We present a genome assembly from an individual female Lycaena helle (the Violet Copper; Arthropoda; Insecta; Lepidoptera; Lycaenidae). The genome sequence is 547.31 megabases in span. The entirety of the genome sequence was assembled into 25 contiguous chromosomal pseudomolecules with no gaps, including the Z and W sex chromosomes. The mitochondrial genome has also been assembled and is 15.5 kilobases in length. Gene annotation of this assembly identified 20,122 protein coding genes.

Fundamental axes of variation in plant traits result from trade-offs between costs and benefits of resource-use strategies at the leaf scale. However, it is unclear whether similar trade-offs propagate to the ecosystem level. Here, we test whether trait correlation patterns predicted by three well-known leaf- and plant-level coordination theories – the leaf economics spectrum, the global spectrum of plant form and function, and the least-cost hypothesis – are also observed between community mean traits and ecosystem processes. We combined ecosystem functional properties from FLUXNET sites, vegetation properties, and community mean plant traits into three corresponding principal component analyses. We find that the leaf economics spectrum (90 sites), the global spectrum of plant form and function (89 sites), and the least-cost hypothesis (82 sites) all propagate at the ecosystem level. However, we also find evidence of additional scale-emergent properties. Evaluating the coordination of ecosystem functional properties may aid the development of more realistic global dynamic vegetation models with critical empirical data, reducing the uncertainty of climate change projections.

As Earth's climate has varied strongly through geological time, studying the impacts of past climate change on biodiversity helps to understand the risks from future climate change. However, it remains unclear how paleoclimate shapes spatial variation in biodiversity. Here, we assessed the influence of Quaternary climate change on spatial dissimilarity in taxonomic, phylogenetic, and functional composition among neighboring 200-kilometer cells (beta-diversity) for angiosperm trees worldwide. We found that larger glacial-interglacial temperature change was strongly associated with lower spatial turnover (species replacements) and higher nestedness (richness changes) components of beta-diversity across all three biodiversity facets. Moreover, phylogenetic and functional turnover was lower and nestedness higher than random expectations based on taxonomic beta-diversity in regions that experienced large temperature change, reflecting phylogenetically and functionally selective processes in species replacement, extinction, and colonization during glacial-interglacial oscillations. Our results suggest that future human-driven climate change could cause local homogenization and reduction in taxonomic, phylogenetic, and functional diversity of angiosperm trees worldwide.

Parasitism is a key factor in the population dynamics of many herbivorous insects, although its impact on host populations varies widely, for instance, along latitudinal and altitudinal gradients. Understanding the sources of geographical variation in host-parasitoid interactions is crucial for reliably predicting the future success of the interacting species under a context of global change. Here, we examine larval parasitism in the butterfly Aglais urticae in south-west Europe, where it is a mountain specialist. Larval nests were sampled over 2 years along altitudinal gradients in three Iberian mountain ranges, including the Sierra Nevada, home to its southernmost European population. Additional data on nettle condition and adult butterflies were obtained in the study areas. These data sources were used to investigate whether or not differences in parasitism rates are related to the geographical position and phenology of the host, and to the availability of the host plants. Phenological differences in the host populations between regions were related to the severity of summer drought and the corresponding differences in host plant availability. At the trailing-edge of its distribution, the butterfly's breeding season was restricted to the end of winter and spring, while in its northern Iberian range the season was prolonged until mid-summer. Although parasitism was an important source of mortality in all regions, parasitism rates and parasitoid richness were highest in the north and lowest in the south. Moreover, within a region, there was a notable increase in parasitism rates over time, which probably led to selection against an additional late summer host generation in northern regions. Conversely, the shorter breeding season in Sierra Nevada resulted in a loss of synchrony between the host and one important late season parasitoid, Sturmia bella, which may partly explain the high density of this butterfly species at the trailing-edge of its range. Our results support the key role of host phenology in accounting for differences in parasitism rates between populations. They also provide insights into how climate through host plant availability affects host phenology and, ultimately, the impact of parasitism on host populations.

