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| Open AccessBiodiversity increases resistance of grasslands against plant invasions under multiple environmental changes
Species-rich communities tend to be less vulnerable to species invasions, but whether this is maintained under environmental stress is unclear. This meta-analysis shows that the positive effect of biodiversity on resistance to invasion in grassland plant communities is reduced by drought but increased by warming and multiple global change factors.
- Cai Cheng
- , Zekang Liu
- & Jihua Wu
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Article
| Open AccessMultispecies deep learning using citizen science data produces more informative plant community models
By modelling the distribution of the entire Swiss flora using deep learning and citizen science data, this study demonstrates a method that predicts flowering phenology and potentially dominant tree species more accurately than commonly used approaches. This approach could enable investigation of understudied aspects of ecology and refine our understanding of plant distributions.
- Philipp Brun
- , Dirk N. Karger
- & Niklaus E. Zimmermann
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| Open AccessAn integrated spatio-temporal view of riverine biodiversity using environmental DNA metabarcoding
Using intensive eDNA sampling in space and time across five rivers in Europe and North America, this study shows that eDNA gives relevant information on freshwater diversity and ecology across broad taxonomic groups, and with limited downstream transport. The findings demonstrate that eDNA is vital for freshwater biodiversity monitoring in a time of anthropogenic change.
- William Bernard Perry
- , Mathew Seymour
- & Simon Creer
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Article
| Open AccessBiodiversity loss reduces global terrestrial carbon storage
Loss of vegetation carbon from biodiversity loss could rival emissions from other sources such as land-use change. This creates a feedback where climate change increases biodiversity loss, leading to greater emissions and more climate change.
- Sarah R. Weiskopf
- , Forest Isbell
- & Simon Ferrier
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| Open AccessDeepDive: estimating global biodiversity patterns through time using deep learning
Estimates of palaeodiversity are biased by the incompleteness of the fossil record. Here, the authors develop DeepDive, a deep learning approach that infers richness while accounting for record heterogeneity, and test it with two empirical datasets.
- Rebecca B. Cooper
- , Joseph T. Flannery-Sutherland
- & Daniele Silvestro
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Article
| Open AccessGeologically younger ecosystems are more dependent on soil biodiversity for supporting function
This study demonstrates that soil BEF relationships diminish during long-term pedogenesis, highlighting the importance of soil biodiversity in sustaining multiple ecosystem functions in younger, drier soils.
- Jiao Feng
- , Yu-Rong Liu
- & Manuel Delgado-Baquerizo
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Matters Arising
| Open AccessReassessing data quality underlying the recently updated floristic map of the world
- Hong Qian
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Matters Arising
| Open AccessReply to: Reassessing data quality underlying the recently updated floristic map of the world
- Yunpeng Liu
- , Xiaoting Xu
- & Zhiheng Wang
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Article
| Open AccessLand conversion to agriculture induces taxonomic homogenization of soil microbial communities globally
Agricultural land-use change affects belowground biodiversity. Here, the authors compare soil microbial communities from natural ecosystems and agricultural systems, finding that agricultural conversion leads to taxonomic and functional homogenisation.
- Ziheng Peng
- , Xun Qian
- & Shuo Jiao
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Article
| Open AccessGlobal meta-analysis reveals overall higher nocturnal than diurnal activity in insect communities
Entomologists expect that more insects are active at night than during daytime. Here, the authors use a global meta-analysis of insect community diel patterns to show highly variable and context-dependent but overall higher nocturnal activity of insects.
- Mark K. L. Wong
- & Raphael K. Didham
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Article
| Open AccessBat species assemblage predicts coronavirus prevalence
Human encroachment into nature alters species communities and can lead to changes in disease dynamics. Here, Meyer et al. find that coronavirus prevalence increased in less diverse bat communities, which were dominated by susceptible host species.
