Despite the fact that most studies confirm the positive effect of thinning management on understory species richness, the effect of various intensities of thinning on multiple trophic groups within a given forest ecosystem is still not well understood ( Collins et al.

Changes in species composition and functional characteristics can have a larger effect on ecosystem functioning than on species richness or diversity ( Wilsey and Potvin 2000). Understanding functional diversity patterns is important because species diversity is not always the best predictor of ecosystem quality ( Tscharntke et al. 2009), while impacts on functional diversity have remained practically unexamined. However, the majority of works studying the effects of forest management on biodiversity focused on species diversity ( Battles et al. Careful tree canopy thinning can be a starting point through which the effects of coppicing renewal on biodiversity can be assessed.Д®ffect of tree canopy thinning on the diversity, composition, and functional properties of forest ecosystems has been richly documented ( Aubert et al. Coppicing includes a wide range of tree cutting intensities and in practice can vary from selective cutting to extensive clear-cuts. Elsewhere, however, the potential consequences of restoring coppicing practices in long-abandoned coppices are largely unknown. Buckley 1992, Buckley and Mills 2015b for critical considerations see Hambler and Speight 1995a, 1995b). Therefore, coppice restoration has been thoroughly debated especially in the United Kingdom (e.g. Coppice abandonment, a common feature in the 20 th century forestry, has led to a decline in the biodiversity of vascular plants and several groups of invertebrates ( Benes et al. It can be assumed that a whole range of species and functional groups, as well as types of temperate forest ecosystems, have developed and persisted via traditional management ( Kirby and Watkins 2015). With necessary precautions, careful canopy thinning can be effectively applied in the restoration of functional diversity in abandoned coppices.Д¬oppicing, an ancient forest management system, was for centuries a prevailing method of forest use in Europe ( Buckley & Mills 2015a, SzabГі et al. We conclude that canopy thinning affected functional diversity across trophic groups during the initial phase of coppicing restoration. In addition, we found distinct seasonal dynamics in functional diversity of the spider communities, which was probably linked to leaf phenology of deciduous trees and therefore an effect trait not directly examined in this study. CCA models revealed that the canopy thinning had a positive effect on diversity of the response traits of both trophic groups and negatively influenced the diversity of effect traits.

Functional diversity was analysed by CCA using two measures: community-weighted means (CWM) and RaoвЂ™s quadratic diversity (RaoQ). These traits were assigned into two contrasting categories: response traits reflecting a change of environment (for both vascular plants and spiders) and effect traits influencing the ecosystem properties (only for vascular plants).

To characterize functional patterns, we examined several functional traits. The functional diversity of vascular plants and spiders, chosen as two model trophic groups within a forest ecosystem, was compared between thinned and control forest patches. To address the patterns of functional diversity in the perspective of coppicing restoration, we studied the short-term effects of conservation-motivated tree canopy thinning in an abandoned coppice-with-standards in Central Europe, a region where such attempts have been rare so far. Most coppicing restoration studies have focused only on a single trophic level despite the fact that ecosystems are characterized by interactions between trophic levels represented by various groups of organisms. Coppice abandonment had negative consequences for biodiversity of forest vegetation and several groups of invertebrates.

Coppice vegetation