The impact of ongoing climate change on plant communities varies according to vegetation type and location across the globe. Snowbed flora count among the most sensitive vegetation due to their dependence on long-lasting snow patches. This is especially the case toward their rear distribution edge, where warming has already induced a marked decrease in snow deposition. Thus, analysing the dynamics of snowbed plant communities is crucial for understanding the ecological processes that condition their persistence under new environmental conditions. The Pyrenees represent the southern distribution limit of several eurosiberian snowbed species. We surveyed eight snowbeds based on permanent plots, where the presence of each taxon was recorded annually between 2012 and 2019. We analysed vegetation patterns between sites and plots, related them to environmental gradients, and assessed temporal trends of community dynamics. We detected important between-site differences regarding species composition. However, these differences were not supported by species' biogeographical patterns, which suggests that local abiotic factors filter species with distinct autecology. In parallel, temporal community turnover was observed through the expansion of widespread grassland species, which supports the hypothesis of colonisation of snowbeds by common alpine taxa. Such changes could be related to a decrease in snow cover over recent times, which releases extreme environmental constraints to plant growth. Therefore, it is crucial to characterise fine-scale ecological conditions to forecast plant community dynamics and provide reliable information for conserving snowbed vegetation across the Palearctic.

Safeguarding Earth’s tree diversity is a conservation priority due to the importance of trees for biodiversity and ecosystem functions and services such as carbon sequestration. Here, we improve the foundation for effective conservation of global tree diversity by analyzing a recently developed database of tree species covering 46,752 species. We quantify range protection and anthropogenic pressures for each species and develop conservation priorities across taxonomic, phylogenetic, and functional diversity dimensions. We also assess the effectiveness of several influential proposed conservation prioritization frameworks to protect the top 17% and top 50% of tree priority areas. We find that an average of 50.2% of a tree species’ range occurs in 110-km grid cells without any protected areas (PAs), with 6,377 small-range tree species fully unprotected, and that 83% of tree species experience nonnegligible human pressure across their range on average. Protecting high-priority areas for the top 17% and 50% priority thresholds would increase the average protected proportion of each tree species’ range to 65.5% and 82.6%, respectively, leaving many fewer species (2,151 and 2,010) completely unprotected. The priority areas identified for trees match well to the Global 200 Ecoregions framework, revealing that priority areas for trees would in large part also optimize protection for terrestrial biodiversity overall. Based on range estimates for >46,000 tree species, our findings show that a large proportion of tree species receive limited protection by current PAs and are under substantial human pressure. Improved protection of biodiversity overall would also strongly benefit global tree diversity.

Species diversity may be underestimated even in well-explored mountain regions due to the lack of in-depth research in taxonomically intricate groups. Filling such knowledge gap is necessary to optimize conservation management, specially for species occurring in vulnerable ecosystems such as Southern European mountains. Campanula sect. Heterophylla is a complex group with a high proportion of endemic taxa in European mountain ranges, and whose species delineation is often controversial due to extensive morphological variation. We investigated the phylogenetic relationships and evolutionary entity of its taxa occurring in the Pyrenees, with a special focus on the Pyrenean endemic C. jaubertiana (which is sometimes included as a subspecies of or merged with C. cochleariifolia); and C. andorrana, a taxon allegedly endemic to Andorra (Eastern Pyrenees) and of uncertain taxonomic value. We obtained chloroplast genome and nuclear ribosomal DNA sequences, including several individuals of the three focus taxa, and conducted morphometric analyses. Phylogenetic analyses show that C. jaubertiana sensu lato (s. l.; i.e. including C. andorrana) constitutes a clearly distinct lineage that is not even closely related to C. cochleariifolia; consistent differences in floral morphology were detected between them. Our results support two main evolutionary lineages within C. jaubertiana s. l., one corresponding to populations in Central Pyrenees, and another one in Eastern Pyrenees plus Catalan Pre-Pyrenees. Given the degree of genetic and morphological differentiation, we propose the species rank for each lineage (C. jaubertiana and C. andorrana, respectively) and provide a taxonomic treatment. These two Pyrenean endemics likely diverged through transverse allopatric speciation.

