Category: Plain language summary

Environmental variables driving species composition in Subarctic springs in the face of climate change

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Prepared by Tara K. Miller, Einar Heegaard, Kristian Hassel & Jutta Kapfer

A spring in Kvannfjellet in Balsfjord county, Norway. Photo credit: Jutta Kapfer.

Springs are important ecosystems to support biodiversity. They are fed by groundwater and are critical for maintaining high biodiversity because of the specific and stable habitat conditions they provide: high water quality, consistent temperatures, and low seasonal variability.…

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Habitat type and island identity as drivers of community assembly in an archipelago

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By Alessandro Chiarucci, Fabrizio Buldrini, Marco Cervellini, Riccardo Guarino, Marco Caccianiga, Bruno Foggi, Daniele Viciani, Lorenzo Lazzaro, Laura Casella, Pierangela Angelini, Bruno Enrico Leone Cerabolini, Salvatore Pasta, Mirko Enea & Piero Zannini

A Mediterranean mountain heath with Genista desoleana Vals. on top of Monte Capanne, Elba Island (1089 m a.s.l.).
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Patch-level facilitation fosters high-Andean plant diversity at regional scales

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By Sabrina S. Gavini, Cecilia Ezcurra & Marcelo A. Aizen

Cushion plant harboring other plant species at Catedral mountain close to the summit, San Carlos de Bariloche, Rio Negro, Argentina. Photo credit: Sabrina S. Gavini.

The alpine ecosystem is one of the most stressful environments in the world due to the extreme abiotic conditions to which organisms are subject to.…

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Reed bed vegetation structure and plant species diversity depend on management type and the time period since last management

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Prepared by Line Holm Andersen, Petri Nummi, Simon Bahrndorff, Cino Pertoldi, Kristian Trøjelsgaard, Torben Linding Lauridsen, Jeppe Rafn, Cecilie M. Skak Frederiksen, Mads P. Kristjansen & Dan Bruhn

Line Holm Andersen using the pinpoint analysis in the recently cut down reed bed.
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Long-term vegetation changes in Nardus grasslands indicate eutrophication, recovery from acidification, and management change as the main drivers

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By Cord Peppler-Lisbach, Nils Stanik, Natali Könitz & Gert Rosenthal

Flowering aspect in spring of species-rich Nardus grasslands in one of the re-survey plots that maintained its high biodiversity level (Rhön Mountains, Central Germany). Photo credit: Nils Stanik.

The environment around us changes continuously and almost everywhere.…

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Using species abundance and phylogeny conjointly to approach vegetation classification. A case-study on Macaronesia’s woody vegetation

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Prepared by Jorge Capelo

Summer aspect of Euphorbia berthelotii community, without leaves. La Gomera, the Canaries. Photo credit: Jorge Capelo.

Classification aims to identify distinct and coherent groupings within vegetation. Modern approaches use a statistical analysis of data obtained from plot surveys in the field, most importantly species identity and abundance.…

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The germination niche of coastal dune species as related to their occurrence along a sea-inland gradient

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Prepared by Silvia Del Vecchio, Edy Fantinato, Mauro Roscini, Alicia T.R. Acosta, Gianluigi Bacchetta & Gabriella Buffa

Distribution of the target species and of the main environmental factors from the sea to inland. (Source of the image: Acosta & Ercole, 2015, ISPRA, Serie Rapporti, 215/2015; modified by Silvia Del Vecchio.)
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