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Testing macroecological abundance patterns: The relationship between local abundance and range size, range position and climatic suitability among European vascular plants

Aim: A fundamental question in macroecology centres around understanding the relationship between species' local abundance and their distribution in geographical and climatic space (i.e. the multi‐dimensional climatic space or climatic niche). Here, we tested three macroecological hypotheses that link local abundance to the following range properties: (a) the abundance-range size relationship, (b) the abundance-range centre relationship and (c) the abundance-suitability relationship. Location: Europe. Taxon: Vascular plants. Methods: Distribution range maps were extracted from the Chorological Database Halle to derive information on the range and niche sizes of 517 European vascular plant species. To estimate local abundance, we assessed samples from 744,513 vegetation plots in the European Vegetation Archive, where local species' abundance is available as plant cover per plot. We then calculated the 'centrality', that is, the distance between the location of the abundance observation and each species' range centre in geographical and climatic space. The climatic suitability of plot locations was estimated using coarse‐grain species distribution models (SDMs). The relationships between centrality or climatic suitability with abundance was tested using linear models and quantile regression. We summarized the overall trend across species' regression slopes from linear models and quantile regression using a meta‐analytical approach. Results: We did not detect any positive relationships between a species' mean local abundance and the size of its geographical range or climatic niche. Contrasting yet significant correlations were detected between abundance and centrality or climatic suitability among species. Main conclusions: Our results do not provide unequivocal support for any of the relationships tested, demonstrating that determining properties of species' distributions at large grains and extents might be of limited use for predicting local abundance, including current SDM approaches. We conclude that environmental factors influencing individual performance and local abundance are likely to differ from those factors driving plant species' distribution at coarse resolution and broad geographical extents

Climate-trait relationships exhibit strong habitat specificity in plant communities across Europe

Ecological theory predicts close relationships between macroclimate and functional traits. Yet, global climatic gradients correlate only weakly with the trait composition of local plant communities, suggesting that important factors have been ignored. Here, we investigate the consistency of climate-trait relationships for plant communities in European habitats. Assuming that local factors are better accounted for in more narrowly defined habitats, we assigned > 300,000 vegetation plots to hierarchically classified habitats and modelled the effects of climate on the community-weighted means of four key functional traits using generalized additive models. We found that the predictive power of climate increased from broadly to narrowly defined habitats for specific leaf area and root length, but not for plant height and seed mass. Although macroclimate generally predicted the distribution of all traits, its effects varied, with habitat-specificity increasing toward more narrowly defined habitats. We conclude that macroclimate is an important determinant of terrestrial plant communities, but future predictions of climatic effects must consider how habitats are defined

EUNIS Habitat Classification: Expert system, characteristic species combinations and distribution maps of European habitats

Aim: The EUNIS Habitat Classification is a widely used reference framework for European habitat types (habitats), but it lacks formal definitions of individual habitats that would enable their unequivocal identification. Our goal was to develop a tool for assigning vegetation‐plot records to the habitats of the EUNIS system, use it to classify a European vegetation‐plot database, and compile statistically‐derived characteristic species combinations and distribution maps for these habitats. Location: Europe. Methods: We developed the classification expert system EUNIS‐ESy, which contains definitions of individual EUNIS habitats based on their species composition and geographic location. Each habitat was formally defined as a formula in a computer language combining algebraic and set‐theoretic concepts with formal logical operators. We applied this expert system to classify 1,261,373 vegetation plots from the European Vegetation Archive (EVA) and other databases. Then we determined diagnostic, constant and dominant species for each habitat by calculating species‐to‐habitat fidelity and constancy (occurrence frequency) in the classified data set. Finally, we mapped the plot locations for each habitat. Results: Formal definitions were developed for 199 habitats at Level 3 of the EUNIS hierarchy, including 25 coastal, 18 wetland, 55 grassland, 43 shrubland, 46 forest and 12 man‐made habitats. The expert system classified 1,125,121 vegetation plots to these habitat groups and 73,188 to other habitats, while 63,064 plots remained unclassified or were classified to more than one habitat. Data on each habitat were summarized in factsheets containing habitat description, distribution map, corresponding syntaxa and characteristic species combination. Conclusions: EUNIS habitats were characterized for the first time in terms of their species composition and distribution, based on a classification of a European database of vegetation plots using the newly developed electronic expert system EUNIS‐ESy. The data provided and the expert system have considerable potential for future use in European nature conservation planning, monitoring and assessment

