Regional Biodiversity Research Articles

The relationship between landscape pattern and plant species diversity in east Dongting lake wetland based on different Eco-environment

Exploring the impact factors associated with biodiversity and the relationship between them has always been a concerned issue in recent years. However, the previous research mostly focus on theoretical layer. Accordingly, the relationship between landscape pattern and biodiversity is to be analyzed in this research. The landscape pattern determines the function and ecological process of the landscape, and affects the species flow, information flow and energy flow in the landscape. Land use patterns has inevitably left an impact on the landscape pattern. Landscape pattern determines the function and ecological process of landscape and thus plays a significant role in biodiversity. East Dongting Lake National Nature Reserve is taken as the research object of the paper, and the remote sensing image data of three different time periods are collected, including 2000, 2010 and 2020. With an interpretation of the vegetation landscape pattern changes inside the protected area to collect and analyze the vegetation coverage. By comparing landscape patterns and the dynamic changes of land use in different periods of time, the correlation between landscape pattern characteristics and regional biodiversity is to be analyzed. Research shows: (1) From 2000 to 2020, the vegetation coverage of East Dongting Lake increased, but the landscape shape, scale, diversity and uniformity index decreased to varying degrees. (2) At the class level of landscape type, the relationship between landscape index and biodiversity is different. A complex relationship between farmland landscape and biodiversity. There is a significant positive correlation between the index of grassland landscape type and the index of regional biodiversity. (3) The correlation analysis results at the landscape level show that the landscape characteristic index is positively correlated with the regional biodiversity index. The grassland landscape in the area is the main habitat of biological species. At the same time, as the main grain producing area, the impact of farmland landscape cannot be ignored. This study has certain theoretical guiding significance for the protection and management of biodiversity in the region in terms of maintaining landscape pattern in particular the grassland landscape area and increasing vegetation coverage in the process of land use.

The choice of land-based climate change mitigation measures influences future global biodiversity loss

Climate mitigation is reported to benefit biodiversity globally. However, the impacts of mitigation measures based on large-scale land-use modifications can be concentrated in the regions where they are introduced, resulting in regional mismatches between mitigation efforts and biodiversity benefits. Here, we evaluated the impacts of large-scale deployment of bioenergy with carbon capture and storage and afforestation to attain the climate stabilization target stated by the Paris Agreement on global and regional biodiversity by using an integrated model framework. Our results highlight that climate mitigation efforts can benefit global biodiversity regardless of large-scale implementation of land-based mitigation measures. However, the negative impacts of mitigation measures on biodiversity are concentrated in regions with a higher contribution to land-use change and carbon sequestration. The results imply the need to consider the unequal regional distribution of benefits from climate mitigation, as well as mitigation options that avoid regional biodiversity loss by minimizing land-use change.

Establishing a protected area network in Xinlong with other effective area-based conservation measures.

Protected areas (PAs) are pivotal to biodiversity conservation, yet their efficacy is compromised by insufficient funding and management. So-called other effective area-based conservation measures (OECMs) present a paradigm shift and address PA limitations. Such measures can expand conservation areas, enhance connectivity, and improve the existing system. To assess the conservation status of biodiversity in Tibetan cultural areas in China, we investigated the spatial distribution of wildlife vulnerable to human disturbance (large- and medium-sized mammals and terrestrial birds) in Xinlong, a traditional Tibetan cultural area. In particular, we compared a PA (Xionglongxi Nature Reserve) and OECMs targeting species conservation. We also investigated the relationship of wildlife with human temporal and spatial activities. The OECMs complemented areas not covered by PA, especially in rich understory biodiversity regions. More species in OECMs tolerated human presence than species in the PA. Existing biodiversity reserves failed to cover areas of high conservation value in Tibet and offered limited protection capacity. Expanding PAs and identifying OECMs improved Xinlong's system by covering most biodiversity hotspots. Building on the tradition of wildlife conservation in Tibet, harnessing OECMs may be an effective means of augmenting biodiversity conservation capacity. We recommend further evaluation of OECMs effectiveness and coverage in Tibetan area as a way to enhance the current PA system.

Towards global insect biomonitoring with frugal methods.

