Summary1. Worldwide, the floristic composition of temperate forests bears the imprint of past land use for decades to centuries as forests regrow on agricultural land. Many species, however, display significant interregional variation in their ability to (re)colonize post-agricultural forests. This variation in colonization across regions and the underlying factors remain largely unexplored. 2. We compiled data on 90 species and 812 species · study combinations from 18 studies across Europe that determined species' distribution patterns in ancient (i.e. continuously forested since the first available land use maps) and post-agricultural forests. The recovery rate (RR) of species in each landscape was quantified as the log-response ratio of the percentage occurrence in post-agricultural over ancient forest and related to the species-specific life-history traits and local (soil characteristics and light availability) and regional factors (landscape properties as habitat availability, time available for colonization, and climate). 3. For the herb species, we demonstrate a strong (interactive) effect of species' life-history traits and forest habitat availability on the RR of post-agricultural forest. In graminoids, however, none of the investigated variables were significantly related to the RR. 4. The better colonizing species that mainly belonged to the short-lived herbs group showed the largest interregional variability. Their recovery significantly increased with the amount of forest habitat within the landscape, whereas, surprisingly, the time available for colonization, climate, soil characteristics and light availability had no effect. 5. Synthesis. By analysing 18 independent studies across Europe, we clearly showed for the first time on a continental scale that the recovery of short-lived forest herbs increased with the forest habitat availability in the landscape. Small perennial forest herbs, however, were generally unsuccessful in colonizing post-agricultural forest -even in relatively densely forested landscapes. Hence, our results stress the need to avoid ancient forest clearance to preserve the typical woodland flora.

Questions Does the influence of forest edges on plant species richness and composition depend on forest management? Do forest specialists and generalists show contrasting patterns? Location Mesic, deciduous forests across Europe. Methods Vegetation surveys were performed in forests with three management types (unthinned, thinned 5–10 years ago and recently thinned) along a macroclimatic gradient from Italy to Norway. In each of 45 forests, we established five vegetation plots along a south‐facing edge‐to‐interior gradient (n = 225). Forest specialist, generalist and total species richness, as well as evenness and proportion of specialists, were tested as a function of the management type and distance to the edge while accounting for several environmental variables (e.g. landscape composition and soil characteristics). Magnitude and distance of edge influence were estimated for species richness per management type. Results Greatest total species richness was found in thinned forests. Edge influence on generalist plant species richness was contingent on the management type, with the smallest decrease in species richness from the edge‐to‐interior in unthinned forests. In addition, generalist richness increased with the proportion of forests in the surrounding landscape and decreased in forests dominated by tree species that cast more shade. Forest specialist species richness, however, was not affected by management type or distance to the edge, and only increased with pH and increasing proportion of forests in the landscape. Conclusions Forest thinning affects the plant community composition along edge‐to‐interior transects of European forests, with richness of forest specialists and generalists responding differently. Therefore, future studies should take the forest management into account when interpreting edge‐to‐interior because both modify the microclimate, soil processes and deposition of polluting aerosols. This interaction is key to predict the effects of global change on forest plants in landscapes characterized by the mosaic of forest patches and agricultural land that is typical for Europe.

Forest edges are interfaces between forest interiors and adjacent land cover types. They are important elements in the landscape with almost 20 % of the global forest area located within 100 m of the edge.Edges are structurally different from forest interiors, which results in unique edge influences on microclimate, functioning and biodiversity. These edge influences have been studied for multiple decades, yet there is only limited information available on how forest edge structure varies at the continental scale, and which factors drive this potential structural diversity. Here we quantified the structural variation along 45 edge-to-interior transects situated along latitudinal, elevational and management gradients across Europe. We combined state-of-the-art terrestrial laser scanning and conventional forest inventory techniques to investigate how the forest edge structure (e.g. plant area index, stem density, canopy height and foliage height diversity) varies and which factors affect this forest edge structural variability. Macroclimate, management, distance to the forest edge and tree community composition all influenced the forest edge structural variability and interestingly we detected interactive effects of our predictors as well. We found more abrupt edge-to-interior gradients (i.e. steeper slopes) in the plant area index in regularly thinned forests. In addition, latitude, mean annual temperature and humidity all affected edge-to-interior gradients in stem density. We also detected a simultaneous impact of both humidity and management, and humidity and distance to the forest edge, on the canopy height and foliage height diversity. These results contribute to our understanding of how environmental conditions and management shape the forest edge structure. Our findings stress the need for site-specific recommendations on forest edge management instead of generalized recommendations as the macroclimate substantially influences the forest edge structure.Only then, the forest edge microclimate, functioning and biodiversity can be conserved at a local scale.

