Ecosystem services and multifunctionality are co-regulated by biotic and abiotic factors along with forest types in a temperate forest of South Korea

Summary

Given global issues such as large-scale deforestation and increasing habitat loss, promoting forest ecosystem multifunctionality (EMF) is essential for the successful implementation of global sustainable development. This study aims to quantify the four ecosystem service categories (i.e., provisioning, regulating, cultural, and supporting) and the ability to comprehensively provide them, EMF, based on 18 ecosystem services-related variables. Additionally, we evaluated the influence of biotic (i.e., species diversity, functional dominance, stand structural diversity) and abiotic (i.e., topography, climate, and soil) factors, and stand age on EMF and each ecosystem service category. We collected data from 98 plots, each 20 × 20 m, across the seven major forest types of Mt. Gariwang, which is