Speaker
Description
Production forests are managed to optimize timber production, resulting in even-aged stands with few canopy gaps and little deadwood. This biotic homogenization can lead to loss of biodiversity and ecosystem functions with far-reaching consequences for human well-being. To explore strategies for promoting biodiversity and ecosystem functioning while maintaining timber production, the BETA-FOR project studies the impact of experimentally induced structural complexity on forest biodiversity and ecosystem functioning. In total, we investigated 156 plots (each 50 x 50 m) in eight forests in Germany, whereof half was used as a control with forest management as usual, whereas in the other half canopy gaps and various types of deadwood were created. Our subproject examines how these treatments alter soil abiotic variables (soil pH and soil water content) and soil functions (soil respiration, soil microbial biomass, respiratory quotient, and activity responses to different substrates), and how these relationships evolved over five years of treatment. Results indicate that increased structural complexity influences soil water content but not soil pH. The activity, biomass, and substrate response of soil microorganisms appear to be context-dependent, with effects varying across different forest regions in Germany. Within the first five years following treatment establishment, there was no significant change in the impact on soil functions. Despite the lack of significant immediate changes in soil functions, promoting structural complexity in production forests holds promise for enhancing long-term biodiversity and ecosystem health.
| Status Group | Doctoral Researcher |
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