Beauregard, B. Gélinas, and V. Paul for assistance with field work, data collection and analysis, and to land owners for their kind cooperation and interest. The comments of three reviewers greatly contributed to enhance the manuscript.

Reference

  1. Augustine DJ, Frelich LE (1998) Effects of white-tailed deer on populations of an understory forb in fragmented deciduous forests. Conserv Biol 12:995–1004. doi: 10.1046/j.1523-1739.1998.97248.x CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  2. Bach CE, Kelly D, Hazlett BA (2005) Forest edges benefit adults, but not seedlings, of the mistletoe Alepis flavida (Loranthaceae). J Ecol 93:79–86. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2745.2004.00961.x CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  3. Beier P, Noss RF (1998) Do habitat corridors provide connectivity? Conserv Biol 12:1241–1252. doi: 10.1046/j.1523-1739.1998.98036.x CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  4. Bierzychudek P (1982) Life histories and demography of shade-tolerant temperate forest herbs: a review. New Phytol 90:757–776. doi: 10.1111/j.1469-8137.1982.tb03285.x CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  5. Boutin C, Jobin B (1998) Intensity of agricultural practices and effects on adjacent habitats. Ecol Appl 8:544–557. doi: 10.1890/1051-0761(1998)008[0544:IOAPAE]2.0.CO;2 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  6. Bruna EM (2002) Effects of forest fragmentation on Heliconia acuminata seedling recruitment in central Amazonia. Oecologia 132:235–243. doi: 10.1007/s00442-002-0956-y CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  7. Buhler C, Schmid B (2001) The influence of management regime and altitude on the population structure of Succisa pratensis: implications for vegetation monitoring. J Appl Ecol 38:689–698. doi: 10.1046/j.1365-2664.2001.00640.x CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  8. Burnham KP, Anderson DR (1998) Model selection and inference: a practical information-theoretic approach. Springer-Verlag, New York, NY, USAGoogle Scholar
  9. Chen JQ, Franklin JF, Spies TA (1995) Growing-season microclimatic gradients from clear-cut edges into old-growth Douglas-Fir forests. Ecol Appl 5:74–86. doi: 10.2307/1942053 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  10. Chen JQ, Saunders SC, Crow TR, Naiman RJ, Brosofske KD, Mroz GD et al (1999) Microclimate in forest ecosystem and landscape ecology - Variations in local climate can be used to monitor and compare the effects of different management regimes. Bioscience 49:288–297. doi: 10.2307/1313612 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  11. Colling G, Reckinger C, Matthies D (2004) Effects of pollen quantity and quality on reproduction and offspring vigor in the rare plant Scorzonera humilis (Asteraceae). Am J Bot 91:1774–1782. doi: 10.3732/ajb.91.11.1774 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  12. Corbit M, Marks PL, Gardescu S (1999) Hedgerows as habitat corridors for forest herbs in central New York, USA. J Ecol 87:220–232. doi: 10.1046/j.1365-2745.1999.00339.x CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  13. Davies ZG, Pullin AS (2007) Are hedgerows effective corridors between fragments of woodland habitat? An evidence-based approach. Landsc Ecol 22:333–351. doi: 10.1007/s10980-006-9064-4 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  14. de Blois S, Domon G, Bouchard A (2002a) Factors affecting plant species distribution in hedgerows of southern Quebec. Biol Conserv 105:355–367. doi: 10.1016/S0006-3207(01)00219-1 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  15. de Blois S, Domon G, Bouchard A (2002b) Landscape issues in plant ecology. Ecography 25:244–256. doi: 10.1034/j.1600-0587.2002.250212.x CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  16. De Keersmaeker L, Martens L, Verheyen K, Hermy M, De Schrijver A, Lust N (2004) Impact of soil fertility and insolation on diversity of herbaceous woodland species colonizing afforestations in Muizen forest (Belgium). For Ecol Manag 188:291–304. doi: 10.1016/j.foreco.2003.07.025 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  17. Endels P, Adriaens D, Verheyen K, Hermy M (2004) Population structure and adult plant performance of forest herbs in three contrasting habitats. Ecography 27:225–241. doi: 10.1111/j.0906-7590.2004.03731.x CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  18. Environment Canada (2005) Climate data online. Environment Canada. http://climate.weatheroffice.ec.gc.ca. Cited 17 July 2007
