Article
Ecology
Robert H. Whittaker, Ellen I. Damschen, Susan Harrison
Summary: In 1949-1951, ecologist Robert H. Whittaker conducted a plant community composition survey in the Siskiyou Mountains to study the variation of plant communities along environmental gradients. His findings showed that the Siskiyous had diverse and endemic-rich flora due to geological complexity and a stable climate. Whittaker introduced the concept of diversity partitioning, which later became influential in ecological studies. This study has had a significant impact on the understanding of plant community dynamics.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Tuija Maliniemi, Karoliina Huusko, Lauralotta Muurinen, John-Arvid Grytnes, Helena Tukiainen, Risto Virtanen, Janne Alahuhta
Summary: By resurveying vegetation in different boreal habitat types in Rokua National Park in Finland, we found that the compositional similarity of plant communities has increased over time, mainly due to an increase in forest species and the loss of habitat-specific species. Our study highlights the importance of proper management in achieving long-term biodiversity conservation goals in protected areas.
BIODIVERSITY AND CONSERVATION
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Julien Beguin, Steeve D. Cote, Mark Vellend
Summary: This study investigates the effects of white-tailed deer on the diversity and composition of understorey plant communities in recently logged boreal forests. The results show that deer have significant impacts on plant community composition and successional trajectories, but these impacts vary depending on time and space scales. Deer act as both a direct filter and a suppressor of dominant plant species, but the magnitude of these processes differs between tree and non-tree vegetation layers. The study highlights the importance of long-term research in understanding temporal community trends and challenges managers to consider different community properties and scales when making decisions.
Article
Ecology
Antoine Becker-Scarpitta, Diane Auberson-Lavoie, Raphael Aussenac, Mark Vellend
Summary: This study compares the long-term changes in bryophyte and vascular plant communities in two sites with different long-term warming trends. The results partly support the hypothesis that ecological changes would be greater in sites with a stronger warming trend and that vascular plant communities would be more sensitive than bryophyte communities to climate warming. The findings suggest that vascular plants cannot be used as a surrogate for predicting the nature and magnitude of responses to warming in bryophytes.
ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Giada Centenaro, Sergio de Miguel, Laleh Amouzgar, Yasmine Pinuela, Deokjoo Son, Jose Antonio Bonet, Juan Martinez de Aragon, Svetlana Dashevskaya, Carles Castano, Josu G. Alday
Summary: Understorey vegetation plays a crucial role in the functioning of Mediterranean forest ecosystems, yet the patterns and drivers of understorey composition and diversity are not fully understood. This study examined the impact of silvicultural management, topography, soil fungal community composition, and soil properties on understorey community composition and diversity. Thinning intensity and topography were found to have the greatest influence on understorey species composition. The study also revealed a decrease in both richness and abundance of understorey species with increasing altitude, with thinned plots having higher species richness compared to control plots.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Christian Rossi, Mathias Kneubuehler, Martin Schuetz, Michael E. Schaepman, Rudolf M. Haller, Anita C. Risch
Summary: This study introduces a new method to quantify spatio-temporal spectral diversity, allowing for a more accurate assessment of plant biodiversity by partitioning total spectral diversity into alpha diversity within communities and beta diversity between communities.
ECOLOGICAL INDICATORS
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Francesco Maria Sabatini, Borja Jimenez-Alfaro, Ute Jandt, Milan Chytry, Richard Field, Michael Kessler, Jonathan Lenoir, Franziska Schrodt, Susan K. Wiser, Mohammed A. S. Arfin Khan, Fabio Attorre, Luis Cayuela, Michele De Sanctis, Jurgen Dengler, Sylvia Haider, Mohamed Z. Hatim, Adrian Indreica, Florian Jansen, Anibal Pauchard, Robert K. Peet, Petr Petrik, Valerio D. Pillar, Brody Sandel, Marco Schmidt, Zhiyao Tang, Peter van Bodegom, Kiril Vassilev, Cyrille Violle, Esteban Alvarez-Davila, Priya Davidar, Jiri Dolezal, Bruno Herault, Antonio Galan-de-Mera, Jorge Jimenez, Stephan Kambach, Sebastian Kepfer-Rojas, Holger Kreft, Felipe Lezama, Reynaldo Linares-Palomino, Abel Monteagudo Mendoza, Justin K. N'Dja, Oliver L. Phillips, Gonzalo Rivas-Torres, Petr Sklenar, Karina Speziale, Ben J. Strohbach, Rodolfo Vasquez Martinez, Hua-Feng Wang, Karsten Wesche, Helge Bruelheide
Summary: “Global patterns of regional plant diversity are relatively well known, but whether they hold for local communities is debated. This study created multi-grain global maps of alpha diversity for vascular plants to provide a nuanced understanding of plant diversity hotspots and improve predictions of global change effects on biodiversity.”
