SummaryBiodiversity conservation in forest fragments surrounded by a low-quality matrix requires an understanding of how ecological conditions prevailing in the matrix enter the fragments and interact with local habitat conditions. We assessed the regeneration of oak species along edge–interior gradients in forest fragments at the periphery of Mexico City. The abundance of oak saplings was sampled along transects to the forest, while the edge effect was analysed using segmented zero-inflated Poisson models for abundance data. Three oak species were dominant in terms of their relative abundances: Quercus laeta, Quercus castanea and Quercus obtusata. Regeneration of nine oak species responded nonlinearly to the edge distance, with greater sapling abundance from the edge up to 10 m into the fragment. Canopy cover and tree height decreased from edge to fragment interior, while saplings increased in open areas within the fragments (i.e., independent of edge distance). A posterior analysis indicated that Q. obtusata reacted positively to edges. These results indicate that oak regeneration is promoted by suitable habitat conditions near the boundaries. Therefore, we suggest that forest management should focus on promoting seed production and oak establishment in forest interior habitats.

中文翻译：

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栎属的再生。沿着墨西哥城碎片化的城郊景观中的互动森林边界

摘要被低质量基质包围的森林碎片中的生物多样性保护需要了解基质中普遍存在的生态条件如何进入碎片并与当地栖息地条件相互作用。我们评估了墨西哥城周边森林碎片中沿边缘-内部梯度的橡树物种的再生。橡树树苗的丰度是沿森林的横断面采样的，而边缘效应则使用分段零膨胀泊松模型分析丰度数据。就其相对丰度而言，三种橡树种类占主导地位：栎木,板栗栎和钝栎. 九种橡树树种的再生对边缘距离呈非线性响应，从边缘到碎片中 10 m 的树苗丰度更大。树冠覆盖率和树高从边缘到碎片内部降低，而在碎片内的开放区域树苗增加（即，与边缘距离无关）。后验分析表明Q. obtusata对边缘反应积极。这些结果表明，边界附近合适的栖息地条件促进了橡树的再生。因此，我们建议森林管理应侧重于促进森林内部栖息地的种子生产和橡树生长。