  19. Fahrig L (2001) How much habitat is enough? Biol Conserv 100:65–74. doi: 10.1016/S0006-3207(00)00208-1 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  20. Flinn KM, Marks PL (2007) Agricultural legacies in forest environments: Tree communities, soil properties, and light availability. Ecol Appl 17:452–463. doi: 10.1890/05-1963 PubMedCrossRefGoogle Scholar
  21. Flinn KM, Vellend M (2005) Recovery of forest plant communities in post-agricultural landscapes. Front Ecol Environ 3:243–250CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  22. Freemark KE, Boutin C, Keddy CJ (2002) Importance of farmland habitats for conservation of plant species. Conserv Biol 16:399–412. doi: 10.1046/j.1523-1739.2002.00387.x CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  23. Groom MJ (1998) Allee effects limit population viability of an annual plant. Am Nat 151:487–496. doi: 10.1086/286135 PubMedCrossRefGoogle Scholar
  24. Hanzawa FM, Kalisz S (1993) The relationship between age, size, and reproduction in Trillium grandiflorum (Liliaceae). Am J Bot 80:405–410. doi: 10.2307/2445387 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  25. Harrison S, Bruna E (1999) Habitat fragmentation and large-scale conservation: what do we know for sure? Ecography 22:225–232. doi: 10.1111/j.1600-0587.1999.tb00496.x CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  26. Hegland SJ, Van Leeuwen M, Oostermeijer JGB (2001) Population structure of Salvia pratensis in relation to vegetation and management of Dutch dry floodplain grasslands. J Appl Ecol 38:1277–1289. doi: 10.1046/j.0021-8901.2001.00679.x CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  27. Hess GR, Fischer RA (2001) Communicating clearly about conservation corridors. Landsc Urban Plan 55:195–208. doi: 10.1016/S0169-2046(01)00155-4 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  28. Hipps NA, Davies MJ, Dodds P, Buckley GP (2005) The effects of phosphorus nutrition and soil pH on the growth of some ancient woodland indicator plants and their interaction with competitor species. Plant Soil 271:131–141. doi: 10.1007/s11104-004-2266-0 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  29. Honnay O, Hermy M, Coppin P (1999) Impact of habitat quality on forest plant species colonization. For Ecol Manag 115:157–170. doi: 10.1016/S0378-1127(98)00396-X CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  30. Honnay O, Verheyen K, Hermy M (2002) Permeability of ancient forest edges for weedy plant species invasion. For Ecol Manag 161:109–122. doi: 10.1016/S0378-1127(01)00490-X CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  31. Inghe O, Tamm CO (1985) Survival and flowering of perennial herbs. 4. The behavior of Hepatica-Nobilis and Sanicula-Europaea on permanent plots during 1943–1981. Oikos 45:400–420. doi: 10.2307/3565576 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  32. Irwin RE (2000) Morphological variation and female reproductive success in two sympatric Trillium species: Evidence for phenotypic selection in Trillium erectum and Trillium grandiflorum (Liliaceae). Am J Bot 87:205–214. doi: 10.2307/2656907 PubMedCrossRefGoogle Scholar
  33. Irwin RE (2001) Field and allozyme studies investigating optimal mating success in two sympatric spring-ephemeral plants, Trillium erectum and T. grandiflorum. Heredity 87:178–189. doi: 10.1046/j.1365-2540.2001.00896.x PubMedCrossRefGoogle Scholar
  34. Jenkins MA, Webster CR, Rock JH (2007) Effects of chronic herbivory and historic land use on population structure of a forest perennial, Trillium catesbaei. Appl Veg Sci 10:441–450Google Scholar
  35. Jules ES (1998) Habitat fragmentation and demographic change for a common plant: Trillium in old-growth forest. Ecology 79:1645–1656CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  36. Jules ES, Rathcke BJ (1999) Mechanisms of reduced Trillium recruitment along edges of old-growth forest fragments. Conserv Biol 13:784–793. doi: 10.1046/j.1523-1739.1999.97435.x CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  37. Kalisz S, Hanzawa FM, Tonsor SJ, Thiede DA, Voigt S (1999) Ant-mediated seed dispersal alters pattern of relatedness in a population of Trillium grandiflorum. Ecology 80:2620–2634Google Scholar
