WIS.2 is a DSS for monitoring and implementing the goal-oriented and sustainable management of forest ecosystems, especially with regard to the integral management of significant spatial and temporal scales in forest ecosystems. WIS.2 considers multiple ecosystem goods and services in silvicultural management and the implementation of silvicultural interventions, which are in accordance with th...

Adaptive behaviour of plants, including rapid changes in physiology, gene regulation and defence response, can be altered when linked to neighbouring plants by a mycorrhizal network (MN). Mechanisms underlying the behavioural changes include mycorrhizal fungal colonization by the MN or interplant communication via transfer of nutrients, defence signals or allelochemicals. We focus this review o...

Adaptive behaviour of plants, including rapid changes in physiology, gene regulation and defence response, can be altered when linked to neighbouring plants by a mycorrhizal network (MN). Mechanisms underlying the behavioural changes include mycorrhizal fungal colonization by the MN or interplant communication via transfer of nutrients, defence signals or allelochemicals. We focus this review o...

The aim of this study is to assess the relationship between geological background and habitats of mushrooms. The study area is Grevena, a Prefecture of Greece well known for the great variety of the fungal flora and its distinctive geology. Thematic maps of the study area were produced with the use of GIS, taking under consideration geological formations, elevation, ecosystems and land use. Fin...

The continuous flow of carbon from the land and water through the atmosphere and living organisms makes up the global carbon cycle [1]. It contains reservoirs where carbon is stored and features dynamic flows of carbon between the carbon pools [2]. Forests are one of the largest reservoirs of carbon on Earth [1], and therefore their storage and release of carbon have a great impact on the globa...

Observations of the tropical nitrogen (N) cycle over the past half century indicate that intact tropical forests tend to accumulate and recycle large quantities of N relative to temperate forests, as evidenced by plant and soil N to phosphorus (P) ratios, by P limitation of plant growth in some tropical forests, by an abundance of N-fixing plants, and by sustained export of bioavailable N at th...

Forests and woodlands dominated by pines (Pinus spp.) occur naturally over an unusually broad range of environmental conditions in the northern hemisphere and now they are widely planted south of the equator. Some pine species occur in savannas that are characterized by surface fires every 10 years or less, while others form dense forests that are burned at intervals of 100-300 years. Contrasti...

Liana constitutes an important structural and functional component in many forest ecosystems and has profound impacts on forest carbon (C) cycling. However, whether and how liana regulates spatial distributions of litterfall and soil organic C are still poorly understood. To address this critical knowledge gap, we investigated litterfall composition and soil physicochemical characteristics in s...

Precipitation patterns across Central Europe are expected to change over the 21st century due to climate change. This may reduce water availability during the plantgrowing season and hence affect the performance and vitality of forest ecosystems. We established a novel rainfall reduction experiment on nine sites in Germany to investigate drought effects on soil–forest–understory ecosystems. A r...

Introduced mammalian herbivores can negatively affect ecosystem structure and function if they introduce a novel disturbance to an ecosystem. For example, belowground foraging herbivores that bioturbate the soil, may alter process rates and community composition in ecosystems that lack native belowground mammalian foragers. Wild boar (Sus scrofa) disturb the soil system and plant community via ...