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Eric Post, Christian Pedersen, David A. Watts
Summary: This study investigates the impact of warming and exclusion of large herbivores on 14 tundra taxa, showing that experimental warming reduces commonness across all taxa, while herbivore exclusion has a stronger effect on rare taxa. The findings suggest that commonness itself may be a strong predictor of species' responses to climate change, but large herbivores may mediate such responses in rare taxa.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2022)
Article
Forestry
Miguel Angel Blanco-Rodriguez, Josep Maria Espelta
Summary: This study used the Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI) combined with 'ground truth' measurements to assess the effects of tree species diversity and forest management on the resilience of mixed oak forests to defoliation by Lymantria dispar L. The results showed that tree species composition may be more important than tree species diversity in influencing the recovery after disturbance. The study also found that tree size had a positive effect on avoiding defoliation damage. Management recommendations were provided to increase oak forests' resilience to defoliation.
FOREST ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Travis J. Guy, Matthew C. Hutchinson, Katherine C. R. Baldock, Elisha Kayser, Benjamin Baiser, Phillip P. A. Staniczenko, Jacob R. Goheen, Robert M. Pringle, Todd M. Palmer
Summary: Pollination by animals is an important ecosystem service and interactions between plants and pollinators provide a model system for studying ecological networks. However, plant-pollinator networks are often studied in isolation from broader ecosystems. Large herbivores can impact plant-pollinator networks by reducing resource availability through consumption of flowers.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Jan Douda, Jana Doudova, Anezka Holestova, Marketa Chudomelova, Ondrej Vild, Karel Boublik, Marie Smyc Kova, Alena Havrdov, Petr Petrik, Nikola Pychova, Marie Smyckova, Jan Sebesta, Jiri Vanicek, Radim Hedl
Summary: Long-term time series are crucial in assessing the effects of global change on plant community diversity and guiding management. However, historical biodiversity data may contain neglected sources of error that can significantly impact the results and interpretation.
BIOLOGICAL CONSERVATION
(2023)
Article
Plant Sciences
Aramee C. Diethelm, Michael Reichelt, Elizabeth G. Pringle
Summary: It has been found that plant traits show brittleness when responding to combined stressors. Plant traits and responses, including secondary metabolites, are influenced by the level of water limitation in the source of plants.
JOURNAL OF ECOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Melissa H. Schmitt, Keenan Stears, Mary K. Donovan, Deron E. Burkepile, Dave Thompson
Summary: This study examines the impact of different levels of woody vegetation cover on herbivore assemblages in African savannas. The research reveals that habitats with intermediate woody cover have higher species richness and abundance, while areas with intensive tree clearing or high tree cover have lower species richness and abundance.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Yuqiao Su, Xiaorong Jia, Lu Zhang, Hui Chen
Summary: This study investigates the associations between woody plant structural diversity and soil C:N:P stoichiometry, and finds that these associations are dependent on the size stratification of plants. Size diversity is more sensitive than species diversity in describing the interactions between woody plants and soil, and can better predict changes in soil properties.
FRONTIERS IN ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Forestry
Hingabu Hordofa Koricho, Girma Shumi, Tikabo Gebreyesus, Shaoxian Song, Fekadu Fufa
Summary: The study assessed the composition, diversity, and conservation status of woody plant species in the Debre Libanos church forests and surrounding forest lands in central Ethiopia. Results showed that the church forest had the highest species richness and diversity indices, while government and private forests had similar total species numbers and diversity indices. The majority of species with higher importance value indices in the church forest were indigenous species.