None of the global targets for protecting nature are currently met, although humanity is critically dependent on biodiversity. A significant issue is the lack of data for most biodiverse regions of the planet where the use of frugal methods for biomonitoring would be particularly important because the available funding for monitoring is insufficient, especially in low-income countries. We here discuss how three approaches to insect biomonitoring (computer vision, lidar, DNA sequences) could be made more frugal and urge that all biomonitoring techniques should be evaluated for global suitability before becoming the default in high-income countries. This requires that techniques popular in high-income countries should undergo a phase of 'innovation through simplification' before they are implemented more broadly. We predict that techniques that acquire raw data at low cost and are suitable for analysis with AI (e.g. images, lidar-signals) will be particularly suitable for global biomonitoring, while techniques that rely heavily on patented technologies may be less promising (e.g. DNA sequences). We conclude the opinion piece by pointing out that the widespread use of AI for data analysis will require a global strategy for providing the necessary computational resources and training. This article is part of the theme issue 'Towards a toolkit for global insect biodiversity monitoring'.

A new long-read mitochondrial-genome protocol (PacBio HiFi) for haemosporidian parasites: a tool for population and biodiversity studies

BackgroundStudies on haemosporidian diversity, including origin of human malaria parasites, malaria's zoonotic dynamic, and regional biodiversity patterns, have used target gene approaches. However, current methods have a trade-off between scalability and data quality. Here, a long-read Next-Generation Sequencing protocol using PacBio HiFi is presented. The data processing is supported by a pipeline that uses machine-learning for analysing the reads.MethodsA set of primers was designed to target approximately 6 kb, almost the entire length of the haemosporidian mitochondrial genome. Amplicons from different samples were multiplexed in an SMRTbell® library preparation. A pipeline (HmtG-PacBio Pipeline) to process the reads is also provided; it integrates multiple sequence alignments, a machine-learning algorithm that uses modified variational autoencoders, and a clustering method to identify the mitochondrial haplotypes/species in a sample. Although 192 specimens could be studied simultaneously, a pilot experiment with 15 specimens is presented, including in silico experiments where multiple data combinations were tested.ResultsThe primers amplified various haemosporidian parasite genomes and yielded high-quality mt genome sequences. This new protocol allowed the detection and characterization of mixed infections and co-infections in the samples. The machine-learning approach converged into reproducible haplotypes with a low error rate, averaging 0.2% per read (minimum of 0.03% and maximum of 0.46%). The minimum recommended coverage per haplotype is 30X based on the detected error rates. The pipeline facilitates inspecting the data, including a local blast against a file of provided mitochondrial sequences that the researcher can customize.ConclusionsThis is not a diagnostic approach but a high-throughput method to study haemosporidian sequence assemblages and perform genotyping by targeting the mitochondrial genome. Accordingly, the methodology allowed for examining specimens with multiple infections and co-infections of different haemosporidian parasites. The pipeline enables data quality assessment and comparison of the haplotypes obtained to those from previous studies. Although a single locus approach, whole mitochondrial data provide high-quality information to characterize species pools of haemosporidian parasites.

Enhancing environmental DNA metabarcoding from marine ecosystems: Impact of filter type, storage method, and storage time on the assessment of fish alpha and beta diversity

AbstractThe collection of environmental DNA (eDNA) and subsequent metabarcoding are useful tools for assessing marine fish biodiversity noninvasively. It is of particular importance to evaluate biodiversity in regions that are hard to access and thus less well studied. Sampling and preservation methods tailored to the specific circumstances are required. Aquatic eDNA is often captured on filters made of different materials and pore sizes, and subsequently stored under divergent conditions for varying periods of time. Previous studies on multispecies detection in marine systems have primarily focused on capture and extraction effects. Our study, in contrast, examined the effects of filter type, storage method, and storage time on DNA yield, alpha (i.e., ZOTU richness) and beta diversity (i.e., ZOTU composition) recovered from a marine ecosystem in Shark Bay, Western Australia. We compared two different filter types (cellulose‐nitrate filters with pore sizes of 0.45 μm; glass‐fiber filters with pore sizes of 0.1 μm), two storage methods (preservation in Longmire's solution and drying, respectively), various storage times (30–68 days) on two metabarcoding assays using different fish‐specific primers. Our results showed that storage time decreased DNA yield and affected alpha and beta diversity estimates. Cellulose‐nitrate filters stored in Longmire's solution proved to be the best combination with the smallest decrease in DNA yield, no effect on alpha diversity and consistent community compositions. Storing glass‐fiber filters in Longmire's solution led to a decrease in eDNA yield and alpha diversity estimates with increasing storage time. Furthermore, the largest change in beta diversity for each metabarcode was found for glass‐fiber filters regardless of storage method. Our results highlight the importance of considering storage time and interactions between storage method and filter when analyzing eDNA results, especially when storing samples for an extended time period or comparison of samples stored for different durations.

