Nutrient‐demanding and thermophilous plants dominate urban forest‐edge vegetation across temperate Europe - Archive ouverte HAL Accéder directement au contenu
Article Dans Une Revue Journal of Vegetation Science Année : 2024

Nutrient‐demanding and thermophilous plants dominate urban forest‐edge vegetation across temperate Europe

Karen de Pauw
Leen Depauw
Kim Calders
Sara Cousins
Emiel de Lombaerde
Martin Diekmann
David Frey
Camille Meeussen
Anna Orczewska
Jan Plue
Florian Zellweger
Pieter Vangansbeke
Kris Verheyen
Pieter de Frenne

Résumé

Abstract Questions Forests are highly fragmented across the globe. For urban forests in particular, fragmentation increases the exposure to local warming caused by the urban heat island (UHI) effect. We here aim to quantify edge effects on herbaceous understorey vegetation in urban forests, and test whether these effects interact with forest structural complexity. Location We set up a pan‐European study at the continental scale including six urban forests in Zurich, Paris, Katowice, Brussels, Bremen, and Stockholm. Methods We recorded understorey plant communities from the edge towards the interior of urban forests. Within each urban forest, we studied edge‐to‐interior gradients in paired stands with differing forest structural complexity. Community composition was analysed based on species specialism, life form, light, nutrient, acidity and disturbance indicator values and species' thermal niches. Results We found that herbaceous communities at urban forest edges supported more generalists and forbs but fewer ferns than in forests' interiors. A buffered summer microclimate proved crucial for the presence of fern species. The edge communities contained more thermophilous, disturbance‐tolerant, nutrient‐demanding and basiphilous plant species, a pattern strongly confirmed by corresponding edge‐to‐interior gradients in microclimate, soil and light conditions in the understorey. Additionally, plots with a lower canopy cover and higher light availability supported higher numbers of both generalists and forest specialists. Even though no significant interactions were found between the edge distance and forest structural complexity, opposing additive effects indicated that a dense canopy can be used to buffer negative edge effects. Conclusion The urban environment poses a multifaceted filter on understorey plant communities which contributes to significant differences in community composition between urban forest edges and interiors. For urban biodiversity conservation and the buffering of edge effects, it will be key to maintain dense canopies near urban forest edges.
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Dates et versions

hal-04477228 , version 1 (26-02-2024)

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Karen de Pauw, Leen Depauw, Kim Calders, Sara Cousins, Guillaume Decocq, et al.. Nutrient‐demanding and thermophilous plants dominate urban forest‐edge vegetation across temperate Europe. Journal of Vegetation Science, 2024, 35 (1), ⟨10.1111/jvs.13236⟩. ⟨hal-04477228⟩
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