Interactive effects of management and global warming on understorey vegetation and microclimate of Mediterranean forests

This thesis investigates the interactive effects of forest management and climate change on the microclimate and understorey plant diversity in European forests, with a focus on the Mediterranean region. Findings demonstrate that maintaining dense, structurally complex canopies is essential for buffering understorey biodiversity against climatic extremes, whereas management practices like coppicing reduce this buffering, leading to a decline in functional and phylogenetic diversity.