Within this project we will answer questions concerning the effects of spatio-temporal landscape dynamics on biodiversity in deciduous forest patches in Swedish agricultural landscapes. We will assess relations between landscape history, soil conditions, vascular plant vegetation and Carabid beetle fauna. More specifically, we will investigate how i) space (patch size), ii) spatial arrangement (patch isolation), iii) time since forest patch fragmentation or patch emergence (land history), iv) present patch quality (mineral soil and humus quality, canopy conditions) and v) quality of the surrounding land affect species diversity and species sorting of plants and Carabid beetles in the present-day landscape.
The species and soil data to be analyzed in this project have been collected within the Eranet-BiodivERsA project: smallFOREST - biodiversity and ecosystem services of small forest fragments in European landscapes (2012-2015).