A unifying framework for understanding how edge effects reshape the structure, composition and function of forests.

ABSTRACT: Due to widespread deforestation and habitat fragmentation, today most of the world's forests lie within 1 km of an edge. Forests near edges are warmer, drier, receive more light, and are more exposed to wind and other disturbances than intact forests, profoundly altering the demographic processes that drive their dynamics. For reasons that remain poorly understood, the magnitude and direction of edge effects on forest structure, composition and function vary considerably across forest ecosystems. Here, we develop a unifying framework that aims to reconcile these apparently contrasting outcomes to forest edge creation by explicitly accounting for the effects of edge age, climatic context and forest structure. We begin by identifying four stages of forest edge development, arguing that demog

SUBMITTER: Banbury Morgan R 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12445831 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature