scholarly journals A meta-analysis on decomposition quantifies afterlife effects of plant diversity as a global change driver

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Akira S. Mori ◽  
J. Hans C. Cornelissen ◽  
Saori Fujii ◽  
Kei-ichi Okada ◽  
Forest Isbell
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Plant Diversity ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Biodiversity Loss ◽  
Biogeochemical Cycles ◽  
Global Scale ◽  
Plant Litter ◽  
Climate Feedbacks ◽  
Decomposition Rates ◽  
Biodiversity Changes

Abstract Biodiversity loss can alter ecosystem functioning; however, it remains unclear how it alters decomposition—a critical component of biogeochemical cycles in the biosphere. Here, we provide a global-scale meta-analysis to quantify how changes in the diversity of organic matter derived from plants (i.e. litter) affect rates of decomposition. We find that the after-life effects of diversity were significant, and of substantial magnitude, in forests, grasslands, and wetlands. Changes in plant diversity could alter decomposition rates by as much as climate change is projected to alter them. Specifically, diversifying plant litter from mono- to mixed-species increases decomposition rate by 34.7% in forests worldwide, which is comparable in magnitude to the 13.6–26.4% increase in decomposition rates that is projected to occur over the next 50 years in response to climate warming. Thus, biodiversity changes cannot be solely viewed as a response to human influence, such as climate change, but could also be a non-negligible driver of future changes in biogeochemical cycles and climate feedbacks on Earth.

scholarly journals Positive biodiversity–productivity relationships in forests: climate matters

2018 ◽  
Vol 14 (4) ◽  
pp. 20170747 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. Jactel ◽  
E. S. Gritti ◽  
L. Drössler ◽  
D. I. Forrester ◽  
W. L. Mason ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Carbon Sequestration ◽  
Tree Species ◽  
Climatic Factors ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Global Scale ◽  
Tree Age ◽  
Drought Severity ◽  
Natural Forests ◽  
Mixed Species

While it is widely acknowledged that forest biodiversity contributes to climate change mitigation through improved carbon sequestration, conversely how climate affects tree species diversity–forest productivity relationships is still poorly understood. We combined the results of long-term experiments where forest mixtures and corresponding monocultures were compared on the same site to estimate the yield of mixed-species stands at a global scale, and its response to climatic factors. We found positive mixture effects on productivity using a meta-analysis of 126 case studies established at 60 sites spread across five continents. Overall, the productivity of mixed-species forests was 15% greater than the average of their component monocultures, and not statistically lower than the productivity of the best component monoculture. Productivity gains in mixed-species stands were not affected by tree age or stand species composition but significantly increased with local precipitation. The results should guide better use of tree species combinations in managed forests and suggest that increased drought severity under climate change might reduce the atmospheric carbon sequestration capacity of natural forests.

scholarly journals Biodiversity mediates the effects of stressors but not nutrients on litter decomposition

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Léa Beaumelle ◽  
Frederik De Laender ◽  
Nico Eisenhauer
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Change ◽  
Litter Decomposition ◽  
Ecosystem Functioning ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Biodiversity Loss ◽  
Nutrient Inputs ◽  
Biodiversity Change ◽  
Biodiversity Changes

AbstractUnderstanding the consequences of ongoing biodiversity changes for ecosystems is a pressing challenge. Controlled biodiversity-ecosystem function experiments with random biodiversity loss scenarios have demonstrated that more diverse communities usually provide higher levels of ecosystem functioning. However, it is not clear if these results predict the ecosystem consequences of environmental changes that cause non-random alterations in biodiversity and community composition. We synthesized 69 independent studies reporting 660 observations of the impacts of two pervasive drivers of global change (chemical stressors and nutrient enrichment) on animal and microbial decomposer diversity and litter decomposition. Using meta-analysis and structural equation modelling, we show that declines in decomposer diversity and abundance explain reduced litter decomposition in response to stressors but not to nutrients. While chemical stressors generally reduced biodiversity and ecosystem functioning, detrimental effects of nutrients occurred only at high levels of nutrient inputs. Thus, more intense environmental change does not always result in stronger responses, illustrating the complexity of ecosystem consequences of biodiversity change. Overall, these findings provide strong empirical evidence for significant real-world biodiversity-ecosystem functioning relationships when human activities decrease biodiversity. This highlights that the consequences of biodiversity change for ecosystems are nontrivial and depend on the kind of environmental change.

