Rapid Increases in Forest Understory Diversity and Productivity following a Mountain Pine Beetle (Dendroctonus ponderosae) Outbreak in Pine Forests

The current unprecedented outbreak of mountain pine beetle (Dendroctonus ponderosae) in lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta) forests of western Canada has resulted in a landscape consisting of a mosaic of forest stands at different stages of mortality. Within forest stands, understory communities are the reservoir of the majority of plant species diversity and influence the composition of future forests in response to disturbance. Although changes to stand composition following beetle outbreaks are well documented, information on immediate responses of forest understory plant communities is limited. The objective of this study was to examine the effects of D. ponderosae-induced tree mortality on initial changes in diversity and productivity of understory plant communities. We established a total of 110 1-m2 plots across eleven mature lodgepole pine forests to measure changes in understory diversity and productivity as a function of tree mortality and below ground resource availability across multiple years. Overall, understory community diversity and productivity increased across the gradient of increased tree mortality. Richness of herbaceous perennials increased with tree mortality as well as soil moisture and nutrient levels. In contrast, the diversity of woody perennials did not change across the gradient of tree mortality. Understory vegetation, namely herbaceous perennials, showed an immediate response to improved growing conditions caused by increases in tree mortality. How this increased pulse in understory richness and productivity affects future forest trajectories in a novel system is unknown.

• Publication year

  2015

• Venue

  PLoS ONE

• Publication date

  2015-04-10

• Fields of study

  Biology, Medicine, Environmental Science

• Identifiers
  DOI 10.1371/journal.pone.0124691PMID 25859663PMCID 4393282
• External record

  Open on Semantic Scholar

• Source metadata

  Semantic Scholar, PubMed

• No claims are published for this paper.

• No concepts are published for this paper.

• Influence of bark beetle outbreaks on nutrient cycling in native pine stands in western Canada

  2015cited by this paper
• Understorey plant community dynamics following a large, mixed severity wildfire in a Pinus ponderosa–Pseudotsuga menziesii forest, Colorado, USA

  2014influential reference
• R: A language and environment for statistical computing.

  2014cited by this paper
• Decline of ectomycorrhizal fungi following a mountain pine beetle epidemic.

  2014cited by this paper
• A molecular identification protocol for roots of boreal forest tree species

  2014cited by this paper
• Potential for lodgepole pine regeneration after mountain pine beetle attack in newly invaded Alberta stands

  2013cited by this paper
• Biogeochemistry of beetle-killed forests: Explaining a weak nitrate response

  2013influential reference
• Salvage harvest effects on advance tree regeneration, soil nitrogen, and fuels following mountain pine beetle outbreak in lodgepole pine

  2013cited by this paper
• Stand recovery and self-organization following large-scale mountain pine beetle induced canopy mortality in northern forests

  2013cited by this paper
• Forest structure and regeneration following a mountain pine beetle epidemic in southeastern Wyoming

  2012cited by this paper
• Cascading impacts of bark beetle‐caused tree mortality on coupled biogeophysical and biogeochemical processes

  2012cited by this paper
• Degradation of Wood in Standing Lodgepole Pine Killed by Mountain Pine Beetle

  2011cited by this paper
• Tree regeneration and future stand development after bark beetle infestation and harvesting in Colorado lodgepole pine stands

  2011cited by this paper
• Forest developmental trajectories in mountain pine beetle disturbed forests of Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado

  2011cited by this paper
• Potential for Range Expansion of Mountain Pine Beetle into the Boreal Forest of North America

  2010influential reference
• Abundance of secondary structure in lodgepole pine stands affected by the mountain pine beetle in the Cariboo-Chilcotin

  2009cited by this paper
• Stand characteristics and downed woody debris accumulations associated with a mountain pine beetle (Dendroctonus ponderosae Hopkins) outbreak in Colorado

  2009cited by this paper
• Influence of fire and mountain pine beetle on the dynamics of lodgepole pine stands in British Columbia, Canada

  2009influential reference
• Mixed Effects Models and Extensions in Ecology with R

  2009cited by this paper
• MuMIn : multi-model inference, R package version 0.12.0

  2009influential reference
• Influence of tree species on understory vegetation diversity and mechanisms involved—A critical review for temperate and boreal forests

  2008cited by this paper
• Effects of mountain pine beetle (Dendroctonus ponderosae Hopkins) infestations on forest stand structure in the southern Canadian Rocky Mountains

  2008cited by this paper
• Recruitment limitation in forests: Lessons from an unprecedented mountain pine beetle epidemic

  2008cited by this paper
• FIRE, LOGGING, AND OVERSTORY AFFECT UNDERSTORY ABUNDANCE, DIVERSITY, AND COMPOSITION IN BOREAL FOREST

  2008cited by this paper
• The mountain pine beetle: a synthesis of biology, management and impacts on lodgepole pine.

  2006cited by this paper
• The biology and epidemiology of the mountain pine beetle in lodgepole pine forests.

