npj biodiversityPub Date : 2026-03-30DOI: 10.1038/s44185-026-00125-w
Isabelle van der Zanden, Lieke Moereels, Stephanie Schelfhout, Pallieter De Smedt, Koen Lock, Wouter Dekoninck, Gerard Korthals, Wim H van der Putten, Kris Verheyen, G F Veen
{"title":"Planting food forests can increase soil biodiversity in agricultural landscapes of Northwest Europe.","authors":"Isabelle van der Zanden, Lieke Moereels, Stephanie Schelfhout, Pallieter De Smedt, Koen Lock, Wouter Dekoninck, Gerard Korthals, Wim H van der Putten, Kris Verheyen, G F Veen","doi":"10.1038/s44185-026-00125-w","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s44185-026-00125-w","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Food forests are an emerging agroecosystem in the temperate zone, aimed at providing food while supporting high levels of biodiversity. How food forestry impacts belowground biodiversity is, however, largely unknown. We compared communities of 12 taxonomic groups of soil organisms between 15 food forests and nearby grasslands, croplands and forests in Northwest Europe. Food forest soil communities appeared to differ from communities in grass- and croplands and more closely resembled forest communities in terms of total biomass or number of individuals of most taxonomic groups, with especially higher numbers of most macroarthropods. In terms of composition, food forest communities of most groups were overall intermediate between those in grass- and croplands and those in forests. For microorganismal and microfaunal groups, food forest communities bore a greater resemblance to grass- and cropland communities than to forest communities. Besides a higher alpha-diversity for non-arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and certain macroarthropod groups in food forests, differences in alpha- and beta-diversity were overall limited. As food forests appear to support different soil communities than grass- and croplands, planting food forests could increase soil biodiversity in agricultural landscapes.</p>","PeriodicalId":520249,"journal":{"name":"npj biodiversity","volume":"5 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-03-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13035929/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147583457","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
npj biodiversityPub Date : 2026-03-27DOI: 10.1038/s44185-026-00123-y
Jorge Assis, Eliza Fragkopoulou, Ester A Serrão, Miguel B Araújo
{"title":"Oceanographic connectivity strongly restricts future range expansions of critical marine forest species.","authors":"Jorge Assis, Eliza Fragkopoulou, Ester A Serrão, Miguel B Araújo","doi":"10.1038/s44185-026-00123-y","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s44185-026-00123-y","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Climate change is driving a global redistribution of marine biodiversity. As habitats shift, oceanographic connectivity (the transport of dispersive stages via ocean currents) becomes a critical, yet poorly understood, factor that can either facilitate or hinder species' expansions into new areas. To quantify this influence, we developed a framework linking species distribution models with biophysical connectivity models to examine the redistribution of 467 marine forest species (seagrasses and brown macroalgae) under end-of-century climate change scenarios. Our projections show substantial habitat loss for both groups, reaching up to 50% (seagrasses) and 58% (brown macroalgae) of current habitats under higher emissions. Despite potential poleward expansions, oceanographic connectivity emerges as a major limiting factor. Accounting for average dispersal duration, range expansions are reduced by up to 38% in area (seagrasses) and 48% (macroalgae), and by up to 64% and 72% in distance, respectively. This reduction significantly increases the percentage of species facing a net loss of suitable habitat. Notably, well-defined dispersal barriers restrict expansions into highly suitable regions (e.g., the Okhotsk Sea, New Zealand, and the Arctic). Our findings underscore the need to explicitly integrate both habitat suitability and oceanographic connectivity to accurately predict marine biodiversity redistribution and inform effective conservation strategies.</p>","PeriodicalId":520249,"journal":{"name":"npj biodiversity","volume":"5 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-03-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13031816/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147535351","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
npj biodiversityPub Date : 2026-03-06DOI: 10.1038/s44185-026-00122-z
Andre L Giles, Lucas Del Bianco Faria, Hallefy Junio de Souza, Silvia Barbosa Rodrigues, Lúcia Chamlian Munari, Ricardo da Silva Ribeiro, Gustavo Stancioli Campos de Pinho, Michella Del Rei Texeira, Érico Dianese, Bruno Grillo, Rafael Carvalho, Raquel Álvares Leão, Ana Laura Trindade, Claudio Roberto Anholetto Junior, Dárlison Fernandes Carvalho de Andrade, Renata Françoso