- Magdalena Meyer
- , Dominik W. Melville
- & Simone Sommer
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Article
| Open AccessNutrient-induced acidification modulates soil biodiversity-function relationships
Nutrient enrichment is a major global change component. Here the authors show that soil acidification induced by nutrient enrichment, rather than changes in mineral nutrient and carbon availability, modulates soil biodiversity-function relationships
- Zhengkun Hu
- , Manuel Delgado-Baquerizo
- & Manqiang Liu
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Article
| Open AccessHidden impacts of ocean warming and acidification on biological responses of marine animals revealed through meta-analysis
Climate change effects on animals are typically measured as decreases or increases in performance, compared to controls. Because both directions can have cascading effects at the ecosystem level, this study conducts a meta-analysis testing for deviations in biological responses using absolute rather than relative changes, showing that impacts on marine animals might have been largely underestimated.
- Katharina Alter
- , Juliette Jacquemont
- & Paolo Domenici
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Article
| Open AccessInverse relationship between species competitiveness and intraspecific trait variability may enable species coexistence in experimental seedling communities
Intraspecific trait variation could influence competitive interactions among species. Here, the authors show that higher intraspecific variation in seedling traits and performance may enable competitively inferior plant species to coexist with competitively superior species.
- Jing Yang
- , Xiya Wang
- & Guochun Shen
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Article
| Open AccessDeep biogeographic barriers explain divergent global vertebrate communities
The effect of biogeographic isolation on biodiversity remains unclear. Assessing global mammal and bird assemblages, the authors show that long-term biogeographic barriers explain reduced species richness and divergent ecological function, while environment determines diversity in most of the world.
- Peter J. Williams
- , Elise F. Zipkin
- & Jedediah F. Brodie
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Article
| Open AccessNon-native ants are breaking down biogeographic boundaries and homogenizing community assemblages
Global biogeographic patterns have resulted from millions of years of evolution. Here, the authors show that the global dispersal of non-native ant species is rapidly redefining these biogeographic patterns by homogenizing species assemblages, disproportionally affecting tropical regions and islands.
- Lucie Aulus-Giacosa
- , Sébastien Ollier
- & Cleo Bertelsmeier
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Article
| Open AccessEffects of plant diversity on productivity strengthen over time due to trait-dependent shifts in species overyielding
Species-rich plant communities often have higher productivity than monocultures. Here, the authors analyse biodiversity-ecosystem functioning experiments in grasslands and forests and find that the biodiversity effects on community productivity strengthen over time thanks to shifts in contributions of species with different resource acquisition traits.
- Liting Zheng
- , Kathryn E. Barry
- & Yann Hautier
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Article
| Open AccessDiverging effects of host density and richness across biological scales drive diversity-disease outcomes
A core challenge is to understand how biodiversity shapes infectious disease across scales. Here, infection assays combined with sampling of amphibian communities show that host richness consistently reduces transmission, but increases in density weaken the effect at the community scale.
- Pieter T. J. Johnson
- , Tara E. Stewart Merrill
- & Andy Fenton
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Article
| Open AccessGlobal conservation status of the jawed vertebrate Tree of Life
Extinction threatens to erode the Tree of Life. Here, the authors calculate extinction risk for jawed vertebrates, predicting a loss of 86–150 billion years (11–19%) of evolutionary history through the next 50–500 years and indicating that cartilaginous fish, ray-finned fish, and turtles are most at risk from a phylogenetic perspective.
- Rikki Gumbs
- , Oenone Scott
- & James Rosindell
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Article
| Open AccessMarine protected areas promote stability of reef fish communities under climate warming
Protected areas are meant to defend species from direct exploitation and habitat loss, but they might also reduce climate change impacts. Here, the authors show that marine protected areas mitigate the impacts of marine heatwaves on reef fish communities.
- Lisandro Benedetti-Cecchi
- , Amanda E. Bates
- & Eneko Aspillaga
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Article
| Open AccessMapping the planet’s critical areas for biodiversity and nature’s contributions to people
This study shows that conserving approximately half of global land area through protection or sustainable management could provide 90% of ten of nature’s contributions to people and could meet representation targets for 26,709 species of mammals, birds, amphibians, and reptiles. This finding supports recent commitments to conserve at least 30% of global lands and waters by 2030.
