Declining biodiversity can alter the performance of ecosystems

Naeem, Shahid; Thompson, L. J.; Lawler, Sharon P.; Lawton, John H.; Woodfin, Richard M.

doi:10.1038/368734a0

Cited by 1,484 publications

(1,127 citation statements)

References 16 publications

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“…It has been shown in more complex ecosystems that decreases in biodiversity alter ecosystem function 29 which, for the Dry Valleys, remains largely unknown 12 . Our data show that, with moderate changes in physical conditions, the microbiota in Dry Valley soils can respond within timeframes considerably shorter than centuries or millennia.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Rapid microbial response to the presence of an ancient relic in the Antarctic Dry Valleys

et al. 2012

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Rapid microbial response to the presence of an ancient relic in the Antarctic Dry Valleys

et al. 2012

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“…However, recent studies have ad-dressed how the diversity of plant species (Hector et al 1999;Hooper and Vitousek 1998;Naeem et al 1994;Tilman et al 1996Tilman et al , 1997, fungal mycorrhizae (Van der Heijden et al 1998), herbivores (McNaughton 1993;Mulder et al 1999), earthworms (Thompson et al 1993) and microbes (McGrady-Steed et al 1997;Naeem and Li 1997) influence ecosystem functioning. Several studies have documented that biodiversity influences productivity (Hector et al 1999;Naeem et al 1996;Symstad et al 1998;Tilman et al 1996), soil nutrient availability (Hooper and Vitousek 1998;Symstad et al 1998;Tilman et al 1996), invasion resistance (Knops et al 1999), system stability (Frank and McNaughton 1991;Tilman and Downing 1994) and reliability (Naeem and Li 1997).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Biodiversity and decomposition in experimental grassland ecosystems

2001

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We examined the impact of biodiversity on litter decomposition in an experiment that manipulated plant species richness. Using biomass originating from the experimental species richness gradient and from a species used as a common substrate, we measured rates of decomposition in litterbags in two locations: in situ in the experiment plots and in an adjacent common garden. This allowed us to separate the effects of litter quality and decomposition location on decomposition. We found that plant species richness had a significant, but minor negative effect on the quality (nitrogen concentration) of the biomass. Neither litter type nor location had a consistent effect on the rate of carbon and nitrogen loss over a 1-year period. Thus, the increased productivity and corresponding lower soil available nitrogen levels observed in high diversity plots do not lead to faster litter decomposition or faster nitrogen turnover. This supports the hypothesis that increased productivity corresponding with higher species richness results in increased litter production, higher standing litter pools and a negative feedback on productivity, because of an increased standing nitrogen pool in the litter.

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“…Folgarait 1998;Lavelle and Spain 2001;Jouquet et al 2006). Given the major roles of ants and termites in ecosystem function it is likely that functioning and resilience of both rain forest and oil palm plantation ecosystems will be affected by the abundance and composition of ant and termite assemblages (Naeem et al 1994, Bihn et al 2010.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Functional structure of ant and termite assemblages in old growth forest, logged forest and oil palm plantation in Malaysian Borneo

et al. 2014

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Forested tropical landscapes around the world are being extensively logged and converted to agriculture, with serious consequences for biodiversity and potentially ecosystem functioning. Here we investigate associations between habitat disturbance and functional diversity of ants and termites-two numerically dominant and functionally important taxa in tropical rain forests that perform key roles in predation, decomposition, nutrient cycling and seed dispersal. We compared ant and termite occurrence and composition within standardised volumes of soil and dead wood in old growth forest, logged forest and oil palm plantation in Sabah, Malaysian Borneo. Termites occurred substantially less frequently in converted habitats than in old growth forest, whereas ant occurrences were highest in logged forest and lowest in old growth forest. All termite feeding groups had low occurrence in disturbed habitats, with soil feeders occurring even less frequently 123Biodivers Conserv (2014) 23:2817-2832 DOI 10.1007/s10531-014-0750-2 than wood feeders. Ant functional groups showed more variable associations, with some opportunist and behaviourally dominant groups being more abundant in degraded habitats. The importance of ants and termites in tropical ecosystems and such differing patterns of assemblage variation suggest that ecosystem functioning may be significantly altered in converted habitats.

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Declining biodiversity can alter the performance of ecosystems

Cited by 1,484 publications

References 16 publications

Rapid microbial response to the presence of an ancient relic in the Antarctic Dry Valleys

Rapid microbial response to the presence of an ancient relic in the Antarctic Dry Valleys

Biodiversity and decomposition in experimental grassland ecosystems

Functional structure of ant and termite assemblages in old growth forest, logged forest and oil palm plantation in Malaysian Borneo

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