{"title":"Mapping and revealing the tree biodiversity of the Brazilian Cerrado through biome-wide sampling efforts.","authors":"Andre L Giles, Lucas Del Bianco Faria, Hallefy Junio de Souza, Silvia Barbosa Rodrigues, Lúcia Chamlian Munari, Ricardo da Silva Ribeiro, Gustavo Stancioli Campos de Pinho, Michella Del Rei Texeira, Érico Dianese, Bruno Grillo, Rafael Carvalho, Raquel Álvares Leão, Ana Laura Trindade, Claudio Roberto Anholetto Junior, Dárlison Fernandes Carvalho de Andrade, Renata Françoso","doi":"10.1038/s44185-026-00122-z","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s44185-026-00122-z","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Biodiversity is essential for maintaining ecosystem functionality, ensuring food security, regulating climate, and sustaining human well-being. Yet, in neglected biomes, biodiversity is often lost before many species can even be identified or studied. In Brazil, the Cerrado stands out as the most flora diverse savanna on the planet, but it remains critically underexplored. To address this gap, the National Forest Inventory (IFN) carried out an unprecedented, systematic sampling across the Brazilian Cerrado. Using 1803 tree-inventoried vegetation plots across the most biodiverse savanna on earth, we offer a first biome-wide assessment of tree diversity across the Brazilian Cerrado. We mapped tree species richness and alpha-diversity at 0.1-degree resolution and investigated their environmental drivers. Using only spatial location, stratified by vegetation formation, our LOESS-based model provides the most spatially detailed assessment of tree diversity across the Brazilian Cerrado to date, explaining approximately 47% of the observed variation in tree species richness. The south-western and central-western regions of the Brazilian Cerrado exhibited the highest tree biodiversity. Tree species richness was positively associated with broad-scale precipitation, temperature gradients, and soil clay content, whereas it declined with increasing fire frequency, soil bulk density, and soil aluminium concentration. Our results reveal marked spatial patterns and key environmental drivers of tree diversity across the Brazilian Cerrado, providing a valuable foundation for future biodiversity assessments and evidence-based conservation planning throughout the biome.</p>","PeriodicalId":520249,"journal":{"name":"npj biodiversity","volume":"5 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-03-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12966447/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147370184","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
npj biodiversityPub Date : 2026-03-02DOI: 10.1038/s44185-026-00120-1
Qiong Tang, Lunhui Lu, Yan Xiao, Dianchang Wang, Zhe Li
{"title":"Microbial interaction networks as climate thermometers: redefining temperature sensitivity of aerobic methanotrophy in freshwater ecosystems.","authors":"Qiong Tang, Lunhui Lu, Yan Xiao, Dianchang Wang, Zhe Li","doi":"10.1038/s44185-026-00120-1","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s44185-026-00120-1","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Methane-oxidizing bacteria (MOB) serve as critical biogeochemical gatekeepers, mitigating methane (CH<sub>4</sub>) emissions from freshwaters through aerobic methanotrophy. However, their global biogeography, interaction networks, and thermal responsiveness are poorly understood. We synthesize global patterns revealing a latitudinal succession, with Methylococcaceae dominating in tropical and temperate regions, Beijerinckiaceae prevailing in the polar region, and temperate region exhibiting the highest richness (10.7 ± 0.32) and Shannon diversity (1.51 ± 0.02). Climate-driven interactions show tightly intertwined MOB-associated subnetworks in tropical and polar regions, thereby amplifying the temperature sensitivity of aerobic methanotrophy (0.24 and 0.16 μmol·L<sup>-1</sup>·d<sup>-1</sup>·°C<sup>-1</sup>), while in the temperate region, the subnetworks are sparser and show low temperature sensitivity. Crucially, our results reveal that nontrophic interactions, rather than taxonomic diversity, drive the temperature sensitivity of aerobic methanotrophy. These insights position MOB interactions as predictive bioindicators of CH<sub>4</sub> flux under warming, improving climate models and guiding strategies for emission mitigation.</p>","PeriodicalId":520249,"journal":{"name":"npj biodiversity","volume":"5 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-03-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12954077/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147346165","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
npj biodiversityPub Date : 2026-02-25DOI: 10.1038/s44185-026-00121-0
