articleEcology LettersMar 1, 2025HYBRID OA

Tree Diversity Increases Forest Temperature Buffering via Enhancing Canopy Density and Structural Diversity

FSFlorian SchnabelRBRémy BeugnonBYBo YangRRRonny RichterNENico Eisenhauer

University of Freiburg · German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research · +16 more institutions

PubMed
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Abstract

Global warming is increasing the frequency and intensity of climate extremes. Forests may buffer climate extremes by creating their own attenuated microclimate below their canopy, which maintains forest functioning and biodiversity. However, the effect of tree diversity on temperature buffering in forests is largely unexplored. Here, we show that tree species richness increases forest temperature buffering across temporal scales over six years in a large-scale tree diversity experiment covering a species richness gradient of 1 to 24 tree species. We found that species richness strengthened the cooling of hot and the insulation against cold daily and monthly air temperatures and temperature extremes. This…

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Topics & keywords

Topics
Keywords
  • Species richness
  • Microclimate
  • Canopy
  • Biodiversity
  • Ecology
  • Tree canopy
  • Ecosystem
  • Species diversity
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