Bryophytes of Europe Traits (BET) dataset: a fundamental tool for ecological studies

Bryophytes are a diverse group of organisms with unique properties, yet they are severely underrepresented in plant trait databases. Building on the recently published European Red List of bryophytes and previous trait compilations, we present the Bryophytes of Europe Traits (BET) data set, including biological traits such as those related to life history, growth habit, sexual and vegetative reproduction; ecological traits such as indicator values, substrate and habitat; and bioclimatic variables based on the species' European range. The data set includes values for 65 traits and 25 bio-climatic variables, containing more than 135,000 trait values with a completeness of 82.7% on average. The data set will enable future studies in bryophyte biology, ecology and conservation, and may help to answer fundamental questions in bryology.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

GrassPlot - a database of multi-scale plant diversity in Palaearctic grasslands

GrassPlot is a collaborative vegetation-plot database organised by the Eurasian Dry Grassland Group (EDGG) and listed in the Global Index of Vegetation-Plot Databases (GIVD ID EU-00-003). GrassPlot collects plot records (releves) from grasslands and other open habitats of the Palaearctic biogeographic realm. It focuses on precisely delimited plots of eight standard grain sizes (0.0001; 0.001;... 1,000 m(2)) and on nested-plot series with at least four different grain sizes. The usage of GrassPlot is regulated through Bylaws that intend to balance the interests of data contributors and data users. The current version (v. 1.00) contains data for approximately 170,000 plots of different sizes and 2,800 nested-plot series. The key components are richness data and metadata. However, most included datasets also encompass compositional data. About 14,000 plots have near-complete records of terricolous bryophytes and lichens in addition to vascular plants. At present, GrassPlot contains data from 36 countries throughout the Palaearctic, spread across elevational gradients and major grassland types. GrassPlot with its multi-scale and multi-taxon focus complements the larger international vegetationplot databases, such as the European Vegetation Archive (EVA) and the global database " sPlot". Its main aim is to facilitate studies on the scale-and taxon-dependency of biodiversity patterns and drivers along macroecological gradients. GrassPlot is a dynamic database and will expand through new data collection coordinated by the elected Governing Board. We invite researchers with suitable data to join GrassPlot. Researchers with project ideas addressable with GrassPlot data are welcome to submit proposals to the Governing Board

<scp>ReSurveyEurope</scp>: A database of resurveyed vegetation plots in Europe

AbstractAimsWe introduce ReSurveyEurope — a new data source of resurveyed vegetation plots in Europe, compiled by a collaborative network of vegetation scientists. We describe the scope of this initiative, provide an overview of currently available data, governance, data contribution rules, and accessibility. In addition, we outline further steps, including potential research questions.ResultsReSurveyEurope includes resurveyed vegetation plots from all habitats. Version 1.0 of ReSurveyEurope contains 283,135 observations (i.e., individual surveys of each plot) from 79,190 plots sampled in 449 independent resurvey projects. Of these, 62,139 (78%) are permanent plots, that is, marked in situ, or located with GPS, which allow for high spatial accuracy in resurvey. The remaining 17,051 (22%) plots are from studies in which plots from the initial survey could not be exactly relocated. Four data sets, which together account for 28,470 (36%) plots, provide only presence/absence information on plant species, while the remaining 50,720 (64%) plots contain abundance information (e.g., percentage cover or cover–abundance classes such as variants of the Braun‐Blanquet scale). The oldest plots were sampled in 1911 in the Swiss Alps, while most plots were sampled between 1950 and 2020.ConclusionsReSurveyEurope is a new resource to address a wide range of research questions on fine‐scale changes in European vegetation. The initiative is devoted to an inclusive and transparent governance and data usage approach, based on slightly adapted rules of the well‐established European Vegetation Archive (EVA). ReSurveyEurope data are ready for use, and proposals for analyses of the data set can be submitted at any time to the coordinators. Still, further data contributions are highly welcome.</jats:sec

Unveiling the nature of a miniature world: a horizon scan of fundamental questions in bryology

Introduction: Half a century since the creation of the International Association of Bryologists, we carried out a review to identify outstanding challenges and future perspectives in bryology. Specifically, we have identified 50 fundamental questions that are critical in advancing the discipline. Methods: We have adapted a deep-rooted methodology of horizon scanning to identify key research foci. An initial pool of 258 questions was prepared by a multidisciplinary and international working group of 32 bryologists. A series of online surveys completed by a broader community of researchers in bryology, followed by quality-control steps implemented by the working group, were used to create a list of top-priority questions. This final list was restricted to 50 questions with a broad conceptual scope and answerable through realistic research approaches. Key results: The top list of 50 fundamental questions was organised into four general topics: Bryophyte Biodiversity and Biogeography; Bryophyte Ecology, Physiology and Reproductive Biology; Bryophyte Conservation and Management; and Bryophyte Evolution and Systematics. These topics included 9, 19, 14 and 8 questions, respectively. Conclusions: Although many of the research challenges identified are not newly conceived, our horizon-scanning exercise has established a significant foundation for future bryological research. We suggest analytical and conceptual strategies and novel developments for potential use in advancing the research agenda for bryology