Cristiane Julião Pankararu, Irene Teixidor-Toneu, Guillaume Odonne, Frederick Asante, Salomão O Bandeira, Ángela Marcela Barrera-Bello, Francisco Javier Benitez-Capistros, Farid Dahdouh-Guebas, Eduardo Dalcin, Zoë Honoria Dennehy-Carr, Khady Diallo, Huran Tonalli Drouet-Cruz, Viviane Stern Fonseca-Kruel, Sandrine Gallois, Setondé Constant Gnansounou, Amina Juma Hamza, Jean Hugé, Fiona M Jordan, Raivo Kalle, Nabiul Islam Khan, Inge Kuijper, Carolina Levis, Adriana S Lima, Giulia Mattalia, William Milliken, Cosmas N Munga, Nemer E Narchi, Magdalene N Ngeve, Samuel Appiah Ofori, Shyam S Phartyal, Nivaldo Peroni, Samuel Pironon, Jaime Polanía, Julia Prakofjewa, Marciano Toledo Silva, Renata Sõukand, Michael B Thomas, Tiziana Ulian, Yadav Uprety, Ina Vandebroek, Arimatéa C Ximenes, Sofia Zank, Natalia Hanazaki
{"title":"A global biodiversity use data infrastructure acknowledging indigenous and local knowledge.","authors":"Cristiane Julião Pankararu, Irene Teixidor-Toneu, Guillaume Odonne, Frederick Asante, Salomão O Bandeira, Ángela Marcela Barrera-Bello, Francisco Javier Benitez-Capistros, Farid Dahdouh-Guebas, Eduardo Dalcin, Zoë Honoria Dennehy-Carr, Khady Diallo, Huran Tonalli Drouet-Cruz, Viviane Stern Fonseca-Kruel, Sandrine Gallois, Setondé Constant Gnansounou, Amina Juma Hamza, Jean Hugé, Fiona M Jordan, Raivo Kalle, Nabiul Islam Khan, Inge Kuijper, Carolina Levis, Adriana S Lima, Giulia Mattalia, William Milliken, Cosmas N Munga, Nemer E Narchi, Magdalene N Ngeve, Samuel Appiah Ofori, Shyam S Phartyal, Nivaldo Peroni, Samuel Pironon, Jaime Polanía, Julia Prakofjewa, Marciano Toledo Silva, Renata Sõukand, Michael B Thomas, Tiziana Ulian, Yadav Uprety, Ina Vandebroek, Arimatéa C Ximenes, Sofia Zank, Natalia Hanazaki","doi":"10.1038/s44185-026-00121-0","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s44185-026-00121-0","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Many global biodiversity datasets overlook or misrepresent the knowledge of Indigenous Peoples, Local Communities, and Afro-Descendants (IPLCAD). We propose minimum data and metadata standards for a global data infrastructure on biodiversity knowledge and use, co-designed with IPLCAD, including information on language, community attribution and consent, to ensure data traceability and ethical use. This initiative integrates ancestral and academic sciences to advance inclusive biodiversity governance, addressing historical inequities for global sustainability.</p>","PeriodicalId":520249,"journal":{"name":"npj biodiversity","volume":"5 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-02-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12936073/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147314490","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
npj biodiversityPub Date : 2026-02-02DOI: 10.1038/s44185-025-00116-3
Sharif Islam, Hanna Koivula, Carrie Andrew, Julian Lopez Gordillo, Claus Weiland, Dmitry Schigel, Dag Endresen, Christos Arvanitidis, Eli Chadwick, Stian Soiland-Reyes
{"title":"FAIR digital twins for biodiversity: enabling data, model, and workflow integration.","authors":"Sharif Islam, Hanna Koivula, Carrie Andrew, Julian Lopez Gordillo, Claus Weiland, Dmitry Schigel, Dag Endresen, Christos Arvanitidis, Eli Chadwick, Stian Soiland-Reyes","doi":"10.1038/s44185-025-00116-3","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s44185-025-00116-3","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The biodiversity crisis demands computational tools to integrate and analyse complex, disparate data and models. This paper presents the concept of FAIR Digital Twins (FDTs) and, drawing on the work of the Biodiversity Digital Twin (BioDT) project (2022-2025), demonstrates how combining Digital Twins with FAIR principles (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable) can transform biodiversity research and decision-making. We show strategies for integrating heterogeneous data, models, and computational workflows within a FAIR framework, paving the way for operational FDTs. The BioDT project developed ten prototype digital twins addressing a critical range of challenges, including grassland and forest dynamics, bird monitoring, ecosystem services, and crop wild relative genetic resources. We discuss implementation challenges such as data fragmentation, semantic interoperability, and operational complexity. Critically, we highlight the opportunities for dynamic adaptation, modular workflows, and cross-domain collaboration, detailing how tools like Research Object Crate (RO-Crate) operationalise FAIR principles for metadata packaging and standardisation. This convergence of Digital Twins with FAIR principles offers a scalable and reusable approach to advancing biodiversity modeling and simulation, providing a robust foundation for evidence-based policy decisions.</p>","PeriodicalId":520249,"journal":{"name":"npj biodiversity","volume":"5 1","pages":"5"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-02-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12864969/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146109348","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
npj biodiversityPub Date : 2026-02-02DOI: 10.1038/s44185-025-00119-0
Ralf C Buckley, Christopher J O'Bryan, Alienor L M Chauvenet, Sonya Underdahl, Zoë Jiabo Zhang, Meisha Liddon, Linsheng Zhong
