Maturation of forest edges is constrained by neighbouring agricultural land management

摘要: Questions (i) Do species richness and turnover across forest edges change with edge age management intensity of adjacent lands? (ii) Does composition respond to aging landscape what are the environmental factors explaining this response? Location Agricultural landscapes Picardy region, N France. Methods We sampled differing in (from a few decades several centuries) embedding matrix slightly managed ‘bocages’ intensively cultivated open fields). We recorded vascular plant set environment, historical variables along transects oriented perpendicularly edges. used mixed models assess impact type on turnover. investigated relationship between community explanatory using redundancy analyses split-plot design. Results Species decreased both increased intensity, while was not influenced by any these factors. Edge maturation characterized specialization flora over entire transect, which is likely response shade, litter layer thickness soil acidity. As more intensive, true were replaced nitrophilous and/or calciphilous non-forest species, might be tolerant agrochemical lime drift able disperse through hostile matrix. Conclusion Although associated progressive development gradients, especially light availability thickness, communities poorly reflect gradients under constraint neighbouring management. On contrary, stronger sharper edge–interior gradient.