Diversity and distribution of chironomids in Central European ponds.

Ponds are common freshwater habitats in the European landscape that substantially contribute to local and regional biodiversity. Chironomids often dominate invertebrate communities in ponds but are usually disregarded in ecological studies due to relatively complicated taxonomy and identification issues. We present a comprehensive overview of the chironomid diversity in 246 ponds spanning a wide range of conditions extending from the Pannonian Plain to the Carpathians. Altogether, we recorded 225 taxa including 192 species from six subfamilies (Podonominae, Tanypodinae, Diamesinae, Prodiamesinae, Orthocladiinae and Chironominae). However, the chironomid taxa inventory is far from complete and about 16% of the total diversity of pond-dwelling chironomids remains undetected. Chironomid alpha diversity showed a significant unimodal pattern along the elevation gradient with the highest number of taxa per pond expected around 790 m a.s.l. Gamma diversity also peaked in mid-elevations (600-800 m), and the common chironomid taxa partitioned the 2100-m long altitudinal gradient relatively evenly. The heterogeneity of chironomid communities among ponds measured as beta diversity was significantly higher in elevations below 800 m. Temperature and the proportion of surrounding forests significantly influenced alpha diversity of chironomid communities, while urban land cover and pond size had no significant effect. Ponds with a mean annual air temperature of approximately 4.8°C and a low proportion of surrounding forests are expected to harbour the most diverse chironomid communities. Our study showed that chironomids represent a very diverse and often exceptionally rich group of pond-dwelling macroinvertebrates. Given the high diversity and broad range of occupied niches, chironomids should not be overlooked in pond ecology studies. On the contrary, they should be considered a potential model group.

Island mosquitoes of Thailand: an update on species diversity and DNA barcoding.

Mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae) are among the most medically significant insects, with several species acting as vectors for human pathogens. Although there are frequent reports of mosquito-borne diseases in the border island areas of Thailand, comprehensive data on the diversity and DNA barcoding of these mosquito species remain limited. This study investigated mosquito diversity in two main archipelagos in Thailand-the Trat archipelago (comprising Chang Island and Kood Island) and the Ranong archipelago (comprising Chang Island and Phayam Island)-and generated DNA barcode data from the mosquitoes found there. The survey across these islands discovered a total of 41 species, highlighting the presence of several species known to be vectors for human diseases. Thirty-seven mosquito species from the island areas were documented to provide reference DNA barcode sequences for mosquitoes in Thailand's island regions. Two species, Aedes fumidus and Finlaya flavipennis, have been added as new COI sequence records in the database. DNA barcoding was highly effective in classifying almost all species by identifying barcoding gaps, except for Anopheles baimaii and Anopheles dirus, which could not be distinguished. Additionally, the study noted that geographical variations might influence certain mosquito species, such as Anopheles barbirostris A3 and Mansonia dives, causing them to be split into two distinct subgroups. The findings of this study are crucial, as they aid in classifying mosquito species using molecular techniques and expand our knowledge of disease vectors in these biodiverse regions.

Traditional paddy field-supported bird diversity ignored by forest-focused protection of ecosystems in tropical China.

Biodiversity in tropical regions is facing threats from agricultural expansion and intensification. Therefore, a promising future for local ecosystem conservation depends not only on traditional protected areas but also on well-managed agricultural landscapes. In this study, we compared the ecological traits of bird species in paddy fields outside of protected areas and natural forests within the protected areas of Xishuangbanna, southern China. There were 148 species in total, of which 98 were in forests and 55 in paddy fields. The abundance of birds in paddy fields was 176 per kilometer, which was much higher than the 60 per kilometer in forests. There were 26 law-protected species observed, half of which were found in each habitat. The main functional groups living in nature reserves are invertivores and frugivores, whereas paddy fields provide habitats for aquatic predator and granivore bird species. Our results indicate that paddy fields act as a refuge for wetland and grassland bird species when natural wetlands disappear, highlighting the urgent need to focus more on wetland protection and eco-friendly agricultural schemes at the landscape scale in future conservation policies.

Future climatically suitable areas for bats in South Asia.