JOURNAL OF FORESTRY RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Soil Science
Beat Frey, Barbara Moser, Bjorn Tytgat, Stephan Zimmermann, Juan Alberti, Lori A. Biederman, Elizabeth T. Borer, Arthur A. D. Broadbent, Maria C. Caldeira, Kendi F. Davies, Nico Eisenhauer, Anu Eskelinen, Philip A. Fay, Frank Hagedorn, Yann Hautier, Andrew S. MacDougall, Rebecca L. McCulley, Joslin L. Moore, Maximilian Nepel, Sally A. Powers, Eric W. Seabloom, Eduardo Vazquez, Risto Virtanen, Laura Yahdjian, Anita C. Risch
Summary: This study collected soil samples from grasslands worldwide and analyzed the impact of nitrogen addition on the soil microbiome. The results showed that nitrogen addition had a significant effect on the community structure of soil diazotrophs, but had minimal impact on their diversity and abundance. In contrast, ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) and ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) responded differently to nitrogen addition. Overall, long-term nitrogen addition had a greater impact on AOB communities compared to soil diazotrophs and AOA.
SOIL BIOLOGY & BIOCHEMISTRY
(2023)
Article
Ecology
A. C. Risch, S. Zimmermann, M. Schutz, E. T. Borer, A. A. D. Broadbent, M. C. Caldeira, K. F. Davies, N. Eisenhauer, A. Eskelinen, P. A. Fay, F. Hagedorn, J. M. H. Knops, J. J. Lembrechts, A. S. MacDougall, R. L. McCulley, B. A. Melbourne, J. L. Moore, S. A. Power, E. W. Seabloom, M. L. Silviera, R. Virtanen, L. Yahdjian, R. Ochoa-Hueso
Summary: The microbial metabolic quotient (MMQ) is an important parameter for understanding the microbial regulation of the carbon cycle. The study found that nutrient addition and herbivore exclusion had minimal effects on MMQsoil, while edaphoclimatic variables such as temperature, water holding capacity, and soil organic carbon concentration were the main determinants.
GLOBAL ECOLOGY AND BIOGEOGRAPHY
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Henriikka Salminen, Helena Tukiainen, Janne Alahuhta, Jan Hjort, Karoliina Huusko, John-Arvid Grytnes, L. Camila Pacheco-Riano, Jutta Kapfer, Risto Virtanen, Tuija Maliniemi
Summary: Recent studies have shown that geodiversity is positively related to biodiversity at the landscape scale, but more evidence is needed at finer scales. This study investigates the link between plot-scale geodiversity and plant species richness in different tundra landscapes.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Eric Post, Elina Kaarlejarvi, Marc Macias-Fauria, David A. Watts, Pernille Sporon Boving, Sean M. P. Cahoon, R. Conor Higgins, Christian John, Jeffrey T. Kerby, Christian Pedersen, Mason Post, Patrick F. Sullivan
Summary: Biodiversity is declining globally, including in the Arctic tundra where a 15-year experiment showed a decline in diversity of plants, fungi, and lichens. However, the decline was slower in the presence of large herbivores, which has implications for efforts to mitigate the impact of climate warming on tundra diversity.
Article
Ecology
Jonathan D. D. Bakker, Jodi N. N. Price, Jeremiah A. A. Henning, Evan E. E. Batzer, Timothy J. J. Ohlert, Claire E. E. Wainwright, Peter B. B. Adler, Juan Alberti, Carlos Alberto Arnillas, Lori A. A. Biederman, Elizabeth T. T. Borer, Lars A. A. Brudvig, Yvonne M. M. Buckley, Miguel N. N. Bugalho, Marc W. W. Cadotte, Maria C. C. Caldeira, Jane A. A. Catford, Qingqing Chen, Michael J. J. Crawley, Pedro Daleo, Chris R. R. Dickman, Ian Donohue, Mary Ellyn DuPre, Anne Ebeling, Nico Eisenhauer, Philip A. A. Fay, Daniel S. S. Gruner, Sylvia Haider, Yann Hautier, Anke Jentsch, Kevin Kirkman, Johannes M. H. Knops, Luciola S. Lannes, Andrew S. S. MacDougall, Rebecca L. L. McCulley, Rachel M. M. Mitchell, Joslin L. L. Moore, John W. W. Morgan, Brent Mortensen, Harry Olde Venterink, Pablo L. L. Peri, Sally A. A. Power, Suzanne M. M. Prober, Christiane Roscher, Mahesh Sankaran, Eric W. W. Seabloom, Melinda D. D. Smith, Carly Stevens, Lauren L. L. Sullivan, Michelle Tedder, G. F. (Ciska) Veen, Risto Virtanen, Glenda M. M. Wardle
Summary: Human activities are causing changes in ecological communities globally. Understanding these changes requires considering the composition of these communities, which can be summarized by various metrics influenced by different ecological processes. A global experiment on 60 grasslands demonstrated high compositional variation within sites, with most variation being due to replacement processes. The variation was related to predictors such as environmental heterogeneity and biomass production. Considering multiple metrics simultaneously enhances our understanding of compositional variation at a site.
