Conservation of wood-decaying fungi requires improved knowledge about the long-term effects of forest management; regarding habitat loss, fragmentation and fire suppression. To better understand such effects, I examined the influence of area, isolation, fire history and forest stand characteristics on communities of wood-decaying fungi. Species richness and composition were studied along a gradient of 22 forested islands varying in size (0.16 to 17.58 ha) and fire history (spanning 5000 years) in a boreal forest archipelago in northern Sweden. A total of 490 records of 41 polypore species were found in 33 circular plots, each 0.1 ha in size. Species richness and the number of red-listed species were analyzed using generalized linear models (GLMs), while species composition was examined using non-metric multidimensional scaling (NMDS) ordination. The species composition was clearly different between recent-fire (< 300 years since last fire) and old-fire (≥ 300 years since last fire) islands, mirroring the shift in tree species composition as pine-associated fungal species were replaced by spruce-associated fungal species. The volume of logs was the only variable influencing the species richness, although the diversity of logs showed a clear trend of also influencing species richness positively. The results demonstrate the importance of having both recent-fire and old-fire forests as landscape-level habitats and species pools, where fire naturally would constitute a key role for maintaining forest biodiversity in the boreal forest landscape. The results also stress the importance of dead wood for species richness at the individual forest stands.

The aim of this study was to compare and contrast mineral and microbial nitrogen concentrations in soils of semi-natural and natural mountain spruce forests in the Březník area, the Bohemian Forest National Park, under dead wood and four plant dominants with respect to different forest management after windstorm and bark beetle events applied in 1997.

Den vitryggiga hackspetten har sedan 1970 varit en starkt hotad art i Sverige tack vare förändrade habitat till följd av ett industrialiserat skogsbruk med stor fokus på barrträd vilket inte är ett optimalträd för den vitryggiga hackspetten. Idag finns det cirka 3 häckande par kvar i Sverige. I Finland och Lettland uppvisar den vitryggiga hackspetten en stark närvaro med en stor population då skogsbruket i dessa länder skiljer sig markant mot Sverige i form av typ av träd och hantering av död ved. Syftet med studien som utförts i den här rapporten är att bedöma om ett område vid sjön Erkens norra strand kallat Hasselhorn i Stockholms län uppnår de riktlinjer Naturvårdsverket har satt på minst 20m3/ha död lövved i trakten samt en medelålder på >80 år för att ett område ska anses vara ett optimalområde för den vitryggiga hackspetten. Fokustrakten identifierades med IR-bilder för att avgöra om området var rikt på lövträd och ett område på 110ha ritades in. Sextio stickprov slumpades ut i området där levande och döda träd mättes in med klave och höjdmätare för att beräkna m3/ha och ålder bedömdes visuellt för varje mätområde. Studien påvisar att Hasselhorn idag inte uppnår optimal status för alla parametrar som satts upp av Naturvårdsverket för att det ska utgöra ett lämpligt habitat för den vitryggiga hackspetten. Däremot uppnår området kravet på mer än 20m3/ha och mer än 75 % lövträd satta av Naturvårdsverket. Området uppnår dock inte medelåldern >80 år. Även artfördelningen i regionen av levande träd visar på mycket lite barrträd och stor tillgång på asp som anses vara det främsta trädet för födosök för den vitryggiga hackspetten som visar på att Hasselhorn kan uppnå god status inom ett fåtal år om särskilda naturvårdsåtgärder sker i området. / The white-backed woodpecker has been a highly threatened in Sweden since 1970 due to drastically changed habitats as a result from industrialized forestry methods with a high focus on conifers. Today there are only 2 known breeding pairs left at Dalälven in Sweden. Compared to Finland and Latvia the white-backed woodpecker exhibits a strong presence with large populations as the forestry industry in these countries differs from Sweden in terms of what type of trees they use and how they manage dead wood. The purpose of this study is to assess whether an area at lake Erken’s northern shore called Hasselhorn in Stockholm County achieves the guidelines determined by Naturvårdsverket. Naturvårdsverket has determined that the white-backed woodpecker at least need 20m3/ha dead deciduous trees in a habitat and an average age of >80 years to be considered as an optimal area for the white-backed woodpecker. The focus area was localized with IR-images to determine an area rich with deciduous trees and an area of 100ha was drafted. Sixty sample points were randomized in the area. All living and dead trees at each points were measured with a tree caliper and clinometer to determine the amount of wood in m3/ha. Age was determined visually for each sample point. The study showed that Hasselhorn currently does no achieve the optimal status for all parameters in the study to make it a suitable habitat for the white-backed woodpecker. On the other hand, the area does meet the guideline set by Naturvårdsverket of more than 20m3/ha dead deciduous wood and more than 75% deciduous trees in the area, however it does not show an average age of >80 years. Species distribution of living deciduous trees exhibits large volumes of aspen, which is considered to be a main source of food since they contain the type of bugs preferred by the white-backed woodpecker. With the right conservation methods, the study shows that Hasselhorn can become a viable habitat for the white-backed woodpecker in the near future.

