Questions: How did alpha-, beta- and gamma- plant diversity of coastal dune slack plant communities change over 37 years during a period of significant changes in conservation management practices? Location: Ainsdale Sand Dunes National Nature Reserve, England. Methods: We surveyed plant communities in dune slacks at Ainsdale Sand Dunes National Nature Reserve at two time points: in 1985 and in 2022. This period represents a time of significant change involving the introduction of conservation grazing in the context of declining natural rabbit populations and a changing environment. Results: We show that over 37 years, alpha-diversity remained relatively stable, but gamma-diversity increased, and beta-diversity indicated shifts in community structure. Specifically, across the open dunes we observed a decline in positive dune slack indicator species (i.e., of conservation interest), an increase in Salix repens (frequency, cover and height) and a shift towards shade-tolerant and nitrogen-loving plants (as evidenced by Ellenberg values). Conclusions: These findings suggest that despite the introduction of a conservation grazing programme, current grazing patterns (both wild and livestock) may not provide the level of disturbance required to maintain the open habitats and plant communities typical of healthy dune slacks.

Disturbance regimes and nutrient inputs are changing worldwide, with consequences for the structure and functioning of plant communities. Classical life-history theory predicts that disturbance should shift communities from long-lived perennials toward short-lived annuals, and that nutrient enrichment may amplify this shift. However, these predictions have not been tested experimentally across broad environmental gradients. Here, using a global coordinated grassland experiment spanning 37 sites, we tested how physical disturbance, vegetation removal and shallow soil tillage, and fertilisation reshape annual-perennial balance, and whether disturbance relaxes the climatic limits of annual dominance. Disturbance nearly doubled the proportion of annual species and more than doubled the relative cover of annuals, whereas fertilisation had little influence and did not interact with disturbance. The disturbance-driven shift arose through contrasting pathways: in graminoids and legumes, it reflected the loss of perennial cover, while in forbs, the expansion of annual cover. In the absence of disturbance, annual dominance was restricted to systems with extremely hot and dry summers, but disturbance nearly tripled the extent of climate space in which annuals dominated. By rapidly reassembling after disturbance, annuals may help maintain vegetation cover, but their expansion also signals loss of perennial cover and the long-term ecosystem functions associated with it.

The search for predictors of plant diversity has challenged scientists for decades. Here we identify intense photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) as a major factor constraining plant species richness in global grasslands. We show that the strength of the negative relationship between species richness and PAR increases with increasing elevation and that species richness is more strongly correlated with intense PAR than with UV-B radiation, climate variables, and atmospheric nitrogen deposition. In addition to species richness, plant biomass was also negatively correlated with PAR at higher elevations, indicating that intense PAR also constrains plant biomass in montane grasslands. Furthermore, we show that the decrease in plant species richness with increasing PAR is mainly caused by a decrease in species richness of forbs, sedges, and rushes. In contrast, species richness of grasses was only negatively correlated with PAR at high elevations, and species richness of legumes was not significantly correlated with PAR. Our results suggest that PAR constrains plant species richness in global grasslands and limits the extent to which plant species of specific functional groups can migrate uphill in response to climate warming.

Groundwater-dependent vegetation (GDV) plays a vital role in maintaining biodiversity and ecosystem services in the Mediterranean biome but is increasingly threatened by climate and land use change. Large-scale GDV mapping in arid regions is critical for effective conservation and water resource management but remains challenging due to limited ground-truth data and the lack of high-resolution remote sensing-based spatial models. In this study, we mapped GDV across the world's five Mediterranean climate regions using a multi-level approach combining species-occurrence, vegetation-plot, and remote-sensing data. At the species level, we compiled a global list of phreatophyte and groundwater-associated species, which we used to extract occurrence records from GBIF. At the community level, we classified vegetation-plot data from the sPlot database based on phreatophyte presence and coverage, resulting in a unique ground-truth species-community dataset. At the biome level, we trained Random Forest models with eleven predictor variables in order to map GDV distribution at 30 m resolution for the period 2018-2023. We identified 482,000 km2 of GDV, covering 28% of the study area and predicted GDV hotspots for the Western Iberian Peninsula, Southern France, California, Chile, and the West Coast of Australia. The largest absolute area of GDV was found in the Mediterranean Basin (306,000 km2), while the highest relative coverage was found in California (42%) and Chile (40%). Notably, only about a quarter of Mediterranean GDV lies within protected areas. Key environmental predictors include soil sand content, dry season vegetation vitality, and elevation. By integrating species, community, and remote-sensing data, our high-resolution GDV map provides a crucial basis for monitoring ecosystem response to global change, conservation planning, sustainable groundwater management, and risk assessment in the drought-stressed Mediterranean biome.