Article
Psychology, Biological
Daniel S. S. Park, Xiao Feng, Shinobu Akiyama, Marlina Ardiyani, Neida Avendano, Zoltan Barina, Blandine Baertschi, Manuel Belgrano, Julio Betancur, Roxali Bijmoer, Ann Bogaerts, Asuncion Cano, Jiri Danihelka, Arti Garg, David E. E. Giblin, Rajib Gogoi, Alessia Guggisberg, Marko Hyvaerinen, Shelley A. A. James, Ramagwai J. J. Sebola, Tomoyuki Katagiri, Jonathan A. A. Kennedy, Tojibaev Sh. Komil, Byoungyoon Lee, Serena M. L. Lee, Donatella Magri, Rossella Marcucci, Siro Masinde, Denis Melnikov, Patrik Mraz, Wieslaw Mulenko, Paul Musili, Geoffrey Mwachala, Burrell E. E. Nelson, Christine Niezgoda, Carla Novoa Sepulveda, Sylvia Orli, Alan Paton, Serge Payette, Kent D. D. Perkins, Maria Jimena Ponce, Heimo Rainer, L. Rasingam, Himmah Rustiami, Natalia M. M. Shiyan, Charlotte Sletten Bjora, James Solomon, Fred Stauffer, Alex Sumadijaya, Melanie Thiebaut, Barbara M. M. Thiers, Hiromi Tsubota, Alison Vaughan, Risto Virtanen, Timothy J. S. Whitfeld, Dianxiang Zhang, Fernando O. O. Zuloaga, Charles C. C. Davis
Summary: Herbarium collections play a critical role in our understanding of Earth's flora and tackling global change. However, the formation of these collections is not immune to sociopolitical issues. Despite efforts to address representation and colonialism, herbaria have received less attention. This study examines the colonial legacy of botanical collections, revealing disparities in the distribution of plant diversity and herbarium holdings. The findings highlight the need to acknowledge the colonial history and implement a more equitable approach to collecting, curating, and utilizing herbarium collections.
NATURE HUMAN BEHAVIOUR
(2023)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Tuija Maliniemi, Karoliina Huusko, Lauralotta Muurinen, John-Arvid Grytnes, Helena Tukiainen, Risto Virtanen, Janne Alahuhta
Summary: By resurveying vegetation in different boreal habitat types in Rokua National Park in Finland, we found that the compositional similarity of plant communities has increased over time, mainly due to an increase in forest species and the loss of habitat-specific species. Our study highlights the importance of proper management in achieving long-term biodiversity conservation goals in protected areas.
BIODIVERSITY AND CONSERVATION
(2023)
Article
Forestry
Iina Koivunen, Timo Muotka, Mika Jokikokko, Risto Virtanen, Jussi Jyvasjarvi
Summary: Intensive peatland drainage alters physico-chemical status of streams, leading to loss of biodiversity and impaired ecosystem functioning. Nutrient and dissolved organic carbon concentrations increase with drainage intensity in both upstream and downstream sites, affecting benthic macroinvertebrates and bryophytes. Ecosystem processes are unrelated to drainage intensity, indicating wide-ranging impacts on stream biodiversity.