During the last century the forests of Central Europe changed from open woodlands to even-aged stands with closed-canopy. This change resulted in severe decline of forest biodiversity. This study examines how, and why such change affected xylophagous insects. I have studied microhabitat preferences, i.e. distribution of xylophagous insects in canopy and understorey of closed forests, forest edges and wooded meadows. I used method of rearing insect from timber baits exposed to ovipositing females of xylophagous insects in different situations in the forest at the beginning if vegetation season. After one season of exposition,the baits were collected enclosed in fly-wire cages, where emerging insects were collected for two seasons. This thesis consists of two parts: The first part is an unpublished manuscript dealing with effect of habitat insolation, vertical stratification, forest structure and amount of dead wood on community of long-horned beetles (Cerambycidae) and jewell beetles (Buprestidae) feeding on wood of pedunculate oak (Quercus robur). Baits were exposed in the canopy and the understorey of forest interior, the canopy and the understorey of forest edge and on solitary trees on wooded meadows. Most insect species do prefer insoled wood for their development, and were more common in the understorey than in the canopy. Insolation of bait was thus the prime factor affecting composition of reared insects. No relation was found between dead wood volume and species composition or abundance of reared insects This shows that insolation of the dead wood is crucial to conservation of most xylophagous insects. The second part of the thesis studies effect of vertical stratification and insolation on distribution of xylophages feeding reared from wood of 8 tree species (Alnus glutinosa, Populus alba, P. x canadensis, Salix alba, Carpinus betulus, Quercus robur, Tilia cordata, Ulmus laevis) and host specificity of xylophages. Results show that: (i) community composition of xylophages reflects evolutionary history of their host plants; (ii) communities reared from different trees exhibit different preferences for forest strata and insolation of the habitat, probably in connection to preferred growth conditions of the host plant, (iii) many xylophagous insect species exhibit strong preferences to insoled habitats, and are thus confined to forest edges in extensively managed forests as well as in unmanaged forest reserves.

