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Long‐term dynamics of small fragmented forests inferred from patterns along a gradient of fragment sizes
Author(s) -
Tomimatsu Hiroshi,
Yamagishi Hiroki,
Suzuki Satoshi N.,
Sato Chihiro,
Konno Yasuo
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
ecological research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.628
H-Index - 68
eISSN - 1440-1703
pISSN - 0912-3814
DOI - 10.1007/s11284-015-1306-y
Subject(s) - fragmentation (computing) , forest dynamics , temperate forest , temperate rainforest , deciduous , disturbance (geology) , biomass (ecology) , ecology , forest ecology , ecosystem , biota , temperate climate , old growth forest , biology , environmental science , paleontology
Abstract Although forest fragmentation has wide‐ranging effects on remnant biota and ecosystem functions, the long‐term dynamics of fragmented forests is poorly understood. In 2011, we resurveyed eight fragments (0.3–8.5 ha) of a Japanese temperate deciduous forest, which was fragmented anthropogenically in the 1940s and 1950s and initially surveyed in 1999, to infer the long‐term dynamics of these forest fragments. We compared tree size distributions, aboveground biomass, and community composition over the 12‐year period between surveys. We also reconstructed the disturbance history using a dendroecological analysis of tree‐ring series. Smaller fragments had a lower density of large trees in 1999, and small‐scale disturbance events were estimated to be relatively frequent around the same time that the forest was fragmented. These results were consistent with the expectation that tree mortality would increase following fragmentation. While elevated tree mortality in the small fragments suggests a greater loss of biomass density compared with larger fragments, the aboveground biomass recovered more rapidly in the smaller fragments over the 12‐year census interval. However, some small fragments showed extraordinary rates of biomass increases, suggesting that they were not simply the result of a recovery from the fragmentation event, but also reflected recoveries from more recent disturbances. As a result, although the species composition of the smaller fragments approached that of the larger fragments over time, the density of large trees was still lower in the smaller fragments in 2011. Our results emphasize the need to consider such complex forest dynamics when predicting functional consequences of fragmentation.