Aims Understanding fine‐grain diversity patterns across large spatial extents is fundamental for macroecological research and biodiversity conservation. Using the GrassPlot database, we provide benchmarks of fine‐grain richness values of Palaearctic open habitats for vascular plants, bryophytes, lichens and complete vegetation (i.e., the sum of the former three groups). Location Palaearctic biogeographic realm. Methods We used 126,524 plots of eight standard grain sizes from the GrassPlot database: 0.0001, 0.001, 0.01, 0.1, 1, 10, 100 and 1,000 m2 and calculated the mean richness and standard deviations, as well as maximum, minimum, median, and first and third quartiles for each combination of grain size, taxonomic group, biome, region, vegetation type and phytosociological class. Results Patterns of plant diversity in vegetation types and biomes differ across grain sizes and taxonomic groups. Overall, secondary (mostly semi‐natural) grasslands and natural grasslands are the richest vegetation type. The open‐access file ”GrassPlot Diversity Benchmarks” and the web tool “GrassPlot Diversity Explorer” are now available online (https://edgg.org/databases/GrasslandDiversityExplorer) and provide more insights into species richness patterns in the Palaearctic open habitats. Conclusions The GrassPlot Diversity Benchmarks provide high‐quality data on species richness in open habitat types across the Palaearctic. These benchmark data can be used in vegetation ecology, macroecology, biodiversity conservation and data quality checking. While the amount of data in the underlying GrassPlot database and their spatial coverage are smaller than in other extensive vegetation‐plot databases, species recordings in GrassPlot are on average more complete, making it a valuable complementary data source in macroecology.

No abstract

Echocardiographic images can be transmitted over increasing distances with less cost and better quality thanks to advances in the field of telecommunications. This technological support can be used to detect heart defects in newborns and children in remote situations. The intent of this study was to confirm the feasibility and usefulness of telemedical communication for echocardiographic evaluation of paediatric cardiovascular disease. A total of 214 echocardiographs were performed in 194 children at a remote hospital by an experienced sonographer in paediatric echocardiography. These echocardiograms were transmitted to a distant tertiary care paediatric cardiology centre using a telemedicine link across three ISDN lines. There an experienced paediatric cardiologist interpreted the tele-echocardiograms. Tele-distant diagnoses were prospectively documented and compared with the diagnoses made subsequently on direct consultation and echocardiography. The quality of transmitted echocardiographic images was sufficient for evaluation except for one case. In 191 children (98%), the remote echocardiographic diagnosis was correct as confirmed by follow-up face to face consultations. Three cases were diagnosed incor-rectly. Conclusion: our results confirm that accurate and rapid diagnosis can be provided by tele-echocardiography in neonates and children. This facilitates the appropriate care of these patients as expensive and potentially dangerous long-distance transfers can be avoided. Keywords Paediatric echocardiography AE TelemedicineAbbreviation ISDN integrated services digital network distant tertiary care paediatric cardiology centre using a Eur

The upper Rhone valley in the Swiss canton of Valais is one of the driest and most continental of the inner-alpine valleys and harbours a rich xerothermic flora. We studied syntaxonomy and ecology of dry grasslands and their species richness patterns. In 2018 we recorded 28 vegetation plots (10 m2) and three nested-plot series of 0.0001 to 100 m2 on the south-facing slopes above the village of Ausserberg. Mean richness of all species ranged from 1.7 on 1 cm2 to 47.3 on 100 m2, with little contribution of bryophytes and lichens. The species-area relationship for total richness closely followed a power function. Modified TWINSPAN yielded a three-cluster solution, which could easily be matched with three orders of the class Festuco-Brometea: Stipo pulcherrimae-Festucetalia pallentis (xeric, rocky), Festucetalia valesiacae (xeric, non-rocky) and Brachypodietalia pinnati (meso-xeric). The subdivision of the xeric types into two orders is new for Swiss dry grasslands, where these types up to now had been joined in a single alliance Stipo-Poion within the Festucetalia valesiacae.

Aims: Ecological theories predict that assembly processes shape communities so that co-existing species may either be functionally more dissimilar ("divergence") or more similar ("convergence") than expected by chance. Two important factors that are rarely considered in combination are spatial scale and successional stage. Our aim is to identify different functional patterns during succession across spatial scales and to discuss the likely underlying assembly processes. We expect to find convergence due to environmental filtering at early succession, especially at the largest scales, and a tendency towards divergence driven by competitive interactions as succession unfolds and at smaller spatial scales. Location: Protected Landscape Area "Bohemian Karst", Czech Republic. Methods:We studied three succession stages (two, eight and 55 years after abandonment). Each field was sampled using 40 1-m 2 quadrats containing 100 pins in a regular grid. We analysed trait dispersion at several combinations of grain and extent and characterised trait similarity using phylogeny and four traits: specific leaf area, leaf dry matter content, height, and seed mass analysed individually and combined using Gower distance (multi-trait dissimilarity). Results:In the youngest field, three of the traits individually and the multi-trait dissimilarity showed convergence regardless of scale. Phylogeny showed convergence at most spatial scales of the youngest stage. The other two fields showed greater divergence predominantly in the oldest field at the smallest spatial scale. Conclusions:The results are mainly congruent with theoretical expectations and provide a valuable example of directional changes from trait convergence to divergence along succession. The scale-invariant convergence in the early stages of succession seems to be the result of environmental filtering and weaker competitive exclusion. At later stages and particularly at smaller scales, divergence becomes more common, likely because competition limits the trait similarity of species.These results highlight the importance of predictable (non-random) changes in ecological succession.