Vulnerability assessments of moorland plant communities to global environmental changes

展示了研究区沼地植物群落的嵌套亚群模式。环境严酷造成的选择性环境耐受性和生境承载能力下降造成的选择性灭绝可能是造成巢状格局的原因。因此，筑巢矩阵中物种的筑巢等级可以转化为未来环境变化下物种损失的潜在情景。最后，通过模拟实际物种丧失对功能多样性的影响，对未来环境变化下可能发生的物种丧失对沼地植物群落的脆弱性进行了精细评估。这项研究的知识是预防性的，但在面对全球生物多样性丧失的情况下，当我们采取行动保护生态系统时，迫切需要支持优先级和决策的信息。

I demonstrated the nested subset pattern of moorland plant communities in the study area. Selective environmental tolerances imposed by environmental harshness and selective extinction caused by declines in the carrying capacities of sites probably accounted for the nested pattern. The nested rank of species in the nestedness matrix can therefore be translated into a potential scenario of species loss under future environmental changes. Finally, I provided the fine-scale assessments of vulnerability of moorland plant communities to species loss which is likely to occur under future environmental changes by simulating the consequences of realistic species loss for functional diversity. The knowledge from this study is precautionary but urgently needed information supporting prioritization and decision-making when we act to conserve ecosystems in the face of global biodiversity loss.