Divergent roles of herbivory in eutrophying forests
Abstract Ungulate populations are increasing across Europe with important implications for forest plant communities. Concurrently, atmospheric nitrogen (N) deposition continues to eutrophicate forests, threatening many rare, often more nutrient-efficient, plant species. These pressures may criticall...
Published in: | Nature Communications |
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2022
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ftsubgoettingen:oai:publications.goettingen-research-online.de:2/119150 2023-09-05T13:23:50+02:00 Divergent roles of herbivory in eutrophying forests Segar, Josiane Pereira, Henrique M. Baeten, Lander Bernhardt-Römermann, Markus De Frenne, Pieter Fernández, Néstor Gilliam, Frank S. Lenoir, Jonathan Ortmann-Ajkai, Adrienne Verheyen, Kris Staude, Ingmar R. 2022 https://resolver.sub.uni-goettingen.de/purl?gro-2/119150 https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-022-35282-6 en eng 2041-1723 https://resolver.sub.uni-goettingen.de/purl?gro-2/119150 doi:10.1038/s41467-022-35282-6 35282 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0 journal_article yes 2022 ftsubgoettingen https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-022-35282-6 2023-08-20T22:16:55Z Abstract Ungulate populations are increasing across Europe with important implications for forest plant communities. Concurrently, atmospheric nitrogen (N) deposition continues to eutrophicate forests, threatening many rare, often more nutrient-efficient, plant species. These pressures may critically interact to shape biodiversity as in grassland and tundra systems, yet any potential interactions in forests remain poorly understood. Here, we combined vegetation resurveys from 52 sites across 13 European countries to test how changes in ungulate herbivory and eutrophication drive long-term changes in forest understorey communities. Increases in herbivory were associated with elevated temporal species turnover, however, identities of winner and loser species depended on N levels. Under low levels of N-deposition, herbivory favored threatened and small-ranged species while reducing the proportion of non-native and nutrient-demanding species. Yet all these trends were reversed under high levels of N-deposition. Herbivores also reduced shrub cover, likely exacerbating N effects by increasing light levels in the understorey. Eutrophication levels may therefore determine whether herbivory acts as a catalyst for the “N time bomb” or as a conservation tool in temperate forests. Article in Journal/Newspaper Tundra Georg-August-Universität Göttingen: GoeScholar Nature Communications 13 1 |
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Georg-August-Universität Göttingen: GoeScholar |
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ftsubgoettingen |
language |
English |
description |
Abstract Ungulate populations are increasing across Europe with important implications for forest plant communities. Concurrently, atmospheric nitrogen (N) deposition continues to eutrophicate forests, threatening many rare, often more nutrient-efficient, plant species. These pressures may critically interact to shape biodiversity as in grassland and tundra systems, yet any potential interactions in forests remain poorly understood. Here, we combined vegetation resurveys from 52 sites across 13 European countries to test how changes in ungulate herbivory and eutrophication drive long-term changes in forest understorey communities. Increases in herbivory were associated with elevated temporal species turnover, however, identities of winner and loser species depended on N levels. Under low levels of N-deposition, herbivory favored threatened and small-ranged species while reducing the proportion of non-native and nutrient-demanding species. Yet all these trends were reversed under high levels of N-deposition. Herbivores also reduced shrub cover, likely exacerbating N effects by increasing light levels in the understorey. Eutrophication levels may therefore determine whether herbivory acts as a catalyst for the “N time bomb” or as a conservation tool in temperate forests. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Segar, Josiane Pereira, Henrique M. Baeten, Lander Bernhardt-Römermann, Markus De Frenne, Pieter Fernández, Néstor Gilliam, Frank S. Lenoir, Jonathan Ortmann-Ajkai, Adrienne Verheyen, Kris Staude, Ingmar R. |
spellingShingle |
Segar, Josiane Pereira, Henrique M. Baeten, Lander Bernhardt-Römermann, Markus De Frenne, Pieter Fernández, Néstor Gilliam, Frank S. Lenoir, Jonathan Ortmann-Ajkai, Adrienne Verheyen, Kris Staude, Ingmar R. Divergent roles of herbivory in eutrophying forests |
author_facet |
Segar, Josiane Pereira, Henrique M. Baeten, Lander Bernhardt-Römermann, Markus De Frenne, Pieter Fernández, Néstor Gilliam, Frank S. Lenoir, Jonathan Ortmann-Ajkai, Adrienne Verheyen, Kris Staude, Ingmar R. |
author_sort |
Segar, Josiane |
title |
Divergent roles of herbivory in eutrophying forests |
title_short |
Divergent roles of herbivory in eutrophying forests |
title_full |
Divergent roles of herbivory in eutrophying forests |
title_fullStr |
Divergent roles of herbivory in eutrophying forests |
title_full_unstemmed |
Divergent roles of herbivory in eutrophying forests |
title_sort |
divergent roles of herbivory in eutrophying forests |
publishDate |
2022 |
url |
https://resolver.sub.uni-goettingen.de/purl?gro-2/119150 https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-022-35282-6 |
genre |
Tundra |
genre_facet |
Tundra |
op_relation |
2041-1723 https://resolver.sub.uni-goettingen.de/purl?gro-2/119150 doi:10.1038/s41467-022-35282-6 35282 |
op_rights |
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0 |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-022-35282-6 |
container_title |
Nature Communications |
container_volume |
13 |
container_issue |
1 |
_version_ |
1776204404335050752 |