Plantation clear-fell patches benefit heathland arthropods

Pedley, Scott, Wolstenholme, Paul and Dolman, Paul ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9340-2791 (2023) Plantation clear-fell patches benefit heathland arthropods. Ecological Solutions and Evidence, 4 (3). ISSN 2688-8319

Preview

PDF (Ecol Sol and Evidence - 2023 - Pedley) - Published Version Available under License Creative Commons Attribution. Download (2MB) | Preview

Abstract

Plantation forests constitute a significant amount of the wooded area in many parts of the globe. However, the extent of biological provision conferred by plantation forest depends on regional conservation priorities and biogeographical context. Here, we evaluate the arthropod biodiversity in a chronosequence of pine plantation (clear-felled, 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 13, 21-years) in the largest lowland conifer forest in the UK. We compare the assemblage within 37 plantation stands and eight important open habitat remnants in a formerly heathland dominated region. We also assess the configuration and potential isolation of ephemeral open early growth stage habitat across a 60-year plantation rotation. Carabid and spider assemblages changed throughout the sampled chronosequence. In the early growth stages (1–7 years) before canopy closure, arthropod assemblages contained many individuals and species associated with dry-open habitats, greater numbers of rare species than closed canopy plantation and had similar composition (non-metric multidimensional scaling) to heathland samples. Early growth stages and heathlands primarily differed in the additional presence of generalist species in the plantation. Species associated with woodland increased in abundance as the plantation aged, but remained far less numerous than dry-open or generalist species. The spatial distribution of young growth stages across the rotation cycle was significantly clustered in the early and late rotation phases. Plantation landscapes often support high species richness but we highlight their value for vulnerable heathland biodiversity early in the rotation cycle. To increase plantation value regional conservation priorities should be supported with appropriate consideration of growth stage configuration across the full rotation.

Item Type:	Article
Additional Information:	Funding Information: The study was funded by the Natural Environment Research Council, additional funding from Suffolk Biodiversity Partnership and the Suffolk Naturalist Society supported sampling of heathland sites.
Uncontrolled Keywords:	arthropods,carabid,spider,plantation forestry,heathland,insect conservation,arthropods,ecology, evolution, behavior and systematics,nature and landscape conservation,ecology,management, monitoring, policy and law,global and planetary change,sdg 15 - life on land ,/dk/atira/pure/subjectarea/asjc/1100/1105
Faculty \ School:	Faculty of Science > School of Environmental Sciences
UEA Research Groups:	Faculty of Science > Research Centres > Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Conservation Faculty of Science > Research Groups > Environmental Biology
Related URLs:	http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?...
Depositing User:	LivePure Connector
Date Deposited:	18 Aug 2023 09:32
Last Modified:	07 Oct 2023 01:20
URI:	https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/id/eprint/92883
DOI:	10.1002/2688-8319.12281

Downloads

Actions (login required)

View Item