Kersti Püssa

Vegetation Change in Boreonemoral Forest during Succession — Trends in Species Composition, Richness and Differentiation Diversity

We compared the diversity and composition of understorey vegetation of four successional stages (recently clearcut, young, middle-aged and old stands) in an Estonian boreonemoral coniferous forest under homogeneous soil conditions. The ordination analysis (NMDS) showed that successional age was the main driver of understorey species composition with soil pH and P content responsible for some variation as well. Species composition in old-growth stands was more similar to the vegetation of young and clear-cut stands than to the composition of mid-aged stands. Species richness in 1-m2 plots was higher in recently disturbed and young stands due to the higher abundance of disturbance-related species. The differentiation diversity, characterising species turnover among plots within a stand, was higher in recently disturbed and young stands than in mid-aged and old stands. The results indicate that earlier successional stages are characterised by spatially heterogeneous and diverse vegetation, whereas older stands develop more homogeneous vegetation composition.

Issues related to delineation of forest boundaries on Landsat Thematic Mapper winter images

This paper describes an approach for estimating the effect of factors influencing the determination of forest boundaries on medium-resolution satellite images. Forest edges were delineated on a Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM) image made in late winter under plain snow cover conditions. The study investigated the best Landsat TM spectral band and threshold value for the detection of forest edges in winter images. It was hypothesized that shadows cast by trees on forest edges on the bright snow of the surrounding open area make north- or north-west-facing forest edges less sharp than edges facing in other directions. If this holds true for medium-resolution Landsat TM satellite images, forest area change studies should carefully consider images taken under different atmospheric and solar elevation conditions in order to distinguish real changes at forest edges from those stemming from different conditions of solar illumination. The results of the study show that there is no significant shadow effect, as the reflectance contrast at forest edges exposed in different azimuthal directions does not differ on Landsat TM winter images under plain snow cover conditions. Landsat TM bands 2-4 are all equally good for the detection of the forest edge location at an average value of reflectance. These results are valid for forest edges that have remained stable for several decades.

The radiance contrast of forest‐to‐clearcut edges on a medium resolution Landsat Enhanced Thematic Mapper satellite winter image

Forest logging results in decreased and fragmented forest area and the increased appearance of edge habitats. The monitoring of forest area and particularly, the detection of changes over the years relies on correctly determined forest edge locations. Radiance contrast of forest clearcut edges Our objective was to characterize the radiance contrast at the sharp forest edges of recently created clearcuts of boreal and boreo‐nemoral forests in Estonia. Radiance data were derived from a medium resolution Landsat Enhanced Thematic Mapper (ETM+) satellite image taken in late winter, in March. In the winter image there is a high radiance contrast at the forest to clearcut boundary area. This radiance contrast was investigated in the visible and near infrared spectral regions (ETM+ bands 1–4) with 30m‐pixel‐size resolution in the spectral bands and 15m‐pixel‐size in the ETM+ panchromatic band. The analyses of radiance contrast at clearcut to forest edges reveal the effects of stand parameters, clearcut age and azimuthal exposure. The results of the analyses show that the radiance contrast between forest and clearcut area depends on the stand height and stem volume of coniferous trees in the first and the second tree layer. The stem volume of deciduous trees had no statistically significant effect on the variation of radiance contrast at the forest edge. A significant non‐linear effect of the edge exposure to sun was found, indicating a shade length effect. Shade and forest structure affect edge detection on medium resolution satellite images.

The effects of successional age and forest site type on radiance of forest clear-cut communities

Abstract Remote sensing offers reliable information on the rate and pattern of clear-cut logging and provides this information as relatively frequent updates, over large areas, and at relatively low cost. Temporal gaps in yearly images in a multiyear data set ranging from 1 year to multiple years can lead to inaccuracies in the determination of the area of clear-cuts and the estimation of clear-cut age. This study tested the dependence of reflectance in Landsat Thematic Mapper bands 1–5 and 7 and normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) on forest age, gap size and forest type within the first 10 years following clear-cut logging in different seasons. The results of the study show that late winter images with snow-covered ground are phenologically the best timed images for detecting forest clear-cut area regionally. Spring and summer image are more useful for estimation of the successional age of clear-cut areas in various soil fertility and moisture conditions.

Intra-individual ITS polymorphism and hybridization in Pulmonaria obscura Dumort. and Pulmonaria angustifolia L. (Boraginaceae)

Internal transcribed spacer (ITS) is used as a molecular marker in most phylogenetical analyses in Boraginaceae, an unplaced group in the current angiosperm phylogeny. However, there is no knowledge on intra-individual polymorphism of ITS in Boraginaceae. Difficulties in PCR and sequencing of ITS in Pulmonaria species mentioned in the literature may be seen as indirect evidence of intra-individual polymorphism. This study aims to detect intra-individual polymorphism of ITS1–5.8S–ITS2 in rare species Pulmonariaangustifolia L. and common species Pulmonariaobscura Dumort. Cloning of ITS sequences of P. angustifolia, P. obscura and putative hybrid specimens from mixed population showed intra-individual polymorphism of ITS1–5.8S–ITS2 in all specimens, whereas most of them also contained pseudogenic sequences. Intra-individual sequence divergence of ITS1 and ITS2 spacers was similar in the P. angustifolia and mixed population and significantly higher than in P. obscura. P. angustifolia specimens had nucleotide polymorphisms characteristic to both P. angustifolia and P. obscura and part of P. angustifolia sequences clustered into mostly P. obscura clade on the neighbour-joining trees based on ITS1 sequence and ITS2 sequence and structure data. These results suggest a hybrid origin of all P. angustifolia populations studied. Thus, outbreeding depression is a likely explanation for the decline in populations near the northern border of distribution area of rare species P. angustifolia. Hybrid origin of the whole P. angustifolia is also probable; the central population from Poland showed a similar pattern of polymorphism as distribution edge populations.

Microbial island biogeography: isolation shapes the life history characteristics but not diversity of root-symbiotic fungal communities

Island biogeography theory is one of the most influential paradigms in ecology. That island characteristics, including remoteness, can profoundly modulate biological diversity has been borne out by studies of animals and plants. By contrast, the processes influencing microbial diversity in island systems remain largely undetermined. We sequenced arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungal DNA from plant roots collected on 13 islands worldwide and compared AM fungal diversity on islands with existing data from mainland sites. AM fungal communities on islands (even those >6000 km from the closest mainland) comprised few endemic taxa and were as diverse as mainland communities. Thus, in contrast to patterns recorded among macro-organisms, efficient dispersal appears to outweigh the effects of taxogenesis and extinction in regulating AM fungal diversity on islands. Nonetheless, AM fungal communities on more distant islands comprised a higher proportion of previously cultured and large-spored taxa, indicating that dispersal may be human-mediated or require tolerance of significant environmental stress, such as exposure to sunlight or high salinity. The processes driving large-scale patterns of microbial diversity are a key consideration for attempts to conserve and restore functioning ecosystems in this era of rapid global change.