Enhancing structural heterogeneity in managed forest landscapes promotes gamma but not beta diversity in understorey plant communities
Pia M. Bradler, Benjamin M. Delory, Sebastian Dittrich, Christian Ammer, Claus Bässler, Marc W. Cadotte, Anne Chao, Po-Yen Chuang, Werner Härdtle, Oliver Mitesser, Akira S. Mori, Jörg C. Müller, Keita Nishizawa, Fons van der Plas, Goddert von Oheimb, Andreas Fichtner
This study shows that increasing structural heterogeneity in managed forests boosts gamma diversity in understorey plants but not beta diversity, with light niche variation playing a key role.
Journal of Applied Ecology · Jul 1, 2026Peer-reviewedEcology