Effects of woodlot isolation on the dispersion of plants with fleshy fruits

By relating species presence, number and density to the perimeter and isolation of small (0.1 - 2.75 ha) homogeneous woodlots (n = 43), indications were obtained that some fleshy-fruited species are negatively affected by woodlot isolation. The number of fruit-bearing herbaceous perennial species in...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of vegetation science 1991-06, Vol.2 (3), p.377-384
Main Authors: van Ruremonde, R. H. A. C., Kalkhoven, J. T. R.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Agricultural landscape
Birds
Dispersal
Drupes
Ecological infrastructure
Endozoochory
Forest cover
Forest ecology
Forest habitats
Forest island
Heukels & van der Meijden
Landscape island
Landscapes
Metapopulation
Mixed forests
Plants
Trees
Woodlots
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Summary:By relating species presence, number and density to the perimeter and isolation of small (0.1 - 2.75 ha) homogeneous woodlots (n = 43), indications were obtained that some fleshy-fruited species are negatively affected by woodlot isolation. The number of fruit-bearing herbaceous perennial species increased with woodlot area, probably because of the increasing heterogeneity of the herb layer. The density of individuals of the investigated species were negatively correlated to woodlot area. There were also some indications that the presence/absence of species was related to the length of the forest edge (e.g. Hedera helix). Because woodlot area and shape index were strongly correlated, the effects of increased forest area and forest edge were hard to separate. The probability of occurrence of Lonicera periclymenum and the density of Ilex aquifolium decreased with an increasing degree of isolation of present forest islands. The chance of occurrence of L. periclymenum decreased also with the degree of isolation in the past, measured from topographical maps of about 60 yr ago. The total area of broad-leaved forest within a radius of 500 m, as well as the distance to the nearest connecting landscape element, seem to be good indicators of woodlot isolation.
ISSN:1100-9233
1654-1103
DOI:10.2307/3235930