Trees are of vital importance for ecosystem functioning and services at local to global scales, yet we still lack a detailed overview of the global patterns of tree diversity and the underlying drivers, particularly the imprint of paleoclimate. Here, we present the high-resolution (110 km) worldwide mapping of tree species richness, functional and phylogenetic diversities based on ∼7 million quality-assessed occurrences for 46,752 tree species (80.5% of the estimated total number of tree species), and subsequent assessments of the influence of paleo-climate legacies on these patterns. All three tree diversity dimensions exhibited the expected latitudinal decline. Contemporary climate emerged as the strongest driver of all diversity patterns, with Pleistocene and deeper-time (>10 years) paleoclimate as important co-determinants, and, notably, with past cold and drought stress being linked to reduced current diversity. These findings demonstrate that tree diversity is affected by paleoclimate millions of years back in time and highlight the potential for tree diversity losses from future climate change.

Although trees are key to ecosystem functioning, many forests and tree species across the globe face strong threats. Preserving areas of high biodiversity is a core priority for conservation; however, different dimensions of biodiversity and varied conservation targets make it difficult to respond effectively to this challenge. Here, we ( i ) identify priority areas for global tree conservation using comprehensive coverage of tree diversity based on taxonomy, phylogeny, and functional traits; and ( ii ) compare these findings to existing protected areas and global biodiversity conservation frameworks. We find that ca . 51% of the top-priority areas for tree biodiversity are located in current protected areas. The remaining half top-priority areas are subject to moderate to high human pressures, indicating conservation actions are needed to mitigate these human impacts. Our findings emphasize the effectiveness of using tree conservation priority areas for future global conservation planning.

Both historical and contemporary environmental conditions determine present biodiversity patterns, but their relative importance is not well understood. One way to disentangle their relative effects is to assess how different dimensions of beta-diversity relate to past climatic changes, i.e., taxonomic, phylogenetic and functional compositional dissimilarity, and their components generated by replacement of species, lineages and traits (turnover) and richness changes (nestedness). Here, we quantify global patterns of each of these aspects of beta-diversity among neighboring sites for angiosperm trees using the most extensive global database of tree species-distributions (43,635 species). We found that temperature change since the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) was the major influence on both turnover and nestedness components of beta-diversity, with a negative correlation to turnover and a positive correlation to nestedness. Moreover, phylogenetic and functional nestedness was higher than expected from taxonomic beta-diversity in regions that experienced large temperature changes since the LGM. This pattern reflects relatively greater losses of phylogenetic and functional diversity in species-poor assemblages, possibly caused by phylogenetically and functionally selective species extinction and recolonization during glacial-interglacial oscillations. Our results send a strong warning that rapid anthropogenic climate change is likely to result in a long-lasting phylogenetic and functional compositional simplification, potentially impairing forest ecosystem functioning.

Plant traits-the morphological, anatomical, physiological, biochemical and phenological characteristics of plants-determine how plants respond to environmental factors, affect other trophic levels, and influence ecosystem properties and their benefits and detriments to people. Plant trait data thus represent the basis for a vast area of research spanning from evolutionary biology, community and functional ecology, to biodiversity conservation, ecosystem and landscape management, restoration, biogeography and earth system modelling. Since its foundation in 2007, the TRY database of plant traits has grown continuously. It now provides unprecedented data coverage under an open access data policy and is the main plant trait database used by the research community worldwide. Increasingly, the TRY database also supports new frontiers of trait-based plant research, including the identification of data gaps and the subsequent mobilization or measurement of new data. To support this development, in this article we evaluate the extent of the trait data compiled in TRY and analyse emerging patterns of data coverage and representativeness. Best species coverage is achieved for categorical traits-almost complete coverage for 'plant growth form'. However, most traits relevant for ecology and vegetation modelling are characterized by continuous intraspecific variation and trait-environmental relationships. These traits have to be measured on individual plants in their respective environment. Despite unprecedented data coverage, we observe a humbling lack of completeness and representativeness of these continuous traits in many aspects. We, therefore, conclude that reducing data gaps and biases in the TRY database remains a key challenge and requires a coordinated approach to data mobilization and trait measurements. This can only be achieved in collaboration with other initiatives.