OBJECTIVES:Physical function-the capacity to perform tasks requiring endurance and/or strength-is a key determinant of fitness that has directly influenced Homo sapiens' survival, reproduction and health throughout our evolutionary journey. However, the last 200-300 years of global industrialization has transformed human habitats at an unprecedented rate and may now be compromising key functions that underpin our fitness (Environmental Mismatch Hypothesis). Although industrialization has delivered a range of benefits, it has simultaneously introduced novel environmental challenges (e.g., air pollution, microplastics) and reduced contact with beneficial aspects of nature (e.g., phytoncides). While negative effects of industrialization have been demonstrated for other determinants of fitness, its impact on physical function remains almost completely unexplored. MATERIALS AND METHODS:We conducted a randomized, counterbalanced crossover study to determine whether brief exposure to an industrialized environment would impair endurance performance relative to a forest environment (used as a proxy for non-industrial ancestral conditions). Twenty-five healthy adults (19 females, 6 males) completed two test sessions, each involving a 90 min environmental exposure followed by a standardized laboratory cycling test of endurance. RESULTS:Endurance performance was significantly reduced following industrial exposure (time-to-exhaustion: 13.5 ± 0.9 min) compared to forest exposure (14.6 ± 1.0 min; p = 0.007). Industrial exposure also worsened mood and led to volitional exhaustion at a lower perceived exertion, while cardiorespiratory markers recorded during the endurance test (e.g., V̇O) did not differ significantly between conditions. CONCLUSIONS:These results suggest that acute exposure to industrialized environments may reduce physical capacity, with potential consequences for evolutionary fitness.

Light regulates ecological processes from organism performance to ecosystem functioning, yet its role in shaping plant diversity across spatial scales remains unresolved. Here, we combine > 650,000 vegetation plots, 14,835 species-specific light indicator values based on Ecological Indicator Values for Europe (EIVE), and Earth observation data to provide the first pan-European assessment of how light regimes near the ground shape plant diversity across scales. Incorporating light-regime metrics beyond macroclimatic and edaphic drivers improved predictions of plant diversity, with relative increases in explained variance of 3% and 27.4–34.5% at the local and landscape scale, respectively. Plant diversity peaked under intermediate-to-high light availability coupled with high spatial heterogeneity. Strikingly, at the landscape level, we identified a pronounced mismatch between the light regimes currently prevailing across Europe and those associated with high plant diversity. Together, these findings reveal light regime as a fundamental axis for plant biodiversity and suggest that widespread shifts towards very low light availability and reduced spatial heterogeneity may decrease plant diversity across Europe. Maintaining non-shaded or increasing spatial heterogeneity in light conditions near the ground could therefore help reduce this mismatch, expanding the extent of light regimes with high potential to support plant diversity.

Conservation grazing is widely used to manage open ecosystems, but inconsistent definitions and inadequate reporting of grazing patterns hinder effective communication among researchers, practitioners and policymakers, limiting the understanding and success of conservation grazing regimes. We demonstrate detailed measurement of the grazing pattern (comprising timing, intensity, duration and frequency) in management units within a single nature recovery site—Ainsdale Sand Dunes National Nature Reserve, in the United Kingdom. We highlight the potential value of using existing records of livestock movements to create a detailed picture of how the pattern of grazing varies between management units and over time. The pattern of grazing at Ainsdale Sand Dunes National Nature Reserve (Ainsdale NNR) has changed over time due to responsive management approaches. These management approaches also result in differences between grazing enclosures. We recommend that standard definitions are agreed upon to unify terminology for conservation grazing patterns and regimes. This will improve clarity, reporting and monitoring. We encourage sites to record daily livestock movements to track grazing patterns and plant communities, to monitor their impacts. We propose a common framework for describing grazing patterns to enable the effective use of data and allow comparisons across other sites. Practical implication . Bridging the gap between academics and land managers is essential, as limited staff, resources, time and in‐house expertise often prevent managers from moving beyond data collection to effective data use in decision‐making. Strengthening this connection will enhance the monitoring, analysis and communication of the analysis of grazing patterns, and support improved nature recovery outcomes.

