Cohabitation of tree holes by ants and breeding birds in a temperate deciduous forest

A previously unknown association of ants with birds breeding in tree holes is described. Ants Lasius brunneus Latreille (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) were found in c. 15% of nests of Parus major L. and Poecile palustris L. (Paridae) breeding in tree holes in the primeval deciduous forest located in the Bia?owie?a National Park (Poland). The ants preferably used holes located higher above the ground. As such holes are warmer than the unused holes or other nest sites, it is suggested that the ants cohabit holes utilized by the tits to gain thermal benefits.     

Oak (Quercus robur L.) regeneration in early successional woodlands grazed by wild ungulates in the absence of livestock

Wooded pastures grazed by livestock are believed to be landscapes that provide favourable conditions for spontaneous regeneration of oaks, including Quercus robur. A key mechanism for oak regeneration in these systems is ‘associational resistance’, spatial association with unpalatable plants which offer protection against herbivory. There is little knowledge on how oak regenerates without livestock grazing and in the presence of only wild large herbivores. We studied this in an area (114 ha) abandoned from agricultural use and in the early 1980s incorporated into the Bia?owie?a National Park, Poland. Its ungulate community consists of native red deer, European bison, roe deer, moose and wild boar. Secondary succession has led to the development of a mosaic habitat including tree and tall shrub groves (29% of the area), open meadow communities (60%), and edge, transitory zone between groves and meadows (11%). Our systematic inventory assigned oaks to height classes (0-0.2, 0.2-0.5, 0.5-1.3, 1.3-2.5, 2.5-5.0, >5.0 m), dichotomous shape characteristic (regular vs. “bonsai” sapling), as well as a habitat definition, in particular the characteristics of woody vegetation in the immediate surroundings of oaks. A selection of 17 oaks was subject to coring for the comparison of growth dynamics. Oak density was highest inside groves, with 504 oaks ha⁻¹, and in the edge zone (493 oaks ha⁻¹) and lowest in meadows (47 oaks ha⁻¹). Most of the 0-5-m oaks (62%) grew without another woody plant species within 1 m radius. The remaining oaks (38%) were associated mainly with Rubus idaeus and saplings of Carpinus betulus and Populus tremula - all highly ungulate-preferred species. The age (0.5 m above ground) of cored oaks in grove and edge habitats varied from 11 to 37 years, indicating continuous recruitment since agricultural abandonment. The initial growth dynamics of the more mature oaks did not differ from that of present “bonsais,” supporting the idea that browsing is not an unconditional impediment and that “bonsai” can be a temporary stage of successful oak development. In contrast to other studies, we found that associational resistance from unpalatable plants is not necessary to secure successful oak regeneration in woodlands subject to browsing by wild ungulates. This might have been possible because of the abundance of highly attractive vegetation making oak relatively unpreferred by ungulates. We suggest that the observed secondary succession provides a contemporary analogy of historic processes that resulted in the establishment of broadleaf forests with a substantial proportion of oak.     

Late leaf development in pedunculate oak (Quercus robur): An antiherbivore defence?

Abstract

Two phenological forms of the pedunculate oak co-occur in the same habitats throughout the species range: the early trees (Quercus robur var. praecox) develop leaves up to 5 weeks before the late ones (Quercus robur var. tardiflora). This study tests the idea that late leaf flushing serves as an antiherbivore defence, i.e. late trees, which develop leaves asynchronously with eclosion of folivorous caterpillars, avoid the costs of defoliation, which could offset the costs of a later onset of the growing season. Effects of folivorous caterpillars foraging on oaks were observed in 1998–2006 in remnants of primeval temperate lowland forest preserved in the Bia?owie?a National Park (eastern Poland). Observations covered trough and outbreak years of the major defoliator, the winter moth [Operophtera brumata L. (Geometridae)]. In seven out of nine seasons, including all peak caterpillar years, the amount of frass produced by folivorous caterpillars on late trees (n=8–18) was significantly (up to 7.1 times) lower than on the early ones (n=12–32). Assessment of the degree of defoliation in 2002–2006 showed that the late oaks were visibly defoliated only during a caterpillar peak (2003), while the early trees were affected in all years and in 2003 almost completely lost their leaves. The results confirm the effect of late budburst on lowering herbivore damage, and give support to the idea that late leaf flushing acts as an antiherbivore defence.     

“Lifespan” of woodpecker-made holes in a primeval temperate forest: A thirty year study

Woodpeckers, able to excavate holes in trees, can provide resources critical for non-excavator hole users. Supply of woodpecker-made holes in forests depends on excavation rates by the birds and holes’ persistence times. I use 30 years of data from a primeval forest (strictly protected reserve, Bia?owie?a National Park, E Poland) to determine how long woodpecker-made holes persist, and whether their persistence varies across forest types, tree species and conditions, and woodpecker species. I followed the fate of 719 breeding holes, excavated by eight woodpecker species, for up to 27 years, from 1979 to 2010. Almost 80% of hole losses were caused by collapse of either the tree or the section supporting the hole. Holes were retained for (median) 6-7 years in riverine and oak-hornbeam forest but 10 years in coniferous forest. These differences can be explained by almost completely non-overlapping sets of tree species used in these different habitats. Lifespan of holes varied by tree species, ranging from four (Picea abies) to >22 years (Pinus sylvestris, almost 100% dead). The long lifespan of holes in the dead Pinus was exceptional, as otherwise, persistence was much lower for holes excavated in dead trees or limbs (5 years) than for those in living substrates (9 years). Tree species with higher frequency of holes in dead wood showed lower persistence times of holes. Lifespans of holes excavated by individual woodpecker species varied widely and was strongly dependent on frequency with which the species excavated in dead wood. Holes of Dendrocopos minor and Dendrocopos leucotos (only in dead wood) persisted for four years, while holes of Dendrocopos major (able to excavate in living sapwood of some trees) lasted for nine, and those of Dryocopus martius for 18 years. Retention of dead P. sylvestris, decaying Quercus robur in stands and addition/retention of aspens (Populus tremula and Populus tremuloides) in them would provide conditions to increase the availability of relatively persistent woodpecker holes in forests of the Northern hemisphere.