Tree diversity increases forest temperature buffering via enhancing canopy density and structural diversity

Florian Schnabel; Rémy Beugnon; Bo Yang; Ronnie Richter; Nico Eisenhauer; Yuanyuan Huang; Xiaojuan Liu; Christian Wirth; Simone Cesarz; Andreas Fichtner; María Dolores Perles-García; Georg Hähn; Werner Härdtle; Matthias Kunz; Nadia Castro-Izaguirre; Pascal A. Niklaus; Goddert von Oheimb; Bernhard Schmid; Stefan Trogisch; Manfred  Wendisch; Keping Ma; Helge Bruelheide

doi:10.1111/ele.70096

Tree diversity increases forest temperature buffering via enhancing canopy density and structural diversity

Research output: Journal contributions › Comments / Debate / Reports › Research

Standard

Tree diversity increases forest temperature buffering via enhancing canopy density and structural diversity. / Schnabel, Florian; Beugnon, Rémy; Yang, Bo et al.
In: Ecology Letters, Vol. 28, No. 3, e70096, 03.2025, p. 1-11.

Research output: Journal contributions › Comments / Debate / Reports › Research

Harvard

Schnabel, F, Beugnon, R, Yang, B, Richter, R, Eisenhauer, N, Huang, Y, Liu, X, Wirth, C, Cesarz, S, Fichtner, A, Perles-García, MD, Hähn, G, Härdtle, W, Kunz, M, Castro-Izaguirre, N, Niklaus, PA, von Oheimb, G, Schmid, B, Trogisch, S, Wendisch, M, Ma, K & Bruelheide, H 2025, 'Tree diversity increases forest temperature buffering via enhancing canopy density and structural diversity', Ecology Letters, vol. 28, no. 3, e70096, pp. 1-11. https://doi.org/10.1111/ele.70096

APA

Schnabel, F., Beugnon, R., Yang, B., Richter, R., Eisenhauer, N., Huang, Y., Liu, X., Wirth, C., Cesarz, S., Fichtner, A., Perles-García, M. D., Hähn, G., Härdtle, W., Kunz, M., Castro-Izaguirre, N., Niklaus, P. A., von Oheimb, G., Schmid, B., Trogisch, S., ... Bruelheide, H. (2025). Tree diversity increases forest temperature buffering via enhancing canopy density and structural diversity. Ecology Letters, 28(3), 1-11. Article e70096. https://doi.org/10.1111/ele.70096

Vancouver

Schnabel F, Beugnon R, Yang B, Richter R, Eisenhauer N, Huang Y et al. Tree diversity increases forest temperature buffering via enhancing canopy density and structural diversity. Ecology Letters. 2025 Mar;28(3):1-11. e70096. Epub 2025 Feb. doi: 10.1111/ele.70096

Bibtex

@article{cd2bcb4d8e19464da63f822fcbe32dc7,

title = "Tree diversity increases forest temperature buffering via enhancing canopy density and structural diversity",

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 buffering effect of tree species richness was mediated by enhanced canopy density and structural diversity in species-rich stands. Safeguarding and planting diverse forests may thus mitigate negative effects of global warming and climate extremes on below-canopy ecosystem functions and communities.",

keywords = "Ecosystems Research, BEF-China, biodiversity, heat stress, microclimate, mixed-species forest",

author = "Florian Schnabel and R{\'e}my Beugnon and Bo Yang and Ronnie Richter and Nico Eisenhauer and Yuanyuan Huang and Xiaojuan Liu and Christian Wirth and Simone Cesarz and Andreas Fichtner and Perles-Garc{\'i}a, {Mar{\'i}a Dolores} and Georg H{\"a}hn and Werner H{\"a}rdtle and Matthias Kunz and Nadia Castro-Izaguirre and Niklaus, {Pascal A.} and {von Oheimb}, Goddert and Bernhard Schmid and Stefan Trogisch and Manfred Wendisch and Keping Ma and Helge Bruelheide",

year = "2025",

month = mar,

doi = "10.1111/ele.70096",

language = "English",

volume = "28",

pages = "1--11",

journal = "Ecology Letters",

issn = "1461-023X",

publisher = "Wiley-Blackwell Publishing Ltd.",

number = "3",

}

RIS

TY - JOUR

T1 - Tree diversity increases forest temperature buffering via enhancing canopy density and structural diversity

AU - Schnabel, Florian

AU - Beugnon, Rémy

AU - Yang, Bo

AU - Richter, Ronnie

AU - Eisenhauer, Nico

AU - Huang, Yuanyuan

AU - Liu, Xiaojuan

AU - Wirth, Christian

AU - Cesarz, Simone

AU - Fichtner, Andreas

AU - Perles-García, María Dolores

AU - Hähn, Georg

AU - Härdtle, Werner

AU - Kunz, Matthias

AU - Castro-Izaguirre, Nadia

AU - Niklaus, Pascal A.

AU - von Oheimb, Goddert

AU - Schmid, Bernhard

AU - Trogisch, Stefan

AU - Wendisch, Manfred

AU - Ma, Keping

AU - Bruelheide, Helge

PY - 2025/3

Y1 - 2025/3

N2 - 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 buffering effect of tree species richness was mediated by enhanced canopy density and structural diversity in species-rich stands. Safeguarding and planting diverse forests may thus mitigate negative effects of global warming and climate extremes on below-canopy ecosystem functions and communities.

AB - 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 buffering effect of tree species richness was mediated by enhanced canopy density and structural diversity in species-rich stands. Safeguarding and planting diverse forests may thus mitigate negative effects of global warming and climate extremes on below-canopy ecosystem functions and communities.

KW - Ecosystems Research

KW - BEF-China

KW - biodiversity

KW - heat stress

KW - microclimate

KW - mixed-species forest

U2 - 10.1111/ele.70096

DO - 10.1111/ele.70096

M3 - Comments / Debate / Reports

C2 - 40119529

VL - 28

SP - 1

EP - 11

JO - Ecology Letters

JF - Ecology Letters

SN - 1461-023X

IS - 3

M1 - e70096

ER -

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