Título: Dark diversity enhances ecological understanding of plants

Catedrático de Botánica en la Universidad de Tartu, Estonia. Su principal tema de investigación es la macroecología de la biodiversidad, estudiando historia evolutiva y paisajística de comunidades ecológicas, así como el efecto de la heterogeneidad espacial. En los últimos años ha desarrollado el concepto de diversidad oscura. 

Resumen: Biodiversity is a key to well-functioning ecosystems, but it is still poorly understood. Biodiversity loss is among the most acute global problems but very difficult to combat. I will explain how we can advance in the ecological understanding of plants by considering dark diversity — species that ecologically fit an area and can potentially colonize it but are currently absent. Dark diversity complements the observed diversity giving a fuller picture of patterns and processes in plant assemblages. I will introduce dark diversity theory, applications, methods, and possible prospects.