Baisheva E.Z.1, Shirokikh P.S.1, Martynenko V.B.1 2015. Effect of clear-cutting on bryophytes
in pine forests of the South Urals // Arctoa. Vol. 24(2): 547-555 [in English].

1 Ufa Institute of Biology of Russian Academy of Sciences, October av., 69, Ufa, 450054 Russia; e-mails: elvbai@mail.ru, shirpa@mail.ru, vasmar@anrb.ru

Keywords: bryophytes, forest harvest, forest restoration, regenerative succession, pine forest, secondary birch forests, the South Urals

Abstract. In the Southern Urals, we investigated the process of natural forest regeneration and the changes in bryophyte component of the secondary plant communities originated after clear-cutting in the indigenous herbaceous-mossy pine forests. In study area, the clear-cutting facilitated the appearance of the long-term secondary pine-birch forests, which differ from natural pine forests by another tree species composition, greater herb cover and shading, low bryophyte cover. The bryophyte substrate groups respond to clear-cutting in different ways. The epixylic species are more labile and characterized by intensive processes of decreasing and increasing of diversity during the succession. The boreal forest floor species, e.g. Pleurozium schreberi and Hylocomium splendens clearly proved to be more resilient to the disturbances. The colonists (Ceratodon purpureus, Dicranella heteromalla, etc.) were particularly abundant during the period 5-10 years after cutting. In the secondary forests, the bryophyte richness was almost recovered in 40-60 years, but the abundance of some forest floor bryophytes declined significant. The bryophyte composition in the birch and pine forests slightly differs mostly due to elimination of few species that have low frequency in the forests before clear-cutting (Mnium spinosum, Lophozia ventricosa, etc.).

doi: 10.15298/arctoa.24.47

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