Dune slacks are biodiverse seasonal wetlands within sand dune systems, strongly influenced by the dynamics of the local groundwater regime. Future climate predictions indicate strong adverse impact on the hydrology and therefore ecology of these wetland ecosystems. In this study we aimed to find the most appropriate hydrological and ecological indicators to summarise dune slack plant community responses to hydrology over multiple years. We evaluated 80 hydrological metrics (weighted and un-weighted median, mean, minimum, maximum, mean spring level, averaged over 1-8 year duration, and 5 additional 1-year metrics) against plant community responses (variants of Ellenberg EbF moisture indicator). The data were drawn from 453 relevees in 17 dune slacks, using permanent quadrats and co-located piezometers, set up in 2010 with vegetation monitoring repeated six times until 2019. Within our study we found a strong relationship between multiple hydrology metrics and the plant community response, but this displayed inter-annual variation with different patterns and correlations between years. The best performing hydrology metric was the unweighted 5-year average mean spring water level (MSL), linked to unweighted mean EbF using vascular plant species only. Maximum water level (MAX) also performed well, but MSL was preferred as MAX can be enhanced or truncated by topography leading to anomalies for individual slacks. MSL is also flexible to implement within manual monitoring programmes, which could be targeted to 3-months per year over the spring as a minimum requirement. These findings provide simpler metrics for site managers to monitor potential hydrology and vegetation responses to climate change.

Plant functional traits are fundamental to ecosystem dynamics and Earth system processes, but their global characterization is limited by the availability of field surveys and trait measurements. Recent expansions in biodiversity data aggregation, including large collections of vegetation surveys, citizen science observations, and trait measurements, offer new opportunities to overcome these constraints. Here we demonstrate that combining these diverse data sources with high-resolution Earth observation data enables accurate modeling of key plant traits at up to 1 km resolution. Our approach achieves high predictive power, reaching correlations up to 0.63 (15 of 31 traits exceeding 0.50) and improved spatial transferability, effectively bridging gaps in under-sampled regions. By capturing a broad range of traits with high spatial coverage, these maps can enhance our understanding of plant community properties and ecosystem functioning globally, and can serve as useful tools in modeling global biogeochemical processes and informing worldwide conservation efforts. Ultimately, our framework highlights the power and necessity of crowdsourced biodiversity data in high-resolution plant trait modeling. We anticipate that advancements in biodiversity data collection and remote sensing capabilities will further refine global trait mapping, fostering a dynamic trait-based understanding of the biosphere. ### Competing Interest Statement The authors have declared no competing interest.

MotivationHere, we make available a second version of the BioTIME database, which compiles records of abundance estimates for species in sample events of ecological assemblages through time. The updated version expands version 1.0 of the database by doubling the number of studies and includes substantial additional curation to the taxonomic accuracy of the records, as well as the metadata. Moreover, we now provide an R package (BioTIMEr) to facilitate use of the database.Main Types of Variables IncludedThe database is composed of one main data table containing the abundance records and 11 metadata tables. The data are organised in a hierarchy of scales where 11,989,233 records are nested in 1,603,067 sample events, from 553,253 sampling locations, which are nested in 708 studies. A study is defined as a sampling methodology applied to an assemblage for a minimum of 2 years.Spatial Location and GrainSampling locations in BioTIME are distributed across the planet, including marine, terrestrial and freshwater realms. Spatial grain size and extent vary across studies depending on sampling methodology. We recommend gridding of sampling locations into areas of consistent size.Time Period and GrainThe earliest time series in BioTIME start in 1874, and the most recent records are from 2023. Temporal grain and duration vary across studies. We recommend doing sample-level rarefaction to ensure consistent sampling effort through time before calculating any diversity metric.Major Taxa and Level of MeasurementThe database includes any eukaryotic taxa, with a combined total of 56,400 taxa.Software Formatcsv and. SQL.

Aims: We 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. Results: ReSurveyEurope 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. Conclusions: ReSurveyEurope 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). ReSurvey:Europe 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.

