Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Kamýcká, 1176, CZ-165 00, Prague, Czech Republic.
Krkonoše National Park, Dobrovského 3, CZ-543 01, Vrchlabí, Czech Republic.
Sci Rep. 2019 Jan 14;9(1):89. doi: 10.1038/s41598-018-35448-7.
The structure of forests is an important stabilizing factor regarding ongoing global climate and land use change. Biodiverse mountain forests with natural structure are one of the ecosystems most endangered by these problems. We focused on the mountain forest islands of European beech (Fagus sylvatica) and their role in the natural distribution of organisms. The study area was situated in the oldest Czech national park, Krkonoše (385 km), which is the highest mountain ridge in the country. We studied multi-taxa (lichens, beetles and hymenopterans) responses to three hierarchical spatial levels of the environment: the topography was described by the elevation gradient; the patch structure was described by canopy openness, dead wood amounts, and Norway spruce (Picea abies) cover; and the tree level was described by species of the sampled tree and its diameter. Lichens preferred higher elevations, while insect groups responded conversely. Furthermore, insect groups were mainly influenced by the inner patch structure of beech islands. Lichens may be jeopardized due to the predicted future increase in temperatures, since they would need to shift toward higher altitudes. Insects may be mainly threatened in the future by land use changes (i.e., forest management) - as indicated by an interconnection of canopy openness and the amount of dead wood.
森林结构是应对全球气候和土地利用变化的一个重要稳定因素。具有天然结构的生物多样性山地森林是受这些问题威胁最严重的生态系统之一。我们专注于欧洲山毛榉（Fagus sylvatica）的山地森林岛屿及其在生物自然分布中的作用。研究区域位于捷克最古老的国家公园——克罗卡内山脉（385 公里），该山脉是该国最高的山脊。我们研究了多类生物（地衣、甲虫和膜翅目昆虫）对环境三个层次空间结构的反应：地形由海拔梯度描述；斑块结构由冠层开度、枯木量和挪威云杉（Picea abies）覆盖度描述；树木水平由采样树木的物种及其直径描述。地衣更喜欢高海拔地区，而昆虫群则相反。此外，昆虫群主要受山毛榉岛屿内部斑块结构的影响。由于预测未来温度升高，地衣可能会受到威胁，因为它们需要向更高的海拔迁移。昆虫未来可能主要受到土地利用变化（如森林管理）的威胁，这表明冠层开度和枯木量之间存在相互关联。