scholarly journals Sequestering seawater on land: a water-based solution to global issues

F1000Research ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
pp. 889
Author(s):  
Stéphane Boyer ◽  
Marie-Caroline Lefort
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Sea Level Rise ◽  
Sea Level ◽  
Biodiversity Loss ◽  
Global Scale ◽  
Water Desalination ◽  
Global Issues ◽  
Excess Water ◽  
Desalination Plants ◽  
The Cost

The ‘surplus’ of oceanic water generated by climate change offers an unprecedented opportunity to tackle a number of global issues through a very pragmatic process: shifting the excess water from the oceans onto the land. Here we propose that sea-level rise could be mitigated through the desalination of very large amounts of seawater in an international network of massive desalination plants. To efficiently mitigate sea-level rise, desalinized water could be stored on land in the form of crop, wetlands or new forests. Based on a US$ 500 million price to build an individual mega desalination plant with current technology, the cost of controlling current sea-level rise through water desalination approaches US$ 23 trillion in investment and US$ 4 trillion per year in operating costs. However, the economic, environmental and health benefits would also be immense and could contribute to addressing a number of global issues including sea-level rise, food security, biodiversity loss and climate change. Because these issues are intimately intertwined, responses should aim at addressing them all concurrently and at global scale.

scholarly journals A comprehensive assessment of the intertidal biodiversity along the Portuguese coast in the early 2000s

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joana Pereira ◽  
Pedro Ribeiro ◽  
António Santos ◽  
Cátia Monteiro ◽  
Rui Seabra ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Biological Effects ◽  
Biodiversity Loss ◽  
Distribution Patterns ◽  
Portuguese Coast ◽  
Monitoring Strategies ◽  
Comprehensive Picture ◽  
Latitudinal Patterns ◽  
Rocky Coast ◽  
Biodiversity Changes

The unprecedented rates of current biodiversity loss have motivated a renewed interest in environmental and biodiversity monitoring. The need for sustained monitoring strategies has prompted not only the establisment of new long-term monitoring programmes, but also the rescue of data from historical or otherwise archived sources. Amongst the most valuable datasets are those containing information on intertidal systems, as they are particularly well suited for studying the biological effects of climate change. The Portuguese rocky coast is quite interesting for studying the effects of climate change on the distribution of species due to its geographical orientation, latitudinal patterns in temperature, species richness, species' distribution patterns and availability of historical information. This work aims at providing a comprehensive picture of the distribution and abundance of intertidal macro-invertebrates and macro-algae along the Portuguese rocky coast in the early 2000s. This study provides a description of the rocky shore intertidal biodiversity of the mainland Portuguese coast in the early 2000s. The spatial distribution and semi-quantitative abundance of a total of 238 taxa were assessed at 49 wave-exposed locations. These data provide a comprehensive baseline against which biodiversity changes can be effectively and objectively evaluated.

scholarly journals Litter decomposition rates of biocrust-forming lichens are similar to that of vascular plants and are affected by warming in a semiarid grassland

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Miguel Berdugo ◽  
Dinorah O. Mendoza-Aguilar ◽  
Ana Rey ◽  
Victoria Ochoa ◽  
Beatriz Gozalo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Litter Decomposition ◽  
Uv Radiation ◽  
Vascular Plants ◽  
Climate Change Impacts ◽  
Soil Surface ◽  
Plant Litter ◽  
Decomposition Rates ◽  
Abiotic Degradation ◽  
Mesh Material