Orientador: Simone Aparecida Vieira / Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Instituto de Biologia / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-25T17:16:26Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 QuimbayoGuzman_LuisCarlos_M.pdf: 9203667 bytes, checksum: c85d0f23d04d1a3983335f8084f81a62 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2014 / Resumo: A madeira morta (MM) é um importante compartimento na dinâmica do Carbono nas florestas tropicais. Neste trabalho foi quantificado o estoque e a produção de MM em áreas de Floresta Ombrófila Densa (FOD) no litoral norte do estado de São Paulo, Brasil, ao longo de um gradiente altitudinal (10 a 1.066 m), onde a temperatura média anual diminui 0,6°C a cada 100 m de altitude. Os objetivos deste trabalho foram: (1) identificar o efeito das condições ambientais no estoque e na produção de MM ao longo do gradiente e (2) verificar o efeito a longo prazo (após 25 anos) da exploração seletiva de madeira no estoque e na produção de MM. O estudo foi desenvolvido em 16 parcelas de 1 ha, distribuídas nas formações vegetais: Restinga (10 m), Terras Baixas (10-100 m), Submontana (100-500 m) e Montana (500-1.066 m). A produção e o estoque de MM caída (Ø ? 2 cm) foram quantificados através do método de linhas de interceptação (anos 2012 e 2013). O estoque de MM em pé foi quantificado por meio de inventário florestal considerando as árvores mortas em pé (DAP ? 4,8 cm) da base de dados do projeto BIOTA Gradiente Funcional/FAPESP (anos 2006, 2008 e 2012). A MM caída foi classificada em 5 categorias, de acordo com seu grau de decomposição e as árvores mortas em pé em 4 categorias. A produção de MM caída foi de 4,21±0,5 Mg ha-1 ano-1 (± erro padrão). Não foi encontrada relação entre produção e altitude. Não houve diferença na produção entre os períodos de maior (4,44±0,7 Mg ha-1 ano-1) e menor (3,99±0,6 Mg ha-1 ano-1) intensidade de chuva (teste t pareado duas caudas; GL=15; t=0,53; p=0,6), nem entre locais explorados e não explorados. O tempo de residência estimado da MM caída foi de 1,5 anos para a madeira fina (Ø de 2 a 10 cm) e de 6 anos para a madeira grossa (Ø > 10 cm). A taxa de decomposição estimada foi 0,67 ano-1 para madeira fina e 0,18 ano-1 para madeira grossa (18% da massa de MM grossa é decomposta por ano). O estoque total de MM (caída + em pé) foi 16,4±1,3 Mg ha-1, 81% corresponde a MM caída (13,3±1,2 Mg ha-1), enquanto só 19% corresponde a MM em pé (3,1±0,3 Mg ha-1). O estoque de MM caída não diferiu entre os anos 2012 (13,3±1,2 Mg ha-1) e 2013 (13,1±1,4 Mg ha-1) (teste t pareado duas caudas; GL=15; t=0,15; p=0,88). A MM equivale de 4% a 10% da biomassa viva acima do solo. O estoque médio de Carbono na MM foi de 7,5±0,6 Mg C ha-1. No ano 2013, o estoque de MM aumentou com a altitude (regressão linear; R2=0,3; p=0,02). O estoque de MM foi 7,1±0,9 Mg ha-1 na formação Restinga; e aumentou gradativamente até 22,1±1,4 Mg ha-1 na formação Montana, a 1.050 m de altitude, o que confirmou a hipótese de que as condições climáticas têm influência no estoque de MM, encontrando-se mais MM nos locais mais frios e menos chuvosos. Não houve diferença no estoque de MM entre locais explorados e não explorados. Conclui-se que a relação positiva entre altitude e estoque de MM é determinada principalmente pela diminuição da temperatura do solo com a altitude / Abstract: Deadwood (DW) is an important component of carbon dynamics in tropical forests. In this work, DW stocks and production were quantified along an altitudinal gradient (10 to 1066 m) in an Ombrophilous Dense Atlantic Forest. Along the gradient, the mean annual temperature decreases 0.6°C with every increase of 100 m in altitude. The objectives were: (1) to identify the effect of environmental conditions on DW stocks and production along the gradient, and (2) to verify the long term effect (after 25 years) of selective wood harvesting on DW stocks and production. The study was carried out in 16 plots (1 ha each), distributed in four vegetal formations: Restinga (10 m), Low lands (10-100 m), Submontane (100-500 m) and Montane (500-1066 m). Fallen DW stocks and production (Ø ? 