{"id":971,"date":"2026-04-09T20:16:51","date_gmt":"2026-04-09T20:16:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dev.www.purdue.edu\/fnr\/nrsa-lab\/?page_id=971"},"modified":"2026-04-13T13:49:11","modified_gmt":"2026-04-13T13:49:11","slug":"structural-diversity-as-an-ecological-framework","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/fnr\/nrsa-lab\/structural-diversity-as-an-ecological-framework\/","title":{"rendered":"Structural Diversity as an Ecological Framework"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Area 4 \u2014 Structural Diversity as an Ecological Framework<\/strong><\/h1>\n\n\n
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Digital datasets are not only tools for measurement \u2014 they also open new theoretical windows into how forests work. Using data from over 3 million trees across continental North America, our group developed and validated the concept of structural diversity: the volumetric capacity and three-dimensional physical arrangement of vegetation in an ecosystem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Structural diversity is a stronger predictor of forest productivity than species diversity across the full range of climate conditions in North America. These finding challenges assumptions embedded in much of biodiversity-ecosystem function theory and suggests that the physical organization of forests \u2014 not just the number of species within them \u2014 is a primary driver of what forests can do. This conceptual contribution has been among the most-cited work published in Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment<\/em> in recent years.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Publications<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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  1. Wang, J., Choi, D., LaRue, E., Atkins, J., Foster, J., Matthes, J., Fahey, R., Fei, S., & Hardiman, B. (2024).<\/strong> NEON-SD: A 30-m structural diversity product derived from the NEON discrete-return LiDAR point cloud. Scientific Data<\/em>, 11, 1174. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1038\/s41597-024-04018-0<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. LaRue, E.A., Knott, J.A., Domke, G.M., Chen, H.Y.H., Guo, Q., Hisano, M., Oswalt, C., Oswalt, S., Kong, N., Potter, K.M., & Fei, S. (2023).<\/strong> Structural diversity as a novel and reliable predictor for ecosystem productivity. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment<\/em>, 21(1), 33\u201339. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1002\/fee.2586<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. LaRue, E.A., Hardiman, B.S., Elliott, J.M., & Fei, S. (2019).<\/strong> Structural diversity as a predictor of ecosystem function. Environmental Research Letters<\/em>, 14, 114011. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1088\/1748-9326\/ab49bb<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  4. Fei, S., LaRue, E.A., Hardiman, B.S., & Dahlin, K.M. (2023).<\/strong> Structural diversity: a digital revolution. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment<\/em>, 21(1), 3. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1002\/fee.2600<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  5. LaRue, E.A., Rezendes, K., Choi, D., Wang, J., Downing, A., Fei, S., & Hardiman, B. (2025).<\/strong> Gradient surface metrics of ecosystem structural diversity and their relationship with productivity across macrosystems. Ecosphere<\/em>, 16, e70172. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1002\/ecs2.70172<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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