Distribution maps of vegetation alliances in Europe

Aim: The first comprehensive checklist of European phytosociological alliances, orders and classes (EuroVegChecklist) was published by Mucina et al. (2016, Applied Vegetation Science, 19 (Suppl. 1), 3–264). However, this checklist did not contain detailed information on the distribution of individual vegetation types. Here we provide the first maps of all alliances in Europe. Location: Europe, Greenland, Canary Islands, Madeira, Azores, Cyprus and the Caucasus countries. Methods: We collected data on the occurrence of phytosociological alliances in European countries and regions from literature and vegetation-plot databases. We interpreted and complemented these data using the expert knowledge of an international team of vegetation scientists and matched all the previously reported alliance names and concepts with those of the EuroVegChecklist. We then mapped the occurrence of the EuroVegChecklist alliances in 82 territorial units corresponding to countries, large islands, archipelagos and peninsulas. We subdivided the mainland parts of large or biogeographically heterogeneous countries based on the European biogeographical regions. Specialized alliances of coastal habitats were mapped only for the coastal section of each territorial unit. Results: Distribution maps were prepared for 1,105 alliances of vascular-plant dominated vegetation reported in the EuroVegChecklist. For each territorial unit, three levels of occurrence probability were plotted on the maps: (a) verified occurrence; (b) uncertain occurrence; and (c) absence. The maps of individual alliances were complemented by summary maps of the number of alliances and the alliance–area relationship. Distribution data are also provided in a spreadsheet. Conclusions: The new map series represents the first attempt to characterize the distribution of all vegetation types at the alliance level across Europe. There are still many knowledge gaps, partly due to a lack of data for some regions and partly due to uncertainties in the definition of some alliances. The maps presented here provide a basis for future research aimed at filling these gaps

<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

Diversitätsmuster in Graslandkomplexen von Auen mit unterschiedlicher Landschaftsheterogenität

The complex topography of floodplains provides conditions for high diversity and density of transitional areas between different grassland plant communities. Nevertheless, transitions have been almost completely neglected in previous studies of diversity patterns in semi-natural floodplain grasslands. We analyzed α-, β- and γ-components of plant species diversity in transitional areas between neighbouring wet and dry grassland communities in two landscapes of the Gauja River floodplain (Latvia) differing in landscape heterogeneity created by land use history and current management type (grazing versus mowing). In total 9 transition areas and their adjacent vegetation were sampled in 1 m wide and 8 to 28 m long belt transects gridded into 0.5 m × 1 m plots. Cluster analysis was used to analyze varia-tion in species composition of transitional areas and adjacent vegetation. Indicator species analysis was used to determine species specific to transitional areas (ecotonal species). Transitional areas of the homogeneous site had a more distinct species composition (clear division in clusters by cluster analysis) and significantly lower β-diversity than those of the heterogeneous site. α-Diversity was significantly higher in transitions than in wet grasslands and lower than in dry grasslands in both sites. Comparing the two sites, α-diversity was significantly higher in wet grasslands of the heterogeneous site, but no differences were found between transitions and dry grasslands in the two sites. Higher β-diversity of transitional areas in the heterogeneous site could be attributed to a higher density of different habitats per unit area in combination with grazing. No species were restricted to transitions, and no differences were apparent in the number of generalist species (indifferent species sensu Ellenberg indicator values for edaphic factors) between transitions and adjacent grasslands. Nevertheless, the total number of generalist species was considerably higher in the investigated flood-plain grasslands than usually reported for respective vegetation types in Latvia. It was concluded that transitions of neighboring floodplain grassland plant communities were more important in shaping β-diversity compared to α- and γ-diversity. Our results suggest that destroying transitional areas between dry and wet grasslands by leveling the ground or by abandonment of the management practices will decrease habitat heterogeneity and lead to less pronounced ecotonal pro-cesses in the whole riverine landscape. Thus further studies about the role of fine-scale transitional areas for biodiversity of floodplains are important for ecological restoration of floodplain grasslands.Die vielschichtige Topographie von Flussauen ist Vorrausetzung für eine hohe Diversität und Dichte an Ökotonen und damit auch für zahlreiche Übergänge zwischen verschiedenen Graslandgesellschaften. Ökotone sind ein wichtiges Landschaftselement da sie erheblich zur floristischen Diversität sowohl auf Habitats- wie auch auf Landschaftsebene beitragen. Wir untersuchten den Ökoton zwischen Buckeln/Wällen und Senken im Grasland von Flussauen. Auf den Buckeln/Wällen wuchs trockenes Grasland der Verbände Filipendulo vulgaris-Helictotrichion pratensis (Brachypodietalia, Festuco-Brometea) und Arrhenatherion und in den Senken feuchtes Grasland des Calthion und Magno-caricion. Nach unserem Wissen liegen für solche Ökotone bislang keine Biodiversitätsdaten vor. Das Ziel der Untersuchung war die Einschätzung der Diversität des halbnatürlichen Graslands im Übergangsbereich von trockenen zu feuchten Auenstandorten in Beziehung zur Landschaftsheterogenität. Wir vermuteten, dass sich die Übergangsbereiche durch spezifische Arten sowie eine höhere Beta-Diversität und auch eine höhere Anzahl an Generalisten als die angrenzenden, entweder trockenen oder feuchten Bereiche, auszeichneten. Gleichzeitig erwarteten wir in einer heterogen strukturierten Landschaft mit hoher Dichte an Ökotonen eine höhere Pflanzenartendiversität als in einer homogen strukturierten Landschaft mit geringer Dichte an Ökotonen