Authors: Ho, Khanh V.; Kröel-Dulay, György; Lengyel, Attila; Ónodi, Gábor;Bátori, Zoltán ; Tölgyesi, Csaba; Török, Péter;Erdős, László;

Large areas of Eastern Europe are covered by forest-grassland mosaics. However, the conservation implications of habitat heterogeneity in these mosaics, and the patterns of phylogenetic and functional diversities are virtually unknown, which hinders appropriate planning of ecological restoration programs and conservation-oriented habitat management. We compared species composition, species richness, Shannon diversity, functional and phylogenetic diversity among eight habitat types in forest-grassland mosaics of the Kiskunság Sand Ridge, Hungary. Our study revealed a compositional gradient, ranging from large forest patches through smaller-sized forest patches and edges to closed and open grasslands. Each habitat had species that were rare or absent elsewhere. North-facing forest edges and open annual grasslands had the highest species richness and Shannon diversity, respectively. Forest patches had high functional and phylogenetic diversity, underscoring their ecological and conservation importance despite the fact that they are usually overlooked in conservation practice. We found that taxonomic diversity indices were poor surrogates for functional and phylogenetic diversities. Our findings emphasize that the habitat heterogeneity of mosaic-like ecosystems needs to be taken into account in research and nature conservation practice. Furthermore, conservation should consider various aspects of diversity, including functional and phylogenetic diversity, instead of exclusive emphasis on taxonomic diversity indices.