Global impoverishment of natural vegetation revealed by dark diversity
2025
Pärtel, Meelis | Tamme, Riin | Carmona, Carlos P. | Riibak, Kersti | Moora, Mari | Bennett, Jonathan A. | Chiarucci, Alessandro | Chytrý, Milan | de Bello, Francesco | Eriksson, Ove | Harrison, Susan P. | Lewis, Robert John | Moles, Angela T. | Öpik, Maarja | Price, Jodi N. | Amputu, Vistorina | Askarizadeh, Diana | Atashgahi, Zohreh | Aubin, Isabelle | Azcárate, Francisco M. | Barrett, Matthew D. | Bashirzadeh, Maral | Bátori, Zoltán | Beenaerts, Natalie | Bergholz, Kolja | Birkeli, Kristine | Biurrun, Idoia | Blanco-Moreno, José M. | Bloodworth, K. J. | Boisvert-Marsh, Laura | Guillermo Bueno, C. | Domene, Xavier | Fernández-Pascual, Eduardo | Jiménez-Alfaro, B. | Muñoz Rojas, M. | Robles Cruz, Ana Belén | Rodriguez Ginart, Daniel A. | Serra-Diaz, Josep M. | Tarifa, Rubén | Tejero-Ibarra, Pablo | Trindade, Diego P. F. | Boldgiv, Bazartseren | Brancalion, Pedro H. S. | Brearley, Francis Q. | Brown, Charlotte | Buffa, Gabriella | Cahill, James F. | Campos, Júan A. | Cangelmi, Giacomo | Carbognani, Michele | Carcaillet, Christopher | Chevalier, Richard | Clavel, Jan S. | Costa, José | Zobel, Martin | Estonian Research Council | Ministry of Education and Science (Estonia) | Center of Excellence for Agroecology and new crops in future climates (Estonia) | Pärtel, Meelis [0000-0002-5874-0138] | Tamme, Riin [0000-0002-4998-1394] | Carmona, Carlos P. [0000-0001-6935-4913] | Moora, Mari [0000-0002-4819-7506] | Bennett, Jonathan A. [0000-0001-5617-7524] | Chiarucci, Alessandro [000-0003-1160-235X] | Chytrý, Milan [0000-0002-8122-3075] | de Bello, Francesco [0000-0001-9202-8198] | Moles, Angela T. [0000-0003-2041-7762] | Price, Jodi N. [0000-0003-2899-7693] | Amputu, Vistorina [0000-0001-8166-5714] | Askarizadeh, Diana [0000-0001-7719-9378] | Azcárate, Francisco M. [0000-0002-6517-6395] | Barrett, Matthew D. [0000-0002-2926-4291] | Bátori, Zoltán [000-0001-9915-5309] | Beenaerts, Natalie [0000-0001-5655-5943] | Birkeli, Kristine [0000-0003-3980-4420] | Biurrun, Idoia [0000-0002-1454-0433] | Blanco-Moreno, José M. [0000-0003-1038-3941] | Bloodworth, K. J. [0000-0001-5830-2712] | Boisvert-Marsh, Laura [0000-0002-0939-8196] | Domene, Xavier [000-0002-2951-1491] | Fernández-Pascual, Eduardo [0000-0002-4743-9577] | Muñoz Rojas, M. [0000-0002-9746-5191] | Tarifa, Rubén [0000-0002-0288-1978] | Tejero-Ibarra, Pablo [0000-0001-6735-3423] | Trindade, Diego P. F. [0000-0002-3732-9999] | Boldgiv, Bazartseren [0000-0003-0015-8142] | Brancalion, Pedro H. S. [0000-0001-8245-4062] | Buffa, Gabriella [0000-0002-0862-637X] | Campos, Júan A. [0000-0001-5992-2753] | Cangelmi, Giacomo [0009-0004-8411-4175] | Carbognani, Michele [0000-0001-7701-9859] | Carcaillet, Christopher [0000-0002-6632-1507] | Cerabolini, Bruno E. L. [0000-0002-3793-0733] | Chevalier, Richard [0000-0003-3340-1954] | Costa, José M. [0000-0002-4991-7122] | Zobel, Martin [0000-0001-7957-6704] | Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas [https://ror.org/02gfc7t72]
24 páginas.- 10 figuras.- 2 tablas.- 70 referencias.- Supplementary information The online version contains supplementary material available at https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-025-08814-5
Показать больше [+] Меньше [-]Anthropogenic biodiversity decline threatens the functioning of ecosystems and the many benefits they provide to humanity1. As well as causing species losses in directly affected locations, human influence might also reduce biodiversity in relatively unmodified vegetation if far-reaching anthropogenic effects trigger local extinctions and hinder recolonization. Here we show that local plant diversity is globally negatively related to the level of anthropogenic activity in the surrounding region. Impoverishment of natural vegetation was evident only when we considered community completeness: the proportion of all suitable species in the region that are present at a site. To estimate community completeness, we compared the number of recorded species with the dark diversity—ecologically suitable species that are absent from a site but present in the surrounding region2. In the sampled regions with a minimal human footprint index, an average of 35% of suitable plant species were present locally, compared with less than 20% in highly affected regions. Besides having the potential to uncover overlooked threats to biodiversity, dark diversity also provides guidance for nature conservation. Species in the dark diversity remain regionally present, and their local populations might be restored through measures that improve connectivity between natural vegetation fragments and reduce threats to population persistence.
Показать больше [+] Меньше [-]We thank the Estonian Research Council (PRG609, PRG1065, PSG293 and PRG2142) and the Estonian Ministry of Education and Research (Centre of Excellence AgroCropFuture, TK200) for funding the DarkDivNet steering committee, and we thank the many students and volunteers who helped with the fieldwork. Acknowledgements related to specific authors can be found in the Supplementary Notes.
Показать больше [+] Меньше [-]Peer reviewed
Показать больше [+] Меньше [-]Ключевые слова АГРОВОК
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