Effects of clear-cuts on Vaccinium myrtillus and Vaccinium vitis-idaea vegetative characteristics, and accumulation of phenolic compounds in Scots Pine-dominated forests

Authors

  • Laima Cesoniene Vytautas Magnus University
  • Remigijus Daubaras Vytautas Magnus University
  • Kristina Surviliene
  • Vilma Kaskoniene
  • Audrius Sigitas Maruska
  • Nicola Tiso
  • Paulius Kaskonas Kaunas University of Technology
  • Marcin Zych

Abstract

The cutting of forest clearings (clear-cuts) causes considerable changes to forest ecosystems, including physical and chemical changes to understory vegetation. Forest restoration processes strongly depend on the degree of disturbance caused by this activity. Our aim was to assess short-term changes to Vaccinium myrtillus and V. vitis-idaea populations in Pinus sylvestris - dominated forests following the clear-cuts. Vegetative performance of V. myrtillus and V. vitis-idaea populations was determined for mature forest stands and for clear-cuts. Spectrophotometric tests were used to measure the total phenolic compound content, as well as flavonoid content, together with free radical scavenging activity in both aboveground and underground parts of V. myrtillus and V. vitis-idaea. Statistical data mining using MATLAB v9.1 software was performed on vegetative characters of V. myrtillus and V. vitis-idaea, as well as on data relating to the antioxidant properties of these samples. Investigation of V. myrtillus and V. vitis- idaea revealed different responses following the clear-cut. We detected immediate changes in aboveground and underground parts, as well as in the number of individual shrubs of V. vitis-idaea and V. myrtillus after clear-cuttings. The both species showed higher vitality in Pinetum vaccinio-myrtillosum following the clear-cut. An increase in total phenolic and free radical scavenging activity was seen in V. vitis-idaea populations after clear-cutting in both types of forest.

 

References

Atlegrim, O. and Sjӧberg, K. 1996. Response of bilberry (Vaccinium myrtillus) to clear-cutting and single-tree selection harvest in uneven-aged boreal Picea abies forests. Forest Ecology and Management 86: 39-50.

Bradley, R.L., Titus, B.D. and Preston, C.P. 2000. Changes to mineral N cycling and microbial communities in black spruce humus after additions of (NH4)2SO4 and condensed tannins extracted from Kalmia angustifolia and balsam fir. Soil Biology and Biochemistry 32: 1227-1240.

Davis, R.L. and Puettmann, K.J. 2009. Initial response of understory vegetation to three alternative thinning treatments. Journal of Sustainable Forestry 28: 904-934.

Ehala, S., Vaher, M. and Kaljurand, M. 2005. Characterization of phenolic profiles of Northern European berries by capillary electrophoresis and determination of their antioxidant activity. Journal of Agricutural and Food Chemistry 53: 6484-6490.

Frego, K.A. 2007. Bryophytes as potential indicators of forest integrity. Forest Ecology and Management 242: 65-75.

Ganthaler, A. and Mayr, S. 2015. Dwarf shrub hydraulics: two Vaccinium species (Vaccinium myrtillus, Vaccinium vitis-idaea) of the European Alps compared. Physiologia Plantarum 155(4): 424-434.

Godefroid, S., Rucquoij, S. and Koedam, N. 2005. To what extent do forest herbs recover after clearcutting in beech forests? Forest Ecology and Management 210 (1-3): 39-53.

Haukioja, E. 2005. Plant defences and population fluctuations of forest defoliators: mechanism-based scenarios. Annales Zoologici Fennici 42: 313-325.

Heinrichs, S. and Schmidt, W. 2009. Short-term effects on selection and clear cutting on the shrub and herb layer vegetation during the conversion of even-aged Norway spruce stands into mixed stands. Forest Ecology and Management 258 (5): 667-678.

Hofland-Zijlstra, J.D. and Berendse, F. 2009. The effect of nutrient supply and light intensity on tannins and mycorrhizal colonisation in Dutch heathland ecosystems. Plant Ecology 201(2): 661-675.

Jalonen, J. and Vanha-Majamaa, I. 2001. Immediate effects of four different felling methods on mature boreal spruce forest understory vegetation in southern Finland. Forest Ecology and Management 146: 25-34.

Jovančević, M., Balijagić, J., Menković, N., Scaron, K., Zdunić, G., Janković, T. and Dekić-Ivanković, M. 2011. Analysis of phenolic compounds in wild populations of bilberry (Vaccinium myrtillus L.) from Montenegro. Journal of Medicinal Plants Research 5(6): 910-914.

Karazija, S. 2003. Age-related dynamics of pine forest communities in Lithuania. Baltic Forestry 9 (1): 50-62.

Katsube, N., Iwashita, K, Tsushida, T., Yamaki, K. and Kobori, M. 2003. Induction of apoptosis in cancer cells by bilberry (Vaccinium myrtillus) and the anthocyanins. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry 51(1): 68-75.

