Importance of conserving large and old trees to continuity of tree‐related microhabitats

Protecting structural features, such as tree‐related microhabitats (TreMs), is a cost‐effective tool crucial for biodiversity conservation applicable to large forested landscapes. Although the development of TreMs is influenced by tree diameter, species, and vitality, the relationships between tree...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Conservation biology 2023-06, Vol.37 (3), p.e14066-n/a
Main Authors: Kozák, Daniel, Svitok, Marek, Zemlerová, Veronika, Mikoláš, Martin, Lachat, Thibault, Larrieu, Laurent, Paillet, Yoan, Buechling, Arne, Bače, Radek, Keeton, William S., Vítková, Lucie, Begovič, Krešimir, Čada, Vojtěch, Dušátko, Martin, Ferenčík, Matej, Frankovič, Michal, Gloor, Rhiannon, Hofmeister, Jeňýk, Janda, Pavel, Kameniar, Ondrej, Kníř, Tomáš, Majdanová, Linda, Mejstřík, Marek, Pavlin, Jakob, Ralhan, Dheeraj, Rodrigo, Ruffy, Roibu, Catalin‐Constantin, Synek, Michal, Vostarek, Ondřej, Svoboda, Miroslav
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Age
Biodiversity
biodiversity indicators
bosque primario
Carpathian Mountains
Climate change
Coniferous forests
Conservation
Cárpatos
dendrochronology
dendrocronología
Ecological distribution
Ecology, environment
Epiphytes
estructura del bosque
Forest conservation
Forest management
forest structure
gestión forestal
habitat tree
Habitats
hábitat arborícola
indicadores de biodiversidad
Insects
Life Sciences
Mathematical models
Microhabitat
Microhabitats
Plant species
primary forests
Temperate forests
Trees
Wildlife conservation
生境树, 生物多样性指标, 喀尔巴阡山脉, 树轮年代学, 森林结构, 森林管理, 原始森林
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Protecting structural features, such as tree‐related microhabitats (TreMs), is a cost‐effective tool crucial for biodiversity conservation applicable to large forested landscapes. Although the development of TreMs is influenced by tree diameter, species, and vitality, the relationships between tree age and TreM profile remain poorly understood. Using a tree‐ring‐based approach and a large data set of 8038 trees, we modeled the effects of tree age, diameter, and site characteristics on TreM richness and occurrence across some of the most intact primary temperate forests in Europe, including mixed beech and spruce forests. We observed an overall increase in TreM richness on old and large trees in both forest types. The occurrence of specific TreM groups was variably related to tree age and diameter, but some TreM groups (e.g., epiphytes) had a stronger positive relationship with tree species and elevation. Although many TreM groups were positively associated with tree age and diameter, only two TreM groups in spruce stands reacted exclusively to tree age (insect galleries and exposed sapwood) without responding to diameter. Thus, the retention of trees for conservation purposes based on tree diameter appears to be a generally feasible approach with a rather low risk of underrepresentation of TreMs. Because greater tree age and diameter positively affected TreM development, placing a greater emphasis on conserving large trees and allowing them to reach older ages, for example, through the establishment of conservation reserves, would better maintain the continuity of TreM resource and associated biodiversity. However, this approach may be difficult due to the widespread intensification of forest management and global climate change. Importancia de conservar los árboles viejos y grandes para la continuidad de los microhábitats relacionados Resumen La protección de las características estructurales, como los microhábitats relacionados a los árboles (MhAr), es una herramienta económica importante para la conservación de la biodiversidad que puede aplicarse en los paisajes boscosos extensos. Aunque el diámetro, especie y vitalidad del árbol influyen sobre el desarrollo de los MhAr, todavía se sabe poco sobre las relaciones entre la edad del árbol y el perfil. Modelamos los efectos de la edad y diámetro del árbol y las características del sitio sobre la riqueza y presencia de los MhAr en algunos de los bosques primarios más preservados de Europa, incluyendo los bo
ISSN:0888-8892
1523-1739
DOI:10.1111/cobi.14066