Effects of Understory Vegetation Management on Plant Communities in Oil Palm Plantations in Sumatra, Indonesia
Effects of Understory Vegetation Management on Plant Communities in Oil Palm Plantations in Sumatra, Indonesia
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DOI：
10.3389/ffgc.2019.00033
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发表时间：
2019-07-24
影响因子：
3.2
通讯作者：
Turner, Edgar C.
中科院分区：
文献类型：
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作者：
Luke, Sarah H.;Purnomo, Dedi;Turner, Edgar C.
近几十年来，油棕榈种植园迅速扩张，对热带生境和生物多样性造成重大影响。然而，由于油棕榈的寿命长(25-30年)，它形成了比许多其他作物更多样和结构更复杂的栖息地。这可能包括丰富的林下植被和棕榈树干上的附生植物。然而，对这种人工林植被多样性的研究很少，也很少考虑到常见的人工林植被管理措施对植物群落的影响。我们进行了一项长期的植被管理实验，这是印度尼西亚廖内省生物多样性和热带农业生态系统功能(BEFTA)计划的一部分。我们在成熟的油棕榈种植园内操纵除草剂和人工砍伐制度，在重复的地块上创造了三种不同的林下复杂性处理(减少、正常和增强植被)。在实验林下植被处理开始之前和之后，在三种不同的微生境中调查了植物群落：在人工林区块中央(核心)、在道路边缘(边缘)和在油棕榈树干(树干)上。部分抽样也是在一次干旱事件期间进行的。我们记录了120种植物，其中包括本地、非本地、“有益”和“问题”物种的混合体。我们发现边缘、核心和树干微生境之间的植物群落有很大的差异，这表明人工林内的异质性水平很高。在核心和边缘微生境中，不同的林下处理都有显著的影响，但没有影响到树干微生境。我们还观察到干旱对植物群落的重大影响，在降雨量较少的时期，核心、边缘和树干微生境的生物量、盖度或丰富度都有所下降。我们的发现突出了油棕榈种植园内可以支持的植物群落的多样性，以及管理决策和干旱可能对它们产生的重大影响。鉴于不同植物群落在支持其他种群物种方面的作用，这可能会对更广泛的种植园生物多样性产生重大影响。我们建议种植园管理策略更多地考虑种植园内的林下植物群落，并在可能的情况下选择更有利于野生动物的选择。
Oil palm plantations have expanded rapidly in recent decades, and are causing substantial impacts on tropical habitats and biodiversity. However, owing to its long lifespan (25-30 years), oil palm forms a much more varied and structurally-complex habitat than many other crops. This can include abundant understory vegetation and also epiphytes on palm trunks. However, the diversity of this plantation vegetation has been poorly studied, and there has been little consideration of the impacts of common plantation vegetation management practices on plant communities. We conducted a long-term vegetation management experiment that forms part of the Biodiversity and Ecosystem Function in Tropical Agriculture (BEFTA) Programme in Riau, Indonesia. We manipulated herbicide and manual cutting regimes within mature oil palm plantations to create three different understory complexity treatments (Reduced, Normal, and Enhanced vegetation) across replicated sets of plots. Plant communities were surveyed before and after experimental understory vegetation treatments began in three different microhabitats: within the middle of the plantation block (core), on the road edge (edge) and on oil palm trunks (trunk). Part of the sampling was also conducted during a drought event. We recorded 120 plant species, which comprised a mixture of native, non-native, "beneficial," and "problem" species. We found substantial variation in plant communities between edge, core, and trunk microhabitats, indicating high levels of heterogeneity within the plantation. There were significant effects of varying understory treatment within both core and edge microhabitats, but no spillover of impacts into the trunk microhabitat. We also observed substantial impacts of drought on plant communities, with declines in either biomass, percentage cover, or richness seen across core, edge, and trunk microhabitats during low-rainfall periods. Our findings highlight the diversity of plant communities that can be supported within oil palm plantations, and the substantial impacts that management decisions, and also drought, can have on them. Given the role that diverse plant communities can have in supporting species in other groups, this is likely to have a significant impact on the wider plantation biodiversity. We suggest that plantation management strategies give greater consideration to within-plantation understory plant communities and choose more wildlife-friendly options where possible.