Land-Use Impacts on Plant Functional Diversity Throughout
Europe

J 2025

Land-Use Impacts on Plant Functional Diversity Throughout Europe

ROSA, Francesca, Peter M VAN BODEGOM, Stefanie HELLWEG, Stephan PFISTER, Idoia BIURRUN et. al.

Basic information

Original name

Land-Use Impacts on Plant Functional Diversity Throughout Europe

Authors

ROSA, Francesca (guarantor), Peter M VAN BODEGOM, Stefanie HELLWEG, Stephan PFISTER, Idoia BIURRUN, Steffen BOCH, Milan CHYTRÝ (203 Czech Republic, belonging to the institution), Renata CUSTEREVSKA, Michele Dalle FRATTE, Gabriella DAMASCENO, Emmanuel GARBOLINO, Jonathan LENOIR, Wim A OZINGA, Josep PENUELAS, Francesco Maria SABATINI, Franziska SCHRODT, Domas UOGINTAS, Chaeho BYUN, Jiri DOLEZAL, Tetiana DZIUBA, Bruno HERAULT, Irene MARTIN-FORES, Uelo NIINEMETS, Gwendolyn PEYRE and Laura SCHERER

Edition

Global ecology and biogeography, Hoboken, Wiley, 2025, 1466-822X

Other information

Language

English

Type of outcome

Article in a journal

Field of Study

10511 Environmental sciences

Country of publisher

United States of America

Confidentiality degree

is not subject to a state or trade secret

References:

URL

Impact factor

Impact factor: 6.400 in 2022

Organization unit

Faculty of Science

DOI

http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/geb.13947

UT WoS

001376984700001

Keywords in English

biodiversity loss; bioregions; functional divergence; functional evenness; functional homogenisation; functional richness; land use; species abundance; species richness; vascular plants

Abstract

V originále

AimGlobal biodiversity loss resulting from anthropogenic land-use activities is a pressing concern, requiring precise assessments of impacts at large spatial extents. Existing models mainly focus on species richness and abundance, lacking insights into ecological mechanisms and species' roles in ecosystem functioning. To bridge this gap, we conducted an extensive analysis of the impact of human land use on vascular plant functional diversity across diverse land-use classes and bioregions in Europe, comparing it to traditional metrics.LocationEurope.Time Period1992-2019.Major Taxa StudiedVascular plants.MethodsIntegrating extensive databases of vegetation plots with spatial data on land use and land cover, we paired plots from areas actively used and modified by humans with plots from natural habitats under similar environmental conditions. Using species occurrences and traits, in each plot we computed three complementary functional diversity metrics (functional richness, evenness and divergence), species richness and abundance. We assessed the impact of land use by comparing the metrics in the paired plots.ResultsOur findings revealed that, compared to natural habitats, anthropogenic land use exhibits lower functional richness and divergence but higher functional evenness across most land-use classes and bioregions. The response of functional richness was more marked than the other two metrics and especially pronounced in croplands and urban areas and in northern bioregions. Functional richness exhibited a pattern that did not fully overlap with the trend in species richness, providing useful complementary information.Main ConclusionsWe provide a large-scale precise assessment of anthropogenic land-use impacts on functional diversity across Europe. Our findings indicate that: (i) human disturbance significantly alters plant functional diversity compared to natural habitats; (ii) this alteration goes in the direction of functional homogenisation within sites; (iii) functional diversity metrics complement traditional metrics by offering deeper insights into the ecological mechanisms in response to anthropogenic land use.

Links

GX19-28491X, research and development project

Name: Centrum pro evropské vegetační syntézy (CEVS) (Acronym: CEVS)

Investor: Czech Science Foundation

Citovat

ROSA, Francesca, Peter M VAN BODEGOM, Stefanie HELLWEG, Stephan PFISTER, Idoia BIURRUN, Steffen BOCH, Milan CHYTRÝ, Renata CUSTEREVSKA, Michele Dalle FRATTE, Gabriella DAMASCENO, Emmanuel GARBOLINO, Jonathan LENOIR, Wim A OZINGA, Josep PENUELAS, Francesco Maria SABATINI, Franziska SCHRODT, Domas UOGINTAS, Chaeho BYUN, Jiri DOLEZAL, Tetiana DZIUBA, Bruno HERAULT, Irene MARTIN-FORES, Uelo NIINEMETS, Gwendolyn PEYRE and Laura SCHERER. Land-Use Impacts on Plant Functional Diversity Throughout Europe. Global ecology and biogeography. Hoboken: Wiley, 2025, vol. 34, No 1, p. "e13947", 16 pp. ISSN 1466-822X. Available from: https://dx.doi.org/10.1111/geb.13947.