{"title":"Political ecology of private tourism development in public protected areas in the lead-up to the IUCN World Conservation Congress 2025.","authors":"Ralf C Buckley, Christopher J O'Bryan, Alienor L M Chauvenet, Sonya Underdahl, Zoë Jiabo Zhang, Meisha Liddon, Linsheng Zhong","doi":"10.1038/s44185-025-00119-0","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s44185-025-00119-0","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":520249,"journal":{"name":"npj biodiversity","volume":"5 1","pages":"6"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-02-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12864912/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146109387","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
npj biodiversityPub Date : 2026-01-31DOI: 10.1038/s44185-025-00117-2
Annabel L Nicholls, Paul B Wignall, Haijun Song, Jack O Shaw, Andrew P Beckerman, Alexander M Dunhill
{"title":"The timing and nature of marine ecosystem recovery following the Permian-Triassic mass extinction.","authors":"Annabel L Nicholls, Paul B Wignall, Haijun Song, Jack O Shaw, Andrew P Beckerman, Alexander M Dunhill","doi":"10.1038/s44185-025-00117-2","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s44185-025-00117-2","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The Permian-Triassic mass extinction (PTME; c. 252 million years ago) was the most devastating extinction event of the Phanerozoic, resulting in up to 90% of marine animal species becoming extinct and profound ecological changes from Palaeozoic to Mesozoic faunas. The eruption of the Siberian Traps Large Igneous Province caused a cascade of environmental effects such as extreme warming, ocean anoxia and acidification which collapsed Permian ecosystems and delayed recovery in the Early Triassic. However, uncertainty remains regarding the temporal dynamics and nature of ecological recovery following the PTME. Models attribute a slow stepwise recovery within marine communities, from primary producers to top predators, reattaining pre-extinction levels of ecological complexity by the Middle Triassic. However, global empirical data indicates the rapid recovery of multiple trophic levels albeit in the form of top-heavy, unstable Early Triassic ecosystems. Further research promises exciting opportunities to apply community ecology models to ever improving databases of fossil ecosystems spanning multiple palaeolatitudes to test fundamental questions regarding the nature and timing of recovery and whether it really was \"recovery\" back to pre-extinction states; or \"restructuring\" to new baselines of ecosystem complexity more reflective of modern marine ecosystems.</p>","PeriodicalId":520249,"journal":{"name":"npj biodiversity","volume":"5 1","pages":"3"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-01-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12860686/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146097610","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
npj biodiversityPub Date : 2026-01-31DOI: 10.1038/s44185-025-00118-1
Brendan M Anderson, James C Lamsdell, Amanda R Falk, Curtis R Congreve, Jonathan R Hendricks
{"title":"The flounder effect: disparities in taxonomic and ecological study intensity across extant and fossil marine organisms hamper conservation.","authors":"Brendan M Anderson, James C Lamsdell, Amanda R Falk, Curtis R Congreve, Jonathan R Hendricks","doi":"10.1038/s44185-025-00118-1","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s44185-025-00118-1","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Large datasets have allowed biologists and palaeontologists to investigate a multitude of ecological processes. They have also obfuscated the ways in which our limited knowledge of ecology can affect our results. We focus on how our biased understanding of organismal natural history and taxonomy can have significant impacts on our perspective of ecological and evolutionary processes across multiple temporal and hierarchical scales, and suggest broad structural solutions to this problem.</p>","PeriodicalId":520249,"journal":{"name":"npj biodiversity","volume":"5 1","pages":"4"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-01-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12860799/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146097517","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
npj biodiversityPub Date : 2026-01-07DOI: 10.1038/s44185-025-00115-4
Rafaela Jardim Bonet
{"title":"A call to re-collectivize science and make it more equitable.","authors":"Rafaela Jardim Bonet","doi":"10.1038/s44185-025-00115-4","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s44185-025-00115-4","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":520249,"journal":{"name":"npj biodiversity","volume":"5 1","pages":"2"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-01-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12780068/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145919555","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}