- Rachel A. Neugarten
- , Rebecca Chaplin-Kramer
- & Amanda D. Rodewald
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Article
| Open AccessMetallic micronutrients are associated with the structure and function of the soil microbiome
Soil micronutrients may be important for belowground biota and associated functions. Here, the authors identify the relationships between metallic micronutrients and soil microbial communities and functions across 180 sites, and validate them in a soil incubation experiment.
- Zhongmin Dai
- , Xu Guo
- & Jianming Xu
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Article
| Open AccessUndiscovered bird extinctions obscure the true magnitude of human-driven extinction waves
The true number of human-driven bird extinctions is likely larger than we think. Here, the authors combine recorded extinctions with estimates from the fossil record to suggest that ~1400 bird species have gone extinct since the Late Pleistocene.
- Rob Cooke
- , Ferran Sayol
- & Søren Faurby
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Article
| Open AccessSeasonal variation in dragonfly assemblage colouration suggests a link between thermal melanism and phenology
Body colour may be an important factor in insect phenology. Here, the authors show that colour lightness of dragonfly assemblages from the UK, collected between May and October from 1990-2020, varies in response to seasonal changes in solar radiation, suggesting a link between colour-based thermoregulation and insect phenology.
- Roberto Novella-Fernandez
- , Roland Brandl
- & Christian Hof
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Article
| Open AccessThe global importance and interplay of colour-based protective and thermoregulatory functions in frogs
Anurans—frogs and toads—are a diverse group with a remarkable variety of colours. Here, the authors report a global analysis of colour variation in anurans, finding evidence that colour lightness is important for thermoregulation, protection from UVB radiation and resistance to pathogens.
- Ricarda Laumeier
- , Martin Brändle
- & Stefan Pinkert
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Article
| Open AccessDilution of specialist pathogens drives productivity benefits from diversity in plant mixtures
Soil pathogen dilution can improve plant production. Here, the authors combine an empirical and theoretical approaches finding that specialist pathogens suppress yield in monocultures while pathogen dilution drives yield benefits in diverse plant communities.
- Guangzhou Wang
- , Haley M. Burrill
- & James D. Bever
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Article
| Open AccessA global synthesis and assessment of free-ranging domestic cat diet
Free-ranging domestic cats have major ecological impacts globally. Here, Lepczyk et al. compile records of the species consumed by cats, identifying thousands of species consumed, including hundreds of species that are of conservation concern.
- Christopher A. Lepczyk
- , Jean E. Fantle-Lepczyk
- & John C. Z. Woinarski
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Article
| Open AccessThe formation of the Indo-Pacific montane avifauna
The mechanisms generating montane biodiversity remain incompletely understood. Here, the authors study the passerine avifauna of Indo-Pacific island mountains, finding that Eurasian-origin species colonized directly from other mountains, while Australo-Papuan-origin species made upslope range shifts from the lowlands.
- Andrew Hart Reeve
- , Jonathan David Kennedy
- & Knud Andreas Jønsson
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Article
| Open AccessEvolution of masting in plants is linked to investment in low tissue mortality
Factors behind interspecific variation in masting are unclear. Here, the authors show that, in 517 species of terrestrial perennial plants, masting is more frequent in species that have high stem tissue density, suggesting that stronger stress resistance may buffer against missed reproductive opportunities.
- Valentin Journé
- , Andrew Hacket-Pain
- & Michał Bogdziewicz
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Article
| Open AccessDiurnal temperature range as a key predictor of plants’ elevation ranges globally
This study relates 88,000 elevation range sizes of vascular plants in 44 mountains to short-term and long-term temperature variation. The authors finding of decreasing elevation range sizes with greater diurnal temperature range supports a novel biodiversity hypothesis and indicates increased extinction risk of continental species.