Climate change majorly impacts biodiversity in diverse regions across the world, including South Asia, a megadiverse area with heterogeneous climatic and vegetation regions. However, climate impacts on bats in this region are not well-studied, and it is unclear whether climate effects will follow patterns predicted in other regions. We address this by assessing projected near-future changes in climatically suitable areas for 110 bat species from South Asia. We used ensemble ecological niche modelling with four algorithms (random forests, artificial neural networks, multivariate adaptive regression splines and maximum entropy) to define climatically suitable areas under current conditions (1970-2000). We then extrapolated near future (2041-2060) suitable areas under four projected scenarios (combining two global climate models and two shared socioeconomic pathways, SSP2: middle-of-the-road and SSP5: fossil-fuelled development). Projected future changes in suitable areas varied across species, with most species predicted to retain most of the current area or lose small amounts. When shifts occurred due to projected climate change, new areas were generally northward of current suitable areas. Suitability hotspots, defined as regions suitable for >30% of species, were generally predicted to become smaller and more fragmented. Overall, climate change in the near future may not lead to dramatic shifts in the distribution of bat species in South Asia, but local hotspots of biodiversity may be lost. Our results offer insight into climate change effects in less studied areas and can inform conservation planning, motivating reappraisals of conservation priorities and strategies for bats in South Asia.

Modelling and Mapping of Forest Biodiversity Indicators Using Sentinel-2 and PlanetScope Remotely Sensed Data

Tropical montane forests harbour exceptionally high biodiversity yet face severe threats from human activities. Assessing forest biodiversity over large areas is crucial yet extremely challenging. Remote sensing provides an efficient monitoring solution, but few studies have focused on Tanzania's diverse, montane forests. We collected field data on tree species composition within 159 plots across montane forests in Tanzania's West Usambara region. We calculated species richness, evenness, and Shannon diversity index as indicators of tree diversity. Using Sentinel-2 and PlanetScope satellite imagery, we derived spectral, textural, and vegetation index predictors to model these indices via generalized additive models and extreme gradient boosting. PlanetScope-based XGBoost models performed best, explaining 19.7% of variation in Shannon diversity. Incorporating textural predictors further improved model accuracy. Despite inherent challenges in modelling complex tropical forests, our findings demonstrate promising potential of Sentinel-2 and PlanetScope for regional biodiversity monitoring where field surveys are limited. Further research could enhance these initial results by leveraging higher resolution data and increasing field sampling for effective monitoring of tropical biodiversity.

Oasis agriculture revitalization and carbon sequestration for climate-resilient communities

Revitalizing oasis agriculture, an age-old human endeavor, has historically played a crucial role in sustaining biodiversity and ecosystems in arid regions. Nevertheless, this enduring practice now faces contemporary challenges, including global warming, water scarcity, soil erosion, and negative human activities associated with urbanization. This comprehensive review delves into diverse literature across disciplines, covering topics such as water conservation, biodiversity restoration, agroforestry, and Oasis Holistic Management, with the aim of addressing these challenges. The analysis strongly advocates for the urgent adoption of sustainable practices, including precision irrigation, polyculture, organic farming, agroforestry, and community-based initiatives, to ensure the survival of oasis agriculture and foster long-term environmental and social responsibility. The study underscores the imperative need for the development of “comprehensive, flexible, and forward-looking management strategies” to guide the sustainable revival of oasis farming. By consolidating information from various studies, it lays the groundwork for informed decision-making and policy formulation. As part of revitalizing the oasis agricultural ecosystem and addressing the global climate crisis, we propose a noninvasive tool for assessing carbon sequestration effectiveness based on tree specifications. Recognizing the pivotal role of vegetation in mitigating the ecological impact and facing global crises, we explored parameters influencing plant carbon sequestration, including biomass production, growth rate, longevity, root structure, leaf structure, and average temperature tolerance.

Conservation of the Rare and Endangered Vascular Plants in the Mining and Tourism Area: Khibiny Mountains, Murmansk Region, Russia.

