title: Applying the dark diversity concept to nature conservation.
abstract: Linking diversity to biological processes is central for developing informed and effective conservation decisions. Unfortunately, observable patterns provide only a proportion of the information necessary for fully understanding the mechanisms and processes acting on a particular population or community. We suggest conservation managers use the often overlooked information relative to species absences and pay particular attention to dark diversity (i.e., a set of species that are absent from a site but that could disperse to and establish there, in other words, the absent portion of a habitat-specific species pool). Together with existing ecological metrics, concepts, and conservation tools, dark diversity can be used to complement and further develop conservation prioritization and management decisions through an understanding of biodiversity relativized by its potential (i.e., its species pool). Furthermore, through a detailed understanding of the population, community, and functional dark diversity, the restoration potential of degraded habitats can be more rigorously assessed and so to the likelihood of successful species invasions. We suggest the application of the dark diversity concept is currently an underappreciated source of information that is valuable for conservation applications ranging from macroscale conservation prioritization to more locally scaled restoration ecology and the management of invasive species.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences, University of Tartu, Lai 40, Tartu, 51005, Estonia.|Department of Bioscience - Ecoinformatics and Biodiversity, Ny Munkegade 116, DK, 8000, Aarhus C, Denmark.
authors.forename: Rob J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Lewis
authors.affiliation: Institute of Botany, Czech Academy of Sciences, Dukelská 135, 379 82, Třeboň, Czech Republic.|Department of Botany, Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia CZ-370 05, České Budějovice, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: de Bello
authors.affiliation: Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences, University of Tartu, Lai 40, Tartu, 51005, Estonia.
authors.forename: Jonathan A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Bennett
authors.affiliation: Department of Botany, Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia CZ-370 05, České Budějovice, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Pavel
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Fibich
authors.affiliation: Institute of Botany, Czech Academy of Sciences, Dukelská 135, 379 82, Třeboň, Czech Republic.|Department of Environmental Research, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3PS, U.K.
authors.forename: Genevieve E
authors.initials: GE
authors.lastname: Finerty
authors.affiliation: Institute of Botany, Czech Academy of Sciences, Dukelská 135, 379 82, Třeboň, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Lars
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Götzenberger
authors.affiliation: Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences, University of Tartu, Lai 40, Tartu, 51005, Estonia.|Institute of Botany, Czech Academy of Sciences, Dukelská 135, 379 82, Třeboň, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Inga
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Hiiesalu
authors.affiliation: Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences, University of Tartu, Lai 40, Tartu, 51005, Estonia.
authors.forename: Liis
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Kasari
authors.affiliation: Department of Botany, Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia CZ-370 05, České Budějovice, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Jan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lepš
authors.affiliation: Institute of Botany, Czech Academy of Sciences, Dukelská 135, 379 82, Třeboň, Czech Republic.|Department of Soil Science, Faculty of Natural Science, Comenius University SK-842 15, Bratislava, Slovak Republic.
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Májeková
authors.affiliation: Institute of Botany, Czech Academy of Sciences, Dukelská 135, 379 82, Třeboň, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Ondřej
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Mudrák
authors.affiliation: Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences, University of Tartu, Lai 40, Tartu, 51005, Estonia.
authors.forename: Kersti
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Riibak
authors.affiliation: Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences, University of Tartu, Lai 40, Tartu, 51005, Estonia.
authors.forename: Argo
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ronk
authors.affiliation: Department of Botany, Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia CZ-370 05, České Budějovice, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Terezie
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Rychtecká
authors.affiliation: Department of Botany, Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia CZ-370 05, České Budějovice, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Alena
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Vitová
authors.affiliation: Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences, University of Tartu, Lai 40, Tartu, 51005, Estonia.
authors.forename: Meelis
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pärtel
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D044822:Biodiversity; D003247:Conservation of Natural Resources; D004463:Ecology; D017753:Ecosystem; D058865:Introduced Species
keywords: absent species; co-ocurrencia de especies; completeness; conservation ecology; conservation prioritization; ecología de la conservación; ecología de la invasión; ecología de la restauración; especies ausentes; integridad; invasion ecology; metacommunity; metacomunidad; priorización de la conservación; restoration ecology; species co-occurrence