Lhoumeau Sébastien, Elias Rui B, Seidel Dominik, Gabriel Rosalina, Borges Paulo A V
cE3c- Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes/Azorean Biodiversity Group & CHANGE - Global Change and Sustainability Institute, School of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, University of the Azores, Azores, Portugal.
Department for Spatial Structures and Digitization of Forest, Faculty of Forest Sciences and Forest Ecology, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany.
PLoS One. 2025 Jun 16;20(6):e0326304. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0326304. eCollection 2025.
This study aims to identify the structural and compositional differences between native and exotic woodlands on Terceira Island, Azores. Based on landscape, habitat, and microhabitat analyses, remnants of native forests appeared to be associated with less accessible terrains. A more homogeneous structural complexity is exhibited, derived from the numerous branching patterns of the endemic vascular plant species. In contrast, exotic forests exhibit structural heterogeneity driven by mixed non-indigenous vascular plant species as a result of human actions such as afforestation and latter invasion of exotic tree species, after abandonment of the agricultural use. The ground and canopy layers in exotic forests were more invaded by non-indigenous species, while the understory demonstrated greater resilience by being mostly composed of indigenous species. Our findings highlight the structural and ecological differences between native and exotic woodlands, reflecting the historical transformation of forest cover in the Azores. These insights emphasize the importance of long-term monitoring and structural assessments in informing conservation efforts aimed at preserving native forests and managing invasive species in exotic woodlands.
本研究旨在确定亚速尔群岛特塞拉岛上原生林地和外来林地之间的结构和组成差异。基于景观、栖息地和微栖息地分析，原生森林残余似乎与较难进入的地形有关。由于当地维管植物物种众多的分支模式，呈现出更为均匀的结构复杂性。相比之下，由于造林等人类活动以及农业用途废弃后外来树种的后期入侵，外来森林表现出由混合非本土维管植物物种驱动的结构异质性。外来森林的地面层和冠层受到非本土物种的入侵更为严重，而林下植被由于主要由本土物种组成，表现出更大的恢复力。我们的研究结果突出了原生林地和外来林地之间的结构和生态差异，反映了亚速尔群岛森林覆盖的历史转变。这些见解强调了长期监测和结构评估对于为保护原生森林和管理外来林地中的入侵物种的保护工作提供信息的重要性。