The Khibiny Mountains (hereafter called Khibiny Mts.) are one of the most urbanized and industrialized regions in the Russian Arctic. There are combined a developed mining complex, elaborate infrastructure, a well-known tourist resort, and a large population, all amidst an exceptionally rich biodiversity of plants. In this study, we analyzed the current knowledge of the spatial distribution of rare and endangered vascular plants and vegetation and the impacts of human activities on these ecosystems. Approximately 28% of the protected vascular plant species in the Murmansk Region were registered within the confines of the Khibiny Mts. In particular, although only a handful of protected species had a widespread presence, most rare species were confined to the southern reaches of the mountain range, with only a select few extending into other parts. Papaver lapponicum was the only species that thrived across the entire territory, including industrial areas. The studied territory contained nine specially protected areas spanning 123,220 hectares. Nature monuments adjacent to mining sites and urban centers play an important role in preserving regional biodiversity. However, the expansion of the mining industry, alongside deforestation and wildfires, poses considerable threats to the biodiversity of the Khibiny Mts. A comprehensive biodiversity conservation strategy implemented in this region balances the local and expansive territorial protection of rare species and habitats, ensuring environmental preservation while facilitating social and economic progress, a noteworthy example of environmental protection in the Arctic.

Emergency policies are not enough to resolve Amazonia’s fire crises

The fire crises in the Amazon continues to increase the risk of large-scale forest dieback, threatening regional biodiversity and global climate. This issue gained international attention in 2019 when fires in the Brazilian Amazon led to a fire ban imposition. Despite the uncertainty of its impact, the fire ban was reenacted in subsequent years. Here we assess the effectiveness of each fire ban by comparing observed fire counts with climate-driven predictions of fire for 2019–2021. While the 2019 ban likely reduced the number of fires to expected levels, it was largely ineffective in the years that followed. Four years later in 2023 under a different political dynamic, the Brazilian Amazon faced another fire crisis. Resolving this recurrent issue requires interventions that target the underlying causes of fire and extend beyond emergency measures, including long-term strategies focused on landscape management, public awareness and education, and engagement with local communities and stakeholders.

Divergence of zooplankton assemblages in unstable fishless and stable fish ponds

This study aimed to achieve a better understanding of the features of zooplankton assemblages in small water bodies and their biodiversity and composition in relation to the presence of fish and accompanying environmental characteristics. This study was conducted in 16 mid-field ponds. Compositional and biodiversity indexes and ordination methods were used to analyze the relationship between zooplankton assemblages in unstable fishless and stable fish ponds. A total of 121 zooplankton taxa were identified. Compositional indicators revealed significant differences in zooplankton assemblages between fish ponds (FPs) and fishless ponds (FLPs). Canonical correspondence analysis indicated that variation in zooplankton assemblages depended on the ponds’ features. Most of the high trophic state indicator species were present only in FPs or occurred sporadically in FLPs. Rarefaction and extrapolation indicated a higher number of zooplankton taxa in FPs than in FLPs. The stability of the ecosystem was essential for maintaining the high species richness of zooplankton. Diversity indices were not influenced by variations in species composition or environmental differences among ponds. Diversified pond types are necessary to maintain the heterogeneity of mid-field ponds, which support the high regional biodiversity of zooplankton assemblages.

Potential for restoration of biodiversity in karstic mining regions with small-scale mining sites: birds and pits

Potential for restoration of biodiversity in karstic mining regions with small-scale mining sites: birds and pits

Kelp forest diversity under projected end‐of‐century climate change

AbstractAimFuture climate change threatens marine forests across the world, potentially disrupting ecosystem function and services. Nonetheless, the direction and intensity of climate‐induced changes in kelp forest biodiversity remain unknown, precluding well‐informed conservation and management practices.LocationGlobal.MethodsWe use machine‐learning models to forecast global changes in species richness and community composition of 105 kelp forest species under contrasting Shared Socioeconomic Pathway (SSP) scenarios of climate change (decade 2090–2100): one aligned with the Paris Agreement and another of substantially higher emissions.ResultsA poleward and depth shift in species distributions is forecasted, translating into ~15% less area in the extent of the global biome, coupled with marked regional biodiversity changes. Community composition changes are mostly projected in the Arctic, the Northern Pacific and Atlantic, and Australasia, owing to poleward range expansions and wide low latitude losses.Main ConclusionsBy surpassing the Paris Agreement expectations, species reshuffling may simplify and impair ecosystem services in numerous temperate regions of Australasia, Southern Africa, Southern America and the Northern Atlantic, and in the tropical Pacific, where complete species losses were projected without replacement. These estimates, flagging threatened regions and species, as well as refugial areas of population persistence, can now inform conservation, management and restoration practices considering future climate change.

Integrating perspectives in developing mycorrhizal trait databases: a call for inclusive and collaborative continental efforts.

