From dead trees to landscapes : the role of multifunctional forests in supporting deadwood-dependent biodiversity

Sammanfattning

Forests provide critical habitat for a vast number of organisms, including species that rely on deadwood. This thesis investigates the capacity of multifunctional forest landscapes in Sweden, so-called ecoparks, to sustain deadwood-dependent biodiversity compared to conventional production forests. Focusing on saproxylic beetles and wood-inhabiting fungi, I explore how habitat characteristics from the microhabitat to the landscape scale relate to species richness, functional diversity, and community composition. Across nine landscapes in the boreal and boreonemoral zones, I used artificially created high stumps of pine, birch, and aspen to sample saproxylic beetles and eDNA of wood-inhabiting fungi. Combined with field measurements of habitat structures, I analysed diversity and community patterns in relation to deadwood availability, forest types, and high conservation value forests. The results show that ecoparks generally maintain higher structural habitat quality, greater volumes and diversity of deadwood, and more extensive areas of high conservation value forests. These features translate into significantly higher taxonomic and functional diversity of saproxylic beetles, especially red-listed species, with the ecopark Hornsö, known as a hotspot for saproxylic beetles, standing out as a strong driver of these patterns. Both beetles and fungi responded to environmental variables across spatial scales, with local deadwood characteristics, forest composition, and surrounding high conservation value forest all influencing diversity and community structure. The findings underscore the importance of incorporating multi-scale habitat considerations into forest conservation and management.

Nyckelord

Saproxylic biodiversity; functional traits; community composition; multifunctional forest landscapes; deadwood; conservation; forest management Vedlevande biodiversitet; funktionell diversitet; samhällen; naturvård; multifunktionella landskap; död ved

Publicerad i

Acta Universitatis Agriculturae Sueciae
2025, nummer: 2025:33
Utgivare: Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences

SLU författare

• Bergmark, Paulina

  • Institutionen för vilt, fisk och miljö, Sveriges lantbruksuniversitet
    

UKÄ forskningsämne

Skogsvetenskap

Publikationens identifierare

• DOI: https://doi.org/10.54612/a.7t8tbj18sq
• ISBN: 978-91-8046-468-0
• eISBN: 978-91-8046-518-2

Permanent länk till denna sida (URI)

https://res.slu.se/id/publ/132973