Red Lists are very valuable tools in nature conservation at global, continental and (sub-) national scales. In an attempt to prioritise conservation actions for European butterflies, we compiled a database with species lists and Red Lists of all European countries, including the Macaronesian archipelagos (Azores, Madeira and Canary Islands). In total, we compiled national species lists for 42 countries and national Red Lists for 34 of these. The most species-rich countries in Europe are Italy, Russia and France with more than 250 species each. Endemic species are mainly found on the Macaronesian archipelagos and on the Mediterranean islands. By attributing numerical values proportionate to the threat statuses in the different national Red List categories, we calculated a mean Red List value for every country (cRLV) and a weighted Red List value for every species (wsRLV) using the square root of the country’s area as a weighting factor. Countries with the highest cRLV were industrialised (NW) European countries such as the Netherlands, Belgium, the Czech Republic and Denmark, whereas large Mediterranean countries such as Spain and Italy had the lowest cRLV. Species for which a Red List assessment was available in at least two European countries and with a relatively high wsRLV (≥ 50) are Colias myrmidone, Pseudochazara orestes, Tomares nogelii, Colias chrysotheme and Coenonympha oedippus. We compared these wsRLVs with the species statuses on the European Red List to identify possible mismatches. We discuss how this complementary method can help to prioritise butterfly conservation on the continental and/or the (sub-)national scale.

Trabajo presentado en el Colloque International La cartographie de la flore, un outil au service des politiques publiques de la biodiversite,celebrado en la Universidad de Nantes (Francia), del 7 al 8 de junio de 2019

Anthropogenic activities have modified vegetation on subalpine belts for a long time, lowering the treeline ecotone and influencing the landscape mainly through grazing and fire. The abandonment of these traditional land use practices during the last decades and global warming are contributing largely to the colonization of woody species in subalpine grasslands, causing irreversible changes in ecosystem functioning. A variety of management strategies requiring the use of fire and/or clear-cutting are carried out to prevent the expansion of highly encroaching shrubs and improve the conservation status of subhumid high-productive grasslands ecosystems. However, it is still poorly understood how different management strategies affect the recovery of subalpine grasslands, which is influenced concurrently by the vegetation community involved. In this study we used field experiments to test the impact of management treatments on soil properties and vegetation responses in subalpine Bromion erecti grassland communities colonized by the pyrophyte shrub Echinospartum horridum (Vahl) Rothm. on the southern Pyrenees. Vegetation was monitored for 5 years in E. horridum plots (two plots per treatment) where the vegetation was removed by prescribed fire (Burnt treatment) or by mechanical removal (Clear-cut treatment). Undisturbed E. horridum plots were used as a control (C-Erizón) for shrub removal treatments and a Bromion erecti grassland community regularly grazed (C-Grass) was used as a control for subalpine grassland. Clear-cut treatment of E. horridum community was more effective to control E. horridum colonization than Burnt treatment and contributed to a higher extent to recover original grassland vegetation, because E. horridum seedling performed worse (lower germination rates) and plant species were more similar to the original grassland (legumes, non-legume forbs, and grasses). Shrubs and sub-shrubs cover in Burnt areas increased faster than in Clear-cut areas during the 5 years following the treatment, although it did not reach the level of C-Erizón. Species richness and diversity increased in comparison with C-Erizón in both treatments, but they were significantly lower than those in the C-Grass. Network connectivity was larger in well preserved grasslands, i.e, C-Grass, than in any other treatments, mainly dominated by negative plant-plant association. Soils nutrients declined in Burnt sites 4 years after the fire treatment and no difference was observed between Clear-cut and C-Erizón sites, although they did not reach the soil fertility values of C-Grass in terms of organic matter and C/N ratio. This study showed that grazing favors plant diversity and community complexity in subalpine grasslands. It also demonstrated that clearing is a better strategy than burning to restore grasslands after shrub encroachment because burning entails deeper soil degradation and faster recovering of the pyrophyte shrub, E. horridum.

