Alla Aleksanyan

Motivation: The database initiated by the Mountain Invasion Research Network (MIREN) is one of the few globally implemented standardized vegetation surveys in mountains. The focus is on collecting plant species occurrences at 5‐year intervals along and adjacent to mountain roads spanning elevational gradients, with the goal of providing critical information about the ongoing spread of non‐native plants and the potential impacts of climate and human‐caused disturbance in the form of road infrastructure on mountain vegetation. Main Types of Variables Contained: To date, the database contains almost 170,000 georeferenced records of plant species. Overall, 6854 vascular plant species were observed in 3364 plots across 25 regions, with many of these plots being revisited every 5 years. Each plot is identified by its coordinates, elevation and distance to the road. The status of each individual species (native, non‐native or unknown) is determined in accordance with regional databases. Spatial Location and Grain: Plant species were surveyed at 20 sample sites, placed at regular elevational intervals along each mountain road, with typically three roads selected per region. Each sample site is subdivided into three 2 m × 50 m plots, one parallel to the road and two perpendicular to it, extending into adjacent vegetation. The 25 studied regions cover all continents except Antarctica. Time Period and Grain: Data were collected between 2007 and 2023, with surveys being repeated at 5‐year intervals in a subset of regions. Three regions include four time‐steps, while seven and three regions were sampled three times or twice, respectively. In most regions, long‐term monitoring is ongoing. Major Taxa and Level of Measurement: All vascular plant species. Software Format: Data are available through a .csv file on Zenodo ( https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.15749536 ).

Land cover data are commonly used to model the terrestrial carbon (C) sink, yet these data have wide margins of error that significantly alter estimates of global C storage. Here we demonstrate this data vulnerability in grasslands, which are critical to C cycling but whose estimated distribution has varied by >50 million km ² (3.5–42% of the Earth’s terrestrial surface). Comparing multiple high-resolution land cover products with expertly annotated grassland data from six continents, we show sources of mapping error and discuss C implications based on 2023 United Nations (UN) FAO estimates. Past misidentification arose from inconsistent definitions on grassland identity and classification flaws especially relating to woody plant cover. Correcting these errors adjusted grassland coverage to 22.8% of the terrestrial land base (30.1 million km ² ), elevating UN projections of soil C stocks to 155.02 Pg (0–30 cm depth). These findings underscore the challenges of biome mapping for ecosystem accounting and policy, when lacking field-validated remotely sensed data.

This study aims to analyse plant endemism in Armenia. The richness of the republic’s flora was assessed in terms of the representation of endemic taxa. The distribution of endemic plant species was identified and analysed both within the republic and across altitudinal belts and major ecosystems. The greatest number of endemic taxa belongs to the families Rosaceae, Asteraceae, Fabaceae, and Poaceae, with the richest genera being Pyrus, Astra­galus, and Psephellus. Most endemic species are confined to the arid regions of the republic, particularly the middle mountain belt and grassy ecosystems. Several “centres of endemism” were identified, where populations of multiple endemic species coexist in a small area. The relevant government organisations must prioritise these centres when creating new protected natural areas. We identified 139 endemic taxa (species and/or subspecies) of vascular plants belonging to 27 families and 69 genera in modern Armenia. For Armenia, we calculated Bykov’s index (le = Ef/En, where Ef represents the real percentage of endemic taxa, and En denotes the expected or normal percentage of endemic taxa in the basic graph) to be 3.7, which is 3.7 times higher than the norm. This index surpasses that of renowned countries such as South Africa (3.6), Greece (2.1), Turkey, Cyprus (~2), and the Caucasus as a whole (1.3). This finding suggests that Armenia is one of the most significant territories in terms of plant diversity within the global biodiversity hotspot of the Caucasus. The greatest number of endemics belongs to the Rosaceae family, particularly due to a high diversity within the genus Pyrus (10 species), followed by the Asteraceae, Fabaceae, and Poaceae families. The Caryophyllaceae (10 species) and Scrophulariaceae (eight species) families follow. At the genus level, Pyrus has 10 local endemic species, while the largest genus in Armenia, Astragalus, has seven endemic species, as does Psephellus, followed by Centaurea (six species). The highest number of endemic vascular plant taxa is found in the Yerevan and Darelegis floristic regions, with fewer in the Aparan, Shirak, and Meghri regions. The majority of these taxa thrive in the arid regions of the Armeno-Iranian province of the Ancient Mediterranean subkingdom. Most of these species should be classified as neoendemics, formed in arid conditions. In contrast, the majority of endemics associated with the “Caucasian root,” which flourish in the more humid conditions of the remaining floristic regions of Armenia, are likely paleoendemics, preserved from glacial and postglacial periods. The overwhelming majority of endemic vascular plant taxa in Armenia are confined to herbaceous habitats—84 species. Significantly fewer are found in petrophyte habitats and those with no or poorly developed vegetation—29 species, in forest and shrub habitats—25 species each, and in aquatic habitats, where only seven taxa are present. No endemic species or subspecies have been recorded in marsh habitats. This distribution can be attributed to the fact that herbaceous habitats occupy nearly two-thirds of Armenia’s territory. Furthermore, most endemics are associated with arid ecosystems, which are predominantly represented by habitats of this category.