1. Linear landscape elements such as hedgerows and road verges have the potential to mitigate the adverse effects of habitat fragmentation and climate change on species, for instance, by serving as a refuge habitat or by improving functional connectivity across the landscape. However, so far this hypothesis has not been evaluated at large spatial scales, preventing us from making generalized conclusions about their efficacy and implementation in conservation policies.2. Here, we assessed plant diversity patterns in 336 vegetation plots distributed along hedgerows and road verges, spanning a macro-environmental gradient across temperate Europe. We compared herb-layer species richness and composition in these linear elements with the respective seed-source (core) habitats, that is, semi-natural forests and grasslands. Next, we assessed how these differences related to several environmental drivers acting either locally, at the landscape level or along the studied macro-ecological gradient.3. Across all regions, about 55% of the plant species were shared between forests and hedgerows, and 52% between grasslands and road verges. Habitat-specialist richness was 11% lower in the linear habitats than in the core habitats, while generalist richness was 14% higher. The difference in floristic composition between both habitat types was mainly due to species turnover, and not nestedness. Most notably, forest-specialist richness in hedgerows responded positively to tree cover, tree height and the proportion of forests in the surrounding landscape, while generalist richness was negatively affected by tree height and buffering effect of trees on subcanopy temperatures. Grassland and road verge diversity was

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SummaryMost range shift predictions focus on the dispersal phase of the colonization process. Because moving populations experience increasingly dissimilar nonclimatic environmental conditions as they track climate warming, it is also critical to test how individuals originating from contrasting thermal environments can establish in nonlocal sites.We assess the intraspecific variation in growth responses to nonlocal soils by planting a widespread grass of deciduous forests (Milium effusum) into an experimental common garden using combinations of seeds and soil sampled in 22 sites across its distributional range, and reflecting movement scenarios of up to 1600 km. Furthermore, to determine temperature and forest-structural effects, the plants and soils were experimentally warmed and shaded.We found significantly positive effects of the difference between the temperature of the sites of seed and soil collection on growth and seedling emergence rates. Migrant plants might thus encounter increasingly favourable soil conditions while tracking the isotherms towards currently 'colder' soils. These effects persisted under experimental warming. Rising temperatures and light availability generally enhanced plant performance.Our results suggest that abiotic and biotic soil characteristics can shape climate changedriven plant movements by affecting growth of nonlocal migrants, a mechanism which should be integrated into predictions of future range shifts.

Abstract:The study was conducted on six sites that are dominated by Japanese knotweed (Reynoutria japonica) and that vary in the level of industrialization and habitat transformation by humans. The aim of the research was to investigate the chemical-physical features of soil under a closed and dense canopy of R. japonica, the chemical composition of the R. japonica leaves, and to compare the content of certain elements in the soil-plant-soil system. The soil organic carbon (C org ) content varied from 1.38±0.004% to 8.2±0.047% and the maximum in leaves was 49.11±0.090%. The lowest levels of total nitrogen (N tot ) in soil were recorded on the heavily disturbed sites (till 0.227±0.021%). Soil pH varied greatly, ranging from acidic (pH=4.0) to neutral (pH=7.7). Heavy metal content differed significantly among the study sites. At all of the sites, both in the case of soil and plant leaves, Zn was a dominant element and its concentration ranged from 41.5 to 501.2 mg·kg -1 in soils and from 38.6 to 541.7 mg·kg -1 in leaves. ) were observed on the site that had been influenced by agricultural practices. The results obtained showed that R. japonica is able to accumulate high levels of heavy metals.

Carbon stocks were studied in temperate deciduous forest edges across Europe. • Total and aboveground biomass Cstocks were higher near forest edges. • N-deposition was an important driver of the increase in C near the edge. • The additional C stored in deciduous forest edges across Europe amounts to 183 Tg C. • Small forest patches and natural forest edges should be preserved.