  2006cited by this paper
• Understory Vegetation Dynamics of North American Boreal Forests

  2006cited by this paper
• On the formation of dense understory layers in forests worldwide: consequences and implications for forest dynamics, biodiversity, and succession

  2006cited by this paper
• Effects of an intense prescribed fire on understory vegetation in a mixed conifer forest1

  2005cited by this paper
• Effects of fire severity on early development of understory vegetation

  2005cited by this paper
• Response of understory vegetation to variable tree mortality following a mountain pine beetle epidemic in lodgepole pine stands in northern Utah

  2004cited by this paper
• Understorey plant communities in boreal cutblocks with different sizes and numbers of residual tree patches

  2004cited by this paper
• Range of variability in boreal aspen plant communities after wildfire and clear-cutting

  2004cited by this paper
• Model selection and multimodel inference : a practical information-theoretic approach

  2003cited by this paper
• UNDERSTORY VASCULAR PLANT SPECIES DIVERSITY IN THE MIXEDWOOD BOREAL FOREST OF WESTERN CANADA

  2002cited by this paper
• Field Guide to Ecosites of West-Central Alberta

  2002cited by this paper
• Dynamics of North American boreal mixedwoods

  2002cited by this paper
• Analysis of Ecological Communities

  2002cited by this paper
• Forest harvesting impacts on soil properties and vegetation communities in the Northwest Territories

  2002cited by this paper
• DIFFERENTIAL EFFECTS OF COMPETITION OR MICROENVIRONMENT ON BOREAL TREE SEEDLING ESTABLISHMENT AFTER FIRE

  2000cited by this paper
• A review of the regeneration dynamics of North American boreal forest tree species

  1999cited by this paper
• Fall Rate of Lodgepole Pine Killed by the Mountain Pine Beetle in Central Oregon

  1998cited by this paper
• Factors limiting early growth of western redcedar, western hemlock and Sitka spruce seedlings on ericaceous-dominated clearcut sites in coastal British Columbia

  1993cited by this paper
• Mechanisms of arrested succession in shrublands: root and shoot competition between shrubs and tree seedlings

  1992cited by this paper
• Lodgepole pine regeneration in an old, self-perpetuating forest in south central Oregon

  1989cited by this paper
• Mountain Pine Beetle Outbreaks in the Rocky Mountains: Regulators of Primary Productivity?

  1986cited by this paper
• Understory biomass in ponderosa pine following mountain pine beetle infestation

  1985cited by this paper
• Understory Response to Canopy Gaps of Varying Size in a Mature Oak Forest

  1980cited by this paper
• The Role of the Mountain Pine Beetle in Lodgepole Pine Ecosystems: Impact on Succession

  1977cited by this paper
• Ecosystem Succession and Nutrient Retention: A Hypothesis

  1975cited by this paper

• Where forage meets safety: The role of forest disturbances in red deer adaptation to human pressure

  2026cites this paper
• Over a Decade Later, Soil Carbon Stores in Boreal Forests are Resistant to Extensive Tree Mortality

  2025cites this paper
• Vulnerable caribou and moose populations display varying responses to mountain pine beetle outbreaks and management

  2025cites this paper
• Understanding the Understory Plant Community’s Response During a Spruce Budworm Outbreak in the Northeastern Boreal Forest of Canada

  2025cites this paper
• Origin and Persistence of Lycopodium clavatum and Lycopodium annotinum (Lycopodiaceae) in Scots Pine Forests

  2024cites this paper
• Influence of mountain pine beetle outbreaks on large fires in British Columbia

  2024cites this paper
• An assessment of Alberta's strategy for controlling mountain pine beetle outbreaks

  2024cites this paper
• Early response of understory vegetation to the mass dieback of Norway spruce in the European lowland temperate forest

  2024cites this paper
• Spatial variation in red deer density in a transboundary forest ecosystem

  2023cites this paper
• Can Moisture-Indicating Understory Plants Be Used to Predict Survivorship of Large Lodgepole Pine Trees During Severe Outbreaks of Mountain Pine Beetle?

  2023cites this paper
• The impact of mountain pine beetle outbreaks and their treatment methods on the abundance of plant-foods important to caribou and grizzly bears

  2023cites this paper
• Soil inoculation of lodgepole pine seedlings alters root‐associated fungal communities but does not improve seedling performance in beetle‐killed pine stands

  2022cites this paper
• Direct and Indirect Effects of Habitat Disturbances on Caribou Terrestrial Forage Lichens in Montane Forests of British Columbia

  2022cites this paper
• Bayesian Predictions of Bark Beetle Attack and Mortality of Three Conifer Species During Epidemic and Endemic Population Stages

  2021cites this paper
• Bridging knowledge gaps with hybrid machine-learning forest ecosystem models (ML-FEMs): inferential simulation of past understory light regimes

  2021cites this paper
• A HINT LEFT BY MOUNTAIN PINE BEETLE ON ANATOMICAL DEFENSES OF LODGEPOLE PINE TREES: LARGER RESIN DUCTS ENHANCE TREE RESISTANCE

  2021cites this paper
• Changes in understory vegetation including invasive weeds following mountain pine beetle outbreaks

