Blog “Ecologically speaking”: What leaves can reveal about forest diversity
2026-04-13 Forests are more diverse than they appear at first glance – sometimes even within a single tree. A new study by Prof. Dr Sylvia Haider’s research group shows that trees of the same species in species-poor forests deliberately develop different leaves in order to reduce competition amongst themselves. In species-rich mixed forests, this is less necessary – there, the various species share the available resources amongst themselves.
The study was conducted as part of BEF-China, the world’s largest experiment on forest biodiversity, and was published in the journal Nature Communications. It makes it clear that protecting forests requires more than ‘just’ protecting species – diversity within species and even among individuals also matters. But that is not all the study found. To discover all the astonishing results and the background, take a look at the latest article on the Ecology Institute’s blog.
You can find the full article here: The hidden variability of forests: What leaves can tell us about functional diversity – Ecologically speaking – Blog on Ecological Research at Leuphana University Lüneburg.
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