AbstractDespite the high relevance of communities dominated by lichens, mosses and cyanobacteria living on the soil surface (biocrusts) for ecosystem functioning in drylands worldwide, no study to date has investigated the decomposition of biocrust-forming lichen litter in situ. Thus, we do not know whether the drivers of its decomposition are similar to those for plant litter (e.g., importance of abiotic degradation through UV radiation), the magnitude of lichen decomposition rates and whether they will be affected by climate change. Here we report results from a litter decomposition experiment carried out with two biocrust-forming lichens (Diploschistes diacapsis and Cladonia convoluta) in central Spain. We evaluated how lichen decomposition was affected by warming, rainfall exclusion and the combination of both. We also manipulated the incidence of UV radiation using mesh material that blocked 10% or 90% of incoming UV radiation. Our results indicate that lichens decompose as fast as some plants typical of the region (k~0.3) and that the chemical composition of their thallus drives litter decomposition rates. Warming increased decomposition rates of both lichen species, and mediated the effects of photodegradation. While UV exposure accelerated the decomposition of D. diacapsis, it slowed down that of C. convoluta. Our results indicate that biocrust-forming lichens can decompose in the field at a rate similar to that of vascular plants, and that this process will be affected by warming. Our findings further highlight the need of incorporating biocrusts into carbon cycling models to better understand and forecast climate change impacts on terrestrial biogeochemistry.

scholarly journals Sequestering seawater on land: a water-based solution to global issues

F1000Research ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
pp. 889
Author(s):  
Stéphane Boyer ◽  
Marie-Caroline Lefort
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Sea Level Rise ◽  
Sea Level ◽  
Biodiversity Loss ◽  
Global Scale ◽  
Water Desalination ◽  
Global Issues ◽  
Excess Water ◽  
Desalination Plants ◽  
The Cost

The ‘surplus’ of oceanic water generated by climate change offers an unprecedented opportunity to tackle a number of global issues through a very pragmatic process: shifting the excess water from the oceans onto the land. Here we propose that sea-level rise could be mitigated through the desalination of very large amounts of seawater in massive desalination plants. To efficiently mitigate sea-level rise, desalinized water could be stored on land in the form of crop, wetlands or new forests. Based on a US$ 500 million price to build an individual mega desalination plant with current technology, the cost of controlling current sea-level rise through water desalination approaches US$ 23 trillion. However, the economic, environmental and health benefits would also be immense and could contribute to addressing a number of global issues including sea-level rise, food security, biodiversity loss and climate change. Because these issues are intimately intertwined, responses should aim at addressing them all concurrently and at global scale.

scholarly journals Using the IUCN Red List to map threats to terrestrial vertebrates at global scale

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael B. J. Harfoot ◽  
Alison Johnston ◽  
Andrew Balmford ◽  
Neil D. Burgess ◽  
Stuart H. M. Butchart ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Biodiversity Loss ◽  
Global Scale ◽  
Iucn Red List ◽  
Red List ◽  
Limited Information ◽  
Human Pressure ◽  
Terrestrial Vertebrates ◽  
Sixth Mass Extinction ◽  
The Tropics

AbstractThe Anthropocene is characterized by unparalleled human impact on other species, potentially ushering in the sixth mass extinction. Yet mitigation efforts remain hampered by limited information on the spatial patterns and intensity of the threats driving global biodiversity loss. Here we use expert-derived information from the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List on threats to 23,271 species, representing all terrestrial amphibians, birds and mammals, to generate global maps of the six major threats to these groups: agriculture, hunting and trapping, logging, pollution, invasive species, and climate change. Our results show that agriculture and logging are pervasive in the tropics and that hunting and trapping is the most geographically widespread threat to mammals and birds. Additionally, current representations of human pressure underestimate the overall pressure on biodiversity, due to the exclusion of threats such as hunting and climate change. Alarmingly, this is particularly the case in areas of the highest biodiversity importance.

