Relating Habitat Suitability and Survival Rates in a Phylogenetic Framework
Species distribution models rely on species' observed geographic distributions, which reflect only subset of the true ecological niche. This inevitably leads to discrepancies between the predictions of habitat suitability (HS) and the actual ecological performance in novel environments beyond the tr…
FlorID – A nationwide identification service for plants from photos and habitat information
Citizen science has become key to biodiversity monitoring but critically depends on accurate quality control that is scalable and tailored to the focal region. We developed FlorID, a free-to-use identification service for all native and many non-native plants of Switzerland. FlorID can identify >300…
Herbivory and climate as drivers of plant population and range dynamics
Climate change should be shifting species' ranges upslope and poleward as they track their suitable climates. However, many species' ranges are not shifting, with researchers struggling to accurately predict species' sensitivity to climate change. These unexpected responses to climate change could b…
Global Availability of Plant DNA Barcodes as Genomic Resources to Support Basic and Policy‐Relevant Biodiversity Research
Genetic technologies such as DNA barcoding make it easier and less expensive to monitor biodiversity and its associated ecosystem services, particularly in biodiversity hotspots where traditional assessments are challenging. Successful use of these data‐driven technologies, however, requires access …
The global distribution patterns of alien vertebrate richness in mountains
The diverse biotas of the world’s mountains face a challenging future due to increasing threats like climate change, land-use change, and biological invasions, the last being particularly understudied in these regions. Here we compile occurrence records for 717 alien vertebrate species distributed i…
GUBIC: The global urban biological invasions compendium for plants
Urban areas are foci for the introduction of non‐native plant species, and they often act as launching sites for invasions into the wider environment. Although interest in biological invasions in urban areas is growing rapidly, and the extent and complexity of problems associated with invasions in t…
Latitudinal phylogenetic and diversity gradients are explained by a tropical-temperate transitional region
AbstractThe distribution of ecological and evolutionary forces throughout space bring about the patterning of biodiversity. In large geographical areas, this causes the regionalization of biodiversity into structured units known as bioregions. In order to understand how such patterns emerge, a clear…
Plant Invasions in Hawai 'i: Fire Risks and Grass Invasion Patterns
The Hawaiian islands have been deeply impacted by invasive species introduced over the past ~250 years since European colonization, with grasses playing an outsized role. Invasive grasses (Poaceae) now cover ~ ⅓ of the land of Hawai‘i, displacing native species, modifying habitat structures, and fue…
Continental‐scale empirical evidence for relationships between fire response strategies and fire frequency
Theory suggests that the dominance of resprouting and seeding, two key mechanisms through which plants persist with recurrent fire, both depend on other traits and vary with fire regime. However, these patterns remain largely untested over broad scales.We analysed the relationships between mean fire…
Everchanging range: how the changing environment has influenced the genetic diversity and differentiation of an iconic North American palm species
Abstract Background and Aims Understanding spatial patterns of neutral and adaptive genetic variation and linking them to future climate change have become crucial in assessing the genetic vulnerability of species and developing conservation strate…
Sustaining floriculture and floral fragrance in a changing climate
Flower scent is a composite character that is determined by a complex mixture of low-molecular-weight volatile molecules. The studies on floral fragrance focused on its chemical elucidation, coupled with chemical synthesis to produce the large quantities demanded by the perfume and food industries. …
Advances and shortfalls in knowledge of Antarctic terrestrial and freshwater biodiversity
Antarctica harbors many distinctive features of life, yet much about the diversity and functioning of Antarctica’s life remains unknown. Evolutionary histories and functional ecology are well understood only for vertebrates, whereas research on invertebrates is largely limited to species description…
The Winner Takes It All: a single genotype ofKalanchoe×houghtoniiis a global invader
Background and AimsInvasive alien plant species pose a global challenge, and their impact is amplified by globalisation and the accelerating pace of climate change. In mild-climate regions, drought-tolerant invasive plants showing broad environmental tolerance have a competitive advantage. One examp…
