Abstract

Questions How do contrasting environmental conditions among forests and hedgerows affect the vegetative and reproductive performance of understorey forest herbs in both habitats? Can hedgerows support reproductive source populations of forest herbs, thus potentially allowing progressive dispersal of successive generations along these linear habitats? Location Hedgerows and deciduous forest patches in agricultural landscapes across the European temperate biome. Methods First, we assessed differences in environmental conditions among forests and hedgerows. Next, we quantified plant performance based on a set of functional life-history traits for four forest herbs (Anemone nemorosa,Ficaria verna,Geum urbanum, Poa nemoralis) with contrasting flowering phenology and colonisation capacity in paired combinations of forests and hedgerows, and compared these traits among both habitats. Finally, we assessed relationships between plant performance and environmental conditions in both habitats. Results All study species showed a higher above-ground biomass in hedgerows than in forests. ForPoa nemoralisandGeum urbanum, we also found a higher reproductive output in hedgerows, which was mainly correlated to the higher sub-canopy temperatures therein. The "ancient forest herb"Anemone nemorosa, however, appeared to have a lower reproductive output in hedgerows than in forests, while forFicaria vernano reproductive differences were found between the two habitats. Conclusions This is the first study on such a broad geographical scale to provide evidence of reproductive source populations of forest herbs in hedgerows. Our findings provide key information on strategies by which forest plants grow, reproduce and disperse in hedgerow environments, which is imperative to better understand the dispersal corridor function of these wooded linear structures. Finally, we highlight the urgent need to develop guidelines for preserving, managing and establishing hedgerows in intensive agricultural landscapes, given their potential to contribute to the long-term conservation and migration of forest herbs in the face of global environmental change.

Keywords

agricultural landscapes; contrasting environmental conditions; forest fragmentation; forest herbs; functional traits; hedgerows; metapopulation dynamics; microclimate; migration corridors; plant performance; source-sink dynamics; understorey vegetation

Published in

Journal of Vegetation Science
2020, Volume: 31, number: 5, pages: 817-829
Publisher: WILEY

SLU Authors

• Brunet, Jörg

  • Southern Swedish Forest Research Centre, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

• Hedwall, Per-Ola

  • Southern Swedish Forest Research Centre, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

Sustainable Development Goals

SDG15 Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss


UKÄ Subject classification

Forest Science
Ecology


Publication identifier

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/jvs.12917

Permanent link to this page (URI)

https://res.slu.se/id/publ/107165