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This study highlights the ecological role of scattered Fagus sylvatica trees in seminatural grasslands. These trees act as ecosystem engineers, enhancing biodiversity by creating gradients in light, soil nutrients, and water availability. They shape distinct plant and fungal communities, emphasizing their importance for conservation and the need to manage wooded grasslands to preserve their ecological value.

Increasing global temperatures may influence detritus decomposition both directly and indirectly via plant community alterations. Our study in Atlantic salt marshes found that higher temperatures decreased decomposition rates while increasing Spartina densiflora dominance. The recalcitrant detritus of Spartina, which decomposes more slowly than that of other species, likely contributes significantly to the observed reduction in decomposition rates.

This study investigates understorey sapling dynamics and the effects of Phytophthora agathidicida, within stands that were dominated by the susceptible conifer Agathis australis through repeat measurements. Data P. agathidicida-induced overstorey mortality appeared to induce a growth release in otherwise supressed A. australis saplings and allospecifics in an early successional plot, particularly those of light-demanding species, suggesting retrogressive succession in this plot.

We studied Calluna vulgaris responses to the 2018 drought in the coastal heathland of Hiddensee Island (NE Germany). Plant damage increased with elevation but also varied among neighboring plants, linked to plant size. Healthy individuals were taller and had larger crown areas than weakened or dead individuals. Age and past growth did not affect the observed differences in responses.

This study quantified short-term changes in plant species and trait composition in a boreal fen. Our results indicated an increasing cover of dry-adapted species, but simultaneously local increases of wet-adapted species. Utilising a novel joint species distribution model enabled detecting the magnitude and uncertainty of changes that were small in magnitude and spatially nonuniform, even occurring locally towards opposing directions.

We studied how fire affects biomass allocation in tropical open ecosystems by understanding the differences across several belowground compartments in frequently burnt and fire-excluded areas. Fire increases allocation belowground and divergence in the composition of bud-bearing belowground organs, boosting the proportion of organs associated with post-fire resprouting. Our findings highlight the shift in belowground regeneration strategies of fire-excluded open ecosystems.

In a field experiment, we tested how priority and year effects influence the aboveground and belowground structure and functioning of dry acidic grasslands. Time since establishment and year of initiation of an experiment were strong drivers of community composition and productivity. Plant functional group order of arrival affected root distribution, with deeper rooting when forbs or legumes were sown first.

By measuring height, leaf area, and specific leaf area for all individuals in 50 cm × 50 cm grassland plots, we detected nonrandom functional patterns below 10 cm. These patterns differed between traits and grassland physiognomy. At this fine scale, taxonomic identity is less important than the functional setting of individuals.

This study examines how alien and native plant species differ functionally under varying environmental conditions. Using data from a global grassland experiment (NutNet), it explores the impact of climate and nutrient changes on species success. Findings reveal that alien species thrive in diverse climates but not necessarily in high-nutrient environments, offering insights into invasion ecology.

Fire threatens the resilience of Caribbean tropical dry forests by disrupting biological legacies essential for regeneration. Our study reveals that while trees exhibit strong basal resprouting, long-term recovery of structure and diversity is limited. Fire-driven changes promote degraded states, including exotic grass invasion. We propose a conceptual model illustrating how fire alters regeneration dynamics in these vulnerable ecosystems.

Our field experiment in Canada reveals that propagule pressure, disturbance, and species identity interact to influence habitat invasibility. Aspen forests were most invaded, while prairie grasslands showed resistance. Propagule pressure and disturbance combine to increase invasibility, but effects vary by species. Additionally, a mismatch between observed levels of invasion and intrinsic invasibility suggests that these attributes do not always align.

Australia's coastline is surrounded by over 8000 continental islands, hosting diverse habitats and high plant diversity. The A-Islands dataset compiles plant species data from 844 islands, covering over 6500 species and all major climate zones. With repeated sampling on 251 islands, it supports research on biodiversity, island biogeography, and conservation. This open-access resource is easily integrable and continuously updated. Picture credit: Cornelia Sattler.

Alien C4 grass species likely benefit from a changing climate, being adapted better to drought and heat stress. (i) We compiled an up-to-date inventory of alien C4 grass species in Europe, (ii) clarified their country-wise distribution, (iii) identified the most widespread species and most invaded habitat types and (iv) assessed the temporal trend of their establishment.

In a previous study, we found that alpha-diversity of understory herbaceous plants showed almost opposite patterns to that of trees along a rainfall gradient in seasonally dry tropical forests of India. Here, we show that their beta-diversity patterns were remarkably similar. We suggest that strong environmental filtering by rainfall and temperature could be driving these patterns.