What is it about?
The study aimed at evaluating the spatio-temporal dynamics in forest structure and diversity in a semi-natural mixed oak-hornbeam floodplain forest.
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Why is it important?
Traditional, non-spatial structure and diversity measures were coupled with spatially explicit and functional diversity measures. Results indicated that the three stands showed limited variation in stand structure and similar non-spatial diversity attributes, despite the different species composition. Only the extension to spatial and functional analyses was able to reveal more pronounced differences of diversity patterns, as higher complexity, species mingling, and functional tree complementarity was observed in the moister stand.
Perspectives
These findings support use of spatially-explicit measurements in traditional inventory measurement protocols to allow more refined analysis of diversity patterns. On the other hand, functional diversity can be easily implemented in diversity analyses, as it requires species abundance information (which is traditionally collected in forest inventory) and species-specific tree traits which can be inferred from literature.
Piermaria Corona
CREA Research Centre for Forestry and Wood
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Spatio-temporal variability in structure and diversity in a semi-natural mixed oak-hornbeam floodplain forest, Ecological Indicators, September 2019, Elsevier,
DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolind.2019.04.014.
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