Denied density-dependent seedling recruitment in a fragmented forest does not decrease seedling diversity

Negative density-dependent relationships in plant communities are currently claimed as an important mechanism for the maintenance of plant diversity. However, anthropogenic perturbations such as forest fragmentation might modify such relationships. We evaluated density-dependent relationships between seed and seedling abundance of a tree assemblage in a fragmented forest for estimating seed-to-seedling transitions and their effects on seedling richness. In continuous forest, two out of four and one out of four species presented significant or a tendency to exhibit negative seedling recruitment which is in agreement with other temperate and tropical forests. In forest fragments (1-6 ha), however, this relationship was uncoupled. Seedling richness and diversity, assessed through Shannon-Wiener Index, did not differ between both types of sites. Therefore, forest fragmentation negatively affected seedling recruitment by uncoupling seed-to-seedling transitions, but not by diminishing seedling diversity. This leads to considering the role of density-dependent relationships for the maintenance of plant diversity in communities and claims for including forest fragments into conservation programmes.