The Future of Biodiversity

Pimm, Stuart L.; Russell, G. B.; Gittleman, John L.; Brooks, Thomas M.

doi:10.1126/science.269.5222.347

Cited by 1,897 publications

(1,272 citation statements)

References 24 publications

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“…The average extinction rate for marine organisms in the fossil record is 0.1 to 1 extinctions per million species-years (E/MSY), and extinction rates of mammals in the fossil record also fall within this range (Pimm et al, 1995;Mace et al 2005). Accelerated species loss is increasingly likely to compromise the biotic capacity of ecosystems to sustain their current functioning under novel environmental and biotic circumstances (Walker et al 1999).…”

Section: Biodiversity Lossmentioning

confidence: 99%

A safe operating space for humanity

Rockström

Steffen

Noone

et al. 2009

Nature

9,512

5,320

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The article presents a study that investigates on the importance of identifying and quantifying planetary boundaries to prevent human activities in affecting environmental condition. The author states the industrial revolution and advancement in human civilization has caused the unstability of the environmental state that is less conducive for humans to live and affect their health condition. The author notes that planetary boundaries served a control variables to secure the safety of its citizen as well as protect the environment from shifting to dangerous levels. It also cites the different planetary boundaries, along with its impact on climate change and Earth system degradation

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Section: Biodiversity Lossmentioning

confidence: 99%

A safe operating space for humanity

Rockström

Steffen

Noone

et al. 2009

Nature

9,512

5,320

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“…Consequently, the human foot-print can be seen in marine and terrestrial ecosystems throughout the globe . Conservation biologists are concerned about anthropogenic changes like increased land-use, because they are an important driver of the rapidly increasing rate of biodiversity decline (Pimm et al 1995, Sala et al 2000, Butchart et al 2010. We humans are also dependent on the various life-supporting functions of ecosystems.…”

Section: Ecological Restorationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fighting carbon loss of degraded peatlands by jump-starting ecosystem functioning with ecological restoration

Kareksela

Haapalehto

Juutinen

et al. 2015

Science of The Total Environment

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Esitetään Jyväskylän yliopiston matemaattis-luonnontieteellisen tiedekunnan suostumuksella julkisesti tarkastettavaksi yliopiston vanhassa juhlasalissa S212 maaliskuun 28. päivänä 2014 kello 12.Academic dissertation to be publicly discussed, by permission of the Faculty of Mathematics and Science of the University of Jyväskylä, in building Seminarium, auditorium S212, on March 28, 2014 at 12 o'clock noon. The wide and rapidly increasing human land use has caused extensive degradation of natural landscapes, extinctions of species and loss of ecosystem functions and services. Subsequently, ecological restoration has been raised to a major global strategy for safeguarding ecosystem values. However, concerns have been raised on the real potential of restoration to re-establish ecosystem structures and functions. Here, I studied the effects of ecological restoration on the structure and functions of forestry drained boreal peatland ecosystems in southern Finland. To better understand structural and functional changes, the effects of drainage and restoration on water table level, pore water chemistry and peat chemistry were explored as well. Drainage lowered the water table and induced changes in pore water chemistry and plant community composition. Drainage retarded the accumulation of surface peat and resulted in significant reduction in the sequestration of carbon therein. Re-establishment of water table level and significant recovery of pore water and surface peat chemistry were observed after restoration. Restoration induced the recovery of ecosystem structure i.e. plant community composition towards the target. The recovery was dependent on the within-site degree of ecosystem degradation. The original ecosystem structure was not needed for the re-establishment of important peatland ecosystem functionality in terms of surface peat accumulation. However, a more profound recovery of structure and conditions may be needed for some other functions like surface peat carbon sequestration to recover. Overall, my results are promising from the perspective of restoration. However, they highlight the need for patience in drawing conclusions on the effectiveness of restoration. Practitioners should also be prepared for temporarily increased leaching of nutrients into downstream water courses. UNIVERSITY

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“…While species extinctions and extirpations have long been attributed to habitat loss, climate change, invasive species, and overharvesting (Pimm, Russell, Gittleman, & Brooks, 1995; Wilcove, Rothstein, Dubow, Phillips, & Losos, 1998), only lately have we considered infectious diseases, which can interact with these other threats, as a force that can shape biodiversity (Smith, Sax, & Lafferty, 2006; Wilcove et al., 1998). Recently, rates and severity of infectious disease outbreaks have increased (Daszak, Cunningham, & Hyatt, 2000; Jones et al., 2008; Smith, Acevedo‐Whitehouse, & Pedersen, 2009) across taxa (Daszak et al., 1999; Martel et al., 2013; McCallum & Jones, 2006), prompting an urgent need to explore the effects that pathogens can have on biodiversity by evaluating the responses of hosts to pathogen across varying environmental conditions.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Host size influences the effects of four isolates of an amphibian chytrid fungus

Burrow

Rumschlag

Boone

2017

Ecology and Evolution

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Understanding factors that influence host–pathogen interactions is key to predicting outbreaks in natural systems experiencing environmental change. Many amphibian population declines have been attributed to an amphibian chytrid fungus, Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd). While this fungus is widespread, not all Bd‐positive populations have been associated with declines, which could be attributed to differences in pathogen virulence or host susceptibility. In a laboratory experiment, we examined the effects of Bd isolate origin, two from areas with Bd‐associated amphibian population declines (El Copé, Panama, and California, USA) and two from areas without Bd‐related population declines (Ohio and Maine, USA), on the terrestrial growth and survival of American toad (Anaxyrus americanus) metamorphs reared in larval environments with low or high intraspecific density. We predicted that (1) Bd isolates from areas experiencing declines would have greater negative effects than Bd isolates from areas without declines, and (2) across all isolates, growth and survival of smaller toads from high‐density larval conditions would be reduced by Bd exposure compared to larger toads from low‐density larval conditions. Our results showed that terrestrial survival was reduced for smaller toads exposed to Bd with variation in the response to different isolates, suggesting that smaller size increased susceptibility to Bd. Toads exposed to Bd gained less mass, which varied by isolate. Bd isolates from areas with population declines, however, did not have more negative effects than isolates from areas without recorded declines. Most strikingly, our study supports that host condition, measured by size, can be indicative of the negative effects of Bd exposure. Further, Bd isolates’ impact may vary in ways not predictable from place of origin or occurrence of disease‐related population declines. This research suggests that amphibian populations outside of areas experiencing Bd‐associated declines could be impacted by this pathogen and that the size of individuals could influence the magnitude of Bd's impact.

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The Future of Biodiversity

Cited by 1,897 publications

References 24 publications

A safe operating space for humanity

A safe operating space for humanity

Fighting carbon loss of degraded peatlands by jump-starting ecosystem functioning with ecological restoration

Host size influences the effects of four isolates of an amphibian chytrid fungus

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