Landownership is an unexplored determinant of forest understory plant composition in Northern France

Landownership is not simply an administrative classification of land without ecological signification but was evidenced as a driver shaping understory plant community composition and plant traits in Northern France. These differences were partly explained by soil, management, edge and patch size effects, but land use history may help to explain the residual landownership effect. Our results have major implications on biodiversity monitoring and large-scaled conservation strategies. There is a need for deeper investigation into the impacts of land policy on biodiversity.