Abstract
As key components of landscapes, edges have received considerable scientific attention in anthropogenic ecosystems. However, edges in natural and semi-natural forest–grassland mosaics have received less attention, despite the fact that they cover a considerable proportion of these mosaic ecosystems. We studied forest edges in a semi-natural forest–grassland mosaic ecosystem of the Samobor Mountains (Croatia). Our aim was to compare the species composition, diversity and ecological indicator values of forest edges to those of the interior parts of the adjacent forest and grassland habitats. The vegetation was studied in 80 plots established in forest patch interiors, north-facing forest edges, south-facing forest edges and grassland interiors. We found that edges had a unique species composition, containing species from both the forest and the grassland interiors plus their own edge-related species (i.e. species that significantly preferred the edge habitat). These local edge-related species did not correspond to regionally-identified edge-related species. Compared to the forest and the grassland interiors, we revealed increased species richness in north-facing edges but not in south-facing edges. The mean light availability and nutrient supply indicator values of the edges were intermediate between those of the forest interiors and the grasslands. The mean soil moisture indicator values of the edges were similar to those of the grasslands. Our results show that edges form a unique component of forest–grassland mosaics, and they contribute considerably to landscape complexity, which should be taken into account during conservation decisions and habitat management.
Highlights
Edges have received considerable attention in the ecological literature, as they are key structural and functional components of landscapes (Risser 1995; Cadenasso et al 2003a; Ries et al 2004, 2017; Yarrow and Marın 2007; Hufkens et al 2009; Kolasa 2014)
We found that edges had a unique species composition, containing species from both the forest and the grassland interiors plus their own edge-related species
Our results show that edges form a unique component of forest–grassland mosaics, and they contribute considerably to landscape complexity, which should be taken into account during conservation decisions and habitat management
Summary
Edges have received considerable attention in the ecological literature, as they are key structural and functional components of landscapes (Risser 1995; Cadenasso et al 2003a; Ries et al 2004, 2017; Yarrow and Marın 2007; Hufkens et al 2009; Kolasa 2014). Edges situated between forest and grassland ecosystems belong to the most conspicuous edge types (Forman and Moore 1992; Risser 1995; Cadenasso et al 2003b). With accelerating forest fragmentation and an associated increase in edge proportion, forest edges have received considerable scientific attention in anthropogenic ecosystems (Merriam and Wegner 1992; Harper et al 2005; Peters et al 2006; Tokuoka et al 2011; Dodonov et al 2013; Haddad et al 2015). Forest edges play an important role in natural and semi-natural ecosystems, yet edges in these systems have received less attention in previous studies (but see Muller et al 2012; Ibanez et al 2013; Dislich and Mantovani 2016; Harper et al 2018)
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