This chapter explores current understanding of the relationships between biodiversity, the structure and functioning of ecosystems, and the provision of ecosystem services. Biodiversity, ecosystem functioning, and classical. Paterson encyclopedia of life support systems eolss biodiversity and functionality of aquatic ecosystems david m. I biodiversity and functionality of aquatic ecosystems david m. Ecosystem responses to changes in species diversity are often studied individually. In addition, they also circumvent leverage problems associated with classic partitioning methods. Biodiversity effects on ecosystem functioning in a 15year grassland experiment. Forest biodiversity, ecosystem functioning and the provision. The concept of biodiversity continues to evolve and more recently it has been included in the idea of ecosystem services in that it is a form of natural capital and thus underpins the functioning of ecosystems. Biodiversity and ecosystem functioning cbtm moulis. Published by the ecological society of america number 4.
Biodiversityecosystem functioning research around 2000. Global assessment report on biodiversity and ecosystem. Ecosystem functioning ecosystem functioning reflects the collective life. Here, we address the responses of psfs to climate change and their consequences for biodiversity, ecosystem functioning, and potential feedback effects to climate change. Although there is growing recognition of the significance of nontrophic interactions in ecology, these interactions are still poorly studied theoretically, and. Mobility tends to increase with increasing trophic position in ecological networks, and some work suggests that the vulnerability to environmental change does too hines et al. Here i present a mechanistic model of a spatially structured ecosystem in which plants compete for a limiting soil nutrient. In applied entomology, there is longstanding interest in the issue, especially as regards the importance. The relationship between biodiversity and ecosystem functioning has emerged as one of the most exciting and dynamic areas in contemporary ecology. This work was conceived as part of a symposium on soil biodiversity and ecosystem functioning at intecol, london 20, which was supported by the british ecological society. A rich body of evidence shows how biodiversity can help to sustain pools and fluxes of matter and energy in ecosystems.
However, we still lack adequate theories and models to provide robust generalizations, predictions, and interpretations for such results. Mckie,3 perarne amundsen,1 rune knudsen,1 and kevin d. Increasing domination of ecosystems by humans is steadily transforming them into depauperate systems. Review open access forest restoration, biodiversity and ecosystem functioning raf aerts1 and olivier honnay2 abstract globally, forests cover nearly one third of the land area and they contain over 80% of terrestrial biodiversity. Nonlinear partitioning of biodiversity effects on ecosystem.
Biodiversity and ecosystem functioning michel loreau. Biodiversity and ecosystem functioning research has been some of the most controversial of the last decade but rapid progress has been made by deriving hypotheses from the. Plantsoil feedbacks psfs are interactions among plants, soil organisms, and abiotic soil conditions that influence plant performance, plant species diversity, and community structure, ultimately driving ecosystem processes. Biodiversity, ecosystems and ecosystem services 5 1 introduction this chapter explores current understanding of the relationships between biodiversity, the structure and functioning of ecosystems, and the provision of ecosystem services. Chapter 2 biodiversity, ecosystems and ecosystem services. The relationship between biodiversity and ecosystem functioning has emerged as a major scientific issue today. By separating the effects of species with intermediate functional traits from species with extreme functional traits on ecosystem functioning, they allow analysing complex biodiversity effects on ecosystem functioning. Biodiversity, ecosystem functioning, and classical biological. Here i present a mechanistic model of a spatially structured ecosystem in which plants. Species diversity is a major determinant of ecosystem productivity, stability, invasibility, and nutrient dynamics. This issue was identified as one of the top research trends for 1998 by science magazine. Species distributions in communities affect ecosystem processes and environmental factors.
Knowledge of biodiversity has increased in the last ten years, as has the realization that something must be done to counteract the loss of species, populations, and ecosystems. Theory has played a major role in establishing predictions and validating interpretations of data. Biodiversity and ecosystem functioning relations in european. Biodiversity and ecosystem functioning research has been some of the most controversial of the last decade but rapid progress has been made by deriving hypotheses from the differing view points. Nontrophic interactions, biodiversity, and ecosystem. Editorial forest biodiversity, ecosystem functioning and the provision of ecosystem services eckehard g. We first consider how soil microbes control psfs, because the vast diversity of beneficial and pathogenic microorganisms that interact with plant roots or feed on detritus and. The response of ecosystem properties to varying composition and diversity of consumer organisms is much more complex than responses seen in experiments that vary only the diversity of primary producers. Mar 14, 2016 this point has been stressed also in the biodiversity ecosystem functioning literature cardinale et al. Biodiversity effects on ecosystem functioning in a 15year. Biodiversity, ecosystem functioning, and human wellbeing.
Both the extent and quality of forest habitat continue to decrease and the associated loss of biodiversity jeopardizes forest ecosystem functioning and the ability of forests to provide ecosystem services. Biodiversity, ecosystem functioning, and ecosystem services c11. A multitrophic perspective on biodiversityecosystem. Pdf biodiversity and ecosystem functioning semantic. Increasing concern over worldwide loss of biodiversity has led ecologists to focus intently on how ecosystem functioning may depend on diversity.
