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Spatial variability of summer microclimates and plant species response along transects within clearcuts in a beech forest

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Abstract

In a 4383 ha beech forest in central Belgium, we investigated whether, within clearcuts, microclimate gradients are detectable, and we tested for correlations between plant species composition and microclimatic heterogeneity. The results highlight a strong correlation between microclimatic parameters and distance from the forest edge. Of the 47 taxa found, 38 (81%) showed a significant change in expected occurrence in response to at least one of the investigated microclimatic parameters (air and soil temperature, air humidity, light intensity). The results suggest that a substantial number of forest herbaceous species with broad European distributions show particular microclimatic requirements. Furthermore, many species show a different response to combined factors, such as for instance soil temperature with increasing air humidity, which indicates that combinations of microclimatic parameters stronger determine the actual temperature, humidity or light levels at which species are expected to be present or not.

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Acknowledgments

Most analyses synthesised in this paper were performed with financial support provided by the Brussels Institute for Environmental Management (B.I.M.).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratory of General Botany and Nature Management (APNA), Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Pleinlaan 2, B1050, Brussels, Belgium

    Sandrine Godefroid, Sonja Rucquoij & Nico Koedam

Authors
  1. Sandrine Godefroid
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  2. Sonja Rucquoij
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  3. Nico Koedam
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Sandrine Godefroid.

Appendix 1

Appendix 1

Regression results for species on air humidity, air temperature, soil temperature and light intensity.

 

Predictor

Null dev.

Fitted dev.

