Patterns and determinants of ecological integrity in a temperate forest region

Abstract

As the impact of climate change and anthropogenic disturbance continues to intensify around the world, the ecological integrity (EI) of forest ecosystems is compromised in various ways. This study aims to quantify ecological integrity, explore its latitudinal patterns, and identify the potential determinants behind it. We selected 15 indicators of forest composition, structure, and function and used two approaches to quantify ecological integrity. The results show a significant negative correlation between forest ecological integrity and increasing latitude. Climate emerged as the main driver of the latitudinal pattern compared to anthropogenic and other influencing factors. Our study offers a new approach to quantifying ecological integrity based on a set of indicators that may help assess the contribution of forest ecosystems in conservation, restoration, and ecosystem services.