This is particularly important when testing redundancy or biological in. Recent experiments have provided some evidence that loss of biodiversity may impair the functioning and sustainability of ecosystems. Further progress will require integration of knowledge about biotic and abiotic controls on ecosystem properties, how ecological communities are structured, and the forces driving species extinctions and invasions. Ef remains challenging, in part because the importance of environmental factors in shaping b. Paterson school of biology, gatty marine laboratory, university of st andrews, uk. Importance with hundreds of thousands of taxa per gram of soil, microbial diversity dominates soil biodiversity.
Some of the questions ecologists are exploring include. Linking biodiversity to ecosystem functioning smithsonian. In the 90ies, because of the raising awareness of the increase in species extinction rates, the longlasting interest on the origin and maintenance of species diversity shifted toward the study of the consequences of biodiversity, and especially of its loss, for ecosystem functioning 27. In an age of accelerating biodiversity loss, this timely and critical volume summarizes recent advances in biodiversity ecosystem functioning research and explores the economics of biodiversity and ecosystem services. The value of this research to practical conservation is. Published by the ecological society of america number 4, fall.
The relationships between biodiversity and functioning of marine ecosystems are most often positive 18, so that biodiversity loss could result in a reduction of the ecosystem functioning and. Forest biodiversity, ecosystem functioning and the provision of ecosystem services eckehard g. Therefore, an important challenge is to determine when. Solid arrows indicate the links that are the focus of chapter c11.
Review open access forest restoration, biodiversity and. Nov 24, 2011 globally, forests cover nearly one third of the land area and they contain over 80% of terrestrial biodiversity. Effects of the loss of salamander species richness the effects of species loss on ecosystem processes has attracted substantial research efforts over the last 2 decades 1, 2, partly motivated by rapid declines in global biodiversity. The importance of biodiversity in supporting ecosystem functioning is generally well accepted. A multitrophic perspective on biodiversityecosystem functioning research. Lefcheck,5 nico eisenhauer,1,2 christoph scherber, mary i. A complex adaptive systems approach jon norberg department of systems ecology, stockholm university, 10691 stockholm, sweden abstract environmental factors regulate biodiversity through species sorting processes.
The nature of and evidence for the links between biodiversity, ecosystems, and ecosystem services. Biodiversity and the stability of ecosystem functioning. This assumption has been broadly verified for plant communities, thanks to the vast body of evidence from more than 200 years of studies, most of which were based on the manipulation of taxonomic diversity andor diversity of functional groups 1 4. The biodiversity ecosystem function approach to ecological forest restoration the study of the relation between biodiversity and ecosystem functioning is a rapidly growing field see the volume edited by naeem et al. Further progress will require integration of knowledge about biotic and abiotic controls on ecosystem properties, how ecological communities are. The ipbes global assessment on biodiversity and ecosystem services is composed of 1 a summary for policymakers spm, approved by the ipbes plenary at its 7th session in may 2019 in paris, france ipbes7. Biodiversity, ecosystem functioning, ecosystem function, aquatic. Strauss and trevon fuller and scott p carroll and david m. A major future challenge is to determine how biodiversity dynamics, ecosystem processes, and abiotic factors interact. Belowground biodiversity and ecosystem functioning nature. Pdf biological diversity and terrestrial ecosystem biogeochemistry. The biodiversity experiment in jena was established in 2002 by the research unit 456 the role of biodiversity for element cycling and trophic interactions. Functional characteristics operate in a variety of contexts, including. There is still much to be learned about biodiversity and its relationship to the functioning of our world, so scientific research and debate continues.
Wall t he discovery of a new species, like the exploration of a planet, is cause for intense ex citement and curiosity in the scien tific community. We found that as temperatures departed from ambient conditions more species were required to maintain. Concern that the rapid anthropogenic erosion of biodiversity may undermine the delivery of ecosystem services has prompted a synthesis of community and ecosystem ecology over the last decade. Kuyper and others published biodiversity and ecosystem functioning belowground find, read and cite all the research you need on researchgate. Impact of mangrove forests degradation on biodiversity and. High microbial diversity promotes soil ecosystem functioning. However, changes in species diversity can simultaneously influence multiple interdependent ecosystem functions.
Changes in temperature alter the relationship between. The scientific community has come to a broad consensus on many aspects of the relationship between biodiversity and ecosystem functioning, including many points relevant to management of ecosystems. Biodiversity ecosystem functioning bef research is central to this emerging synthesis, asking how biodiversity is related to the magnitude and stability of ecosystem processes. In an age of accelerating biodiversity loss, this timely and critical volume summarizes recent advances in biodiversityecosystem functioning research and explores the economics of biodiversity and ecosystem services. Biodiversity and ecosystem functioning ecological society of. Here, in order to assess the effects of mangrove habitat degradation on benthic biodiversity and ecosystem functioning, we investigated meiofaunal biodiversity as proxy of benthic biodiversity. Globally, forests cover nearly one third of the land area and they contain over 80% of terrestrial biodiversity. How will biodiversity loss affect ecosystem functioning, ecosystem services, and human wellbeing. Pdf biodiversity and ecosystem functioning in naturally.
