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Global impoverishment of natural vegetation revealed by dark diversity

Pärtel, Meelis ; Tamme, Riin ; Carmona, Carlos P ; Riibak, Kersti ; Moora, Mari ; Bennett, Jonathan A ; Chiarucci, Alessandro ; Chytrý, Milan ; de Bello, Francesco and Eriksson, Ove , et al. (2025) In Nature
Abstract

Anthropogenic biodiversity decline threatens the functioning of ecosystems and the many benefits they provide to humanity
1. 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... (More)

Anthropogenic biodiversity decline threatens the functioning of ecosystems and the many benefits they provide to humanity
1. 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 region
2. 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.

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organization
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publication status
epub
subject
in
Nature
publisher
Nature Publishing Group
external identifiers
  • scopus:105001849992
  • pmid:40175550
ISSN
0028-0836
DOI
10.1038/s41586-025-08814-5
language
English
LU publication?
yes
additional info
© 2025. The Author(s).
id
5b261c4a-624d-464b-ae4f-96a3864f11db
date added to LUP
2025-04-05 18:07:42
date last changed
2025-07-06 03:00:04
@article{5b261c4a-624d-464b-ae4f-96a3864f11db,
  abstract     = {{<p>Anthropogenic biodiversity decline threatens the functioning of ecosystems and the many benefits they provide to humanity<br>
 1. 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 region<br>
 2. 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.<br>
 </p>}},
  author       = {{Pärtel, Meelis and Tamme, Riin and Carmona, Carlos P and Riibak, Kersti and Moora, Mari and Bennett, Jonathan A and Chiarucci, Alessandro and Chytrý, Milan and de Bello, Francesco and Eriksson, Ove and Harrison, Susan and Lewis, Robert John and Moles, Angela T and Öpik, Maarja and Price, Jodi N and Amputu, Vistorina and Askarizadeh, Diana and Atashgahi, Zohreh and Aubin, Isabelle and Azcárate, Francisco M and Barrett, Matthew D and Bashirzadeh, Maral and Bátori, Zoltán and Beenaerts, Natalie and Bergholz, Kolja and Birkeli, Kristine and Biurrun, Idoia and Blanco-Moreno, José M and Bloodworth, Kathryn J and Boisvert-Marsh, Laura and Boldgiv, Bazartseren and Brancalion, Pedro H S and Brearley, Francis Q and Brown, Charlotte and Bueno, C Guillermo and Buffa, Gabriella and Cahill, James F and Campos, Juan A and Cangelmi, Giacomo and Carbognani, Michele and Carcaillet, Christopher and Cerabolini, Bruno E L and Chevalier, Richard and Clavel, Jan S and Costa, José M and Cousins, Sara A O and Čuda, Jan and Dairel, Mariana and Prentice, Honor C and Reitalu, Triin and Zobel, Martin}},
  issn         = {{0028-0836}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  month        = {{04}},
  publisher    = {{Nature Publishing Group}},
  series       = {{Nature}},
  title        = {{Global impoverishment of natural vegetation revealed by dark diversity}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41586-025-08814-5}},
  doi          = {{10.1038/s41586-025-08814-5}},
  year         = {{2025}},
}