  2020cites this paper
• The effects of ectomycorrhizal fungal networks on seedling establishment are contingent on species and severity of overstorey mortality

  2020influential citation
• Disturbance history modulates how litter and herbaceous cover influence conifer regeneration after fire

  2020cites this paper
• Bark Beetle‐Affected Forests Provide Elk Only a Marginal Refuge from Hunters

  2020cites this paper
• Caribou in the cross-fire? Considering terrestrial lichen forage in the face of mountain pine beetle (Dendroctonus ponderosae) expansion

  2020cites this paper
• Bark beetle mycobiome: collaboratively defined research priorities on a widespread insect-fungus symbiosis

  2020cites this paper
• Understory vegetation responses to simulated mountain pine beetle attack and salvage logging in grey attack stage lodgepole pine stands

  2020cites this paper
• Understory vegetation response to mountain pine beetle disturbance in northern Colorado lodgepole pine forests

  2020cites this paper
• Multi‐scale habitat selection of elk in response to beetle‐killed forest

  2019influential citation
• Snagfall the first decade after severe bark beetle infestation of high-elevation forests in Colorado, USA.

  2019cites this paper
• Soil Nitrogen Leaching in Logged Beetle-Killed Forests and Implications for Riparian Fuel Reduction.

  2019cites this paper
• Vegetation dynamics following compound disturbance in a dry pine forest: fuel treatment then bark beetle outbreak.

  2019cites this paper
• Natural Enemies of Wood-boring Beetles in Northeastern Temperate Forests and Implications for Biological Control of the Emerald Ash Borer (Coleoptera: Buprestidae) in North America

  2019cites this paper
• Large-scale insect outbreak homogenizes the spatial structure of ectomycorrhizal fungal communities

  2019cites this paper
• Mountain pine beetle outbreak enhanced resin duct-defenses of lodgepole pine trees

  2019cites this paper
• Larger Resin Ducts Are Linked to the Survival of Lodgepole Pine Trees During Mountain Pine Beetle Outbreak

  2019cites this paper
• Short-term understory plant community responses to salvage logging in beetle-affected lodgepole pine forests

  2018influential citation
• Taxonomic and phylogenetic diversity of vascular plants at Ma’anling volcano urban park in tropical Haikou, China: Reponses to soil properties

  2018cites this paper
• Pine Engravers Carry Bacterial Communities Whose Members Reduce Concentrations of Host Monoterpenes With Variable Degrees of Redundancy, Specificity, and Capability

  2018cites this paper
• Large scale biotic damage impacts on forest ecosystem services

  2018cites this paper
• Effects of Bark Beetle Disturbance on Soil Nutrient Retention and Lake Chemistry in Glacial Catchment

  2018cites this paper
• The impact of road disturbance on vegetation and soil properties in a beech stand, Hyrcanian forest

  2018cites this paper
• Are Survivors Different? Genetic-Based Selection of Trees by Mountain Pine Beetle During a Climate Change-Driven Outbreak in a High-Elevation Pine Forest

  2018cites this paper
• THE BIOPHYSICAL AND BIOCHEMICAL IMPACTS OF FOREST DISTURBANCES ACROSS ECOSYSTEMS

  2018cites this paper
• Change in soil fungal community structure driven by a decline in ectomycorrhizal fungi following a mountain pine beetle (Dendroctonus ponderosae) outbreak.

  2017cites this paper
• SCaMF-RM: A Fused High-Resolution Land Cover Product of the Rocky Mountains

  2017cites this paper
• Disturbance impacts on land surface temperature and gross primary productivity in the western United States

  2017cites this paper
• A Decade of Streamwater Nitrogen and Forest Dynamics after a Mountain Pine Beetle Outbreak at the Fraser Experimental Forest, Colorado

  2017cites this paper
• On the use of a snow aridity index to predict remotely sensed forest productivity in the presence of bark beetle disturbance

  2017cites this paper
• Prescribed fire does not promote outbreaks of a primary bark beetle at low‐density populations

  2016cites this paper
• Is plant diversity on tractor trails more influenced by disturbance than by soil characteristics

  2016cites this paper
• Aftermath of Mountain Pine Beetle Outbreak in British Columbia: Stand Dynamics, Management Response and Ecosystem Resilience

  2016cites this paper
• Fungal Volatiles Can Act as Carbon Sources and Semiochemicals to Mediate Interspecific Interactions Among Bark Beetle-Associated Fungal Symbionts

  2016cites this paper
• Consequences of mountain pine beetle outbreak on forest ecosystem services in western Canada

  2016cites this paper
• Bacteria influence mountain pine beetle brood development through interactions with symbiotic and antagonistic fungi: implications for climate-driven host range expansion

  2015cites this paper
• Impact of a Mountain Pine Beetle Outbreak on Young Lodgepole Pine Stands in Central British Columbia

  2015cites this paper
• Bark Beetle ‐ A ff ected Forests Provide Elk Only a Marginal Refuge from Hunters

  year unknowninfluential citation