Forest biodiversity and ecosystem services are hitherto predominantly quantified in forest interiors, well away from edges. However, these edges also represent a substantial proportion of the global forest cover. Here we quantified plant biodiversity and ecosystem service indicators in 225 plots along forest edge-to-interior transects across Europe. We found strong trade-offs: phylogenetic diversity (evolutionary measure of biodiversity), proportion of forest specialists, decomposition and heatwave buffering increased towards the interior, whereas species richness, nectar production potential, stemwood biomass and tree regeneration decreased. These trade-offs were mainly driven by edge-to-interior structural differences. As fragmentation continues, recognizing the role of forest edges is crucial for integrating biodiversity and ecosystem service considerations into sustainable forest management and policy.

迄今为止，森林生物多样性和生态系统服务主要在远离边缘的森林内部进行量化。然而，这些边缘也代表了全球森林覆盖的很大一部分。在这里，我们量化了欧洲森林边缘到内部样带的 225 个地块的植物生物多样性和生态系统服务指标。我们发现了强烈的权衡：系统发育多样性（生物多样性的进化测量）、森林专家的比例、分解和热浪缓冲向内陆增加，而物种丰富度、花蜜生产潜力、干木生物量和树木再生减少。这些权衡主要是由边缘到内部的结构差异驱动的。随着破碎化的继续，认识到森林边缘的作用对于将生物多样性和生态系统服务考虑因素纳入可持续森林管理和政策至关重要。