Nov 26, 2014 this work was conceived as part of a symposium on soil biodiversity and ecosystem functioning at intecol, london 20, which was supported by the british ecological society. Hundreds of studies spanning terrestrial, aquatic, and marine ecosystems show that highdiversity mixtures are approximately twice as productive as monocultures of the same species and that this difference increases through time. Critical processes at the ecosystem level influence plant productivity, soil. In ecology, biodiversityecosystem functioning \bef\ research has seen a shift in perspective from taxonomy to function in the last two decades, with successful application of traitbased approaches. Brockerhoff1 luc barbaro2 bastien castagneyrol3 david i. The launch of the scientific committee of problems of the environment scope program of 1991 entitled ecosystem. Our model suggests a vertical diversity hypothesis vdh for ecosystem functioning in complex food webs. Biodiversity and ecosystem functioning a special issue devoted to belowground biodiversity in soils and freshwater and marine sediments diana h.
Biodiversity and ecosystem functioning in food webs. Empirical evidence for the response of ecosystem functioning to the combined effects of warming and biodiversity loss is scarce. It predicts that, under a given nutrient supply, the total nutrient uptake increases exponentially with the maximum trophic level in the food web and it increases with its maximum body size according to a power law. The link between multitrophic biodiversity and ecosystem functioning andrew 3 d. The commonality of this theme is yet another illustration of the strong parallels in conceptual grounding associated with evaluating the importance of biodiversity in ecosystem functioning.
Pdf towards an integration of biodiversityecosystem. Biodiversity and ecosystem functioning relations in. Biodiversityecosystem functioning bef research is central to this emerging synthesis, asking how biodiversity is related to the magnitude and stability of ecosystem processes. Concerns over the unprecedented loss of biodiversity have motivated ecologists to conduct considerable research, describing the relationship between biodiversity and ecosystem function, and detecting the mechanisms by which diversity impacts ecosystem.
In the light of the increasing population pressure, it is of major importance. Pdf a rich body of knowledge links biodiversity to ecosystem functioning bef, but it is primarily focused on small scales. Biodiversity and functionality of aquatic ecosystems. Traitbased approaches for understanding microbial biodiversity and ecosystem functioning author. Recent experiments, mainly in terrestrial environments, have provided evidence of the functional importance of biodiversity to ecosystem processes and properties. While the importance of species diversity to ecosystem functioning was recognized more than 150 years ago. In the light of the increasing population pressure, it is of. Parasitism and the biodiversityfunctioning relationship.
Pdf biodiversity and ecosystem function researchgate. Biodiversity enhances ecosystem stability and productivity. Pdf a study of drylands across the world highlights the importance of species richness for ecosystem function. Few areas of ecology have expanded as fast as biodiversity and ecosystem functioning. A expectations from theory on scaling of biodiversity and ecosystem functioning via aggregation across sites redrawn after thompson et al. Biodiversity and ecosystem functioning cedar creek ecosystem. Diversity, community assembly, and ecosystem functioning. Oct 23, 2018 empirical evidence for the response of ecosystem functioning to the combined effects of warming and biodiversity loss is scarce. Pdf biodiversity and ecosystem functioning semantic scholar. Pdf biodiversity and ecosystem functioning belowground. We found that as temperatures departed from ambient conditions more species were required to maintain ecosystem functioning. Biodiversity itself is not generally considered an ecosystem service but rather supports environmental functions.
We show that warming and biodiversity loss interact synergistically, impairing the functioning of microbial communities. Parasitism and the biodiversityfunctioning relationship andre frainer,1,2, brendan g. Biodiversity and ecosystem functioning has become increasingly topical over the last decades, and still a developing research field. Also addressing an invitation by the conference of the parties of the convention on biological diversity cbd to prepare a global assessment of biodiversity and ecosystem services building, inter alia, on its own and other relevant regional. Biodiversity and ecosystem functioning sala lab at asu. Forest restoration, biodiversity and ecosystem functioning. Research into the relationship between biodiversity and ecosystem functioning has mainly focused on the effects of species diversity on ecosystem properties in plant communities and, more recently, in food webs. What are the ecological consequences of the loss of species. Forest biodiversity, ecosystem functioning and the. Understanding such diversity effects on ecosystem functioning is crucial to predicting the potential consequences of biodiversity loss. While numerous studies have established that microbial communities respond rapidly to environmental changes, the relationship between microbial diversity and soil functioning remains controversial. This project is a longterm collaboration among many colleagues worldwide that has been supported at various times by the national center for ecological analysis and synthesis, the national science foundation, the australian research council, the smithsonian institution, and the home institutions of the many cooperating partners. Hector and others published biodiversity and ecosystem functioning find, read and cite all the research you need on researchgate. Schererlorenzen encyclopedia of life support systems eolss has effects on ecosystem functioning or not.
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