ISBN: 978-80-7509-926-6 | ISBN online: 978-80-7509-927-3 | DOI: 10.11118/978-80-7509-927-3

Ekologie lesa

Jak se les mění a funguje

Pavel Rotter (ed.), Luboš Purchart (ed.)

This book introduces the reader to the forest as a complex adaptive system. Compared to the traditional ecosystem view, biotic interactions between members of this complex network are more emphasized. This requires explaining some of the basic concepts and phenomena of relationship networks of forest ecosystems. In these networks, some species, or groups of species, stand out as keystone species or as the so-called ecosystem engineers. These species, groups of species, or even whole fragments of the network of relationships are represented at a specific level through findings that illuminate the functioning of the forest as a whole. The publication is also unique in its emphasis on a functional perspective and understanding which species, places or processes underpin the existence of the forest as a whole. The aim of the book is to place all the forest ecology findings presented in a framework that is highly relevant and crucial for the Central European context, and to show how this knowledge can contribute to better forest management and forest adaptation to climate change. In following this path towards better understanding of forests, the reader is first introduced to how different perspectives on forests have shaped different ways of using them and why it is more essential than ever for forest management to be based on ecological foundations. The evolution of the forest as a spatio-temporal structure is then presented through information about the evolution of forests in the Holocene, the dynamics of natural temperate forests and the influence of one of the main drivers of this dynamics - disturbances - on forest structure and biodiversity. With this in mind, the book´s focus shifts to networks - trophic networks and cascades - as well as to physical connectivity in mycorrhizal networks as fundamental phenomena shaping the forest ecosystem. This broader perspective transitions into a detailed presentation of the roles which individual groups of organisms, keystone species and ecosystem engineers play in the functioning of the whole. From these details, emergent ecosystem properties - nutrient cycle and ecosystem stability – become apparent both at the level of the whole system or its distinct subsystems. We are living in turbulent times as a result of global climate change, therefore understanding the nature of ecological stability and other aspects of adaptation is becoming essential for the preservation of production forests and their ecosystem services which are crucial for our society. This issue is raised almost at the end of the book. It concludes with a synthesis chapter summarizing the presented concept of forest ecology and outlining the possible applications of their findings.

Keywords: forest adaptation, biodiversity, disturbance, ecological stability, climate change, nutrient cycle, trophic relationships

1. edition, Published: 2023, online: 2023, publisher: Mendelova univerzita v Brně