Kaškonas, P., Stanius, Ž., Kaškonienė, V., Obelevičius, K., Ragažinskienė, O., Žilinskas, A. and Maruška, A. 2016. Clustering analysis of different hop varieties according to their essential oil composition measured by GC/MS. Chemical Papers 70: 1568-1577.

Kaškonienė, V., Ruočkuvienė, G., Kaškonas, P., Akuneca, I. and Maruška, A. 2015b. Chemometric analysis of bee pollen based on volatile and phenolic compound compositions and antioxidant properties. Food Analytical Methods 8:1150-1163.

Kraus, T.E.C., Dahlgren, R.A. and Zasoki, R.I. 2003. Tannins in nutrient dynamics of forest ecosystems – a review. Plant and Soil 256: 41-66.
Li, Z.H, Wang, Q., Ruan, X., Pan, C.-D. and Jiang, D.-A. 2010. Phenolics and Plant Allelopathy. Molecules 15: 8933-8952.

Miina, J., Hotanen, J.-P. and Salo, K. 2009. Modelling the abundance and temporal variation in the production of bilberry (Vaccinium myrtillus L.) in Finnish mineral soil forests. Silva Fennica 43: 577-593.

Navasaitis, M., Ozolinčius, R., Smaliukas, D. and Balevičienė, J. 2003. Lietuvos dendroflora [Dendroflora of Lithuania]. Kaunas: Lututė, 576 pp. (in Lithuanian with English summary).

Nielsen, A., Totland, Ø. and Ohlson, M. 2007. The effect of forest management operations on population performance of Vaccinium myrtillus on a landscape scale. Basic and Applied Ecology 8: 231-241.

Northup, R. R., Dahlgren, R. A. and McColl, J. G. 1998. Polyphenols as regulators of plant–litter–soil interactions in northern California’s pygmy forest: a positive feedback? Biogeochemistry 42: 189-220.

Nybakken, L., Selås, V. and Ohlson, M. 2013. Increased growth and phenolic compounds in bilberry (Vaccinium myrtillus L.) following forest clear-cutting. Scandinavian Journal of Forest Research 28(4): 319-330.

Pakonen, T., Saari, E., Laine, K., Havas, P. and Lähdesmäki. P. 1991. How do seasonal changes in carbohydrate concentrations in tissues of the bilberry (Vaccinium myrtillus L.) reflect carbon resource allocation patterns? Acta Oecologia 12: 249-259.

Palviainen, M., Finér, L., Mannerkoski, H., Piirainen, S. and Starr, M. 2005. Responses of ground vegetation species to clear-cutting in a boreal forest: aerial biomass and nutrient contents during the first 7 years. Ecological Research 20: 652-660.

Roberts, M.R. and Zhu, L. 2002. Early responses of the herbaceous layer to harvesting in a mixed-coniferous-deciduous forest in New Brunswick, Canada. Forest Ecology and Management 155: 17-31.

Rodríguez. A. and Kouki, J. 2015. Emulating natural disturbance in forest management enhances pollination services for dominant Vaccinium shrubs in boreal pine-dominated forests. Forest Ecology and Management 350:1-12.

Salemaa, M., Vanha-Majamaa, I. and Gardner, P.J. 1999. Compensatory growth of two dwarf shrubs, Arctostaphylos uva-ursi and Vaccinium uliginosum in a heavy metal polluted environment. Plant Ecology 141: 79-91.

Sobrado, M.A. 1986. Aspects of tissue water relations and seasonal changes of leaf water potential components of evergreen and deciduous species coexisting in tropical dry forests. Oecologia 68: 413-416.

Taulavuori, E., Tahkokorpi, M., Laine, K. and Taulavuori, K. 2010. Drought tolerance of juvenile and mature leaves of a deciduous dwarf shrub Vaccinium myrtillus L. in a boreal environment. Protoplasma 241: 19-27.

Widenfalk, O. and Weslien, J. 2009. Plant species richness in managed forests - Effects of stand succession and thinning. Forest Ecology and Management 257: 1386-1394.

Witzell. J., Gref, R. and Näsholm, T. 2013. Plant-part specific and temporal variation in phenolic compounds of boreal bilberry (Vaccinium myrtillus) plants. Biochemical Systematics and Ecology 31: 115-127.  

Downloads

Published

2018-12-31

How to Cite

Cesoniene, L., Daubaras, R., Surviliene, K., Kaskoniene, V., Maruska, A. S., Tiso, N., Kaskonas, P., & Zych, M. (2018). Effects of clear-cuts on Vaccinium myrtillus and Vaccinium vitis-idaea vegetative characteristics, and accumulation of phenolic compounds in Scots Pine-dominated forests. Baltic Forestry, 24(2), 278–286. Retrieved from https://balticforestryojs.lammc.lt/ojs/index.php/BF/article/view/224

Issue

Section

Forest Ecology