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Forests
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Plant-Animal Interactions in Forest Ecosystems
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Plant-Animal Interactions in Forest Ecosystems

A special issue of Forests (ISSN 1999-4907). This special issue belongs to the section "Forest Ecophysiology and Biology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 September 2019) | Viewed by 10837

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Bogdan Jaroszewicz

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Białowieża Geobotanical Station, Faculty of Biology, University of Warsaw, Sportowa 19, PL 17-230 Białowieża, Poland
Interests: biodiversity of temperate forests; climate change; forest conservation; temperate forest ecology; biological invasions; plant-animal interactions; seed dispersal; vegetation phenology

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Forests are essential for life on earth and for human well-being. They provide habitat for approximately 80% of the world’s terrestrial biodiversity, protect watersheds, supply oxygen and provide many material goods. Many of these ecosystem services are delivered or enhanced by plant–animal interactions, which influence the ecological stability of ecosystems, energy fluxes, nutrient cycling, species composition, species distribution, etc. Our knowledge of the importance of plant–animal interactions to forest ecosystem functioning is very low, especially when taking into account the very wide range of existing plant–animal co-adaptations occurring on the structural, molecular and physiological levels. The range of potential direct and indirect plant–animal interactions is very wide and includes all types of relationships between any animal and any plant, from antagonistic via mutualistic to commensal.

This Special Issue of Forests is devoted to the ecology of plant–animal interactions in forest ecosystems. Submitted articles may focus on any interaction involving animal and plant partners: from animal herbivory and plant carnivory, plant pollination and seed dispersal to indirect enhancement of tree recruitment by a ‘landscape of fear’. Thus, any study increasing our understanding of the coevolutionary relationships between plants and animals and their importance to forest functioning are welcomed by the editors.

Dr. Bogdan Jaroszewicz
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Forests is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • biological networks
  • forest ecology
  • ecosystem functioning
  • biodiversity
  • coevolution of interactions
  • seed dispersal
  • pollination
  • herbivory

