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Natural and Anthropogenic Flora and Vegetation of Oceanic Islands
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Natural and Anthropogenic Flora and Vegetation of Oceanic Islands

A special issue of Plants (ISSN 2223-7747). This special issue belongs to the section "Plant Ecology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 April 2024) | Viewed by 8062

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Valentí Rull

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Botanic Institute of Barcelona, Spanish Scientific Research Council (CSIC), Barcelona, Spain
Interests: palynology and paleoecology applied to plant ecology; evolution and biogeography
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Jose María Fernández-Palacios

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Ecology Department, Biology Faculty, University of La Laguna, La Laguna, Spain
Interests: plant ecology; island biogeography; forest dynamics; palaeoecology; island ecology

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The plant communities of oceanic islands and archipelagos have been deeply transformed after human settlement, and most of their original woodlands have been replaced by anthropogenic vegetation types composed of plants introduced from elsewhere. This has been considered a large-scale ecological and biogeographical experiment on the assembly of island biotas and ecosystems, which may provide relevant lessons for biodiversity and ecosystem conservation. This Special Issue is aimed at gathering a wide array of studies and points of view on the main features of native vegetation and its further prehistoric and historical modifications leading to present-day ecological and landscape configuration. Contributions from any field of research that are able to provide environmental and ecological information on the development of the oceanic plant communities, from primeval vegetation to the highly anthropogenic present ecosystems, are welcome. There is no restriction on the type of manuscripts required, provided that they fall within the categories considered by the journal.

Prof. Dr. Valentí Rull
Prof. Dr. Jose María Fernández-Palacios
Guest Editors

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. Plants is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly 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 2700 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

  • oceanic islands
  • human settlement
  • primeval forests
  • anthropization
  • deforestation
  • anthropogenic impact

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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26 pages, 8443 KiB  
Article
Hawaiian Treeline Ecotones: Implications for Plant Community Conservation under Climate Change
by Alison Ainsworth and Donald R. Drake
Plants 2024, 13(1), 123; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants13010123 - 31 Dec 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1336
Abstract
Species within tropical alpine treeline ecotones are predicted to be especially sensitive to climate variability because this zone represents tree species’ altitudinal limits. Hawaiian volcanoes have distinct treeline ecotones driven by trade wind inversions. The local climate is changing, but little is known [...] Read more.
Species within tropical alpine treeline ecotones are predicted to be especially sensitive to climate variability because this zone represents tree species’ altitudinal limits. Hawaiian volcanoes have distinct treeline ecotones driven by trade wind inversions. The local climate is changing, but little is known about how this influences treeline vegetation. To predict future impacts of climate variability on treelines, we must define the range of variation in treeline ecotone characteristics. Previous studies highlighted an abrupt transition between subalpine grasslands and wet forest on windward Haleakalā, but this site does not represent the diversity of treeline ecotones among volcanoes, lava substrates, and local climatic conditions. To capture this diversity, we used data from 225 plots spanning treelines (1500–2500 m) on Haleakalā and Mauna Loa to characterize ecotonal plant communities. Treeline indicator species differ by moisture and temperature, with common native species important for wet forest, subalpine woodland, and subalpine shrubland. The frequency or abundance of community indicator species may be better predictors of shifting local climates than the presence or absence of tree life forms per se. This study further supports the hypothesis that changes in available moisture, rather than temperature, will dictate the future trajectory of Hawaiian treeline ecotone communities. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Natural and Anthropogenic Flora and Vegetation of Oceanic Islands)
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23 pages, 6165 KiB  
Article
Do Native and Alien Species Differ in Their Ecological Strategies? A Test with Woody Plants in Tropical Rainforests on Réunion Island (Mascarene Archipelago, Indian Ocean)
by Lyse Heymans, Jean-Yves Meyer, Claudine Ah-Peng, Quentin Ethève, Olivier Flores, Christophe Lavergne, Bertrand Mallet, Hilde Parlevliet, Dominique Strasberg and Robin Pouteau
Plants 2023, 12(23), 3990; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants12233990 - 27 Nov 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1530
Abstract
Understanding the mechanisms of biological invasions (e.g., competitive exclusion) is a key conservation challenge, especially on islands. Many mechanisms have been tested by comparing the characteristics of native and alien species, but few studies have considered ecological strategies. Here we aim at comparing [...] Read more.
Understanding the mechanisms of biological invasions (e.g., competitive exclusion) is a key conservation challenge, especially on islands. Many mechanisms have been tested by comparing the characteristics of native and alien species, but few studies have considered ecological strategies. Here we aim at comparing the competitive ability, stress tolerance, and ruderalism (CSR) of native and alien trees in the tropical rainforests of Réunion Island. A total of sixteen 100 m2 plots (eight ‘near-trail’ and eight ‘off-trail’, at less disturbed sites) were established over a 2100 m elevational gradient. Three traits were measured in 1093 leaves from 237 trees: leaf area, leaf dry matter content and specific leaf area. They were converted into a CSR score assigned to each of the 80 surveyed tree species (70 native and 10 alien) using the ‘Stratefy’ ordination approach. C scores increased with basal area and S scores with elevation, but R scores were not higher along the trail, thus only partially validating Stratefy. Native and alien trees had similar CS strategies, thus challenging invasion hypotheses predicting a difference in ecological strategies and rather demonstrating the importance of environmental filtering. However, other differences falling outside the CSR theory may also explain the success of alien species on Réunion. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Natural and Anthropogenic Flora and Vegetation of Oceanic Islands)
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Review

