Stand Structure and Local Landscape Variables Are the Dominant Factors Explaining Shrub and Tree Diversity in Mediterranean Forests

Plant diversity is a core value of forests and rapidly becoming primary management goal under the threat global environmental changes. Changing conditions, including forestry interventions, or lack them, may endanger its preservation. Abandonment in previously subjected to multipurpose silviculture secondary succession hypothesized have altered biodiverse Mediterranean recent years affected plant diversity. We used data national forest inventory plots local landscape ecology metrics from cartography, combined with artificial neural networks, predict richness Shannon indices for tree shrub layers several types. found that depend on structure patterns, also, though lesser degree, site conditions (mainly soil pH), but not intervention. In order benefit landscapes analyzed, practices need promote diameter variety, presence large trees, cover, variation height trees shrubs, heterogeneous at stand level. Aleppo pine Scots showed more consistent results their models than cork oak black forests, both which require further research.