The local species abundance distribution (SAD) and the associated distributions of species functional traits (TADs) both result from the process of plant community assembly. Community assembly has been extensively studied for dominant and rare plants, while subordinates, the species of intermediate abundance in a community, have received less research attention although this group is comparatively species rich and important for community functioning. Here, we study the functional role of subordinate species (those covering the intermediate 50% of abundance ranks) using a large data set of Palearctic dry and semi‐dry grassland plant communities and data on specific leaf area, seed mass and plant height. Our findings indicate that species rank orders of SADs and TADs tend to be negatively correlated, causing the TAD to have higher evenness than the associated SAD. Subordinate species represented on average less than 15% of total plant abundance and trait space. Functional diversity of subordinates was lower than expected by a null model that assumed an equiprobable random distribution of trait values among plant species. Climate seasonality and elevation appeared to be the most important drivers of subordinate abundance and functional diversity. We conclude that subordinates differ from dominants in trait composition, leading to their partial functional independence from dominants.

This article presents the case study of Sevan National Park to showcase the evolving conservation planning and management of protected areas in Armenia. We highlight the first application of the basic principles of the Open Standards for the Practice of Con-servation in the country, which has been piloted within the Park’s management planning process. We also address recent institutional reforms, including the establishment of the EcoPatrol service, to examine their implications for centralized protection. Further-more, efforts to align the management plan of Sevan National Park with the EU Biodiver-sity Strategy 2030, Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, and the feasibility of designating the area as a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve are discussed. Our findings demonstrate how Sevan National Park can serve as a potential model for adaptive con-servation planning across Armenia. Ultimately, the case of Sevan National Park provides valuable insights for countries aiming to bridge ecological conservation with inclusive and sustainable development.

Biological invasions are one of the major drivers of biodiversity decline and have been shown to have far‐reaching consequences for society and the economy. Preventing the introduction and spread of alien species represents the most effective solution to reducing their impacts on nature and human well‐being. However, implementing effective solutions requires a good understanding of where the species are established and how biological invasions develop over time. Knowledge of the status and trends of biological invasions is thus key for guiding research efforts, informing stakeholders and policymakers, for targeted management efforts, and preparing for the future. However, information about the status and trends of alien species is scattered, patchy, and highly incomplete, making it difficult to assess. Published reports for individual regions and taxonomic groups are available, but large‐scale overviews are scarce. A global assessment therefore requires a review of available knowledge with careful consideration of sampling and reporting biases. This paper provides a comprehensive global assessment of the status and trends of alien species for major taxonomic groups [Bacteria, Protozoa, Stramenopila, Alveolata, and Rhizaria (SAR), fungi, plants, and animals] for Intergovernmental Panel of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) regions. The review provides irrefutable evidence that alien species have been introduced to all regions worldwide including Antarctica and have spread to even the most remote islands. The numbers of alien species are increasing within all taxa and across all regions, and are often even accelerating. Large knowledge gaps exist, particularly for taxonomic groups other than vascular plants and vertebrates, for regions in Africa and Central Asia, and for aquatic realms. In fact, for inconspicuous species, such as Bacteria, Protozoa, and to some degree SAR and fungi, we found records for very few species and regions. Observed status and trends are thus highly influenced by research effort. More generally, it is likely that all lists for alien species of any taxonomic group and region are incomplete. The reported species numbers therefore represent minima, and we can expect additions to all lists in the near future. We identified six key challenges which need to be addressed to reduce knowledge gaps and to improve our ability to assess trends and status of biological invasions.