Tree cavities are a keystone resource for many wildlife species worldwide. In Andean temperate forests of South America, many species of birds, mammals and reptiles use cavities to achieve their life history requirements. However, information on cavity supply and drivers of cavity production in these forests remains largely undocumented. We examined the patterns of tree‐cavity supply in successional native forests, exploring the potential drivers of cavity occurrence and relative abundances in Andean temperate ecosystems of southern Chile. In 10 forest stands, we established 369 vegetation plots and measured 7951 trees. For each tree, we recorded the species and measured the diameter at breast height (DBH), decay class and number of cavities. While tree density was much higher in secondary than in old‐growth forest stands, the density of nonexcavated cavities was higher in old‐growth than in secondary forests. Cavity occurrence and relative abundances (number of cavities per tree) were higher in large decaying and standing dead trees (i.e. habitat legacies) than in young healthy trees. Importantly, DBH and decay had a stronger influence on the supply of nonexcavated than excavated cavities. Our results highlight the importance of old‐growth forest stands, tree decay processes and habitat legacies for securing a continuous supply of a keystone habitat resource for tree cavity‐using wildlife in a global biodiversity hotspot of South America.

中文翻译：

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大树和朽烂：在安第斯温带和次生温带森林中利用空洞野生动植物的主要资源供应商

树洞是全世界许多野生物种的重要资源。在南美的安第斯温带森林中，许多鸟类，哺乳动物和爬行动物都使用空腔来达到其生活史要求。但是，关于这些森林中空洞供应和空洞生产驱动力的信息仍然没有记录。我们研究了演替原生林中树洞供应的模式，探索了智利南部安第斯温带生态系统中空洞发生和相对丰度的潜在驱动因素。在10个林分中，我们建立了369个植被地块，测量了7951棵树。对于每棵树，我们记录了物种并测量了胸高（DBH）的直径，衰减等级和空腔数量。虽然次生树木的密度比老龄林分高得多，旧林中未挖掘的洞的密度高于次生林。大型腐烂和枯死的树木（即栖息地遗留物）中的空洞发生率和相对丰度（每棵树的空洞数）要比年轻的健康树高。重要的是，DBH和腐蚀对未挖掘空洞的供应比挖掘空洞的影响更大。我们的研究结果突出表明，在南美全球生物多样性热点地区，要确保为树洞内的野生动植物持续供应关键的生境资源，必须保持古树林林分，树木腐烂过程和栖息地遗产的重要性。生境遗产）比幼树健康。重要的是，DBH和腐蚀对未挖掘空洞的供应比挖掘空洞的影响更大。我们的研究结果突出表明，在南美全球生物多样性热点地区，要确保为树洞内的野生动植物持续供应关键的生境资源，必须保持古树林林分，树木腐烂过程和栖息地遗产的重要性。生境遗产）比年轻健康的树木。重要的是，DBH和腐蚀对未挖掘空洞的供应比挖掘空洞的影响更大。我们的研究结果突出表明，在南美全球生物多样性热点地区，要确保为树洞内的野生动植物持续供应关键的生境资源，必须保持古树林林分，树木腐烂过程和栖息地遗产的重要性。