- Arnaud Gallou
- , Alistair S. Jump
- & John-Arvid Grytnes
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Article
| Open AccessQuantifying global colonization pressures of alien vertebrates from wildlife trade
This study compiled a comprehensive global database on live terrestrial vertebrate trade and used it to investigate traded alien species. The authors identify 7,780 species involved in trade globally and show that countries with greater trading power, higher incomes and larger human populations import more alien species, which emerge as hotspots for establishment richness of aliens.
- Yiming Li
- , Tim M. Blackburn
- & Siqi Wang
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Article
| Open AccessDiversification of flowering plants in space and time
Global spatiotemporal patterns of plant diversification are unclear. Here, the authors use a genus-level phylogeny and global distribution data for 14,244 flowering plant genera, finding a negative correlation between spatial patterns of diversification and genus diversity.
- Dimitar Dimitrov
- , Xiaoting Xu
- & Zhiheng Wang
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Article
| Open AccessFostering temporal crop diversification to reduce pesticide use
The potential of crop diversification to reduce pesticide use has not been quantified at large scales. Here, the authors use a national network of 1334 cropping system to identify the effect of increasing temporal crop diversity on pesticide use for 16 common crops.
- Maé Guinet
- , Guillaume Adeux
- & Nicolas Munier-Jolain
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Article
| Open Access30×30 biodiversity gains rely on national coordination
Expanding protected areas to meet conservation goals requires careful consideration of potential trade-offs. Here, by simulating conservation scenarios for Canada, the authors report that 30×30 outcomes for biodiversity depend more on how protection is coordinated at different spatial scales than on which biodiversity metrics are prioritized.
- Isaac Eckert
- , Andrea Brown
- & Laura J. Pollock
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Article
| Open AccessThe radiation continuum and the evolution of frog diversity
The contribution of adaptive radiation to species and phenotypic diversity within major clades is not clear. Here, the authors use morphological and phylogenetic data for 1226 species of frogs, finding that less than half of families resemble adaptive radiation, but that adaptive radiation contributed to 75% of diversity.
- Gen Morinaga
- , John J. Wiens
- & Daniel S. Moen
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Article
| Open AccessRelationships of stomatal morphology to the environment across plant communities
The relationship between stomatal traits and environmental drivers across plant communities has important implications for ecosystem fluxes. Here, the authors explore community-scale stomatal trait-environment relationships, which are important for predicting future water and carbon cycles.
- Congcong Liu
- , Lawren Sack
- & Guirui Yu
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Article
| Open AccessImpact of global climate cooling on Ordovician marine biodiversity
The largest increase in marine biodiversity in Earth’s history took place nearly 500 million years ago during a geological period called the Ordovician. This event is well documented based on paleontological data, but its causes are debated. This study uses a numerical model to demonstrate that global climate cooling may have triggered biodiversification at that time.
- Daniel Eliahou Ontiveros
- , Gregory Beaugrand
- & Alexandre Pohl
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Article
| Open AccessPriority areas to protect mangroves and maximise ecosystem services
Mangroves provide ecosystem services but are threatened by anthropogenic activities. This study identifies priority areas that maximise the protection of mangrove biodiversity and ecosystem services. The authors show that biodiversity can be protected whilst maximising ecosystem benefits, with little or no increase in the protected area required.
- Alvise Dabalà
- , Farid Dahdouh-Guebas
- & Anthony J. Richardson
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Article
| Open AccessComposition of cetacean communities worldwide shapes their contribution to ocean nutrient cycling
Cetaceans such as dolphins and whales contribute to the cycling of essential nutrients in the surface ocean through defecation. Using a bioenergetic modelling approach, this study shows that the contribution of different cetaceans is heterogeneous both in terms of quantity and in quality, as the nutrient cocktails they release reflect the physiology and ecology of each species.
- Lola Gilbert
- , Tiphaine Jeanniard-du-Dot
- & Jérôme Spitz
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Article
| Open AccessBird clades with less complex appendicular skeletons tend to have higher species richness
Biodiversity is unevenly distributed across the tree of life, and theoretical work suggests that biological complexity may be influential in forming these patterns. Here, Brinkworth et al. have shown that bird clades with more complex appendicular skeletons tend to have lower extant species richness.
