conservation and the biodiversity-ecosystem function hypothesis

inspiration by Srivastava 2002

global extinctions are an exceptional challenge

source: Gerber 2010

ecology & applied science including conservationdo not always play well together

BD-EF

reductions in contemporary diversity lead to reductions in the function of ecosystems

dramatic innovations in BD-EF

magnitude, resilience, context dependency, & resistance to invasions by exotic species

BD-EF from each perspective

ecology conservation

presence importance

the sampling effect

3 questions that can focus and align ecology with conservation

excellent example of critical thinking

Is biodiversity the main driver of ecosystem function?

direct effects between habitat changes and ecosystem function can be of greater magnitude than biodiversity effects on ecosystem function

intermediate pathways & dispersal limitations

How will extinction patterns change BD-EF relationships?

large-bodied, K-selected species which occupy high trophic positions in food webs and occur at low abundance

random-loss versus biased-loss scenarios

not all species are equal in frequency or effects

better experiments

Will conserving regional biodiversity conserve local ecosystem function?

‘‘local’’ is defined as the scale of ecological interactions between species

limitation: need BD-EF at larger scales

solution community saturation

magnitude and stability of ecosystem best stepstoward regional conservation effects

insurance

detection is not prediction