Landscape context explains changes in the functional diversity of regenerating forests better than climate or species richness

Abstract

Aim: A rich literature on forest succession provides general expectations for the steps forests go through while reassembling after disturbance, yet we still have a surprisingly poor understanding of why the outcomes of forest recovery after logging (or other disturbances) vary so extensively. In this paper, we test the hypothesis that regional species pool, system productivity, climate and landscape structure are important drivers of forest reassembly outcomes. Location: Transect 1,500 km in length along the east coast of Australia. Time period: Survey of 50- to 60-year-old rain forest regrowth and primary forest conducted in 2012 and 2013. Major taxa studied: Rain forest plants. Methods: I..