Skip to Main Content
U.S. Forest Service
Caring for the land and serving people

United States Department of Agriculture

Home > Search > Publication Information

  1. The formation of dense understory layers in forests worldwide: consequences and implications for forest dynamics, biodiversity, and succession

    Share via EmailShare on FacebookShare on LinkedInShare on Twitter
    Dislike this pubLike this pub
    Author(s): Alejandro A. Royo; Walter P. Carson
    Date: 2010
    Source: In: Pye, John M.; Rauscher, H. Michael; Sands, Yasmeen; Lee, Danny C.; Beatty, Jerome S., tech. eds. Advances in threat assessment and their application to forest and rangeland management. Gen. Tech. Rep. PNW-GTR-802. Portland, OR: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station: 469-496.
    Publication Series: Other
    Station: Pacific Northwest Research Station
    PDF: Download Publication  (481.36 KB)

    Description

    Alterations to natural herbivore and disturbance regimes often allow a select suite of forest understory plant species to dramatically spread and form persistent, mono-dominant thickets. Following their expansion, this newly established understory canopy can alter tree seedling recruitment rates and exert considerable control over the rate and direction of secondary forest succession. No matter where these native plant invasions occur, they are characterized by one or more of the following: (1) the understory layer typically has greater vegetation cover and lower diversity than was common in forest understories in the past; (2) this layer can delay stand renewal and alter species composition by inhibiting tree regeneration; and (3) once this layer is formed, it can resist displacement by other species and remain intact for decades. In this paper, we evaluate the processes that trigger the expansion of several plant species native to forests and review their ecological characteristics to provide general guidelines in assessing native invasion risk in forest stands.

    Publication Notes

    • Check the Northern Research Station web site to request a printed copy of this publication.
    • Our on-line publications are scanned and captured using Adobe Acrobat.
    • During the capture process some typographical errors may occur.
    • Please contact Sharon Hobrla, shobrla@fs.fed.us if you notice any errors which make this publication unusable.
    • We recommend that you also print this page and attach it to the printout of the article, to retain the full citation information.
    • This article was written and prepared by U.S. Government employees on official time, and is therefore in the public domain.

    Citation

    Royo, Alejandro A.; Carson, Walter P. 2010. The formation of dense understory layers in forests worldwide: consequences and implications for forest dynamics, biodiversity, and succession. In: Pye, John M.; Rauscher, H. Michael; Sands, Yasmeen; Lee, Danny C.; Beatty, Jerome S., tech. eds. Advances in threat assessment and their application to forest and rangeland management. Gen. Tech. Rep. PNW-GTR-802. Portland, OR: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station: 469-496.

    Related Search

    XML: View XML
Show More
Show Fewer
Jump to Top of Page
https://www.fs.usda.gov/treesearch/pubs/36926