- Andrew Brinkworth
- , Emily Green
- & Matthew A. Wills
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Article
| Open AccessMixed effects of a national protected area network on terrestrial and freshwater biodiversity
Protected areas are vital for conserving biodiversity, but their effectiveness is often unknown. A study on 638 species in Finland’s protected and unprotected sites finds mixed impacts; only a subset of species benefit from protection, mainly experiencing slower declines within protected areas.
- Andrea Santangeli
- , Benjamin Weigel
- & Marjo Saastamoinen
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Article
| Open AccessBayesian analyses indicate bivalves did not drive the downfall of brachiopods following the Permian-Triassic mass extinction
Brachiopod-bivalve switch in diversity dominance after the Palaeozoic era is a textbook example of clade replacement, and its mechanism has long been debated. Here, new Bayesian analyses suggest that diversification turnover between the two was not driven by biotic competition but the end-Permian extinction.
- Zhen Guo
- , Joseph T. Flannery-Sutherland
- & Zhong-Qiang Chen
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Article
| Open AccessGlobal determinants of insect mitochondrial genetic diversity
This study presents a global map of predicted insect mitochondrial genetic diversity from cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 sequences. From over 2 million mtDNA sequences, they find a negative quadratic latitudinal gradient in genetic diversity evenness, peaking in the subtropics and correlating with hot, stable environments.
- Connor M. French
- , Laura D. Bertola
- & Michael J. Hickerson
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Article
| Open AccessDiversity, distribution and intrinsic extinction vulnerability of exploited marine bivalves
Marine bivalves are important components of ecosystems and are exploited for food across the world. This study expands the list of marine bivalves known to be exploited worldwide and then uses a trait-based approach to identify intrinsically vulnerable species and to pinpoint regions with high levels of extinction-prone exploited species, helping to prioritize areas for conservation effort.
- Shan Huang
- , Stewart M. Edie
- & David Jablonski
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Article
| Open AccessUrbanisation generates multiple trait syndromes for terrestrial animal taxa worldwide
Cities may host surprisingly diverse and functionally distinct biological communities. This global analysis on 5302 vertebrate and invertebrate species finds evidence of 4 trait syndromes in urban animal assemblages, modulated by spatial and geographic factors.
- Amy K. Hahs
- , Bertrand Fournier
- & Marco Moretti
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Article
| Open AccessClade density and the evolution of diversity-dependent diversification
common assumption of evolution is that of an ecological limit to species diversity. This study tests whether sympatry with closely-related species leads to decreasing speciation rates. They find that, for terrestrial vertebrates, the probability of speciation seems to be unaffected by the number of other species of that lineage already present
- Marcio R. Pie
- , Raquel Divieso
- & Fernanda S. Caron
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Article
| Open AccessThe role and risks of selective adaptation in extreme coral habitats
Corals living in naturally extreme environments such as mangrove lagoons have been considered as ‘super corals’ for reef conservation. However, this study shows that resistance in highly variable conditions comes with biological trade-offs that could compromise the suitability of these stress-tolerant corals for reef management under worsening climate change conditions.
- Federica Scucchia
- , Paul Zaslansky
- & Emma F. Camp
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Article
| Open AccessGenetic erosion reduces biomass temporal stability in wild fish populations
Experimental evidence indicates that genetic diversity can promote biomass stability, but does this process occur in wild populations? Focusing on three freshwater fish species from two river basins in southwestern France, this study shows that the biomass of genetically diversified populations has been more stable in recent decades than populations that have suffered from genetic erosion.
- Jérôme G. Prunier
- , Mathieu Chevalier
- & Simon Blanchet
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Article
| Open AccessEvolutionary history of the Arctic flora
The Arctic tundra is a relatively young biome. Here, the authors sample 32 angiosperm clades encompassing 3600+ species and find that both long-term dispersal and in situ speciation may have contributed to Arctic flora assembly, in association with landscape, climate and sea-level changes since the early Late Miocene.
- Jun Zhang
- , Xiao-Qian Li
- & Wei Wang