FOREST ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT
(2023)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Antoine Becker-Scarpitta, Laura H. Antao, Niels Martin Schmidt, F. Guillaume Blanchet, Elina Kaarlejaervi, Katrine Raundrup, Tomas Roslin
Summary: In Greenland, we found significant changes in flower density over time, but the trends and drivers differed among species and sites. The low-Arctic site showed an increase in flower density, while the high-Arctic site did not show a directional change. The effects of summer temperature, the temperature of the previous autumn, and snowmelt timing varied among species and sites.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Qingqing Chen, Shaopeng Wang, Elizabeth T. Borer, Jonathan D. Bakker, Eric W. Seabloom, W. Stanley Harpole, Nico Eisenhauer, Ylva Lekberg, Yvonne M. Buckley, Jane A. Catford, Christiane Roscher, Ian Donohue, Sally A. Power, Pedro Daleo, Anne Ebeling, Johannes M. H. Knops, Jason P. Martina, Anu Eskelinen, John W. Morgan, Anita C. Risch, Maria C. Caldeira, Miguel N. Bugalho, Risto Virtanen, Isabel C. Barrio, Yujie Niu, Anke Jentsch, Carly J. Stevens, Daniel S. Gruner, Andrew S. Macdougall, Juan Alberti, Yann Hautier
Summary: Eutrophication has varying effects on different aspects of grassland ecological stability, and different stability measures are largely uncorrelated. This highlights the high dimensionality of stability and provides insights for predicting grassland responses to global environmental change.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Andrea Santangeli, Benjamin Weigel, Laura H. Anto, Elina Kaarlejaervi, Maria Haellfors, Aleksi Lehikoinen, Andreas Linden, Maija Salemaa, Tiina Tonteri, Paeivi Merilae, Kristiina Vuorio, Otso Ovaskainen, Jarno Vanhatalo, Tomas Roslin, Marjo Saastamoinen
Summary: Protected areas have mixed impacts on reducing local extinctions, with only a small proportion of species benefiting explicitly. The benefits of protection are related to the size and establishment time of the protected areas, but unrelated to the conservation status or traits of species. Improving coverage, connectivity, and management will be crucial to enhance the effectiveness of protected areas in slowing down biodiversity loss.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Marie Spohn, Sumanta Bagchi, Lori A. Biederman, Elizabeth T. Borer, Kari Anne Brathen, Miguel N. Bugalho, Maria C. Caldeira, Jane A. Catford, Scott L. Collins, Nico Eisenhauer, Nicole Hagenah, Sylvia Haider, Yann Hautier, Johannes M. H. Knops, Sally E. Koerner, Lauri Laanisto, Ylva Lekberg, Jason P. Martina, Holly Martinson, Rebecca L. Mcculley, Pablo L. Peri, Petr Macek, Sally A. Power, Anita C. Risch, Christiane Roscher, Eric W. Seabloom, Carly Stevens, G. F. (Ciska) Veen, Risto Virtanen, Laura Yahdjian
Summary: Our study reveals a positive correlation between plant diversity and soil organic carbon content as well as carbon-to-nitrogen ratio. This relationship is particularly strong in warm and arid climates. We found that plant diversity influences soil carbon storage through the quality rather than the quantity of organic matter inputs. Restoring plant diversity may enhance soil carbon sequestration.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Anu Eskelinen, Maria-Theresa Jessen, Hector A. Bahamonde, Jonathan D. Bakker, Elizabeth T. Borer, Maria C. Caldeira, W. Stanley Harpole, Meiyu Jia, Luciola S. Lannes, Carla Nogueira, Harry Olde Venterink, Pablo L. Peri, Anita J. Porath-Krause, Eric W. Seabloom, Katie Schroeder, Pedro M. Tognetti, Simone-Louise E. Yasui, Risto Virtanen, Lauren L. Sullivan
Summary: Seed banks are important reservoirs of plant diversity, but nutrient addition and herbivory can have significant effects on their composition and abundance. This study conducted research across multiple sites on different continents and found that nutrient addition decreases diversity and increases similarity between aboveground and seed bank communities. However, the presence of herbivores can interact with nutrient addition to increase seed bank abundance. These findings highlight the importance of considering herbivory when assessing the effects of nutrient enrichment on seed bank abundance.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Lina K. K. Muehlbauer, Giorgio Zavattoni, Risto Virtanen, Martin Grube, Bettina Weber, Adam Thomas Clark
Summary: The importance of microclimate conditions in ecological research is increasingly recognized. Measuring microclimate variability requires a large number of sensors that can sample across small and large scales, which calls for cost-effective sensor networks.
ECOLOGICAL SOLUTIONS AND EVIDENCE
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Eero Myrsky, Juha Mikola, Elina Kaarlejarvi, Johan Olofsson, Sofie Sjogersten, Boris Tupek, Minna K. Mannisto, Sari Stark
Summary: The ongoing climate warming is promoting shrub abundance in high latitudes, and the response of deciduous or evergreen species to warming plays a role in the ecosystem functioning. A long-term warming experiment in subarctic Sweden shows that while shrub abundance increased as expected, there were unexpected declines in certain species due to disturbance events. The effects of warming on ecosystem respiration and gross primary productivity varied among habitats, highlighting the importance of disturbance regimes and indirect impacts of plant abundance on soil microclimate.
FUNCTIONAL ECOLOGY
(2023)