Decoupled phylogenetic and functional diversity in European grasslands

The relationship between phylogenetic diversity (PD) and functional diversity (FD) is important for understanding the mechanisms of community assembly. The traditional view assumes a coupled (positively correlated) relationship between these two diversity measures, suggesting that competitive exclusion and environmental filtering are important drivers of both phylogenetic and functional structure of communities. In contrast, there is evidence that communities might deviate from this pattern, exhibiting either phylogenetic overdispersion connected with trait convergence (decoupled PD) or functional overdispersion connected with phylogenetic clustering (decoupled FD). In this study, we examined the relationship between PD and FD within vascular-plant communities in European grasslands, focusing on decoupled PD-FD patterns. We hypothesized that the decoupled patterns are connected with past or current environmental changes and are rarer in comparison with the coupled PD-FD pattern, reflecting long-term relatively stable environments. We used 81,484 plots (communities) of European dry, mesic, wet and alpine grasslands, containing 4,119 angiosperm species, and data on six functional traits relevant for different plant functions and habitats (plant height, leaf area, specific leaf area, leaf nitrogen content, seed mass and lateral spreading distance). Functional diversity was evaluated in two ways – as a single combined measure and as variability in each trait separately. We found various PD-FD patterns across different habitats, traits and regions, with the coupled pattern widespread but not universal. In many communities, we detected the tendency towards decoupled PD, likely caused by environmental filtering of phylogenetically diverse species pools. This was most pronounced in dry grasslands, and also in wet and alpine grasslands when FD based on plant height, leaf area or seed mass was considered. In contrast, the tendency towards decoupled FD was detected only in mesic and wet grasslands for leaf nitrogen content and lateral spreading distance, possibly due to competitive interactions among species interplaying with land-use history. Decoupled PD is relatively common in European grasslands, especially in mountainous and hilly areas of central and southern Europe and in parts of western Europe with a mild climate. This likely results from refugial effects that have preserved many distinct phylogenetic lineages, but their species are functionally similar due to environmental filters that affect the assembly of present-day grassland communities. We demonstrate that PD and FD may reflect different aspects of community structure and assembly mechanisms, and suggest that the phenomenon of decoupled PD and FD deserves more systematic study.</p

A miniature world in decline: European Red List of Mosses, Liverworts and Hornworts

This publication has been prepared by IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) as a deliverable of the LIFE European Red Lists project (LIFE14 PRE BE 001). A miniature world in decline: The European Red List of Mosses, Liverworts and Hornworts is, therefore, a part of a series of publications released since 2015, when the project began, that also include: • European Red List of Lycopods and Ferns, 2017 • European Red List of Saproxylic Beetles, 2018 • European Red list of Terrestrial Molluscs: slugs, snails, and semi-slugs, 2019 • European Red list of Trees, 2019 • European Red list of Selected Endemic Shrubs, 2019 Based on other European Red List assessments, 59% of freshwater molluscs, 40% of freshwater fishes, 28% of grasshoppers, crickets and bush-crickets, 23% of amphibians, 20% of reptiles, 20% of ferns and lycopods, 17% of mammals, 16% of dragonflies, 13% of birds, 9% of butterflies and bees, 8% of aquatic plants and 2% of medicinal plants are threatened at the European level (Allen et al., 2014; IUCN, 2015; Hochkirch et al., 2016; García Criado et al., 2017). Additional European Red Lists assessing a selection of species showed that 22% of terrestrial molluscs, 16% of crop wild relatives and 18% of saproxylic beetles are also threatened (Cuttelod et al., 2011; Bilz et al., 2011; Cálix et al., 2018). The findings of this work suggest that 23% of bryophytes are threatened species in Europe, representing the fifth most threatened group of plants assessed so far

Benchmarking plant diversity of Palaearctic grasslands and other open habitats

Abstract Aims: Understanding fine-grain diversity patterns across large spatial extents is fundamental for macroecological research and biodiversity conservation. Using the GrassPlot database, we provide benchmarks of fine-grain richness values of Palaearctic open habitats for vascular plants, bryophytes, lichens and complete vegetation (i.e., the sum of the former three groups). Location: Palaearctic biogeographic realm. Methods: We used 126,524 plots of eight standard grain sizes from the GrassPlot database: 0.0001, 0.001, 0.01, 0.1, 1, 10, 100 and 1,000 m² and calculated the mean richness and standard deviations, as well as maximum, minimum, median, and first and third quartiles for each combination of grain size, taxonomic group, biome, region, vegetation type and phytosociological class. Results: Patterns of plant diversity in vegetation types and biomes differ across grain sizes and taxonomic groups. Overall, secondary (mostly semi-natural) grasslands and natural grasslands are the richest vegetation type. The open-access file ”GrassPlot Diversity Benchmarks” and the web tool “GrassPlot Diversity Explorer” are now available online (https://edgg.org/databases/GrasslandDiversityExplorer) and provide more insights into species richness patterns in the Palaearctic open habitats. Conclusions: The GrassPlot Diversity Benchmarks provide high-quality data on species richness in open habitat types across the Palaearctic. These benchmark data can be used in vegetation ecology, macroecology, biodiversity conservation and data quality checking. While the amount of data in the underlying GrassPlot database and their spatial coverage are smaller than in other extensive vegetation-plot databases, species recordings in GrassPlot are on average more complete, making it a valuable complementary data source in macroecology