Res.df

F

p

Agrostis stolonifera

AirH

1251.40

1043.42

79.1

3.22

0.047531

AirT+SoilT

1251.40

967.26

77.1

2.92

0.027385

Anemone nemorosa

AirH

2.97

2.22

79.0

6.00

0.003738

Light

2.97

1.88

79.1

3.32

0.042971

Athyrium filix-femina

Light

328.84

164.42

79.1

20.13

<1.0e−6

SoilT

328.84

240.23

79.1

4.25

0.018885

AirH+AirT

328.84

201.24

77.1

5.06

0.001269

Cardamine flexuosa

AirH

8.72

6.68

79.1

3.46

0.037699

Centaurium erythraea

AirH+AirT

9.28

7.27

77.1

2.57

0.046221

AirH+Light

9.28

6.80

77.1

3.39

0.013534

AirT+Light

9.28

6.76

77.1

3.68

0.009076

AirT+SoilT

9.28

7.33

77.2

2.62

0.043680

Dactylis glomerata

AirH+Light

158.47

121.63

77.1

2.62

0.042365

AirH+SoilT

158.47

114.86

77.1

3.29

0.016315

AirT+SoilT

158.47

110.72

77.2

3.83

0.007589

Light+SoilT

158.47

112.76

77.1

3.95

0.006240

Deschampsia flexuosa

AirH+AirT

2150.33

1787.85

77.1

2.58

0.045665

AirT+Light

2150.33

1666.56

77.1

3.53

0.011257

Digitalis purpurea

AirT

10.46

6.59

79.0

14.83

0.000003

Dryopteris carthusiana

AirH

297.43

244.37

79.0

3.50

0.035475

Dryopteris dilatata

AirH+Light

1606.97

1346.52

77.0

2.68

0.038174

AirH+SoilT

1606.97

1367.69

77.1

2.63

0.041164

Light+SoilT

1606.97

1342.51

77.0

2.91

0.026658

Epilobium angustifolium

AirH+SoilT

10.25

8.22

77.1

2.51

0.049798

Epilobium roseum

SoilT

8.72

7.17

79.1

3.50

0.036886

Epilobium tetragonum

SoilT

6.14

5.01

79.1

3.26

0.045316

Galium aparine

AirT

131.49

96.95

79.0

4.13

0.019628

SoilT

131.49

94.70

79.1

4.69

0.013164

AirH+Light

131.49

86.58

77.0

2.82

0.030734

Galeopsis tetrahit

AirT+SoilT

25.48

18.00

77.1

3.72

0.008738

Hieracium umbellatum

Light

1122.83

911.20

79.1

3.84

0.027205

Holcus lanatus

AirH

1061.75

869.80

79.0

4.09

0.020134

AirT+Light

1061.75

753.61

77.0

3.08

0.021214

AirT+SoilT

1061.75

809.05

77.2

2.90

0.029155

Light+SoilT

1061.75

778.80

77.2

3.94

0.006536

Impatiens parviflora

AirT

1666.01

1481.29

79.1

3.17

0.049730

Juncus effusus

AirT+Light

1270.27

1012.78

77.0

3.16

0.018546

Lapsana communis

Light

5.33

3.89

79.0

5.61

0.005257

AirT+AirH

5.33

3.72

77.2

2.88

0.029662

AirH+SoilT

5.33

3.53

77.0

4.58

0.002259

Lonicera periclymenum

AirH

551.67

388.81

78.0

3.28

0.025357

AirT

551.67

261.78

79.1

28.30

<1.0e−6

SoilT

551.67

367.95

79.0

6.84

0.001824

Lotus corniculatus

AirH

7.43

5.14

79.1

7.18

0.001591

AirT

7.43

4.13

78.1

12.54

0.000001

Luzula campestris

AirH

25.27

19.09

79.1

4.15

0.020897

AirT

25.27

14.96

79.0

11.40

0.000048

SoilT

25.27

17.65

79.0

6.32

0.002840

Luzula multiflora

AirT

226.45

176.89

79.1

4.21

0.020027

Luzula pilosa

AirT

24.00

17.48

79.1

5.60

0.005753

SoilT

24.00

17.52

79.1

4.98

0.009946

AirH+Light

24.00

13.93

77.0

8.35

0.000012

Luzula sylvatica

AirH

38.19

22.65

79.0

7.45

0.001137

SoilT

38.19

18.81

79.1

24.37

<1.0e−6

Moehringia trinervia

AirH

2.97

1.89

79.1

9.13

0.000324

SoilT

2.97

2.37

79.1

3.31

0.043676

Myosotis arvensis

AirH

22.37

16.46

79.1

4.08

0.022337

AirT

22.37

11.31

79.1

23.55

<1.0e−6

Light

22.37

15.94

79.1

4.62

0.014068

SoilT

22.37

11.37

79.0

16.25

0.000001

Polygonum hydropiper

AirT

175.09

145.79

79.0

4.54

0.013377

Pteridium aquilinum

AirH+Light

1836.87

1362.88

77.1

3.20

0.018589

Ranunculus repens

Light

6.14

3.93

79.1

9.76

0.000192

SoilT

6.14

4.82

79.1

4.20

0.019732

Rubus fruticosus agg.

SoilT

3438.85

2884.00

79.0

5.53

0.005794

Rumex acetosella

Light

1.76

1.31

79.0

4.15

0.019262

SoilT

1.76

1.24

79.0

5.29

0.006950

AirT+AirH

1.76

1.11

77.0

4.64

0.002080

Scrophularia nodosa

AirH

22.68

13.74

79.0

10.47

0.000107

AirT

22.68

11.71

79.0

20.60

<1.0e−6

Light

22.68

16.16

79.1

5.06

0.009590

SoilT

22.68

15.90

79.1

6.55

0.002699

Stachys sylvestris

AirH+Light

236.50

183.15

77.2

2.78

0.034494

Stellaria media

SoilT

25.83

19.87

79.1

4.27

0.018547

AirT+Light

25.83

19.03

77.2

2.85

0.031579

Teucrium scorodonia

AirT

291.70

200.47

79.0

12.10

0.000030

Urtica dioica

AirH

16.94

14.88

79.0

3.52

0.035303

  1. AirH=air humidity; AirT=air temperature; SoilT=soil temperature; Light =light intensity. Null dev.=null model deviance; Fitted dev.=fitted model deviance; res. df=fitted model residual degree of freedom; p=p-value for F-test. Only significant relationships (p<0.05) are reported.

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Godefroid, S., Rucquoij, S. & Koedam, N. Spatial variability of summer microclimates and plant species response along transects within clearcuts in a beech forest. Plant Ecol 185, 107–121 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11258-005-9088-x

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