Category: Plain language summary

Unifying facilitation and recruitment networks

Posted on September 5, 2019January 30, 2020 by David Zeleny

Prepared by Julio M. Alcántara, José L. Garrido, Alicia Montesinos‐Navarro, Pedro J. Rey, Alfonso Valiente‐Banuet and Miguel Verdú

The legume tree *Prosopis laevigata* facilitating a group of cacti: *Myrtillocactus geometrizans*, *Opuntia pilifera*, and several species of *Mammillaria* in the Tehuacán-Cuicatlán Valley, Mexico.

Diverging shifts in spring phenology in response to biodiversity loss in a subtropical forest

Posted on August 24, 2019January 30, 2020 by David Zeleny

Prepared by Yanjun Du, Bo Yang, Si‐Chong Chen & Keping Ma

The first author, Yanjun Du (right), monitoring phenology in one of the experimental plots in the Biodiversity-Ecosystem Functioning Experiment of China (BEF-China), located in Jiangxi Province, China (117°55′E, 29°60′N). Photo credit: Bo Yang.

Pollination and dispersal trait spectra recover faster than growth form spectrum during the spontaneous succession in sandy old-fields

Posted on August 9, 2019January 30, 2020 by David Zeleny

Prepared by Edy Fantinato, Judit Sonkoly, Giulia Silan, Orsolya Valkó, Béla Tóthmérész, Balázs Deák, András Kelemen, Tamás Miglécz, Silvia Del Vecchio, Francesca Bettiol, Gabriella Buffa & Péter Török

Forest-steppe mosaic in the Kiskunság sand region, Hungary. Photo credit: Balázs Deák.

The widespread abandonment of agricultural areas and croplands is making large areas available to test techniques for the restoration of grassland habitats.…

Alien plants alter the growth form ratio and structure of Australian grasslands

Posted on July 26, 2019January 30, 2020 by David Zeleny

Prepared by Greg R. Guerin, Irene Martín‐Forés, Samantha E.M. Munroe, Ben Sparrow & Andrew J. Lowe

Mokota Conservation Park, a remnant grassland in the mid-north region of South Australia (approximately 160 km north of Adelaide). Photo by Greg Guerin.

Loads of evidence suggests particular invasive weed species wreak havoc in native plant communities by out-competing, or rendering the local environment unsuitable for, natives.…

Hedgerow age affects the species richness of herbaceous forest plants

Posted on May 22, 2019January 30, 2020 by David Zeleny

Prepared by Kathrin Litza & Martin Diekmann

Hedgerows of different ages in the agricultural landscape of Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. Photo credit: Kathrin Litza.

Hedgerows are narrow strips of wooded habitats that are known to provide refuge habitat for forest species, such as herbaceous forest plants, in agricultural landscapes.…

Grazing exclusion and vegetation change in an upland grassland with patches of tall herbs

Posted on April 1, 2019January 30, 2020 by David Zeleny

Prepared by Sarah H. Watts, Anna Griffith & Lindsay Mackinlay

The tall herb community thriving below a section of crags within the fence at Creag an Lochain, Ben Lawers NNR, Scotland. Photo credit: Sarah Watts.

In 2000, an electric deer fence was erected around 180 ha at Creag an Lochain in the Ben Lawers Natural Nature Reserve, Scotland.…

Ancient refugia and present-day habitat suitability of native laurophylls in Italy

Posted on March 27, 2019January 30, 2020 by David Zeleny

Prepared by Nicola Alessi, Jakub Tešitel, Stefan Zerbe, Francesco Spada, Emiliano Agrillo & Camilla Wellstein

Old individual of laurel (*Laurus nobilis* L.) in a forest dominated by the evergreen holm oak (*Quercus ilex* L.) in Maremma Park, Italy. Photo credit: Emiliano Agrillo.

Geese are overlooked dispersal vectors for vascular plants in archipelago environments

Posted on March 23, 2019January 30, 2020 by David Zeleny

Prepared by Dirk Hattermann, Markus Bernhardt-Römermann, Annette Otte & Rolf Lutz Eckstein

Species rich vegetation of a rocky shore with geese droppings in the foreground. Photo credit: Dirk Hattermann.

Since plants do not move, they have to adapt to changing environmental conditions on the spot or disperse their seeds by means of wind, water or animals to escape unfavourable conditions.…