Nature Communications

Habitat-specific trends in taxonomic, functional, and phylogenetic diversity in European plant communities over a century

S Stephan Kambach U Ute Jandt A Alicia Teresa Rosario Acosta J Jose Manuel Álvarez-Martínez I Irena Axmanová M Manuele Bazzichetto E Erwin Bergmeier M Markus Bernhardt-Römermann I Idoia Biurrun G Gianmaria Bonari M Marta Carboni M Marcos Bergmann Carlucci M Maria Laura Carranza B Bruno Enrico Leone Cerabolini A Alessandro Chiarucci M Milan Chytrý G Gabriella Damasceno J Jürgen Dengler M Michele De Sanctis J Jan Divíšek J Jiri Dolezal S Stefan Dullinger F Franz Essl K Klára Friesová V Veronika Fontana E Emmanuel Garbolino M Michael Glaser A Ana González-Robles B Behlül Güler G Georg J. A. Hähn M Michal Hájek T Tracy Hruska E Estela Illa F Florian Jansen S Steven Jansen (Institute of Botany, Ulm University, Ulm, Germany.) A Anke Jentsch B Borja Jiménez-Alfaro W W. Daniel Kissling I Ilona Knollová G Gianalberto Losapio (Faculty of Geosciences and Environment, Institute of Earth Surface Dynamics, University of Lausanne) U Udayangani Liu J Jonathan Lenoir F Frederic Lens B Bernd Lenzner A Antonio J. Perea L Laura Méndez J Julie Messier A Akira S. Mori F Francesca Napoleone R Roger Norum A Alexander Novakovskiy R Renske Onstein R Robin J. Pakeman J Josep Peñuelas P Petr Petřík R Remigiusz Pielech B Bruno X. Pinho P Peter Poschlod V Valerijus Rašomavičius C Christiane Roscher (German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research, Halle-Jena-Leipzig) C Christian Rossi F Francesco Maria Sabatini B Brody Sandel D David Schellenberger Costa W Wolfgang Schmidt S Serge Sheremetiev T Tanvir Ahmed Shovon M Marko J. Spasojevic N Nathan G. Swenson G Grzegorz Swacha R Rubén Tarifa L Lubomír Tichý M Marcello Tomaselli A Alicia Valdés K Koenraad Van Meerbeek V Vigdis Vandvik K Kiril Vassilev M Martin Večeřa E Evan Weiher T Thomas Wohlgemuth H Helge Bruelheide (Institute of Biology/Geobotany and Botanical Garden, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg)

Abstract

Abstract Despite widespread concern over global biodiversity loss, the balance between gains and losses within local plant communities remains contentious, largely due to a scarcity of integrative, long-term and large-scale analyses across different habitats and multiple facets of biodiversity. Here, we analyse 57,390 vegetation-plot time series of vascular plants across Europe to quantify the average and habitat-specific trends in taxonomic, functional, phylogenetic, and gamma diversity, alongside with changes in threatened Red List, non-native, and specialist versus generalist species. We find that, over the last 100 years, plant communities gained on average 0.7% in vegetation cover and 0.2% in species number per year, associated with gains in functional and phylogenetic diversity, non-native, Red List, and generalist species. Diversity changes are most pronounced in mire and wetland communities. Differences among habitat types and habitat-change trajectory (stable, successional, disturbed), together with the most recent observation year, explain 2.1%–36.6% of the variation in diversity trends. Habitat-specific gamma diversity showed no general trends and only increased in stable grasslands and successional sparsely vegetated habitats. By integrating habitat types and change trajectories, we reconcile some of the conflicting narratives on local biodiversity change in favour of a more nuanced understanding of the observed variation in local biodiversity change.

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Article Details

Volume / Issue Vol. 17, Issue 1
Published May 08, 2026
ISSN 2041-1723
Publisher Nature Portfolio

Journal Info

Nature Communications

Nature Portfolio
ISSN: 2041-1723 Open Access Life Sciences

Authors (81)

S

Stephan Kambach

U

Ute Jandt

A

Alicia Teresa Rosario Acosta

J

Jose Manuel Álvarez-Martínez

I

Irena Axmanová

M

Manuele Bazzichetto

E

Erwin Bergmeier

M

Markus Bernhardt-Römermann

I

Idoia Biurrun

G

Gianmaria Bonari

M

Marta Carboni

M

Marcos Bergmann Carlucci

M

Maria Laura Carranza

B

Bruno Enrico Leone Cerabolini

A

Alessandro Chiarucci

M

Milan Chytrý

G

Gabriella Damasceno

J

Jürgen Dengler

M

Michele De Sanctis

J

Jan Divíšek

J

Jiri Dolezal

S

Stefan Dullinger

F

Franz Essl

K

Klára Friesová

V

Veronika Fontana

E

Emmanuel Garbolino

M

Michael Glaser

A

Ana González-Robles

B

Behlül Güler

G

Georg J. A. Hähn

M

Michal Hájek

T

Tracy Hruska

E

Estela Illa

F

Florian Jansen

S

Steven Jansen

Institute of Botany, Ulm University, Ulm, Germany.

A

Anke Jentsch

B

Borja Jiménez-Alfaro

W

W. Daniel Kissling

I

Ilona Knollová

G

Gianalberto Losapio

Faculty of Geosciences and Environment, Institute of Earth Surface Dynamics, University of Lausanne

U

Udayangani Liu

J

Jonathan Lenoir

F

Frederic Lens

B

Bernd Lenzner

A

Antonio J. Perea

L

Laura Méndez

J

Julie Messier

A

Akira S. Mori

F

Francesca Napoleone

R

Roger Norum

A

Alexander Novakovskiy

R

Renske Onstein

R

Robin J. Pakeman

J

Josep Peñuelas

P

Petr Petřík

R

Remigiusz Pielech

B

Bruno X. Pinho

P

Peter Poschlod

V

Valerijus Rašomavičius

C

Christiane Roscher

German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research, Halle-Jena-Leipzig

C

Christian Rossi

F

Francesco Maria Sabatini

B

Brody Sandel

D

David Schellenberger Costa

W

Wolfgang Schmidt

S

Serge Sheremetiev

T

Tanvir Ahmed Shovon

M

Marko J. Spasojevic

N

Nathan G. Swenson

G

Grzegorz Swacha

R

Rubén Tarifa

L

Lubomír Tichý

M

Marcello Tomaselli

A

Alicia Valdés

K

Koenraad Van Meerbeek

V

Vigdis Vandvik

K

Kiril Vassilev

M

Martin Večeřa

E

Evan Weiher

T

Thomas Wohlgemuth

H

Helge Bruelheide

Institute of Biology/Geobotany and Botanical Garden, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg

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