Monoculture and mixture-planting of non-native Douglas fir alters species composition, but promotes the diversity of ground beetles in a temperate forest system

Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

Authors

Planting non-native tree species, like Douglas fir in temperate European forest systems, is encouraged to mitigate effects of climate change. However, Douglas fir monocultures often revealed negative effects on forest biota, while effects of mixtures with native tree species on forest ecosystems are less well understood. We investigated effects of three tree species (Douglas fir, Norway spruce, native European beech), on ground beetles in temperate forests of Germany. Beetles were sampled in monocultures of each tree species and broadleaf-conifer mixtures with pitfall traps, and environmental variables were assessed around each trap. We used linear mixed models in a two-step procedure to disentangle effects of environment and tree species identity on ground beetle abundance, species richness, functional diversity and species assemblage structure. Contradictory to our expectations, ground beetle abundance and functional diversity was highest in pure Douglas fir stands, while tree mixtures showed intermediate values between pure coniferous and pure beech stands. The main drivers of these patterns were only partially dependent on tree species identity, which highlights the importance of structural features in forest stands. However, our study revealed distinct shifts in assemblage structure between pure beech and pure Douglas fir stands, which were only partially eased through mixture planting. Our findings suggest that effects of planting non-native trees on associated biodiversity can be actively modified by promoting beneficial forest structures. Nevertheless, integrating non-native tree species, even in mixtures with native trees, will invariably alter assemblage structures of associated biota, which can compromise conservation efforts targeted at typical species composition.

Original languageEnglish
JournalBiodiversity and Conservation
Volume30
Issue number5
Pages (from-to)1479-1499
Number of pages21
ISSN0960-3115
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 04.2021
Externally publishedYes

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2021, The Author(s).

    Research areas

  • Exotic species, Functional diversity, Insects, Microhabitats, Mixed-species forestry, Pseudotsuga menziesii
  • Biology

Recently viewed

Publications

  1. Effect of calcium addition on the hot working behavior of as-cast AZ31 magnesium alloy
  2. Exports, foreign direct investment, and productivity
  3. Impact of an acceptance facilitating intervention on diabetes patients' acceptance of Internet-based interventions for depression
  4. Drawing blanks and winning
  5. The Influence Of Product Reuse On Production Planning and Control
  6. Multifractality of overlapping non-uniform self-similar measures
  7. Grain refinement of Mg-Al alloys by carbon inoculation
  8. Learning the hard way
  9. On the Problems of Honorary Work in German Sports Clubs – A Qualitative-Dominated Crossover Mixed Methods Study
  10. Development of recyclable Mg-based alloys
  11. Creep and hot working behavior of a new magnesium alloy Mg-3Sn-2Ca
  12. Meta-analytic cointegrating rank tests for dependent panels
  13. Measurement approaches for inigrated reporting adoption and quality
  14. Ablauforganisation in Arztpraxen
  15. Investigations on microstructure and properties of Mg-Sn-Ca alloys with 3% Al additions
  16. Evaluating a web-based PPGIS for the rehabilitation of urban riparian corridors
  17. Multiscale performance of landscape metrics as indicators of species richness of plants, insects and vertebrates
  18. Mechanical behaviors of extruded Mg alloys with high Gd and Nd content
  19. Policy schemes, operational strategies and system integration of residential co-generation fuel cells.
  20. Is there an excess of significant findings in published studies of psychotherapy for depression?
  21. Organic farming affects the biological control of hemipteran pests and yields in spring barley independent of landscape complexity
  22. Assessing Trust by Disclosure in Online Social Networks
  23. Product diversification and stability of employment and sales
  24. Dynamische Modellierung der Sorption von Substanzen in einem hydrologischen Einzugsgebietsmodell anhand des Beispiels Phosphor
  25. Macroeconomic shocks and banks’ foreign assets
  26. Improving compliance with COVID-19 guidance
  27. Predicting expatriate job performance
  28. Alcohol intake can reduce gambling behavior
  29. Statistical Learning and Inference Is Impaired in the Nonclinical Continuum of Psychosis
  30. Schulbezogenes mathematisches Vorwissen von Bewerber*innen auf ein Mathematik-Lehramtsstudium
  31. Plastics in our ocean as transdisciplinary challenge
  32. Investigation On The Influence Of Remanufacturing On Production Planning And Control – A Systematic Literature Review
  33. Stock price reactions to climate science information from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
  34. Effects of elevated atmospheric CO2 concentrations on barley, sugar beet and wheat in a rotation
  35. Toward “hardened” accountability?
  36. New evidence for vegetation development and timing of Upper Middle Pleistocene interglacials in Northern Germany and tentative correlations
  37. Intermetallic phase characteristics in the Mg–Nd–Zn system
  38. Does Internet-based guided self-help for depression cause harm?
  39. Print exposure across the reading life span
  40. Reaching for the (Product) Stars
  41. Influence of cerium on stress corrosion cracking in AZ91D
  42. Elution of Monomers from Two Conventional Dental Composite Materials
  43. Effects of introspective vs. extraspective instruction in scaling of hedonic properties of flavouring ingredients by Chinese and German subjects
  44. Simulation of the quench sensitivity of the aluminum alloy 6082
  45. Generalising IRT to Discriminate Between Examinees
  46. Systematic study of the effect of non-uniform seal stiffness on the contact stress in flat-faced soft-seated spring operated pressure relief valves