2 cm) were quantified using line intercept sampling (years 2012 and 2013). Standing DW stocks were quantified via forest inventory, considering all standing dead trees (DBH ? 4.8 cm) from BIOTA Gradiente Funcional/FAPESP project database (years 2006, 2008 and 2012). Fallen DW was classified into five classes according to its decomposition state, and standing DW into four classes. Fallen DW production was 4.21±0.5 Mg ha-1 yr-1 (± standard error). No relationship between production and altitude was found. There was no difference in DW production between periods of high (4.44±0.7 Mg ha-1 yr-1) and low (3.99±0.6 Mg ha-1 yr-1) rain intensities (two tailed paired t-test; DF=15; t=0.53; p=0.6), or between harvested and pristine areas. Estimated residence time was 1.5 years for fine fallen DW (Ø between 2 and 10 cm) and 6 years for coarse fallen DW (Ø > 10 cm). Estimated decay rate was 0.67 yr-1 for fine and 0.18 yr-1 for coarse fallen DW (18% of coarse fallen DW is decomposed per year). Total DW stocks (fallen + standing) were 16.4 ±1.3 Mg ha-1, 81% corresponds to fallen DW (13.3±1.2 Mg ha-1), while only 19% corresponds to standing DW (3.1±0.3 Mg ha-1). Fallen DW stocks didn¿t change between years 2012 (13.3±1.2 Mg ha-1) and 2013 (13.1±1.4 Mg ha-1) (two tailed paired t-test; DF=15; t=0.15; p=0.88). DW equals 4% to 10% of aboveground live biomass stocks. Mean carbon stocks in DW were 7.5±0.6 Mg C ha-1. In 2013, DW stocks increased with altitude (linear regression; R2=0.3; p=0.02). DW stocks were 7.1±0.9 Mg ha-1 in the Restinga formation, and gradually increased to 22.1±1.4 Mg ha-1 in the Montane formation, which confirmed the initial hypothesis of climatic conditions influencing DW stocks, given that colder and less rainy areas presented more DW. There was no difference in DW stocks between harvested and pristine areas. It was concluded that the positive relationship between DW stocks and altitude is mainly determined by decrease in soil temperature with altitude / Mestrado / Ecologia / Mestre em Ecologia

Summary: This thesis is focused on collecting information on the importance of dead wood on biogeochemical cycles of chemical elements in the mountain forest ecosystems of central Europe. The goal of this thesis was to determine the concentration of various elements(C, N, P, Ca, Mg, K, Na, Mn, Al, Fe) in the coarse woody debris of spruce samples of different age, stage of decomposition which were collected in different localities in the national park Šumava. Another goal was to determine the speed of which these elements are released from the dead wood. The information on the quantity of different elements and the speed of their release is currently lacking and could lead to better understanding of various biogeochemical cycles of elements in the mountain forest. During the decomposition the concentration of the elements N, P, Al and Fe increased whereas the Kalium concentration decreased. The other elements' (C, N, Ca, Mg, Mn) concentrations varied. Carbon constituted approximately 50% of weight in all of the samples analyzed. We carried out a laboratory experiment based on decomposition of dead wood samples in various stage of decay during a period of six months. The released concentration of CO2 was measured at two to four weeks intervals. The release of CO2 continually decreased during the experiment.....