@article{2468961,
   author = {Rosa, Francesca and van Bodegom, Peter M and Hellweg, Stefanie and Pfister, Stephan and Biurrun, Idoia and Boch, Steffen and Chytrý, Milan and Custerevska, Renata and Fratte, Michele Dalle and Damasceno, Gabriella and Garbolino, Emmanuel and Lenoir, Jonathan and Ozinga, Wim A and Penuelas, Josep and Sabatini, Francesco Maria and Schrodt, Franziska and Uogintas, Domas and Byun, Chaeho and Dolezal, Jiri and Dziuba, Tetiana and Herault, Bruno and MartinandFores, Irene and Niinemets, Uelo and Peyre, Gwendolyn and Scherer, Laura},
   article_location = {Hoboken},
   article_number = {1},
   doi = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/geb.13947},
   keywords = {biodiversity loss; bioregions; functional divergence; functional evenness; functional homogenisation; functional richness; land use; species abundance; species richness; vascular plants},
   language = {eng},
   issn = {1466-822X},
   journal = {Global ecology and biogeography},
   title = {Land-Use Impacts on Plant Functional Diversity Throughout Europe},
   url = {https://doi.org/10.1111/geb.13947},
   volume = {34},
   year = {2025}
}

TY  - JOUR
ID  - 2468961
AU  - Rosa, Francesca - van Bodegom, Peter M - Hellweg, Stefanie - Pfister, Stephan - Biurrun, Idoia - Boch, Steffen - Chytrý, Milan - Custerevska, Renata - Fratte, Michele Dalle - Damasceno, Gabriella - Garbolino, Emmanuel - Lenoir, Jonathan - Ozinga, Wim A - Penuelas, Josep - Sabatini, Francesco Maria - Schrodt, Franziska - Uogintas, Domas - Byun, Chaeho - Dolezal, Jiri - Dziuba, Tetiana - Herault, Bruno - Martin-Fores, Irene - Niinemets, Uelo - Peyre, Gwendolyn - Scherer, Laura
PY  - 2025
TI  - Land-Use Impacts on Plant Functional Diversity Throughout Europe
JF  - Global ecology and biogeography
VL  - 34
IS  - 1
SP  - "e13947"
EP  - "e13947"
PB  - Wiley
SN  - 1466822X
KW  - biodiversity loss
KW  - bioregions
KW  - functional divergence
KW  - functional evenness
KW  - functional homogenisation
KW  - functional richness
KW  - land use
KW  - species abundance
KW  - species richness
KW  - vascular plants
UR  - https://doi.org/10.1111/geb.13947
N2  - AimGlobal biodiversity loss resulting from anthropogenic land-use activities is a pressing concern, requiring precise assessments of impacts at large spatial extents. Existing models mainly focus on species richness and abundance, lacking insights into ecological mechanisms and species' roles in ecosystem functioning. To bridge this gap, we conducted an extensive analysis of the impact of human land use on vascular plant functional diversity across diverse land-use classes and bioregions in Europe, comparing it to traditional metrics.LocationEurope.Time Period1992-2019.Major Taxa StudiedVascular plants.MethodsIntegrating extensive databases of vegetation plots with spatial data on land use and land cover, we paired plots from areas actively used and modified by humans with plots from natural habitats under similar environmental conditions. Using species occurrences and traits, in each plot we computed three complementary functional diversity metrics (functional richness, evenness and divergence), species richness and abundance. We assessed the impact of land use by comparing the metrics in the paired plots.ResultsOur findings revealed that, compared to natural habitats, anthropogenic land use exhibits lower functional richness and divergence but higher functional evenness across most land-use classes and bioregions. The response of functional richness was more marked than the other two metrics and especially pronounced in croplands and urban areas and in northern bioregions. Functional richness exhibited a pattern that did not fully overlap with the trend in species richness, providing useful complementary information.Main ConclusionsWe provide a large-scale precise assessment of anthropogenic land-use impacts on functional diversity across Europe. Our findings indicate that: (i) human disturbance significantly alters plant functional diversity compared to natural habitats; (ii) this alteration goes in the direction of functional homogenisation within sites; (iii) functional diversity metrics complement traditional metrics by offering deeper insights into the ecological mechanisms in response to anthropogenic land use.
ER  -

ROSA, Francesca, Peter M VAN BODEGOM, Stefanie HELLWEG, Stephan PFISTER, Idoia BIURRUN, Steffen BOCH, Milan CHYTRÝ, Renata CUSTEREVSKA, Michele Dalle FRATTE, Gabriella DAMASCENO, Emmanuel GARBOLINO, Jonathan LENOIR, Wim A OZINGA, Josep PENUELAS, Francesco Maria SABATINI, Franziska SCHRODT, Domas UOGINTAS, Chaeho BYUN, Jiri DOLEZAL, Tetiana DZIUBA, Bruno HERAULT, Irene MARTIN-FORES, Uelo NIINEMETS, Gwendolyn PEYRE and Laura SCHERER. Land-Use Impacts on Plant Functional Diversity Throughout Europe. \textit{Global ecology and biogeography}. Hoboken: Wiley, 2025, vol.~34, No~1, p.~''e13947'', 16 pp. ISSN~1466-822X. Available from: https://dx.doi.org/10.1111/geb.13947.

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