| الملخص: | Forest biodiversity is significantly influenced by human management practices. To evaluate these changes, bioindicators are frequently employed, with birds being among the most widely used groups. This study investigates how birds respond to the creation of clearings in one of Europe's richest forest ecosystems—hardwood floodplain forests. We compared bird species abundance between old-growth mature forest stands and clear-cuttings areas with retained habitat trees. While some bird species exhibited a strong preference for old-growth forest, a considerable number showed no clear habitat preference, and others were significantly more abundant in patches with clearings. Regression analysis revealed that overall species richness was higher in patches with clearings when all bird species were considered. However, when focusing exclusively on forest specialists, greater species richness was observed in old-growth mature forest stands.These findings underscore the critical role of environmental heterogeneity in supporting biodiversity, while also highlighting the concurrent need to conserve habitats for species that depend on continuous old-growth forest.
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