Baisheva, E.Z.,
P.S. Shirokikh & V.B. Martynenko. Effect
of clear-cutting on bryophytes in pine forests of the South Urals
Arctoa
(2015) 24: 547-555
doi: 10.15298/arctoa.24.47
In the Southern Urals, we investigated the process of
natural forest regeneration and the changes in bryophyte component of the
secondary plant communities originated after clear-cutting in the indigenous
herbaceous-mossy pine forests. In study area, the clear-cutting facilitated the
appearance of the long-term secondary pine-birch forests, which differ from
natural pine forests by another tree species composition, greater herb cover
and shading, low bryophyte cover. The bryophyte substrate groups respond to
clear-cutting in different ways. The epixylic species
are more labile and characterized by intensive processes of decreasing and
increasing of diversity during the succession. The boreal forest floor species,
e.g. Pleurozium schreberi
and Hylocomium splendens
clearly proved to be more resilient to the disturbances. The colonists (Ceratodon purpureus, Dicranella heteromalla, etc.)
were particularly abundant during the period 5-10 years after cutting. In the
secondary forests, the bryophyte richness was almost recovered in 40-60 years,
but the abundance of some forest floor bryophytes declined significant. The
bryophyte composition in the birch and pine forests slightly differs mostly due
to elimination of few species that have low frequency in the forests before
clear-cutting (Mnium spinosum,
Lophozia ventricosa, etc.).