Mindre hackspett (Dryobates minor) är en vanligen icke-migrerande fågel som är väldigt trogen till sitt hemrevir. Reviret bör vara minst 40 hektar och bestå av en dominerande andel lövträd samt innehålla död ved och grova träd. Studiens syfte var att undersöka den mindre hackspettens habitatanvändning i Karlstads kommun genom att bedöma antalet individer i förhållande till fyra ekologiska faktorer: mängd stående död ved och grova träd, trädskikt samt habitatstorlek. Data togs från en rapport från 2017 där en inventering hade utförts i 77 områden i Karlstads kommun. Rapporten registrerade antal mindre hackspettsindivider och flera ekologiska faktorer i varje område. Hypoteserna var att antalet individer skulle skilja sig i förhållande till: 1) mängden stående död ved, 2) mängden grova träd, 3) antal trädskikt, och 4) habitatstorlek. Resultaten visade att det fanns fler individer av mindre hackspett i områden med en riklig mängd stående död ved och grova träd jämfört med enstaka-och måttlig mängd. Områden med flera trädskikt resulterade även i ett högre antal individer jämfört med en-och två trädskikt. En positiv korrelation mellan habitatstorlek och frekvensen av individer noterades även. Den mindre hackspettens population minskar i Sverige och börjar närma sig att listas som sårbar på IUCN:s rödlista. Det innebär att förvaltare behöver ha ekologiska faktorer i åtanke vid bevaringsåtgärder. Utöver de välkända ekologiska faktorerna döda och stora träd i förhållande till mindre hackspett visade studien även att trädskikt är en viktig faktor att ha i åtanke. Dessutom var endast fem av de 77 habitatområdena i Karlstads kommun större än 40 hektar; vilket innebär att ett landskapsperspektiv är nödvändigt för att bevara konnektivitet mellan habitat, vilket är nödvändigt för en framgångsrik hackspettspopulation. / The lesser spotted woodpecker (Dryobates minor) is usually a nonmigratory bird with a high fidelity towards their home territory. The territory should be at least 40 hectares in size, consisting mostly of deciduous trees and containing dead wood and large-diameter trees. The purpose of this study was to explore the habitat use of the lesser spotted woodpecker in the municipality of Karlstad by assessing the number of individuals in relation to four ecological factors: the amount of standing dead wood and large trees, forest canopy layering and habitat patch size. Data was extracted from a 2017 report, where a field study was conducted in 77 areas in the municipality of Karlstad, Sweden. The report recorded the number of lesser spotted woodpecker individuals and several ecological factors in each area. The hypotheses were that the numbers of individuals would differ in relation to: 1) the amount of standing dead wood, 2) the amount of large trees, 3) forest canopy layering, and 4) habitat patch size. The results showed that there was a greater number of lesser spotted woodpecker individuals in areas with a rich amount of standing dead wood and large trees, versus low-or moderate amounts. Areas with a multiple forest canopy cover also resulted in greater numbers of individuals versus in single-or two-layer canopies. A positive correlation between habitat size and frequency of individuals was also noted. The lesser spotted woodpecker population in Sweden is declining and they are nearing vulnerable on the IUCN red list. This means that managers need to have ecological factors in mind when conducting conservation efforts for the species. In addition to the well-known factors of dead and large trees in relation to the lesser spotted woodpecker, this study also showed that forest canopy layering is an important factor to consider. Furthermore only five of 77 habitat patches in the municipality of Karlstad were larger than 40 hectares; thus, a landscape-level-perspective is required for maintaining connectivity among habitats, which is essential for a thriving woodpecker population.

Dead wood plays an important role in forest ecosystems in the context of C dynamics, nutrient cycling, forest regeneration and biodiversity. Decaying wood sustains biodiversity by providing habitats and energy for fungi, bacteria, invertebrates, and many other organisms. Dead wood is resistant to decomposition and its decay is driven mainly by filamentous fungi. Community structure of wood- inhabiting fungi changes during decomposition, but the relationship between substrate quality and decomposer community is still poorly understood. This work studied fungal community composition with respect to tree species, stage of decay, volume and physico-chemical properties (such as pH, carbon and nitrogen content) of dead wood. Fungi were identified using next generation sequencing approaches - 454-pyrosequencing and Illumina MiSeq sequencing. Tree species, volume of dead wood (branches x logs) and stage of decay were the main variables affecting fungal community composition. Higher enzyme activities and content of fungal biomass indicate faster colonization of small branches than tree trunks by fungi. Fungal community composition, wood chemical properties and enzyme activities changed during decomposition. Both content of nitrogen and fungal biomass increased during decomposition. Enzyme activites peaked...

