Thresholds of biodiversity and ecosystem function in a forest ecosystem undergoing dieback

Authors: Evans, P.M., Newton, A.C., Cantarello, E., Martin, P., Sanderson, N., Jones, D.L., Barsoum, N., Cottrell, J.E., A'Hara, S.W. and Fuller, L.

Journal: Scientific Reports

Volume: 7

Issue: 1

eISSN: 2045-2322

DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-06082-6

Abstract:

Ecological thresholds, which represent points of rapid change in ecological properties, are of major scientific and societal concern. However, very little research has focused on empirically testing the occurrence of thresholds in temperate terrestrial ecosystems. To address this knowledge gap, we tested whether a number of biodiversity, ecosystem functions and ecosystem condition metrics exhibited thresholds in response to a gradient of forest dieback, measured as changes in basal area of living trees relative to areas that lacked recent dieback. The gradient of dieback was sampled using 12 replicate study areas in a temperate forest ecosystem. Our results provide novel evidence of several thresholds in biodiversity (namely species richness of ectomycorrhizal fungi, epiphytic lichen and ground flora); for ecological condition (e.g. sward height, palatable seedling abundance) and a single threshold for ecosystem function (i.e. soil respiration rate). Mechanisms for these thresholds are explored. As climate-induced forest dieback is increasing worldwide, both in scale and speed, these results imply that threshold responses may become increasingly widespread.

https://eprints.bournemouth.ac.uk/29317/

Source: Scopus

Thresholds of biodiversity and ecosystem function in a forest ecosystem undergoing dieback.

Authors: Evans, P.M., Newton, A.C., Cantarello, E., Martin, P., Sanderson, N., Jones, D.L., Barsoum, N., Cottrell, J.E., A'Hara, S.W. and Fuller, L.

Journal: Sci Rep

Volume: 7

Issue: 1

Pages: 6775

eISSN: 2045-2322

DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-06082-6

Abstract:

Ecological thresholds, which represent points of rapid change in ecological properties, are of major scientific and societal concern. However, very little research has focused on empirically testing the occurrence of thresholds in temperate terrestrial ecosystems. To address this knowledge gap, we tested whether a number of biodiversity, ecosystem functions and ecosystem condition metrics exhibited thresholds in response to a gradient of forest dieback, measured as changes in basal area of living trees relative to areas that lacked recent dieback. The gradient of dieback was sampled using 12 replicate study areas in a temperate forest ecosystem. Our results provide novel evidence of several thresholds in biodiversity (namely species richness of ectomycorrhizal fungi, epiphytic lichen and ground flora); for ecological condition (e.g. sward height, palatable seedling abundance) and a single threshold for ecosystem function (i.e. soil respiration rate). Mechanisms for these thresholds are explored. As climate-induced forest dieback is increasing worldwide, both in scale and speed, these results imply that threshold responses may become increasingly widespread.

https://eprints.bournemouth.ac.uk/29317/

Source: PubMed

Thresholds of biodiversity and ecosystem function in a forest ecosystem undergoing dieback

Authors: Evans, P.M., Newton, A.C., Cantarello, E., Martin, P., Sanderson, N., Jones, D.L., Barsoum, N., Cottrell, J.E., A'Hara, S.W. and Fuller, L.

Journal: SCIENTIFIC REPORTS

Volume: 7

ISSN: 2045-2322

DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-06082-6

https://eprints.bournemouth.ac.uk/29317/

Source: Web of Science (Lite)

Thresholds of biodiversity and ecosystem function in a forest ecosystem undergoing dieback

Authors: Evans, P.M., Newton, A.N., Cantarello, E., Martin, P.A., Sanderson, N., Jones, D.L., Barsoum, N., Cottrell, J.E., A'Hara, S.W. and Fuller, L.