  38. Kawano S (1985) Life history characteristics of temperate woodland plants in Japan. In: White J (ed) The population structure of vegetation. Dr W. Junk Publishers, Dordrecht, The Netherlands, pp 515–549Google Scholar
  39. Kawano S, Ohara M, Utech FH (1986) Life history studies on the genus Trillium (Liliaceae) II. Reproductive biology and survivorship of four eastern North American species. Plant Species Biol 1:47–58. doi: 10.1111/j.1442-1984.1986.tb00014.x CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  40. Knight TM (2003) Floral density, pollen limitation, and reproductive success in Trillium grandiflorum. Oecologia 137:557–563. doi: 10.1007/s00442-003-1371-8 PubMedCrossRefGoogle Scholar
  41. Knight TM (2004) The effect of herbivory and pollen limitation on a declining population of Trillium grandiflorum. Ecol Appl 14:915–928. doi: 10.1890/03-5048 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  42. Lienert J, Diemer M, Schmid B (2002) Effects of habitat fragmentation on population structure and fitness components of the wetland specialist Swertia perennis L. (Gentianaceae). Basic Appl Ecol 3:101–114. doi: 10.1078/1439-1791-00089 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  43. Lubbers AE, Lechowicz MJ (1989) Effects of leaf removal on reproduction vs. belowground storage in Trillium grandiflorum. Ecology 70:85–96. doi: 10.2307/1938415 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  44. Matlack GR (1993) Microenvironment variation within and among forest edge sites in the eastern United-States. Biol Conserv 66:185–194. doi: 10.1016/0006-3207(93)90004-K CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  45. McCollin D, Jackson JI, Bunce RGH, Barr CJ, Stuart R (2000) Hedgerows as habitat for woodland plants. J Environ Manag 60:77–90. doi: 10.1006/jema.2000.0363 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  46. Mehlich A (1984) Mehlich-3 soil test extractant—a modification of Mehlich-2 extractant. Commun Soil Sci Plant Anal 15:1409–1416CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  47. Nault A, Gagnon D (1993) Ramet demography of Allium-Tricoccum, a spring ephemeral, perennial forest herb. J Ecol 81:101–119. doi: 10.2307/2261228 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  48. Newman D, Pilson D (1997) Increased probability of extinction due to decreased genetic effective population size: Experimental populations of Clarkia pulchella. Evol Int J Org Evol 51:354–362. doi: 10.2307/2411107 Google Scholar
  49. O’Neal ME, Landis DA, Isaacs R (2002) An inexpensive, accurate method for measuring leaf area and defoliation through digital image analysis. J Econ Entomol 95:1190–1194PubMedCrossRefGoogle Scholar
  50. Ricketts T, Imhoff M (2003) Biodiversity, urban areas, and agriculture: Locating priority ecoregions for conservation. Conservation Ecology 8: 1. http://www.consecol.org/vol8/iss2/art1. Cited 19 July 2007
  51. Rooney TP, Gross K (2003) A demographic study of deer browsing impacts on Trillium grandiflorum. Plant Ecol 168:267–277. doi: 10.1023/A:1024486606698 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  52. Roy V, de Blois S (2006) Using functional traits to assess the role of hedgerow corridors as environmental filters for forest herbs. Biol Conserv 130:592–603. doi: 10.1016/j.biocon.2006.01.022 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  53. Roy V, de Blois S (2008) Evaluating hedgerow corridors for the conservation of native forest herb diversity. Biol Conserv 141:298–307. doi: 10.1016/j.biocon.2007.10.003 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  54. Sage TL, Griffin SR, Pontieri V, Drobac P, Cole WW, Barrett SCH (2001) Stigmatic self-incompatibility and mating patterns in Trillium grandiflorum and Trillium erectum (Metanthiaceae). Ann Bot (Lond) 88:829–841. doi: 10.1006/anbo.2001.1517 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  55. SAS Institute (2003) SAS 9.1 for windows. SAS Institute Inc., Cary, North Carolina, USAGoogle Scholar
  56. Saunders DA, Hobbs NT (1991) The role of corridors. Surrey Beatty and Sons, LondonGoogle Scholar