<p>Detta arbete har undersökt skillnaderna mellan den nuvarande skogsvårdslagen och den föregående. Undersökningen har bestått av två delar, där ena delen är en litteraturstudie av lagarna och den andra är en fältstudie av metoder för att mäta naturhänsynsförändring. Som komplement till fältstudien har en litteraturstudie av undersökningsparametranas naturvårdsnytta. Litteraturstudien av lagarna gick till på följande sätt, inledningen av båda lagarna och hänsynsparagraferna har lästs och jämförts. Fältstudie har gjorts efter metoder som har arbetats fram och sedan testats i fält. De undersökningsområden som har testats är stående död ved med undergruppen konstgjorda högstubbar, grova träd, hänsynsytor, trädslagsfördelning och boträd. Testningen skedde i trakterna kring Orsa i Dalarnas län. Resultatet blev att hälften av undersökningsområdena skulle kunna användas i en större studie efter några modifikationer. Andra hälften av undersökningsområdena kan det inte på grund av att referensdata saknas. Lagstudien visade att den största skillnaden mellan de båda lagarna ligger i att i den nuvarande har man jämställt miljömålet med produktionsmålet. Det finns även en attitydförändring till en större öppenhet mot naturvård i den nya lagen.</p> / <p>This work has examined the difference between the new forestry actand the previous one. The research has been divided in two parts, one is a literature study of the law and the other is a field study of methods for measuring the change in consideration of nature. As compliment too the field study a literature study of the research parameters nature conservation benefits. The examine of the laws were done in this way, the introduction of the laws and the nature conservation paragraphs were read and compared. For the field study methods have been worked out and tested in the field. The research parameters that have been tested are standing dead wood with subgroup man made snags, thick trees, consideration of nature areas, distribution of tree species and nesting trees. The field testing were made in the neighboring forest of the city Orsa in the administrative province of Dalarna.The results of the field methods are that half of the methods have a possible use in a larger study with some modifications. The other half are missing references data to be useful.The biggest differences between the laws are that in new law the goals for production and environment care are equal. There is also an change in attitude towards greater consideration of nature.</p>

Detta arbete har undersökt skillnaderna mellan den nuvarande skogsvårdslagen och den föregående. Undersökningen har bestått av två delar, där ena delen är en litteraturstudie av lagarna och den andra är en fältstudie av metoder för att mäta naturhänsynsförändring. Som komplement till fältstudien har en litteraturstudie av undersökningsparametranas naturvårdsnytta. Litteraturstudien av lagarna gick till på följande sätt, inledningen av båda lagarna och hänsynsparagraferna har lästs och jämförts. Fältstudie har gjorts efter metoder som har arbetats fram och sedan testats i fält. De undersökningsområden som har testats är stående död ved med undergruppen konstgjorda högstubbar, grova träd, hänsynsytor, trädslagsfördelning och boträd. Testningen skedde i trakterna kring Orsa i Dalarnas län. Resultatet blev att hälften av undersökningsområdena skulle kunna användas i en större studie efter några modifikationer. Andra hälften av undersökningsområdena kan det inte på grund av att referensdata saknas. Lagstudien visade att den största skillnaden mellan de båda lagarna ligger i att i den nuvarande har man jämställt miljömålet med produktionsmålet. Det finns även en attitydförändring till en större öppenhet mot naturvård i den nya lagen. / This work has examined the difference between the new forestry actand the previous one. The research has been divided in two parts, one is a literature study of the law and the other is a field study of methods for measuring the change in consideration of nature. As compliment too the field study a literature study of the research parameters nature conservation benefits. The examine of the laws were done in this way, the introduction of the laws and the nature conservation paragraphs were read and compared. For the field study methods have been worked out and tested in the field. The research parameters that have been tested are standing dead wood with subgroup man made snags, thick trees, consideration of nature areas, distribution of tree species and nesting trees. The field testing were made in the neighboring forest of the city Orsa in the administrative province of Dalarna.The results of the field methods are that half of the methods have a possible use in a larger study with some modifications. The other half are missing references data to be useful.The biggest differences between the laws are that in new law the goals for production and environment care are equal. There is also an change in attitude towards greater consideration of nature.