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      Arboreta reveal the invasive potential of several conifer species in the temperate forests of western Europe

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      NeoBiota
      Pensoft Publishers

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          Abstract

          Identifying emerging invasive species is a priority to implement early preventive and control actions. In terms of the number of invasive tree species, forestry represents the second largest pathway of introduction, with an invasive debt likely existing for alien conifers in Europe. In the early 1900s, a network of arboreta was established in southern Belgium to assess the wood production potential of prospective conifer and broadleaved species. Here, we use eight arboreta as natural experiments to identify alien conifers presenting invasive behavior. Through systematic sampling, we quantified the natural regeneration of alien conifers and recorded local environmental variables. For each species, regeneration density, dispersal distances, and age structure were analyzed. Generalized mixed effects models were fitted to test the effect of planted area and tree-stand type on regeneration. The environmental space occupied by regenerating alien conifers was evaluated using principal component analysis. Out of 31 planted alien species, 15 (48%) were identified in natural regeneration, of which eight (26%) exhibited important regeneration density and dispersal distances. The most invasive species were Tsuga heterophylla and Abies grandis, confirming earlier field observations. Both large planted areas and areas planted with alien conifer species increased the density of regeneration. Species that had the highest regeneration density tolerated a wide range of environmental conditions, including shaded understory, which could lead to the invasion of mature, undisturbed forests. This study showed that 17% of the studied alien conifers are potentially invasive because they show important regeneration, long-distance dispersal, and, of importance, have already produced offspring that have matured and are capable of creating new satellite populations. In conclusion, our results provide a guideline for future planting operations, recommending extreme caution when planting these species in the temperate forests of Western Europe.

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          Fitting Linear Mixed-Effects Models Usinglme4

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            High-resolution global maps of 21st-century forest cover change.

            Quantification of global forest change has been lacking despite the recognized importance of forest ecosystem services. In this study, Earth observation satellite data were used to map global forest loss (2.3 million square kilometers) and gain (0.8 million square kilometers) from 2000 to 2012 at a spatial resolution of 30 meters. The tropics were the only climate domain to exhibit a trend, with forest loss increasing by 2101 square kilometers per year. Brazil's well-documented reduction in deforestation was offset by increasing forest loss in Indonesia, Malaysia, Paraguay, Bolivia, Zambia, Angola, and elsewhere. Intensive forestry practiced within subtropical forests resulted in the highest rates of forest change globally. Boreal forest loss due largely to fire and forestry was second to that in the tropics in absolute and proportional terms. These results depict a globally consistent and locally relevant record of forest change.
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              Theade4Package: Implementing the Duality Diagram for Ecologists

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                Author and article information

                Contributors
                Journal
                NeoBiota
                NB
                Pensoft Publishers
                1314-2488
                1619-0033
                January 20 2021
                January 20 2021
                : 64
                : 23-42
                Article
                10.3897/neobiota.64.56027
                bc75a9a3-44c2-44ef-8e40-28d0850cb589
                © 2021

                http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

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