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