Global impoverishment of natural vegetation revealed by dark diversity

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 anthropogen...

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Main Authors: Pärtel, Meelis, Tamme, Riin, Carmona, Carlos P., Riibak, Kersti, Moora, Mari, Bennett, Jonathan A., Chiarucci, Alessandro, Chytrý, Milan, De Bello, Francesco, Eriksson, Ove, Lasagno, Romina Gisele, Peri, Pablo Luis, Zobel, Martin
Format: info:ar-repo/semantics/artículo
Language:Inglés
Published: Springer Nature 2025
Subjects:
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12123/22432
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-025-08814-5
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-025-08814-5
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author Pärtel, Meelis
Tamme, Riin
Carmona, Carlos P.
Riibak, Kersti
Moora, Mari
Bennett, Jonathan A.
Chiarucci, Alessandro
Chytrý, Milan
De Bello, Francesco
Eriksson, Ove
Lasagno, Romina Gisele
Peri, Pablo Luis
Zobel, Martin
author_browse Bennett, Jonathan A.
Carmona, Carlos P.
Chiarucci, Alessandro
Chytrý, Milan
De Bello, Francesco
Eriksson, Ove
Lasagno, Romina Gisele
Moora, Mari
Peri, Pablo Luis
Pärtel, Meelis
Riibak, Kersti
Tamme, Riin
Zobel, Martin
author_facet Pärtel, Meelis
Tamme, Riin
Carmona, Carlos P.
Riibak, Kersti
Moora, Mari
Bennett, Jonathan A.
Chiarucci, Alessandro
Chytrý, Milan
De Bello, Francesco
Eriksson, Ove
Lasagno, Romina Gisele
Peri, Pablo Luis
Zobel, Martin
author_sort Pärtel, Meelis
collection INTA Digital
description 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.
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institution Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA -Argentina)
language Inglés
publishDate 2025
publishDateRange 2025
publishDateSort 2025
publisher Springer Nature
publisherStr Springer Nature
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spelling INTA224322025-05-26T10:10:24Z 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 Eriksson, Ove Lasagno, Romina Gisele Peri, Pablo Luis Zobel, Martin Biodiversity Losses Anthropogenic Changes Conservation Biodiversidad Pérdidas Cambio Antropogénico Conservación Native Plants Dark Diversity Species Losses Anthropogenic Effects Recolonization Human Footprint Index PEBANPA Network Plantas Nativas Diversidad Oscura Pérdidas de Especies Efectos Antropogénicos Recolonización Indice de Huella Humana Red PEBANPA 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. EEA Santa Cruz, INTA Fil: Pärtel, Meelis. University of Tartu. Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences; Estonia. Fil: Tamme, Riin. University of Tartu. Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences; Estonia. Fil: Carmona, Carlos P. University of Tartu. Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences; Estonia. Fil: Riibak, Kersti. University of Tartu. Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences; Estonia. Fil: Moora, Mari. University of Tartu. Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences; Estonia. Fil: Bennett, Jonathan A. University of Saskatchewan. Department of Plant Sciences; Canadá. Fil: Chiarucci, Alessandro. University of Bologna. Department of Biological, Geological and Environmental Sciences, Alma Mater Studiorum; Italia Fil: Chytrý, Milan. Masaryk University. Faculty of Science. Department of Botany and Zoology; República Checa Fil: De Bello, Francesco. CIDE, CSIC-UV-GVA; España Fil: De Bello, Francesco. University of South Bohemia. Faculty of Science. Department of Botany; República Checa Fil: Eriksson, Ove. Stockholm University. Department of Ecology, Environment and Plant Sciences; Suecia Fil: Lasagno, Romina Gisele. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Santa Cruz; Argentina. Fil: Peri, Pablo Luis. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Santa Cruz; Argentina. Fil: Peri, Pablo Luis. Universidad Nacional de la Patagonia Austral; Argentina. Fil: Peri, Pablo Luis. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Fil: Zobel, Martin. University of Tartu. Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences; Estonia. 2025-05-26T09:58:13Z 2025-05-26T09:58:13Z 2025-05-23 info:ar-repo/semantics/artículo info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12123/22432 https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-025-08814-5 Pärtel M.; Tamme R.; Carmona C.P.; Riibak K.; Moora M.; Bennett J.A.; Chiarucci A.; Chytrý M.; De Bello F.; Eriksson O.; Harrison S.; Lewis R.J.; Moles A.T.; (…); Lasagno R.G.; Peri P.L.; et al. (2025) Global impoverishment of natural vegetation revealed by dark diversity. Nature 641: 917-924. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-025-08814-5 1476-4687 (online) 0028-0836 (print) https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-025-08814-5 eng info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/ Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0) application/pdf Springer Nature Nature 641 (8064) : 917-924. (May 2025)
spellingShingle Biodiversity
Losses
Anthropogenic Changes
Conservation
Biodiversidad
Pérdidas
Cambio Antropogénico
Conservación
Native Plants
Dark Diversity
Species Losses
Anthropogenic Effects
Recolonization
Human Footprint Index
PEBANPA Network
Plantas Nativas
Diversidad Oscura
Pérdidas de Especies
Efectos Antropogénicos
Recolonización
Indice de Huella Humana
Red PEBANPA
Pärtel, Meelis
Tamme, Riin
Carmona, Carlos P.
Riibak, Kersti
Moora, Mari
Bennett, Jonathan A.
Chiarucci, Alessandro
Chytrý, Milan
De Bello, Francesco
Eriksson, Ove
Lasagno, Romina Gisele
Peri, Pablo Luis
Zobel, Martin
Global impoverishment of natural vegetation revealed by dark diversity
title Global impoverishment of natural vegetation revealed by dark diversity
title_full Global impoverishment of natural vegetation revealed by dark diversity
title_fullStr Global impoverishment of natural vegetation revealed by dark diversity
title_full_unstemmed Global impoverishment of natural vegetation revealed by dark diversity
title_short Global impoverishment of natural vegetation revealed by dark diversity
title_sort global impoverishment of natural vegetation revealed by dark diversity
topic Biodiversity
Losses
Anthropogenic Changes
Conservation
Biodiversidad
Pérdidas
Cambio Antropogénico
Conservación
Native Plants
Dark Diversity
Species Losses
Anthropogenic Effects
Recolonization
Human Footprint Index
PEBANPA Network
Plantas Nativas
Diversidad Oscura
Pérdidas de Especies
Efectos Antropogénicos
Recolonización
Indice de Huella Humana
Red PEBANPA
url http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12123/22432
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-025-08814-5
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-025-08814-5
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