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

12 pages, 2842 KiB  
Article
An Ant-Plant Mesocosm Experiment Reveals Dispersal Patterns of Myrmecochorous Plants
by Gerriet Fokuhl, Jürgen Heinze and Peter Poschlod
Forests 2019, 10(12), 1149; https://doi.org/10.3390/f10121149 - 16 Dec 2019
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2881
Abstract
For Central European herbs, ants are one common dispersal vector acting at relatively small spatial scales. Though extensively studied concerning the different benefits to plants, specific dispersal patterns mediated by ants have been reportedly very sparsely and without any validation. Thus, we studied [...] Read more.
For Central European herbs, ants are one common dispersal vector acting at relatively small spatial scales. Though extensively studied concerning the different benefits to plants, specific dispersal patterns mediated by ants have been reportedly very sparsely and without any validation. Thus, we studied the seed dispersal pattern of a set of myrmecochorous plant species in a novel mesocosm experiment. We examined the seed dispersal distances of four forest herbs (Hollow Root–Corydalis cava (L.) Schweigg. & Körte, Alpine Squill–Scilla bifolia L., and Common Dog-violet–Viola riviniana Rchb. and the annual Ivy-leaved Speedwell–Veronica hederifolia L.) by the red ant Myrmica ruginodis Nylander in 8.25 m² large plots under natural conditions with and without ants. In the presence of Myrmica ants, the bulb geophytes C. cava and S. bifolia showed a significantly higher fraction of dispersed seedlings and a maximum dispersal distance of 322 cm. Estimated by nearest neighbor analyses, distances between single C. cava seedlings were significantly higher in ant plots than in exclosures without ants. The annual species Veronica hederifolia showed a few dispersed seedlings in ant plots only, while the diplochorous hemicryptophyte Viola riviniana germinated in a widely scattered manner with distances up to 241 cm due to ballochorous dispersal in both ant and exclosure plots, but with a maximum of 324 cm only by means of ants. Our results indicate the escape from the mother plant and dispersal for distance as an important benefit for myrmecochorous species, potentially accompanied by benefits through reduced competition. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant-Animal Interactions in Forest Ecosystems)
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14 pages, 2004 KiB  
Article
Polish Pony Changes Lower Layer Biodiversity in Old Growth Scots Pine Stands
by Sergii Boiko, Ernest Bielinis, Zbigniew Sierota, Anna Zawadzka, Alicja Słupska, Maciej Nasiadko and Jakub Borkowski
Forests 2019, 10(5), 417; https://doi.org/10.3390/f10050417 - 14 May 2019
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2842
Abstract
The study examines the influence of Polish primitive horse grazing on vegetation in deciduous and coniferous old forest stands in north-east Poland. It was conducted in both forest sites in two complexes located in: (i) the fenced area of the Popielno Research Station [...] Read more.
The study examines the influence of Polish primitive horse grazing on vegetation in deciduous and coniferous old forest stands in north-east Poland. It was conducted in both forest sites in two complexes located in: (i) the fenced area of the Popielno Research Station of the Polish Academy of Sciences, with free-living Polish pony [Polish primitive horse (Equus ferus caballus Linnaeus, 1758)] in 130-year-old stands, and (ii) in the open 116-year-old managed (harvested) Maskulińskie Forest District, without horses. In both areas the stands are inhabited by free-living red and roe deer. The impact of forest animals on ground cover layer as well as on understory shrub layer and undergrowth was compared. Very significant differences in the structure of the understory and undergrowth (above 0.5 m) layer vegetation communities between both areas and type of stands were found. The results suggest that the presence of the Polish horse substantially changed the species composition and increased the species diversity of the ground layer and shrub layer both in the coniferous forest and deciduous forest habitats. The height of the shrub layer trees was lower by 30% in the area with the Polish horse. The level of biodiversity of forest plants was dependent on the presence of the Polish horse, which in the past was one of the natural inhabitants of forests in the area of research. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant-Animal Interactions in Forest Ecosystems)
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15 pages, 2636 KiB  
Article
Egg Deposition of Micromelalopha sieversi (Staudinger) on Clones of Populus from Section Aigeiros Induces Resistance in Neighboring Plants
by Li Guo, Fu Liu, Sufang Zhang, Xiangbo Kong and Zhen Zhang
Forests 2019, 10(2), 110; https://doi.org/10.3390/f10020110 - 30 Jan 2019
Cited by 10 | Viewed by 2777
Abstract
Research Highlights: We demonstrated that the resistance mechanisms of plants could be used to combat damage caused by pests in forestry plantations. Background and Objectives: Poplar is the main tree species used in plantations in northern China, with Micromelalopha sieversi (Staudinger) [...] Read more.
Research Highlights: We demonstrated that the resistance mechanisms of plants could be used to combat damage caused by pests in forestry plantations. Background and Objectives: Poplar is the main tree species used in plantations in northern China, with Micromelalopha sieversi (Staudinger) representing a major pest species causing defoliation. Here, we investigated whether two poplar clones could resist this pest species and the physiological mechanisms involved. Materials and Methods: Two clones of Populus from section Aigeiros were used, with ‘108’ (P. × euramericana ‘Guariento’) being more attractive to M. sieversi than ‘111’ (P. × euramericana ‘Bellotto’). Three treatments were set up (oviposited plants, neighboring plants, and control plants) to determine whether resistance was induced in plants neighboring oviposited plants. Results: Significantly fewer eggs were oviposited on neighboring plants compared to control plants for both clones, with more eggs being laid on oviposited and control plants of ‘108’ compared to ‘111’. β-Pinene was detected in oviposited and neighboring plants, but not control plants for either clone. Significantly higher concentrations of 3-carene was present in oviposited and neighboring plants of ‘108’ and ‘111’ compared to control plants at 24, 48, and 72 h after oviposition. Males, females, and mated females primarily responded to electroantennogram (EAG), methyl palmitate and 2-ethylhexyl acrylate at 50 ng/μL, and to 3-carene and β-pinene at 5 ng/μL, and to styrene at 10 ng/μL in EAG assays. When using these concentrations on plant leaves, 3-carene, β-pinene, and styrene significantly reduced the number of eggs laid on ‘108’, while 3-carene and β-pinene were effective for ‘111’. Conclusions: Plants neighboring oviposited plants exhibited defense responses; 3-carene and β-pinene were used to transmit chemical signals (volatile cues) from oviposited plants to neighboring plants; which induced neighboring plants released volatiles as a defense mechanism to prevent egg laying. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant-Animal Interactions in Forest Ecosystems)
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