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Patterns of functional diversity of two trophic groups after canopy thinning in an abandoned coppice

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Abstract

Coppice abandonment had negative consequences for the biodiversity of forest vegetation and several groups of invertebrates. Most coppicing restoration studies have focused only on a single trophic level despite the fact that ecosystems are characterized by interactions between trophic levels represented by various groups of organisms. To address the patterns of functional diversity in the perspective of coppicing restoration, we studied the short-term effects of conservation-motivated tree canopy thinning in an abandoned coppice with standards in Central Europe, a region where such attempts have been rare so far. The functional diversity of vascular plants and spiders, chosen as two model trophic groups within the forest ecosystem, was compared between thinned and control forest patches. To characterize functional patterns, we examined several functional traits. These traits were assigned to two contrasting categories: response traits reflecting a change of environment (for both vascular plants and spiders) and effect traits influencing the ecosystem properties (only for vascular plants). Functional diversity was analysed by CCA using two measures: community-weighted means (CWM) and Rao’s quadratic diversity (RaoQ). CCA models revealed that the canopy thinning had a positive effect on the diversity of the response traits of both trophic groups and negatively influenced the diversity of effect traits. In addition, we found distinct seasonal dynamics in functional diversity of the spider communities, which was probably linked to leaf phenology of deciduous trees. We conclude that canopy thinning affected functional diversity across trophic groups during the initial phase of coppicing restoration. With necessary precautions, careful canopy thinning can be effectively applied in the restoration of functional diversity in abandoned coppices.

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Acknowledgements

The findings published in this paper were obtained though financial support from the Grant Agency of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, grant AV0 IAA600050812 ‘Lowland woodland in the perspective of historical development’, and from the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports of the Czech Republic, grant CZ.1.07/2.3.00/20.0267 ‘Coppice forests as the production and biological alternative for the future’. Additional support came from the European Research Council, (FP7/2007-2013) grant 278065 ‘Long-term woodland dynamics in Central Europe: from estimations to a realistic model’, from the project MUNI/A/1048/2015, and from the Czech Academy of Sciences, long-term research development project no. RVO 67985939.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Vegetation Ecology, Institute of Botany, The Czech Academy of Sciences, Lidická 25/27, 602 00, Brno, Czech Republic

    Jan Šipoš, Radim Hédl, Markéta Chudomelová & Vladan Riedl

  2. Department of Biology and Ecology, Faculty of Science, University of Ostrava, Chittussiho 10, 710 00, Ostrava, Czech Republic

    Jan Šipoš

  3. Department of Botany, Faculty of Science, Palacký University, Šlechtitelů 27, 783 71, Olomouc, Czech Republic

    Radim Hédl

  4. Department of Zoology, Fisheries, Hydrobiology and Apiculture, Faculty of Agronomy, Mendel University in Brno, Zemědělská 1, 613 00, Brno, Czech Republic

    Vladimír Hula & Jana Niedobová

  5. Institute of Botany and Zoology, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Kotlářská 2, 611 37, Brno, Czech Republic

    Markéta Chudomelová

  6. Department of Forest Protection and Wildlife Management, Faculty of Forestry and Wood Technology, Mendel University in Brno, Zemědělská 3, 613 00, Brno, Czech Republic

    Ondřej Košulič

  7. Nature Conservation Agency of the Czech Republic, Kotlářská 51, 602 00, Brno, Czech Republic

    Vladan Riedl

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  1. Jan Šipoš
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Šipoš, J., Hédl, R., Hula, V. et al. Patterns of functional diversity of two trophic groups after canopy thinning in an abandoned coppice. Folia Geobot 52, 45–58 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12224-017-9282-3

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