catalaDurant la historia de la Terra hi ha hagut multitud de canvis; alguns han provocat glaciacions importants, d’altres han estat la causa d’extincions d’especies. Des de mitjan segle XIX hi ha un escalfament global planetari produit, basicament, per l’emissio de gasos d’efecte hivernacle per part de l’home. A diferencia dels canvis passats, que tenien un origen exclusivament natural, l’escalfament actual es extremament rapid. Es evident que el clima es un dels principals factors que condiciona la distribucio de les especies de flora i fauna. Per tant, una minima variacio del clima pot provocar canvis que poden posar en risc la supervivencia de les especies de flora i fauna mes vulnerables. Aquest risc s’incrementa quan el canvi es rapid, ja que les especies podrien no tenir prou temps per adaptar-s’hi. Per coneixer de primera ma els canvis climatics i els seus impactes en la biodiversitat a Andorra, el CENMA esta treballant en quatre projectes europeus associats a l’Observatori Pirinenc del Canvi Climatic (OPCC-CTP) que estudien el canvi climatic, els impactes i les vulnerabilitats a escala del massis pirinenc. EnglishThe history of Earth is one of many changes, some of which have led, for instance, to great glacial periods and others to mass species extinction. Since the mid-nineteenth century our planet has warmed up due chiefly to the emission of greenhouse gases generated by human activities. Unlike other changes in the Earth’s pas that were provoked exclusively by natural phenomena, the current global warming is occurring extremely rapidly. It has become obvious that climate is one of the main factors that determines the distribution of the planet’s flora and fauna. Tus, even a minor variation in climatic conditions may lead to changes that will threaten the survival of the most vulnerable species of plants and animals. Tis risk increases if the change is quick as species have no time in which to adapt to new environmental conditions. In order to detect in situ examples of climate change and the impact it is having on biodiversity, the CENMA is participating in four European projects in association with the Pyrenean Climate Change Observatory (OPCC-CTP) that are investigating climate change, its effects and plant and animal vulnerabilities on a Pyrenean scale. francaisAu cours de son histoire, la Terre a connu une multitude de changements; quelques-uns ont provoque des glaciations importantes, d’autres ont ete la cause d’extinctions d’especes. A partir de la moitie du siecle XIX, s’est produit un rechauffement planetaire global, principalement a cause de l’emission de gaz a effet de serre par les activites humaines. A la difference des changements anterieurs, qui avaient une origine exclusivement naturelle, le rechauffement actuel est extremement rapide. Il est evident que le climat est l’un des principaux facteurs qui conditionnent la distribution des especes animales et vegetales. Ainsi, une moindre variation du climat peut provoquer des changements et, par consequence, mettre en danger la survie des especes de flore et faune les plus vulnerables. Ce risque augmente lorsque le changement est rapide, etant donne que les especes pourraient ne pas avoir suffisamment de temps pour s’y adapter. Pour connaitre sans entremise les changements climatiques et ses consequences sur la biodiversite en Andorre, le CENMA participe a quatre projets europeens associes a l’Observatoire Pyreneen du Changement Climatique (OPCC-CTP) qui etudient le changement climatique, ses impacts et les vulnerabilites a echelle du massif pyreneen.

Aims: Sub-alpine grassland ecosystems have some of the highest biodiversity in Europe and constitute high-value natural resources. These grasslands are under threat because of the abandonment of traditional agro-pastoral activities and subsequent invasion by woody species. In the Central Pyrenees (Spain) several management techniques have been used to stop expansion of the highly encroaching shrub Echinospartum horridum. However, the ways in which these techniques affect recovery of sub-alpine grasslands are poorly understood. The final goal of this study is to gain information about the effects of E. horridum management practices and provide recommendations for the local stakeholders. Methods: This study evaluated the efficacy of controlled fires and mechanical removal of above-ground vegetation in controlling expansion of E. horridum into sub-alpine grasslands in the Central Pyrenees. E. horridum demography (germination and survival), soil seed bank and soil properties were recorded in two E. horridum stands where vegetation was previously removed by (1) fire (burning treatment) or (2) mechanical removal (cutting treatment) and (3) an undisturbed E. horridum stand (control). Results: The burning treatment increased germination and survival of E.horridum seedlings more than the cutting treatment, relative to the control. Therefore, cutting appeared to be a better option for controlling E. horridum. Soil seed density was higher in the management treatments than in the control, but it did not harbour sub-alpine grasslands species. E. horridum removal favoured recharge of the soil with seeds that arrived by dispersal. The soil seed bank in the burning treatment had higher seed abundance and seed diversity than in the cutting treatment; however, fire promoted a loss of soil nutrients. Conclusions: The soil seed bank composition (low abundance and diversity of native species) coupled with rapid regeneration rate of E. horridum would prevent recovery of the sub-alpine grassland based on the soil seed bank alone. Traditional shepherding has been reported to favour seed dispersal, and here we recommend E. horridum removal with cutting treatment as an additional practice for integrated management and recovery of the sub-alpine grasslands.