Global patterns and climatic controls of forest structural complexity

verfasst von

Martin Ehbrecht, Dominik Seidel, Peter Annighöfer, Holger Kreft, Michael Köhler, Delphine Clara Zemp, Klaus Puettmann, Reuben Nilus, Fred Babweteera, Katharina Willim, Melissa Stiers, Daniel Soto, Hans Juergen Boehmer, Nicholas Fisichelli, Michael Burnett, Glenn Juday, Scott L. Stephens, Christian Ammer

Abstract

The complexity of forest structures plays a crucial role in regulating forest ecosystem functions and strongly influences biodiversity. Yet, knowledge of the global patterns and determinants of forest structural complexity remains scarce. Using a stand structural complexity index based on terrestrial laser scanning, we quantify the structural complexity of boreal, temperate, subtropical and tropical primary forests. We find that the global variation of forest structural complexity is largely explained by annual precipitation and precipitation seasonality (R² = 0.89). Using the structural complexity of primary forests as benchmark, we model the potential structural complexity across biomes and present a global map of the potential structural complexity of the earth´s forest ecoregions. Our analyses reveal distinct latitudinal patterns of forest structure and show that hotspots of high structural complexity coincide with hotspots of plant diversity. Considering the mechanistic underpinnings of forest structural complexity, our results suggest spatially contrasting changes of forest structure with climate change within and across biomes.

Externe Organisation(en)

Georg-August-Universität Göttingen
Technische Universität München (TUM)
Oregon State University
Forest Research Centre - Sandakan
Makerere University
Universidad de Aysén
University of the South Pacific
Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena
Southwest Biological Science Center (SBSC)
Stanford University
University of Alaska Fairbanks

Typ

Artikel

Journal

Nature Communications

Band

12

ISSN

2041-1723

Publikationsdatum

22.01.2021

Publikationsstatus

Veröffentlicht

Peer-reviewed

Ja

ASJC Scopus Sachgebiete

Chemie (insg.), Biochemie, Genetik und Molekularbiologie (insg.), Physik und Astronomie (insg.)

Ziele für nachhaltige Entwicklung

SDG 13 – Klimaschutzmaßnahmen, SDG 15 – Lebensraum Land

Elektronische Version(en)

https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-020-20767-z (Zugang: Offen)