Environmental change shapes understory plant diversity and dominance in boreal forests.

ABSTRACT: Ongoing environmental change threatens ecosystems worldwide, yet little is known about its effect on understory plant diversity, which underpins ecosystem functioning and sustainability. Here, we use Canada's National Forest Inventory database to evaluate decade-long changes in local plant diversity within understory communities. Species richness of shrubs and bryophytes increases by 8 and 11% per decade, while species evenness of herbs and bryophytes declines by 14 and 8%, respectively. Temporal increases in species richness and declines in species evenness are both associated with rising temperature, nitrogen deposition, water availability, and increased temperature seasonality. Additionally, the proportion of bryophyte biomass increases, whereas that of shrub biomass decreases over time

SUBMITTER: Chen X 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12658240 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature