Meelis Pärtel is one of the three Estonian scientists who was recently elected to Academia Europaea! Meelis will participate in the academy’s Ecology and Evolution section, where he hopes to strengthen connections between ecology and other research fields. Academia Europaea is an European non-governmental organisation that brings together top researchers from various fields. The academy provides research-organisational advice to governments and international institutions, fosters interdisciplinary relationships, maps out significant scientific issues for Europe, and proposes ways to investigate them, among other things.
On June 5th the University of Tartu botany department had a day full of Bachelor's thesis defenses. From our research group three students successfully defended their bachelor’s theses - Mari Tiits (supervised by Meelis), Marta Miia Pärnpuu (supervised by Meelis), and Annaliisa Väljaots (supervised by Riin). Their research focused on the dark diversity of insects, the application of artificial intelligence in plant co-existence identification, and the impact of human dietary choices on biodiversity. Mari (third from left on the photo), Marta Miia, and Annaliisa (second from right on the photo) demonstrated a strong research interest and excellent ability to successfully complete complex projects. We wish them a lot of success in their future scientific endeavors!
On the May 20th, our workgroup spring seminar took place and this time we concentrated on the topic “Genetic and Landscape Data in Macroecology.” Presentations were given by Meelis, Carlos, Enrico, and Blanca, and we were also joined by guest speaker Tsipe Aavik from the Pollination Ecology workgroup. In addition to scientific discussions, we enjoyed the sauna and the nature in the Rannametsa-Tolkuse nature trail and Laelatu wooded meadow.
On April 25, Estonian Doctoral School held a course for natural and agricultural science PhD students titled "Borders of Ecological Knowledge". Several next-generation scientists from across Europe who have ties to Estonia, the Department of Botany (having spent time here during their doctoral studies or postdoctoral research) were invited to give lectures. Throughout the day, five guests - Antonio Gazol (Spain), Lars Götzenberger (Czech Republic), Sabrina Träger (Germany), Petr Kohout (Czech Republic), and Rob Lewis (Norway) - gave fascinating lectures about their research on biodiversity, ecosystems, and nature conservation. Several of them were postdocs in our workgroup - Antonio from 2010 to 2013, Rob from 2013 to 2015, and Sabrina from 2017-2019. We enjoyed seeing our former co-workers again!
On April 11, University of Tartu celebrated the 100th anniversary of the birth of professor Viktor Masing (1925-2001), a natural scientist who left an extraordinary mark on the natural and cultural history of Estonia. Throughout the day, several events took place, including the presentation of the Estonian Post stamp celebrating Viktor Masing 100th anniversary, and the opening of the exhibition "Viktor Masing and his Time". In the afternoon, professors from the Department of Botany spoke about their research and the scientific legacy of Viktor Masing. Our workgroup was represented by Meelis and Carlos, who talked about research on plant communities and plant traits, respectively.
One of the main research topics of our workgroup has been dark diversity, and in 2019 we started the DarkDivNet coordinated research network. The goal of the network was to bring together researchers who can explore dark diversity in their regions. Although dark diversity cannot be directly observed, it can be estimated through detailed vegetation analysis.
Now, the first paper from the DarkDivNet, led by Meelis Pärtel, has been published in the journal Nature! In this study we explored how human footprint index affects both observed and dark diversity across different regions of the world. We found that with increasing human impact, the community completeness decreases or, in other words, fewer suitable species are present in a community and ecosystem. In areas with low human footprint (such as forests in Canada or grasslands in Mongolia), at least one-third of all potentially suitable plant species are present. However, in areas with high human footprint (such as Central Europe), only one out of five potentially suitable species is actually found.
Nearly 200 scientists contributed to the study, sampling 5500 vegetation plots across 119 regions worldwide.
Pärtel, M., Tamme, R., Carmona, C.P. et al. Global impoverishment of natural vegetation revealed by dark diversity. Nature (2025).
It has already become a tradition that twice a year the Department of Botany at the University of Tartu organizes an Eco Fair for bachelor's and master's students. So this spring, students had the opportunity to learn about the department's research groups, thesis topics, and internship opportunities. The Macroecology workgroup was represented by Madli, Blanca, Daria, Eleonora, and Riin, who introduced the group's research topics. We are looking forward to welcoming new students to our team!
On March 19, Carlos Pérez Carmona, professor of functional ecology, presented the results of his research in the University of Tartu inaugural lecture “A trait-based approach to biodiversity”. In his research he is focused on functional traits diversity. Using his developed trait probability density method he has studied the relationship between aboveground and belowground traits in plants as well as the relationship between extinction risk and functional traits in different taxonomic groups. The video recording of the inaugural lecture can be viewed here.
Photos from the event: UTTV Fotod
We are happy to host a visiting PhD student from Italy! Luciano Ludovico Maria De Benedictis is a PhD student in University of Camerino, at the School of Biosciences and Veterinary Medicine, Plant Diversity and Ecosystems Management Unit. His PhD studies focus on fine-scale spatial patterns and functional diversity and he is visiting us for one month to work with Carlos. Together they are analysing above- and below-ground functional diversity in old-growth beech forest understory across time and space, and against short-term climate patterns in permanent monitoring plots.
On February 21st, Eleonora Beccari successfully defended her thesis "Mapping and Exploring Trait Spaces Across the Tree of Life" and earned her PhD degree in Botany and Mycology. The opponent was Holger Kreft from the University of Göttingen in Germany, and Eleonora's supervisor was Carlos Pérez Carmona.