Local coexistence of bees has been explained by flower resource partitioning, but coexisting bumblebee species often have strongly overlapping diets. We investigated if light microhabitat niche separation, underpinned by visual traits, could serve as an alternative mechanism underlying local coexistence of bumblebee species. To this end, we focused on a homogeneous flower resource-bilberry-in a heterogeneous light environment-hemi-boreal forests. We found that bumblebee communities segregated along a gradient of light intensity. The community-weighted mean of the eye parameter-a metric measuring the compromise between light sensitivity and visual resolution-decreased with light intensity, showing a higher investment in light sensitivity of communities observed in darker conditions. This pattern was consistent at the species level. In general, species with higher eye parameter (larger investment in light sensitivity) foraged in dimmer light than those with a lower eye parameter (higher investment in visual resolution). Moreover, species realized niche optimum was linearly related to their eye parameter. These results suggest microhabitat niche partitioning to be a potential mechanism underpinning bumblebee species coexistence. This study highlights the importance of considering sensory traits when studying pollinator habitat use and their ability to cope with changing environments.

Aim To quantify the responses of alpha and beta diversity to multivariate gradients, incorporating variation in environmental and management variability in coastal dune slacks. Location United Kingdom dune slacks. Methods Plant community composition, plant nutrient status and soil characteristics were measured for 164 quadrats in 41 dune slacks across 12 coastal sand dune systems. Data were collated on climate and atmospheric deposition. Hydrological regimes at daily resolution were modelled and calibrated using daily-to-monthly site measurements, from which we calculated quadrat-level hydrological metrics. Alpha diversity (richness, Shannon diversity and Pielou's evenness) metrics and beta diversity (turnover and nestedness) for species and genera were calculated across three spatial levels from sand dune system (highest) to dune slack to quadrat (lowest). Results Diversity patterns depended on the spatial and taxonomic level considered. At smaller spatial levels (between dune slacks and between quadrats), alpha and beta diversity varied along gradients driven by soil characteristics, water table depth and atmospheric deposition. At larger spatial levels (between sand dune systems), patterns of beta diversity were a consequence of plant nutrient status. There was little variability in alpha diversity along this same gradient, with only small changes in Pielou's species evenness. Patterns at a coarser taxonomic level (genus) mirrored those at the species level. Main conclusion We show that patterns of variation in plant diversity are dependent on the spatial level considered, but taxonomic level made little difference in understanding these patterns. Therefore, if we do not consider patterns across different spatial levels, important environmental and management drivers could be missed. The high biodiversity value and degree of threat to these European protected habitats makes such understanding invaluable for their conservation.

AbstractThe carnivorous pitcher plant Sarracenia purpurea is native to North America, but has been introduced into Europe, where it is now widespread. Understanding of how this species functions in its non‐native range is limited. We measured pitcher morphology and prey capture by S. purpurea in its non‐native range in Britain and Ireland. Pitchers were removed from different plants at each of six bogs covering the species range in Britain and Ireland (n = 10 pitchers per site). For each pitcher we counted and identified every prey item and took measurements of morphology. We also compiled prey capture data for existing studies in Europe and North America. Prey capture characteristics varied between sites in Britain and Ireland. The amount of prey captured varied 20‐fold between sites and was partially explained by differences in pitcher size; larger pitchers caught more prey. The primary prey was Formicidae, Diptera and Coleoptera. At the rank of order, prey composition varied between bogs, some contained mainly Formicidae, some mainly Diptera and some a mix. Prey capture was less evenly distributed at some bogs compared to others, suggesting more specialization. There was no overall difference in prey capture (composition or evenness) at the rank of order between plants in Europe compared to those in North America. At the rank of species, prey capture varied between populations even within the same order. This study demonstrates a large amount of variability between sites in prey capture characteristics. This may reflect different site characteristics and/or plant strategies, which will likely impact plant function, and may impact the inquiline community. In terms of prey capture at the rank of order, S. purpurea functions identically in its non‐native range. This supports its use as a model system in a natural experiment for understanding food webs.