Journal: Scientific Reports

Publisher: Nature Publishing Group

ISSN: 2045-2322

Abstract:

Ecological thresholds, which represent points of rapid change in ecological properties, are of major scientific and societal concern. However, very little research has focused on empirically testing the occurrence of thresholds in temperate terrestrial ecosystems. To address this knowledge gap, we tested whether a number of biodiversity, ecosystem functions and ecosystem condition metrics exhibited thresholds in response to a gradient of forest dieback, measured as changes in basal area of living trees relative to areas that lacked recent dieback. The gradient of dieback was sampled using 12 replicate study areas in a temperate forest ecosystem. Our results provide novel evidence of several thresholds in biodiversity (namely species richness of ectomycorrhizal fungi, epiphytic lichen and ground flora); for ecological condition (e.g. sward height, palatable seedling abundance) and a single threshold for ecosystem function (i.e. soil respiration rate). Mechanisms for these thresholds are explored. As climate-induced forest dieback is increasing worldwide, both in scale and speed, these results imply that threshold responses may become increasingly widespread.

https://eprints.bournemouth.ac.uk/29317/

Source: Manual

Thresholds of biodiversity and ecosystem function in a forest ecosystem undergoing dieback.

Authors: Evans, P.M., Newton, A.C., Cantarello, E., Martin, P., Sanderson, N., Jones, D.L., Barsoum, N., Cottrell, J.E., A'Hara, S.W. and Fuller, L.

Journal: Scientific reports

Volume: 7

Issue: 1

Pages: 6775

eISSN: 2045-2322

ISSN: 2045-2322

DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-06082-6

Abstract:

Ecological thresholds, which represent points of rapid change in ecological properties, are of major scientific and societal concern. However, very little research has focused on empirically testing the occurrence of thresholds in temperate terrestrial ecosystems. To address this knowledge gap, we tested whether a number of biodiversity, ecosystem functions and ecosystem condition metrics exhibited thresholds in response to a gradient of forest dieback, measured as changes in basal area of living trees relative to areas that lacked recent dieback. The gradient of dieback was sampled using 12 replicate study areas in a temperate forest ecosystem. Our results provide novel evidence of several thresholds in biodiversity (namely species richness of ectomycorrhizal fungi, epiphytic lichen and ground flora); for ecological condition (e.g. sward height, palatable seedling abundance) and a single threshold for ecosystem function (i.e. soil respiration rate). Mechanisms for these thresholds are explored. As climate-induced forest dieback is increasing worldwide, both in scale and speed, these results imply that threshold responses may become increasingly widespread.

https://eprints.bournemouth.ac.uk/29317/

Source: Europe PubMed Central

Thresholds of biodiversity and ecosystem function in a forest ecosystem undergoing dieback

Authors: Evans, P.M., Newton, A., Cantarello, E., Martin, P.A., Sanderson, N., Jones, D.L., Barsoum, N., Cottrell, J.E., A'Hara, S.W. and Fuller, L.

Journal: Scientific Reports

Volume: 7

ISSN: 2045-2322

Abstract:

Ecological thresholds, which represent points of rapid change in ecological properties, are of major scientific and societal concern. However, very little research has focused on empirically testing the occurrence of thresholds in temperate terrestrial ecosystems. To address this knowledge gap, we tested whether a number of biodiversity, ecosystem functions and ecosystem condition metrics exhibited thresholds in response to a gradient of forest dieback, measured as changes in basal area of living trees relative to areas that lacked recent dieback. The gradient of dieback was sampled using 12 replicate study areas in a temperate forest ecosystem. Our results provide novel evidence of several thresholds in biodiversity (namely species richness of ectomycorrhizal fungi, epiphytic lichen and ground flora); for ecological condition (e.g. sward height, palatable seedling abundance) and a single threshold for ecosystem function (i.e. soil respiration rate). Mechanisms for these thresholds are explored. As climate-induced forest dieback is increasing worldwide, both in scale and speed, these results imply that threshold responses may become increasingly widespread.

https://eprints.bournemouth.ac.uk/29317/

Source: BURO EPrints