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Persistent changes in forest vegetation and seed bank 1,600 years after human occupation

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Abstract

Past land use is an important factor determining vegetation in temperate deciduous forests. Little is known about the long-term persistence of these impacts on vegetation but especially on the seed bank. This study assessed whether soil characteristics remain altered 1,600 years after human occupation and if this yielded persistent differences in forest plant communities and their seed bank in particular. Compiègne forest is located in northern-France and has a history of continuous forest cover since the end of Roman times. Twenty-four Gallo-Roman and 24 unoccupied sites were sampled and data were analysed using paired sample tests to investigate whether soil, vegetation and seed bank still differed significantly. The soil was persistently altered on the Gallo-Roman sites resulting in elevated phosphorus levels and pH (dependent on initial soil conditions) which translated into increased vegetation and seed bank species richness. Though spatially isolated, Gallo-Roman sites supported both a homogenized vegetation and seed bank. Vegetation differences were not the only driver behind seed bank differences. Similarity between vegetation and seed bank was low and the possibility existed that agricultural ruderals were introduced via the former land use. Ancient human occupation leaves a persistent trace on forest soil, vegetation and seed bank and appears to do so at least 1,600 years after the former occupation. The geochemical alterations created an entirely different habitat causing not only vegetation but also the seed bank to have altered and homogenized composition and characteristics. Seed bank differences likely persisted by the traditional forest management and altered forest environment.

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Acknowledgements

J.P. would like to thank Eric van Beek for the help provided with the seed bank experiment. The authors thank Stéphanie Renaux for her contribution to field work and preliminary data analysis and the French ‘Office National des Forêts’ for having facilitated our field work and provided useful information about abiotic conditions and management.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division for Forest, Nature and Landscape Research, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Celestijnenlaan 200E, 3001, Leuven, Belgium

    Jan Plue & Martin Hermy

  2. Laboratory of Forestry, Ghent University, Geraardsbergsesteenweg 267, 9090, Ghent, Belgium

    Kris Verheyen

  3. Department of Botany, University of Picardie Jules Verne, Rue des Louvels 1, Amiens Cedex, 80037, France

    Patrice Thuillier, Robert Saguez & Guillaume Decocq

Authors
  1. Jan Plue
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  2. Martin Hermy
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  4. Patrice Thuillier
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  5. Robert Saguez
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  6. Guillaume Decocq
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Correspondence to Jan Plue.

Appendices

Appendices

Table 1  Frequency of occurrence of each plant species in the vegetation/seed bank and significance of difference between Gallo-Roman and unoccupied sites (McNemar test)
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Vegetation

