1,721,102 research outputs found
Effects of planted tree species on biodiversity of conifer plantations in Japan: a systematic review and meta-analysis
No full textNatural forests were increasingly replaced by plantations globally. While plantations support less biodiversity compared to natural forests, they can serve as an important habitat for forest-dependent species. Understanding the key drivers of the habitat function of plantations is necessary to reconcile both forestry and biodiversity. Planted tree species is one of the important factors determining biodiversity of plantations. Here, we systematically collected studies comparing the biodiversity between conifer plantations and natural forests, and conducted meta-analyses to quantify the effects of planted tree family/species (cypress family: Japanese cedar Cryptomeria japonica, Hinoki cypress Chamaecyparis obtuse; pine family: Japanese larch Larix kaempferi, Japanese red pine Pinus densiflora, Todo fir Abies sachalinensis) on abundance and species richness of a wide range of taxa (all taxa, vertebrates, birds, invertebrates, terrestrial arthropods, plants, and understorey plants) in plantations in Japan. Abundance and species richness in plantations relative to natural forests differed among planted tree family/species. In plantations of pine family (mainly larch), abundance or richness did not significantly differ from those in natural forests for many taxa, suggesting the important role as habitats. By contrast, in cypress family (mainly cedar), abundance or richness was significantly lower than in natural forests for all analysis groups except understorey abundance. These results indicate that the habitat function of plantations and its management should be considered for each planted tree species, separately. Nevertheless, since our literature review identifies some research gaps, e.g. studies on vertebrates in western Japan were scarce, more comprehensive research efforts should be made in the future
(Appendix S12) Bird species detected in young larch plantations of Tokachi district, 2011
No full textPlease note, that forest species were not included in the analysis, and number of detected territories are therefore not shown
(Appendix S11) Description of bird and plant sampling sites in Tokachi district, 2011
No full text(Appendix S11) Description of bird and plant sampling sites in Tokachi district, 201
(Appendix S14) Plant species encountered in young larch plantations of Tokachi district, 2011
No full textWe could not discriminate three Carex species (Carex aphanolepis Franch. et Sav., Carex maximowiczii Miq., and Carex japonica Thunb.) in the field, and we combined them as a single species (Carex spp.). We used scientific names following "YList" http://bean.bio.chiba-u.jp/bgplants/index.html
Meta-analysis of management effects on biodiversity in plantation and secondary forests of Japan
No full textConservation of temperate forest biodiversity has historically focused on natural old-growth. Less than 3% of the world’s temperate forests remain unmodified by humans, however, and much of temperate-forest biodiversity is held in the predominating planted and secondary forests. Japan provides a widely applicable model for examining how to maximize biodiversity in managed temperate forests, due to its richness of forestry research generated from its vast forest area, albeit largely in Japanese, and the wide practice of its dominant management interventions across the northern temperate zone. Management for plantations include thinning, extended rotation cycles and clear-cutting. For secondary forests regenerating from past clearance, traditional management varies in its intensities, from clear-cutting as coppices to small-scale understorey clearance. Here we provide a first synthesis of published research on biodiversity in planted and secondary forests of Japan, relevant to management of these types of forest in northern temperate forests. Systematic review and meta-analyses of papers published in English and Japanese quantified management impacts on species richness and abundance of several taxa, in relation to moderator variables including stand age and management intensity. Plantation thinning substantially increases the richness and abundance of several taxa. Effect sizes decline with time since thinning for the abundance of regenerating saplings and seedlings, necessitating repeated thinning treatments every six years to sustain this positive effect. Taxonomic groups exhibit variable relationships with stand age in both planted and secondary forests, indicating a need to include both young and old forest stands in managed forest mosaics. We find an insufficient evidence base is available to allow for a meaningful synthesis of low intensity management effects in historically managed secondary forests, with studies varying widely in scale and reported outcomes. We outline an agenda for the research community to achieve a systematic evaluation of scale-dependent effects of traditional forest management on biodiversity
Regional variability in landscape effects on forest bird communities
No full textContext: Functional responses to landscape heterogeneity are context-dependent, hampering the transferability of landscape-scale conservation initiatives. Japan provides a unique opportunity to test for regional modification of landscape effects due to its broad temperature gradient, coincident with a gradient of historical disturbance intensity. Objectives: To quantify and understand how regional contexts modify forest bird community responses to landscape heterogeneity across Japan. Methods: We characterised the functional trait composition and diversity of breeding bird communities from 297 forest sites, and applied a cross-scale analytical framework to explain regional variation in community responses. Results: The effects of landscape diversity, coincident with forest loss, varied in strength and even direction across the temperature gradient. Cool regions of Japan with highly forested, homogeneous landscapes supported bird communities dominated by forest specialists: those with narrow habitat breadths and insectivorous diets. Warmer regions comprised communities dominated by generalists with wider habitat breadths, even in contiguous, highly forested landscapes. Heterogeneous landscapes selected for generalists, and only promoted functional trait diversity in cool regions where both specialists and generalists can be supplied by a diverse regional pool. Conclusions: Our results provide evidence that regional variation in trait responses to landscape heterogeneity—driven by past environmental filtering and broad-scale climates—leads to differential community responses across Japan. Future research that seeks a nuanced understanding of the regional modification of landscape variables will better serve to inform and target real-world conservation efforts.</p
Surrogate species versus landscape metric : does presence of a raptor species explains diversity of multiple taxa more than patch area?
Get PDFPrioritizing conservation areas is a central theme in conservation biology. The use of surrogate species and landscape metrics to identify areas with high conservation value is common. However, few studies have examined the relative efficacy of these two surrogates. In this study, we compared the efficacy of the presence/absence (PA) of a top predator (Eastern Marsh Harrier, Circus spilonotus) and wetland patch area on species richness, total abundance, and community composition of birds, plants, and small mammals, but species richness and community composition only for plants, in a fragmented wetland landscape. Although harrier PA was an effective indicator of the distribution of birds, it had no significant efficacy on the distributions of plants and small mammals. Patch area was more effective indicator of the distributions of plants and small mammals. These results suggest that surrogate species can be more effective indicators than landscape surrogates when there are ecological linkages between surrogate species and the focal taxa (e.g., similarity of habitat requirements between surrogate species and focal taxa or hetero-specific attraction). On the other hand, landscape surrogates would be useful when ecological knowledge about the relationships is limited
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Get PDFThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Variations on the Author
Get PDF“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
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