The Issues
Biological diversity is declining in many ecosystems. Beyond the ethical
issues this raises and the potential economic loss this represents, some
scientists are arguing that there could be negative consequences for the
functioning of ecosystems and the associated goods and services they provide.
Does the functioning of ecosystems -such as cycling of nutrients, carbon and
water - depend on the number and kind of species that are present? Eight
hundred of the world?s leading environmental scientists attending a meeting
sponsored by GCTE/LUCC in Barcelona, Spain, on March 14-18, 1998, will examine
the consequences of the loss of biodiversity on ecosystem functions.
The Science
- Results from new experiments specifically designed to address the effect of
biodiversity on ecosystem functioning suggest that the answer to these questions
is a qualified "yes". Dr. Shahid Naeem, from the University of Minnesota, USA,
will review the experimental evidence available on the ecosystem consequences of
a biodiversity loss, and address future reseach needs. Dr. J. Lawton, from the
NERC Center for Population Biology, Ascot, UK, will present the first results
from a European Community project, BIODEPTH, that features the same field
manipulation of plant biodiversity across two gradients in eight countries
across Europe. These results show that a reduction in plant species number has a
negative effect on many ecosystem functions at some of their research sites.
Clear relationships between diversity and ecosystem functioning are, however not
found at all of the BIODEPTH sites, and several other recent studies will show
that the kind of species can be a more important determinant of ecosystem function than species number.
- Experimental evidence also suggests that diversity provides an insurance against extreme events in some cases. Dr. M. Diemer and colleagues, from the University of Zürich, Switzerland will show that more diverse plant communities are more resistant to invasion by weeds, and other types of disturbance. Dr. V. Wolters, from the Justus-Liebig University, Giessen, Germany will underline the potential importance of soil biodiversity in buffering against stress and highlight the need for more studies of the diversity of soil organisms. Dr. J. Roy and his collegues from CNRS, Montpellier, France will show that the ability of the mediterranean grasslands to recover from heat stress is closely related to the kind, but not the number of plant species present.
Practical information
Biodiversity and ecosystem functioning will be discussed on the third day of
the conference (March 16) at 9:00 in session 4 "Global change and ecological
complexity ", chaired by Dr. Osvaldo Sala and in the poster session following
immediately.
Contact: Press Officer GCTE/LUCC Conference: Anne Larigauderie
Université Paris-Sud, Ecologie des Populations et Communautes, Bat. 362,
F-91405 Orsay Cedex, France
Phone/Fax: +33 1 69 15 56 92/6
E-mail: anne.larigauderie@epc.u-psud.fr
Conference Secretatiat, Barcelona, Spain:
Tel: +34 3 233 2387 FAX: +34 3 233 2575