Tropical montane forest (Shola) tree species can regenerate under abandoned exotic tree plantations in the Western Ghats of India

IF 3 2区农林科学 Q1 FORESTRY

Forestry Pub Date : 2023-10-21 DOI:10.1093/forestry/cpad050

Joachim Schmerbeck, Somidh Saha, Anjana Srimathi, Birgit Einhellinger, Mamang Hangsing

{"title":"Tropical montane forest (Shola) tree species can regenerate under abandoned exotic tree plantations in the Western Ghats of India","authors":"Joachim Schmerbeck, Somidh Saha, Anjana Srimathi, Birgit Einhellinger, Mamang Hangsing","doi":"10.1093/forestry/cpad050","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"Abstract Whether environmental conditions under exotic tree plantations abandoned in the Western Ghats of India can facilitate the natural regeneration of tropical montane forest (Shola forest) tree species is being debated. In many cases, the exotic tree plantations are being cleared to allow for the restoration of native ecosystems. In this paper, we examined whether exotic tree plantations have indeed a negative effect on the regeneration of Shola forest tree species. For this, we assessed the abundance, diversity, and composition of the regeneration of Shola forest tree species in plantations, each with different dominant tree species (Acacia mearnsii, Pinus sp., and Eucalyptus sp.). We tested the abundance of regenerating native tree species against the main plantation canopy species (plantation type) as well as other environmental factors (aspect, distance to nearest Shola forest, structural diversity, slope, elevation, presence of herbivores, and canopy closure). We found that the number of native tree species regenerating in all plantation types was at an acceptable level: 1960, 1773, and 462 individuals ha−1 for Acacia, Eucalyptus, and Pinus plantations, respectively. A rare fraction analysis showed that the highest number of Shola tree species were regenerating under Acacia mearnsii (25) followed by Eucalyptus (19) and Pinus (8) plantations. The density and diversity of regenerating Shola trees was greatest under Acacia plantations and northern aspects but declined with increasing elevation. The presence of herbivores also reduced the density and diversity of Shola tree regeneration. We concluded that the restoration of Shola forest in the Western Ghats is possible in existing stands of exotic tree species and this process can be accelerated with appropriate silvicultural methods. We additionally recommend that studies involving long-term exclosures can provide valuable insights into the effects of browsing on regeneration and species composition.","PeriodicalId":12342,"journal":{"name":"Forestry","volume":"25 4","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":3.0000,"publicationDate":"2023-10-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Forestry","FirstCategoryId":"1085","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1093/forestry/cpad050","RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"FORESTRY","Score":null,"Total":0}

引用次数: 0

Abstract

Abstract Whether environmental conditions under exotic tree plantations abandoned in the Western Ghats of India can facilitate the natural regeneration of tropical montane forest (Shola forest) tree species is being debated. In many cases, the exotic tree plantations are being cleared to allow for the restoration of native ecosystems. In this paper, we examined whether exotic tree plantations have indeed a negative effect on the regeneration of Shola forest tree species. For this, we assessed the abundance, diversity, and composition of the regeneration of Shola forest tree species in plantations, each with different dominant tree species (Acacia mearnsii, Pinus sp., and Eucalyptus sp.). We tested the abundance of regenerating native tree species against the main plantation canopy species (plantation type) as well as other environmental factors (aspect, distance to nearest Shola forest, structural diversity, slope, elevation, presence of herbivores, and canopy closure). We found that the number of native tree species regenerating in all plantation types was at an acceptable level: 1960, 1773, and 462 individuals ha−1 for Acacia, Eucalyptus, and Pinus plantations, respectively. A rare fraction analysis showed that the highest number of Shola tree species were regenerating under Acacia mearnsii (25) followed by Eucalyptus (19) and Pinus (8) plantations. The density and diversity of regenerating Shola trees was greatest under Acacia plantations and northern aspects but declined with increasing elevation. The presence of herbivores also reduced the density and diversity of Shola tree regeneration. We concluded that the restoration of Shola forest in the Western Ghats is possible in existing stands of exotic tree species and this process can be accelerated with appropriate silvicultural methods. We additionally recommend that studies involving long-term exclosures can provide valuable insights into the effects of browsing on regeneration and species composition.

查看原文本刊更多论文

热带山地森林(Shola)树种可以在印度西高止山脉的废弃外来人工林下再生

印度西高止山脉废弃外来人工林的环境条件是否能促进热带山地森林(Shola林)树种的自然更新，这一问题一直存在争议。在许多情况下，外来的树木种植园被清除，以便恢复当地的生态系统。本文研究了外来人工林是否确实对Shola森林树种的更新有负面影响。在不同优势树种(金合欢、松木和桉树)的基础上，研究了不同优势树种(金合欢、松木和桉树)更新的丰度、多样性和组成。我们测试了再生原生树种与主要人工林冠层物种(人工林类型)的丰度以及其他环境因素(地形、与最近的Shola林的距离、结构多样性、坡度、海拔、草食动物的存在和冠层闭合)。结果表明，金合欢人工林、桉树人工林和松人工林的原生树种更新数量分别为1960、1773和462个ha - 1，均处于可接受的水平。罕有分数分析表明，在金合欢(25)人工林下再生的肖拉树种数量最多，其次是桉树(19)和松树(8)。更新树的密度和多样性在金合欢人工林和北坡最大，但随着海拔的升高而下降。草食动物的存在也降低了新树更新的密度和多样性。我们认为，在现有的外来树种林分中恢复西高止山脉Shola森林是可能的，并且通过适当的造林方法可以加快这一过程。我们还建议，涉及长期封闭的研究可以为浏览对更新和物种组成的影响提供有价值的见解。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

求助全文

约1分钟内获得全文求助全文

来源期刊

Forestry 农林科学-林学

CiteScore

6.70

自引率

7.10%

发文量

审稿时长

12-24 weeks

期刊介绍： The journal is inclusive of all subjects, geographical zones and study locations, including trees in urban environments, plantations and natural forests. We welcome papers that consider economic, environmental and social factors and, in particular, studies that take an integrated approach to sustainable management. In considering suitability for publication, attention is given to the originality of contributions and their likely impact on policy and practice, as well as their contribution to the development of knowledge. Special Issues - each year one edition of Forestry will be a Special Issue and will focus on one subject in detail; this will usually be by publication of the proceedings of an international meeting.