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29 pages, 18246 KiB  
Review
Human Impacts on the Vegetation of the Juan Fernández (Robinson Crusoe) Archipelago
by Tod F. Stuessy, Daniel J. Crawford and Josef Greimler
Plants 2023, 12(23), 4038; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants12234038 - 30 Nov 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1869
Abstract
The human footprint on marine and terrestrial ecosystems of the planet has been substantial, largely due to the increase in the human population with associated activities and resource utilization. Oceanic islands have been particularly susceptible to such pressures, resulting in high levels of [...] Read more.
The human footprint on marine and terrestrial ecosystems of the planet has been substantial, largely due to the increase in the human population with associated activities and resource utilization. Oceanic islands have been particularly susceptible to such pressures, resulting in high levels of loss of biodiversity and reductions in the numbers and sizes of wild populations. One archipelago that has suffered from human impact has been the Juan Fernández (Robinson Crusoe) Archipelago, a Chilean national park located 667 km west of Valparaíso at 33° S. latitude. The park consists of three principal islands: Robinson Crusoe Island (48 km2); Santa Clara Island (2.2 km2); and Alejandro Selkirk Island (50 km2). The latter island lies 181 kms further west into the Pacific Ocean. No indigenous peoples ever visited or lived on any of these islands; they were first discovered by the Spanish navigator, Juan Fernández, in 1574. From that point onward, a series of European visitors arrived, especially to Robinson Crusoe Island. They began to cut the forests, and such activity increased with the establishment of a permanent colony in 1750 that has persisted to the present day. Pressures on the native and endemic flora increased due to the introduction of animals, such as goats, rats, dogs, cats, pigs, and rabbits. Numerous invasive plants also arrived, some deliberately introduced and others arriving inadvertently. At present, more than three-quarters of the endemic and native vascular species of the flora are either threatened or endangered. The loss of vegetation has also resulted in a loss of genetic variability in some species as populations are reduced in size or go extinct. It is critical that the remaining genetic diversity be conserved, and genomic markers would provide guidelines for the conservation of the diversity of the endemic flora. To preserve the unique flora of these islands, further conservation measures are needed, especially in education and phytosanitary monitoring. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Natural and Anthropogenic Flora and Vegetation of Oceanic Islands)
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32 pages, 8311 KiB  
Review
Human Settlement and Landscape Anthropization of Remote Oceanic Islands: A Comparison between Rapa Nui (Pacific Ocean) and the Azores (Atlantic Ocean)
by Valentí Rull
Plants 2023, 12(11), 2089; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants12112089 - 24 May 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2565
Abstract
The flora and vegetation of oceanic islands have been deeply affected by human settlement and further landscape modifications during prehistoric and historical times. The study of these transformations is of interest not only for understanding how current island biotas and ecological communities have [...] Read more.
The flora and vegetation of oceanic islands have been deeply affected by human settlement and further landscape modifications during prehistoric and historical times. The study of these transformations is of interest not only for understanding how current island biotas and ecological communities have been shaped but also for informing biodiversity and ecosystem conservation. This paper compares two oceanic insular entities of disparate geographical, environmental, biological, historical and cultural characteristics—Rapa Nui (Pacific Ocean) and the Azores Islands (Atlantic Ocean)—in terms of human settlement and further landscape anthropization. The similarities and differences between these islands/archipelagos are discussed considering their permanent colonization, the possibility of earlier settlements, the removal of the original forests and the further landscape transformations leading to either full floristic/vegetational degradation (Rapa Nui) or major replacement (Azores). This comparison uses evidence from varied disciplines, notably paleoecology, archaeology, anthropology and history, to obtain a holistic view of the development of the respective socioecological systems from a human ecodynamic perspective. The most relevant issues still to be resolved are identified and some prospects for future research are suggested. The cases of Rapa Nui and Azores Islands may help set a conceptual basis for ocean-wide global comparisons among oceanic islands/archipelagos. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Natural and Anthropogenic Flora and Vegetation of Oceanic Islands)
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