Global assessments of mycorrhizal symbiosis present large sampling gaps in rich biodiversity regions. Filling these gaps is necessary to build large-scale, unbiased mycorrhizal databases to obtain reliable analyses and prevent misleading generalizations. Underrepresented regions in mycorrhizal research are mainly in Africa, Asia, and South America. Despite the high biodiversity and endemism in these regions, many groups of organisms remain understudied, especially mycorrhizal fungi. In this Viewpoint, we emphasize the importance of inclusive and collaborative continental efforts in integrating perspectives for comprehensive trait database development and propose a conceptual framework that can help build large mycorrhizal databases in underrepresented regions. Based on the four Vs of big data (volume, variety, veracity, and velocity), we identify the main challenges of constructing a large mycorrhizal dataset and propose solutions for each challenge. We share our collaborative methodology, which involves employing open calls and working groups to engage all mycorrhizal researchers in the region to build a South American Mycorrhizal Database. By fostering interdisciplinary collaborations and embracing a continental-scale approach, we can create robust mycorrhizal trait databases that provide valuable insights into the evolution, ecology, and functioning of mycorrhizal associations, reducing the geographical biases that are so common in large-scale ecological studies.

A Serial Multi-Scale Feature Fusion and Enhancement Network for Amur Tiger Re-Identification.

The Amur tiger is an important endangered species in the world, and its re-identification (re-ID) plays an important role in regional biodiversity assessment and wildlife resource statistics. This paper focuses on the task of Amur tiger re-ID based on visible light images from screenshots of surveillance videos or camera traps, aiming to solve the problem of low accuracy caused by camera perspective, noisy background noise, changes in motion posture, and deformation of Amur tiger body patterns during the re-ID process. To overcome this challenge, we propose a serial multi-scale feature fusion and enhancement re-ID network of Amur tiger for this task, in which global and local branches are constructed. Specifically, we design a global inverted pyramid multi-scale feature fusion method in the global branch to effectively fuse multi-scale global features and achieve high-level, fine-grained, and deep semantic feature preservation. We also design a local dual-domain attention feature enhancement method in the local branch, further enhancing local feature extraction and fusion by dividing local feature blocks. Based on the above model structure, we evaluated the effectiveness and feasibility of the model on the public dataset of the Amur Tiger Re-identification in the Wild (ATRW), and achieved good results on mAP, Rank-1, and Rank-5, demonstrating a certain competitiveness. In addition, since our proposed model does not require the introduction of additional expensive annotation information and does not incorporate other pre-training modules, it has important advantages such as strong transferability and simple training.

Promoting plant diversity and habitat heterogeneity through vineyard terracing

AbstractQuestionsViticulture on steep slopes has shaped the landscape and biodiversity in many regions, but insufficient profitability has led to management cessation and shrub encroachment. A solution to maintain economically viable cultivation could be vineyard terracing. We aimed to identify the potential of terracing to enhance plant diversity and habitat heterogeneity in vineyards, analyze effects of management intensity on vineyard vegetation, and assess how plant communities change after vineyard abandonment.LocationWine‐growing region of the Upper Middle Rhine Valley in Hesse (50.042342° N, 7.814533° E) and Rhineland‐Palatinate (50.119139° N, 7.719275° E), Germany.MethodsWe recorded vascular plant species and local vineyard parameters in vertically oriented vineyards with vegetated and tilled open inter‐rows, in terraced vineyards with tilled terrace inter‐rows and extensively managed embankments, and in vineyard fallows in a total of 45 study sites. We used plant species richness, Ellenberg indicator values and Grime's strategy types to describe how traits and ecological requirements respond to distinct vineyard management.ResultsPlant species richness and composition were determined by management‐derived disturbance intensities. Extensively managed embankments had a distinct plant community, the highest plant species richness, more perennial and indicator species, and lower nitrogen indicator values compared with inter‐rows. By contrast, highly disturbed open and terrace inter‐rows revealed plant communities associated with annuals and ruderals, but species richness did not differ between terrace inter‐rows and embankments. The plant communities of fallows were completely different with lower plant diversity.ConclusionsOur results highlight the potential of terraced vineyards for plant diversity with nutrient poor, extensively managed embankments providing conditions that have become rare in modern agricultural systems. A long environmental gradient from terrace inter‐rows to embankments created habitat heterogeneity within a narrow space. By contrast, intensive inter‐row management in vertically oriented vineyards hampers high plant diversity and abandonment fosters the spread of woody species at the expanse of plant diversity.