Land Degradation and Biodiversity Loss in Southeast Asia

2011 ◽  
pp. 303-327 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rajendra P. Shrestha
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Southeast Asia ◽  
Plant Diversity ◽  
Land Degradation ◽  
Biodiversity Loss ◽  
Geographic Region ◽  
First Case ◽  
Lower Mekong Basin ◽  
The Face

Land degradation and biodiversity loss are important global change issues because of their enormous effect on the functioning of ecosystem. Despite the fact that there have been tremendous concerns on land degradation and biodiversity loss for nearly two decades, there is still the need of having a sound data and information base, specifically in developing countries. The need has been more pronounced in the face of climate change as these three issues are intricately interlinked. Southeast Asia is an important geographic region from all these perspectives, as it has high biodiversity on the verge of rapid loss, continuing rapid land degradation due to desire of higher economic development, and of climate change importance with a large tract of forest areas in the region. This chapter, first of all, examines general status of land degradation and biodiversity in the region and goes on presenting two case studies. The first case study, based on secondary data, presents land degradation assessment in the Lower Mekong Basin demonstrating the use of spatial data and technologies and various land degradation indicators. The second case study specifically documents plant diversity and examines the relationship of plant diversity with biomass and soil erosion by making use of field surveyed primary data. Both studies aim at producing additional information which can help make better landuse allocation and planning for ecosystem maintenance without compromising much on regional or local livelihood through production.

Introduction: Is Environmentalism Failing?

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Dauvergne
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Ocean Acidification ◽  
Social Movement ◽  
Biodiversity Loss ◽  
Global Scale ◽  
Agricultural Pollution ◽  
Great Care ◽  
Chemical Contamination ◽  
Full Analysis ◽  
The Rich

This chapter begins with a question that at some point just about every environmentalist asks themselves: “Is environmentalism failing?” In some respects and on some measures, environmentalism has been – and remains – a highly influential social movement. Nonetheless, the earth is clearly in a full-blown crisis as agricultural pollution, biodiversity loss, chemical contamination, climate change, deforestation, desertification, freshwater loss, ocean acidification, plastic waste, and transboundary pollutants continue to worsen. Why is environmentalism failing at this global scale? To begin to answer this question this chapter surveys the forces of global “unsustainability,” sketches the diversity of environmentalism, and defines the parameters of the book’s central organizing concept of “environmentalism of the rich,” taking great care to explain what qualifies – and what doesn’t. The chapter concludes by mapping out how the 11 chapters ahead fit into (and build) the book’s full analysis.

scholarly journals Scientists' warning on endangered food webs

Web Ecology ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ruben H. Heleno ◽  
William J. Ripple ◽  
Anna Traveset
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Food Webs ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Biodiversity Loss ◽  
Global Scale ◽  
Natural Food ◽  
Stable States ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
Over Exploitation ◽  
Increasing Temperature

Abstract. All organisms are ultimately dependent on a large diversity of consumptive and non-consumptive interactions established with other organisms, forming an intricate web of interdependencies. In 1992, when 1700 concerned scientists issued the first “World Scientists' Warning to Humanity”, our understanding of such interaction networks was still in its infancy. By simultaneously considering the species (nodes) and the links that glue them together into functional communities, the study of modern food webs – or more generally ecological networks – has brought us closer to a predictive community ecology. Scientists have now observed, manipulated, and modelled the assembly and the collapse of food webs under various global change stressors and identified common patterns. Most stressors, such as increasing temperature, biological invasions, biodiversity loss, habitat fragmentation, over-exploitation, have been shown to simplify food webs by concentrating energy flow along fewer pathways, threatening long-term community persistence. More worryingly, it has been shown that communities can abruptly change from highly diverse to simplified stable states with little or no warning. Altogether, evidence shows that apart from the challenge of tackling climate change and hampering the extinction of threatened species, we need urgent action to tackle large-scale biological change and specifically to protect food webs, as we are under the risk of pushing entire ecosystems outside their safe zones. At the same time, we need to gain a better understanding of the global-scale synergies and trade-offs between climate change and biological change. Here we highlight the most pressing challenges for the conservation of natural food webs and recent advances that might help us addressing such challenges.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document