Relationship between the mean values of the index of stand structural complexity and seven habitat types.

<p>Bars with different letters were significantly different according to a Holm-Sidak post hoc test. Small bars are ± standard deviation.</p

Relationship between the mean values of the index of stand structural complexity along a disturbance gradient.

<p>Bars with different letters were significantly different according to a multiple comparison post hoc test. Small bars are ± standard deviation.</p

Five selected stand structural attributes included in this study: understory density (A), volume of coarse woody debris (B), snag density (C), stand basal area (D), and litter depth (E).

<p>Five selected stand structural attributes included in this study: understory density (A), volume of coarse woody debris (B), snag density (C), stand basal area (D), and litter depth (E).</p

Mean and range (in brackets) values of the five stand structural attributes associated with the estimated index of stand structural complexity categorized as low (0–33%), moderate (34–66%), and high (67–100%) in Andean temperate forests.

<p>Mean and range (in brackets) values of the five stand structural attributes associated with the estimated index of stand structural complexity categorized as low (0–33%), moderate (34–66%), and high (67–100%) in Andean temperate forests.</p

Results showing the mean (SD) values of both the stand structural attributes and the index of stand structural complexity for the eight disturbance treatments.

<p>Results showing the mean (SD) values of both the stand structural attributes and the index of stand structural complexity for the eight disturbance treatments.</p

List of five core attributes selected to be included in the index of stand structural complexity and their ecological importance for different faunal groups.

<p>List of five core attributes selected to be included in the index of stand structural complexity and their ecological importance for different faunal groups.</p

Influence of Anthropogenic Disturbances on Stand Structural Complexity in Andean Temperate Forests: Implications for Managing Key Habitat for Biodiversity

<div><p>Forest attributes and their abundances define the stand structural complexity available as habitat for faunal biodiversity; however, intensive anthropogenic disturbances have the potential to degrade and simplify forest stands. In this paper we develop an index of stand structural complexity and show how anthropogenic disturbances, namely fire, logging, livestock, and their combined presence, affect stand structural complexity in a southern Global Biodiversity Hotspot. From 2011 to 2013, we measured forest structural attributes as well as the presence of anthropogenic disturbances in 505 plots in the Andean zone of the La Araucanía Region, Chile. In each plot, understory density, coarse woody debris, number of snags, tree diameter at breast height, and litter depth were measured, along with signs of the presence of anthropogenic disturbances. Ninety-five percent of the plots showed signs of anthropogenic disturbance (N = 475), with the combined presence of fire, logging, and livestock being the most common disturbance (N = 222; 44% of plots). The lowest values for the index were measured in plots combining fire, logging, and livestock. Undisturbed plots and plots with the presence of relatively old fires (> 70 years) showed the highest values for the index of stand structural complexity. Our results suggest that secondary forests < 70-year post-fire event, with the presence of habitat legacies (e.g. snags and CWD), can reach a structural complexity as high as undisturbed plots. Temperate forests should be managed to retain structural attributes, including understory density (7.2 ± 2.5 # contacts), volume of CWD (22.4 ± 25.8 m³/ha), snag density (94.4 ± 71.0 stems/ha), stand basal area (61.2 ± 31.4 m²/ha), and litter depth (7.5 ± 2.7 cm). Achieving these values will increase forest structural complexity, likely benefiting a range of faunal species in South American temperate forests.</p></div

Results showing the mean values (SD) of the five stand structural attributes included in the index of stand structural complexity and the values of index of stand structural complexity expressed in percentage in relation to the seven different habitat types.

<p>Results showing the mean values (SD) of the five stand structural attributes included in the index of stand structural complexity and the values of index of stand structural complexity expressed in percentage in relation to the seven different habitat types.</p

Additional file 1 of Local studies provide a global perspective of the impacts of climate change on Indigenous Peoples and local communities

Additional file 1. SM1