Trade-offs in biodiversity and ecosystem services between edges and interiors in European forests
(2024) Nature Ecology & Evolution — (2024)
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- Authors
Vanneste, Thomas 
Depauw, Leen Vangansbeke, Pieter De Frenne, Pieter
- Abstract
- Forest biodiversity and ecosystem services are hitherto predominantly quanti!ed in forest interiors, well away from edges. However, these edges also represent a substantial proportion of the global forest cover. Here we quanti!ed plant biodiversity and ecosystem service indicators in 225 plots along forest edge-to-interior transects across Europe. We found strong trade-o"s: phylogenetic diversity (evolutionary measure of biodiversity), proportion of forest specialists, decomposition and heatwave bu"ering increased towards the interior, whereas species richness, nectar production potential, stemwood biomass and tree regeneration decreased. These trade-o"s were mainly driven by edge-to-interior structural di"erences. As fragmentation continues, recognizing the role of forest edges is crucial for integrating biodiversity and ecosystem service considerations into sustainable forest management and policy.
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Citations
Vanneste, T., Depauw, L., De Lombaerde, E., Meeussen, C., Govaert, S., De Pauw, K., Sanczuk, P., Bollmann, K., Brunet, J., Calders, K., Cousins, S. A. O., Diekmann, M., Gasperini, C., Graae, B. J., Hedwall, P.-O., Iacopetti, G., Lenoir, J., Lindmo, S., Orczewska, A., et al. (2024). Trade-offs in biodiversity and ecosystem services between edges and interiors in European forests. Nature Ecology & Evolution. Published. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-024-02335-6 (Original work published 2024)