The invaded range of the tree fern Sphaeropteris cooperi is predicted to shrink in two southern hemisphere biodiversity hotspots
Biological invasions are increasing globally, with species demonstrating differing responses to climate change in their native and invaded ranges. Investigating how alien species respond to climate change is important for planning management interventions. This study considered how the distribution …
Identifying the collector practices that shape spatial, temporal, and taxonomic bias in herbaria
Natural history collections (NHCs) are essential for studying biodiversity. While spatial, temporal, and taxonomic biases in NHCs affect analyses, the influence of collector practices on biases remains largely unexplored. We utilized one million digitized specimens collected in the northeastern Unit…
Hybrids in Cactaceae: current distribution and potential range of hybrids compared with parental species
Background Hybridisation is one of the processes that influence the evolutionary history of plants, including shifts in their distribution. It occurs unevenly across families, and the Cactaceae is an outstanding case displaying many natural hybrids. Aims This study evaluated the current geographica…
Temporal dynamics and global flows of insect invasions in an era of globalization
Human-mediated transport has led to the establishment of more than 6,700 non-native insect species with wide-ranging effects on ecosystems, economies and human health. Understanding how different aspects of globalization affect the spread of non-native insects is crucial to reducing their effects. I…
Integrating hotspot analysis and priority setting for enhanced endemic Bornean palms conservation
The Arecaceae family (palms) holds global significance for its economic and ecological roles. Borneo is known as a center of endemic plant species but faces threats from human activities, including those affecting palms. This study aims to update the distribution and conservation status of endemic B…
Predicted distribution of curl-leaf mountain mahogany (Cercocarpus ledifolius) in the Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area
Distributions of plants are expected to change in response to climate change, but the relative probability of that change is often unknown. Curl-leaf mountain mahogany (Cercocarpus ledifolius), an important browse species used by ungulates as forage and cover across the western US, is thought to be …
geoSABINA: a unified plant ecology database for Spain
Abstract Spatial ecological databases are crucial for understanding and managing biodiversity and ecosystem services. The geoSABINA database provides spatially explicit datasets to support plant ecological research and conservation throughout mainland Spain. It integrates high-resolution spa…
Forewarned Is Forearmed: Documentation on the Invasion Risk of Asclepias speciosa in Greece and Europe
Biological invasions threaten biodiversity and agroecosystems, and early warning systems can minimise the spread of invasive alien species with limited resources. This study documents the presence of the alien plant Asclepias speciosa Torr., native to North America, that was first discovered in 2022…
Relationship between secondary metabolites and ecological suitability zones for Eucommia ulmoides
The quality of Chinese medicinal materials is closely related to the types and contents of their secondary metabolites, while ecological adaptability influences the production of secondary metabolites. Therefore, identifying the relationship between ecological adaptability and secondary metabolites …
Fantastic plants and where to find them: niche occupancy analysis in neotropical epiphytic species
Aim: Niche occupation and organism diversification are interrelated processes that shape biodiversity. This study investigates the relationship between niche occupation, phylogenetic relationships, and species distribution within the genus Microgramma (Polypodiaceae), a group of neotropical epiphyti…
Invasive Traits of Symphyotrichum squamatum and S. ciliatum: Insights from Distribution Modeling, Reproductive Success, and Morpho-Structural Analysis…
Understanding the drivers of invasive species’ success is essential for predicting and managing their ecological impacts. Symphyotrichum squamatum, a South American species first recorded in Bucharest in 2015, is currently expanding into urban and peri-urban areas of Romania, raising concerns about …
Climatic niche conservatism in non-native plants depends on introduction history and biogeographic context
Many tools informing preventive invasion management build on the assumption that introduced species will conserve their climatic niches outside their native ranges. Previous research testing the validity of this assumption found contradictory results regarding niche conservatism vs. niche switching …