Agrostis canina L.: 1, 0; Agrostis stolonifera L.: 0, 1; Allium ursinum L.: 1, 0; Calamagrostis epigejos (L.) Roth: 3, 1; Campanula trachelium L.: 2, 0; Carex elata All.: 1, 0; Cardamine flexuosa With: 1, 0: Cardamine pratensis L.: 1, 1; Carex depauperata Curt. Ex With.: 1, 0; Carex flacca Schreb.: 1, 1; Carex strigosa Huds.: 0, 2; Cephalantera damasonium (Mill.) Druce: 3, 0; Chaerophyllum temulum L.: 1, 0; Chelidonium majus L.: 2, 0; Chrysosplenium oppostifolium L.: 1, 0; Cornus mas L.: 0, 1; Crataegus laevigata (Poiret) DC.: 0, 2; Dactylis glomerata L.: 1, 0; Deschampsia flexuosa (L.) Trin.: 0, 3; Dryopteris dilatata (Hoffman) A. Gray: 1, 1; Elymus caninus (L.) L.: 1, 1; Epilobium montanum L.: 2, 0; Epilobium hirsutum L.: 2, 1; Epilobium roseum Schreb.: 1, 0; Equisetum sp.: 1, 0; Festuca sp.: 0, 1; Fragaria vesca L.: 2, 1; Heracleum sphondylium L.: 1, 0; Holcus lanatus L.: 0, 1; Hypericum tetrapterum Fries: 1, 0; Ilex aquifolium L.: 0, 4; Impatiens noli-tangere L.: 1, 0; Iris pseudacorus L.: 1, 0; Luzula forsteri Smith DC.: 0, 2; Maianthemum bifolium (L.) F.W. Schmidt: 1, 0; Melampyrum pratense L.: 1, 2; Molinea caerula (L.) Moench: 0, 2; Polystichum setiferum (Frossk.) Woynar: 1, 1; Primula elatior (L.) Hill: 4, 0; Prunus spinosa L.: 1, 0; Ranunculus auricomus L.: 2, 2; Ranunculus repens L.: 1, 0; Ribes uva-crispa L.: 2, 1; Ribes rubrum L.: 1, 0; Rubus idaeus L.: 1, 1; Rumex sanguineus L.: 1, 0; Rumex obtusifolius L.: 4, 0; Ruscus aculeatus L.: 1, 2; Teucrium scorodonia L.: 1, 2; Torilis japonica (Houtt.) DC.: 1, 0; Veronica sp.: 1, 0; Veronica chamaedrys L.: 1, 0; Viburnum opulus L.; 3, 0; Vincetoxicum hirundaria Med.: 2, 0; Viola odorata L.: 1, 0; Viola riviniana Reichenb.: 1, 2

Seed bank

Agrostis capillaris L.: 0, 1; Agrostis stolonifera L.: 0, 1; Ajuga reptans L.: 0, 1; Atropa bella-donna L.: 4, 0; Brachypodium sylvaticum (Huds.) Beauv.: 1, 0; Cardamine impatiens L.: 3, 0; Cardamine sp.: 4, 0; Carex pendula Huds.: 1, 0; Carex pilulifera L.: 1, 2; Carex remota Jusl. Ex L.: 1, 1; Chaerophyllum temulum L.: 2, 0; Chenopodium album L.: 1, 0; Chenopodium polyspermum L.: 2, 0; Conyza canadensis (L.) Cronq.: 3,1; Cytisus scoparius (L.) Link.: 1, 3; Deschampsia cespitosa (L.) Beauv.: 0, 1; Epilobium ciliatum Rafin.: 3, 0; Epilobium lanceolatum Seb. Et Mauri: 3, 1; Euphorbia amygdaloides L. 1, 0; Festuca gigantea (L.) Vill.: 1, 0; Geum urbanum L.: 1, 0; Hypericum dubium Leers: 0, 1; Hypericum humifusum L.: 1, 1; Hypericum pulchrum L.: 0, 1; Hypericum tetrapterum Fries: 0, 1; Juncus articulatus L.: 1, 2; Juncus bulbosus L.: 1, 0; Lapsana communis L.: 1, 0; Milium effusum L.: 2, 0; Plantago major L.: 1, 0; Poa nemoralis L.: 0, 1; Poa pratensis L.: 1, 1; Poa trivialis L.: 4, 0; Polygonum persicaria L.: 1, 0; Potentilla reptans L.: 0, 1; Potentilla sterilis (L.) Garcke: 1, 2; Ranunculus repens L.: 1, 0; Rumex obtusifolius L.: 1, 0; Sagina procumbens L.: 1, 1; Senecio jacobea L.: 1, 0; Solanum nigrum L.: 1, 1; Sonchus arvensis L.: 1, 0; Sonchus asper (L.) Hill: 0, 1; Stachys sylvatica L.: 1, 1; Teucrium scorodonia L.: 1, 0; Veronica montana L.: 1, 0

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Plue, J., Hermy, M., Verheyen, K. et al. Persistent changes in forest vegetation and seed bank 1,600 years after human occupation. Landscape Ecol 23, 673–688 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10980-008-9229-4

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