Ellenberg indicator values for plant species are widely used metrics in ecology, providing a proxy measure of environmental conditions, without direct measurements. They integrate environmental conditions over time since species will only persist where conditions are favourable. Ellenberg moisture (F) values summarise the hydrological environment experienced by plants. However, the relationship between indicator values and hydrological metrics appears to be influenced by a range of other abiotic and biotic factors, limiting our ability to fully interpret Ellenberg F. Focussing on Ellenberg F, we evaluated how the unweighted mean plant community F value to hydrology, specifically water table depth, is influenced by other environmental factors, ground cover type and alpha diversity in UK seasonal coastal wetlands (dune slacks). As expected, water table depth had the strongest influence on unweighted mean Ellenberg F. We show that unweighted mean Ellenberg F was more sensitive to changes in water table levels for plant communities that were more nutrient limited, when the organic matter layer was thicker and there was less bare ground cover. Unweighted mean Ellenberg F was consistently lower for a given water table depth, when there was lower atmospheric nitrogen deposition, lower loss of ignition (a measure of organic matter content) and more diverse plant communities. These findings help us to better interpret what Ellenberg F indicator values tell us about hydrological conditions, by understanding the factors which alter that relationship.

Hydrological niche segregation is widespread and has been found across a range of different habitats. Different plant species can occupy distinct hydrological niches, and as a result fine-scale variability in hydrology can structure plant communities. However, these patterns may not be as clear in habitats where differences in hydrology are more short-lived, such as coastal dune slacks. We explored the extent that the hydrological regime structures dune slack plant communities. Ainsdale Coastal Sand Dune National Nature Reserve, UK. Six hundred quadrats were surveyed, 100 in each of six coastal dune slacks. Water table levels are recorded monthly in each slack. Metrics summarising hydrological regime were calculated and adjusted for each quadrat based on elevation. We tested the relationship between water table depth, plant communities and topography across and within dune slacks. Half (three) of the slacks showed a significant influence of hydrology on plant community composition. The three that did not were the ones that varied least topographically and contained less diverse plant communities. We also provide indirect evidence of niche segregation by modelling species-specific responses between mean water table depth and probability of species presence. We demonstrate that hydrology is a dominant driver of plant community composition across dune slacks. However, plant communities are not always structured by hydrology, demonstrating the complexity of vegetation patterns. Topographic variation appears to impact plant community patterns, as do successional processes, highlighting the need to create diverse habitats for slack restoration and management.

This study aimed to experimentally examine how riverbed drying and different rates of water level reduction influenced the vertical movement of amphipods of various sizes into different subsurface sediment compositions. Using sediment columns (mesocosms) filled with different sized transparent substrates, we explored how varying speeds of drawdown affected vertical movement and stranding of individuals. We hypothesised that: (1) larger individuals would be less able to migrate within subsurface sediments compared to smaller ones; (2) smaller sediment particles would lead to more individuals becoming stranded and; (3) faster rates of water level drawdown would increase the likelihood of individuals becoming stranded above the waterline. Body size significantly influenced the final position of an individual, with smaller individuals accessing deeper sediments more readily. Larger amphipods were more likely to become stranded above the waterline. Amphipods migrated to greater depths during faster water level reduction rates with smaller individuals displaying greater overall movement. Sediment particle size did not influence the ability of amphipods to move vertically into subsurface sediments in response to water level reduction. The results indicate that subsurface sediments may serve as a refuge from surface drying but that both the size of individual invertebrates influences their ability to migrate vertically.

Understanding the combined impacts of land use on environmental benefits could better inform decision-making and land management frameworks. This POSTnote summarises the challenges of managing landscapes on a large scale to deliver multiple environmental benefits, the evidence needed, and the policy approaches that could be used to achieve this.

Recent high-profile analyses of trajectories and prognoses of ecosystem decline around the world have called for a renewed focus on embedding the values of the natural world across all areas of public policy. This paper reports the results of a UK-based deliberative process involving experts from a wide range of policy domains and across societal sectors: government departments, associated agencies, national and international NGOs, professional institutions, academia and independent experts. A symposium, based on a collaborative learning approach, explored instances in which ecosystem values have successfully been embedded into public policy, identified challenges to their more widespread embedding despite commitments to do so over generational timescales, and took a backcasting approach to develop actionable outcomes required to deliver transformation change across state and civil society. Emergent themes were expressed in social, technological, environmental, economic and political terms. Recommendations for interventions in complex social-ecological systems are cross-sectoral in scope and will necessarily entail multiple agents of change, well beyond governmental leadership, within any given sphere of societal activity and interest. We identify strategic challenges for, and between, a spectrum of societal policy areas, many currently overlooking ecosystem dependencies, impacts and potential benefits. Reflections on the collaborative learning approach are also provided.