Undergrowth

About: Undergrowth is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 795 publications have been published within this topic receiving 11911 citations. The topic is also known as: understorey & underbrush.

Kirigala forest fragments and the identity as a dipterocarp plantation or Hora Kele of Ingiriya

Abstract: Fragmentation has exposed the Kirigala forest to the influence of various neighbourhood land-use practices. The present study investigated the floristic, soil and micro-climatic conditions of the forest and demonstrated its degradation due to influences by human induced disturbances. Ten 50 m × 5 m gradsects each accommodating 3 pairs of 10 m × 5 m plots, a total of 60 soil samples and 20 seed traps provided floristic details, seedling emergence from seed bank and annual seed rain of the forest, respectively. Diversity of the edge and the forest interior were compared for the different neighbourhood land use types using the Shannon and Weiner (H) and Simpsons reciprocal (D) indices. Change in the forest structure was illustrated using profile diagrams. Differences in soil pH, soil moisture, nitrogen, available phosphorous and potassium, organic matter content, air temperature, humidity and light intensity between the forest edge and the interior were determined. Soil, microclimate and species richness were combined for clustering of similar areas. The site reported the presence of 55 tree, 12 shrub, 15 herb, 07 climber and 02 vine species including a total of 23 endemic species and 06 invasive species. A higher diversity was observed at the edge, and the highest was observed beside roads as indicated by both diversity indices H and D. Soil and microclimate of the forest varied significantly between the edge and the interior and reflected anthropogenic influences and neighbourhood land use practices. Dominance hierarchy of the trees was Dipterocarpus zeylanicus > Gaertnera vaginans > Aporusa lanceolata , while that for undergrowth/shrubs herbaceous species was Ochlandra stridula > Dracaena thwaitesii > Piper sylvestre . Annual seed rain contained propagules of 23 plant species, while invasive Alstonia macrophylla provided the highest density of seeds. Establishment of foot paths, selective removal of juveniles by root-balling technique and encroachment for crop cultivation have also facilitated the degradation process. It is vital to pay attention on maintaining the ecological stability of this forest before it loses its identity as the Hora Kele of Ingiriya.

Vertical Distribution of Beetles (Coleoptera) in Pine Forests in Central European Russia

Abstract: Research on the Arthropoda distribution in temperate forest ecosystems has shown that communities are distributed vertically in unequal numbers. However, this issue still has research gaps in relation to the vertical stratification of Coleoptera in pine forests of the temperate zone. This study was conducted in the Republic of Mordovia situated in central part of European Russia. We used fermental traps to collect Coleoptera (the bait is fermenting beer with sugar and honey). The sampling was conducted from May to September 2021 in five sites of pine forests. One hundred and twenty-five species from 36 families were identified. The highest species richness was found in Nitidulidae and Cerambycidae (19 species each), Elateridae (13), Curculionidae (7) and Scarabaeidae (6). The highest number of species (84 species) was obtained at the height of 1.5 m, while the smallest species richness (44 species) was found at the height of 12.0 m. At the height of 12 m, we also registered the minimum number of specimens. Twenty-four species from 11 families were common to all the heights studied. Cryptarcha strigata and Glischrochilus grandis preferred heights of 3 and 1.5 m. Cryptarcha undata and Protaetia marmorata were more common at a height of 7 m with a frequency of 61.4–79.6% and 68.2–79.6%, respectively. The absolute number of saproxyl and anthophilic beetle species was higher in the ground layer and at the undergrowth level. These studies expand our understanding of the vertical distribution of beetles in pine forests of the temperate zone of European Russia.

Short Communication: The composition of undergrowth vegetation in the Gendol Riverbank, Sleman District, Yogyakarta, Indonesia

Abstract: . Syahbudin A, Meinata A, Arifriana R, Wiyono. 2020. The composition of undergrowth vegetation in the Gendol Riverbank, Sleman District, Yogyakarta, Indonesia. Biodiversitas 21: 1786-1792. Gendol river is one of the rivers affected by a pyroclastic blast from Mount Merapi eruption in 2010. This river flows through several villages, such as Glagaharjo, Kepuharjo, Wukirsari, and Argomulyo. On this riverbank, vegetation has grown naturally post-eruption of Mount Merapi and is continues to change. Some vegetation was also planted by the community. This study aims to find out the composition of the undergrowth vegetation on the Gendol riverbank in Cangkringan Sub-district. The data was obtained systematically by marking 10 sample plots of 5 m x 5 m and 2 m x 2 m size, on each side of the bank. A total of 68 species were recorded in this study which consisted of 29 trees species in seedlings and saplings stage, 34 species of herbs and shrubs, and 6 species of grasses. The dominant among the non-tree species are Chromolaena odorata (L.) R.M.King & H.Rob. with an IVI of 43.78%, Alternanthera brasiliana (L.) Kuntze with IVI of 16.6% and Asystasia gangetica (L.) T. Anderson with IVI of 15.78%. Saplings are dominated by Falcataria moluccana (Miq.) Barneby & J.W. Grimes with IVI of 32.81%, followed by Leucaena leucocephala (Lam.) De Wit (IVI-24.41%) and Melia azedarach (IVI-14.28%).

Fructification in dutch maianthemum bifolium populations

Abstract: SUMMARY Aspects of fructification in Maianthemum bifolium were studied, mainly in natural populations in The Netherlands, but also in additional laboratory experiments. C. 15% of the plants were found to produce flowers. On an average 25.1 ± 3.59 flowers and 2.7 ± 2.24 fruits were established per fruiting plant, and a mean of 1.2 fruits per flowering plant. It was ascertained that at soil pH ≤ 4 generally more fruits were produced than at higher pH values. At a coverage of ≥ 35%, a highly positive correlation was found to exist between the coverage percentage of undergrowth and the number of fruits produced. A presumed positive effect of the undergrowth via a raised air humidity on fruit production was affirmed by laboratory experiments. Syrphidae appeared to be the most important pollinating insects. However, insect pollination did not appear to be decisive for fruit production.

Structure and Species Composition in Logged-over Swamp Forest, Bengkalis, Riau

Abstract: Peat swamp forest is a particularly stable ecosystem. This stability may regulate well-balanced water to maintain the existence of typical flora and fauna. The present study describes the structure and species composition from three different sites namely newly logged-over swamp forest, three years old logged-over swamp forest, and four years old-logged over swamp forest in Bengkalis, Riau, Indonesia. The study sites were predominated by four structural ensembles with their strata order from the highest to lowest: emergent trees, canopy, lower ensembles, and undergrowth. The emergent trees consisted of three tree species, and the canopy included four species, lower groups covered three species, and undergrowth had two species. Overall, the three sites composed of 26 species with 24 genera and 24 families. Dendrogram based on similarity of site index showed that newly and three years old logged-over forest joined into one cluster with Euclidean distance at 38.42. Furthermore, both sites joined with four years old logged over forest forming another cluster with 489.19 Euclidean distances. Present study, therefore, showing that four years old logged-over peat swamp forest turned out to have the greatest Euclidean distance value.