Introduction of non-native Douglas fir reduces leaf damage on beech saplings and mature trees in European beech forests

Publikation: Beiträge in ZeitschriftenZeitschriftenaufsätzeForschungbegutachtet

Authors

Recent ecological research suggests that, in general, mixtures are more resistant to insect herbivores and pathogens than monocultures. However, we know little about mixtures with non-native trees, where enemy release could lead to patterns that differ from commonly observed relationships among native species. This becomes particularly relevant when considering that adaptation strategies to climate change increasingly promote a larger share of non-native tree species, such as North American Douglas fir in Central Europe. We studied leaf damage on European beech (Fagus sylvatica) saplings and mature trees across a wide range of site conditions in monocultures and mixtures with phylogenetically distant conifers native Norway spruce (Picea abies) and non-native Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii). We analyzed leaf herbivory and pathogen damage in relation to tree diversity and composition effects, as well as effects of environmental factors and plant characteristics. We observed lower sapling herbivory and tree sucking damage on beech in non-native Douglas fir mixtures than in beech monocultures, probably due to a lower herbivore diversity on Douglas fir trees, and higher pathogen damage on beech saplings in Norway spruce than Douglas fir mixtures, possibly because of higher canopy openness. Our findings suggest that for low diversity gradients, tree diversity effects on leaf damage can strongly depend on tree species composition, in addition to modifications caused by feeding guild and tree ontogeny. Moreover, we found that nutrient capacity modulated the effects of tree diversity, composition, and environmental factors, with different responses in sites with low or high nutrient capacity. The existence of contrasting diversity effects based on tree species composition provides important information on our understanding of the relationships between tree diversity and plant–herbivore interactions in light of non-native tree species introductions. Especially with recent Norway spruce die-off, the planting of Douglas fir as replacement is likely to strongly increase in Central Europe. Our findings suggest that mixtures with Douglas fir could benefit the survival or growth rates of beech saplings and mature trees due to lower leaf damage, emphasizing the need to clearly identify and compare the potential benefits and ecological trade-offs of non-native tree species in forest management under ongoing environmental change.

OriginalspracheEnglisch
Aufsatznummere2786
ZeitschriftEcological Applications
Jahrgang33
Ausgabenummer2
ISSN1051-0761
DOIs
PublikationsstatusErschienen - 03.2023
Extern publiziertJa

Bibliographische Notiz

Publisher Copyright:
© 2022 The Authors. Ecological Applications published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of The Ecological Society of America.

DOI

Zuletzt angesehen

Publikationen

  1. A Web-Based Stress Management Intervention for University Students in Indonesia (Rileks)
  2. Reduction of invertebrate herbivory by land use is only partly explained by changes in plant and insect characteristics
  3. Wirksam führen auf Distanz
  4. Die Subjekte des Politischen
  5. Overcoming the crisis
  6. Tagungsberichte
  7. Correction to
  8. Bushido
  9. The psychological strategy process and socio-demographic variables as predictors of success in micro- and small-sacle business owners in Zambia
  10. Anmerkung zu BVerwG, Urt. v. 2.3.2017 – 3 C 19/15
  11. The Aesthetic Responsiveness Assessment (AReA)
  12. Multi-level Governance, Multi-level Deficits: The Case of Drinking Water Management in Hungary
  13. Solutions Manual. A Resource for Course Leaders
  14. Die bachbegleitende Vegetation der Böhme
  15. Ehrenbaum-Degele, Hans
  16. The implications of central bank transparency for uncertainty and disagreement
  17. Ästhetikkolumne
  18. Robert Kolb: Bound Choice, Election, and Wittenberg theological Method. From Martin Luther to the Formula of Concord, Grand Rapids / Cambridge 2005
  19. Talking the Talk, Moral Entrapment, Creeping Commitment?
  20. Happy but unhealthy
  21. Challenges and opportunities for grassland restoration: A global perspective of best practices in the era of climate change
  22. Fehlstart der Regierung Schröder II?
  23. Computerspielnutzung aus Elternsicht
  24. The formation of Sr 6.33Mg 16.67Si 13 in magnesium alloy AM50 and its effect on mechanical properties
  25. Vorwort
  26. Involving Corporate Functions
  27. Advancing sustainable chemistry education
  28. Aufbruch in eine andere Welt
  29. Effects of interfacial reactions during solidification on mechanical properties in short fiber reinforced AlSi12CuMgNi composites
  30. Mikroanalyse, Reflexivität und einige Tassen Kaffee
  31. Prüfung von Nachhaltigkeitsberichten
  32. Teachers’ Conversational Style and Children’s Language Development in German Childcare Centers
  33. „Zeit, dass sich was dreht"
  34. Do Serious Breaches Give Rise to Any Specific Obligations of the Responsible State?