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Plant and arthropod communities in young oak stands: are they determined by site history?

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Abstract

Effect of site history on forest plant and insect communities was studied by comparing afforestations on former agricultural land with reafforestations on ancient woodland sites. Vascular plants, mosses, true bugs, lacewings and saproxylic beetles were surveyed at 18 young broadleaved forest sites dominated by oak (Quercus robur), established between 1986 and 1994 in three different growth regions in Bavaria, Germany. Two strata, near ground level and the canopy, were sampled. Compared to woodland reafforestations greater species density and abundance of plants and true bugs were observed in field layer of afforestation sites. Proportion of forest species among plants and true bugs was however significantly lower in afforestations than on ancient woodland sites. In the canopy, zoo-phytophagous true bugs were significantly better represented in afforestations and zoophagous true bugs in reafforestations. Saproxylic beetles, especially inhabitants of old dead wood, were species-poor in afforestations. Results indicate that site history affects both producer and consumer communities in multiple ways, even 20 years after afforestation of former agricultural land. However, afforestations adjacent to existing forest stands can be regarded as valuable to nature conservation in effectively extending forest habitats. Investment in such afforestation therefore represents more than just an agricultural subsidy.

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Acknowledgments

We are grateful to Christoph Lermer (Wildthurn/Landau), Josef Köstler (Wildthurn/Landau), Klaus Huschik (Gräfliche Verwaltung, Pappenheim), Michael Trentzsch (Städtisches Forstamt Aschaffenburg) and Toni Schwanzer (Forstverwaltung Großostheim) for their support of our study. Special thanks to Heinz Bußler (Feuchtwangen) (saproxylic beetles), Dr. Axel Gruppe (Freising) (Neuroptera) for species determination and fruitful discussions on the results, Prof. Dr. Torsten Hothorn (LMU München) for statistical support and two anonymous reviewers for their critical comments on the manuscript. Andrew Liston (Frontenhausen) revised the English language of the manuscript. The studies were financed by grants from the Allianz Foundation.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Ecology and Ecosystem Management, Chair of Strategy and Management of Landscape Development (Funded by the Allianz Foundation), Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany

    Martin Goßner, Kerstin Engel & Beate Jessel

  2. Institute of Ecology, Friedrich-Schiller-University, Dornburger Str. 159, 07743, Jena, Germany

    Martin Goßner

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  1. Martin Goßner
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Correspondence to Martin Goßner.

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Goßner, M., Engel, K. & Jessel, B. Plant and arthropod communities in young oak stands: are they determined by site history?. Biodivers Conserv 17, 3165–3180 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10531-008-9418-0

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