Forest edges revisited : species composition, edge-related species, taxonomic, functional, and phylogenetic diversity

Ho, Vu Khanh and Ćuk, Mirjana and Šikuljak, Tijana and Kröel-Dulay, György and Bátori, Zoltán and Tölgyesi, Csaba and Fűrész, Attila and Török, Péter and Hábenczyus, Alida Anna and Hegyesi, Anna and Coşgun, Ladin Z. and Erdős, László (2023) Forest edges revisited : species composition, edge-related species, taxonomic, functional, and phylogenetic diversity. GLOBAL ECOLOGY AND CONSERVATION, 46. No. e02625. ISSN 2351-9894

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Abstract

Although edges are usually considered key areas for biodiversity, previous studies have focused on anthropogenic edges, usually studied edges in relation to forest interiors (disregarding the adjacent non-woody vegetation), and used simple taxonomic indices (without considering functional or phylogenetic aspects). We studied the species composition as well as taxonomic, functional, and phylogenetic diversity of north- and south-facing edges and the two adjacent habitats (forest and grassland) in near-natural forest–grassland mosaics in the Kiskunság Sand Ridge (Hungary) and the Deliblato Sands (Serbia). We found that the species composition of edges was significantly different from that of forests and grasslands, and included species that were rare or absent in habitat interiors. This indicates that the contact of adjacent forest and grassland habitats results in the emergence of a new habitat that deserves scientific attention in its own right. In the Kiskunság, species richness and Shannon diversity were generally higher at edges than in forests or grasslands. In the Deliblato, edges were taxonomically not more diverse than grasslands. Thus, increased taxonomic diversity at edges should not be considered a general phenomenon. In the Kiskunság, forests and edges had higher functional diversity than grasslands, while there were no significant differences among the habitats in the Deliblato. It seems that functional diversity is strongly influenced by canopy openness and the traits of the dominant species. The phylogenetic diversity of woody habitats was higher than that of grasslands both in the Kiskunság and the Deliblato, which probably reflects the different evolutionary age of the habitats.

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