  57. Schmitz MF, Sanchez IA, de Aranzabal I (2007) Influence of management regimes of adjacent land uses on the woody plant richness of hedgerows in Spanish cultural landscapes. Biol Conserv 135:542–554. doi: 10.1016/j.biocon.2006.10.053 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  58. Sih A, Baltus MS (1987) Patch Size, Pollinator Behavior, and Pollinator Limitation in Catnip. Ecology 68:1679–1690. doi: 10.2307/1939860 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  59. Silvertown J, Franco M, Menges E (1996) Interpretation of elasticity matrices as an aid to the management of plant populations for conservation. Conserv Biol 10:591–597. doi: 10.1046/j.1523-1739.1996.10020591.x CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  60. Simard RR, Sentran T, Zizka J (1991) Strontium Chloride-Citric Acid-Extraction Evaluated as a Soil-Testing Procedure for Phosphorus. Soil Sci Soc Am J 55:414–421Google Scholar
  61. Simberloff D, Farr JA, Cox J, Mehlman DW (1992) Movement Corridors - Conservation Bargains or Poor Investments. Conserv Biol 6:493–504. doi: 10.1046/j.1523-1739.1992.06040493.x CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  62. Sitzia T (2007) Hedgerows as corridors for woodland plants: a test on the Po Plain, northern Italy. Plant Ecol 188:235–252. doi: 10.1007/s11258-006-9159-7 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  63. SPSS (2004) SPSS 13.0 for windows. SPSS Inc., Chicago, Illinois, USAGoogle Scholar
  64. Steven JC, Rooney TP, Boyle OD, Waller DM (2003) Density-dependent pollinator visitation and self-incompatibility in upper Great Lakes populations of Trillium grandiflorum. J Torrey Bot Soc 130:23–29. doi: 10.2307/3557522 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  65. Taylor RJ, Pearcy RW (1976) Seasonal Patterns of Co-2 Exchange Characteristics of Understory Plants from a Deciduous Forest. Can J Botany-Revue Canadienne De Botanique 54:1094–1103CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  66. Tewksbury JJ, Levey DJ, Haddad NM, Sargent S, Orrock JL, Weldon A et al (2002) Corridors affect plants, animals, and their interactions in fragmented landscapes. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 99:12923–12926. doi: 10.1073/pnas.202242699 PubMedCrossRefGoogle Scholar
  67. Tomimatsu H, Ohara M (2002) Effects of forest fragmentation on seed production of the understory herb Trillium camschatcense. Conserv Biol 16:1277–1285. doi: 10.1046/j.1523-1739.2002.00412.x CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  68. Tomimatsu H, Ohara M (2004) Edge effects on recruitment of Trillium camschatcense in small forest fragments. Biol Conserv 117:509–519. doi: 10.1016/j.biocon.2003.08.010 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  69. Tran TS, Simard RR (1993) Melich III—Extractable elements. In: Carter MR (ed) Soil sampling and methods of analysis. Lewis Publishers, Boca Raton, USAGoogle Scholar
  70. Vellend M (2005) Land-use history and plant performance in populations of Trillium grandiflorum. Biol Conserv 124:217–224. doi: 10.1016/j.biocon.2005.01.027 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  71. Vellend M, Myers JA, Gardescu S, Marks PL (2003) Dispersal of Trillium grandiflorum seeds by deer: Implication for long-distance migration of forest herbs. Ecology 84:1067–1072. doi: 10.1890/0012-9658(2003)084[1067:DOTSBD]2.0.CO;2 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  72. Verheyen K, Hermy M (2004) Recruitment and growth of herb-layer species with different colonizing capacities in ancient and recent forests. J Veg Sci 15:125–134. doi: 10.1658/1100-9233(2004)015[0125:RAGOHS]2.0.CO;2 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  73. Wagenius S, Lonsdorf E, Neuhauser C (2007) Patch aging and the S-allee effect: Breeding system effects on the demographic response of plants to habitat fragmentation. Am Nat 169:383–397. doi: 10.1086/511313 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  74. Weathers KC, Cadenasso ML, Pickett STA (2001) Forest edges as nutrient and pollutant concentrators: Potential synergisms between fragmentation, forest canopies, and the atmosphere. Conserv Biol 15:1506–1514. doi: 10.1046/j.1523-1739.2001.01090.x CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  75. Whigham DE (2004) Ecology of woodland herbs in temperate deciduous forests. Annu Rev Ecol Evol Syst 35:583–621. doi: 10.1146/annurev.ecolsys.35.021103.105708 CrossRefGoogle Scholar

Copyright information

© Springer Science+Business Media B.V. 2008

Authors and Affiliations

  1. 1.Department of Plant ScienceMcGill UniversitySte-Anne-de-BellevueCanada
  2. 2.McGill School of Environment MontrealMontrealCanada

Personalised recommendations