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Biodiversity and ecosystem functioning in dynamic landscapes.

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Biodiversity and ecosystem functioning (BEF) research is moving beyond small-scale experiments to dynamic, real-world ecosystems. New studies explore BEF in complex communities, considering traits, disturbances, and large scales.

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Area of Science:

  • Ecology
  • Environmental Science

Background:

  • Traditional biodiversity and ecosystem functioning (BEF) studies rely on controlled, small-scale experiments.
  • Real-world ecosystems exhibit dynamic community compositions and varying environmental conditions, necessitating new research approaches.

Discussion:

  • Multi-trophic BEF relationships can be idiosyncratic, but species traits offer predictive power.
  • Disturbances and environmental variability directly and indirectly impact BEF relationships through changes in biodiversity and traits.
  • At larger spatial scales, species richness and community biomass are key drivers of BEF, with species identity being less critical.

Key Insights:

  • Accounting for species traits is crucial for understanding multi-trophic BEF.
  • Biodiversity fluctuations significantly alter BEF relationships under disturbance and varying environments.
  • Mass extinctions have complex effects on ecosystem functions over long temporal scales.

Outlook:

  • Future BEF research should integrate ecological theory based on first principles, including species traits and environmental factors.
  • Investigating BEF in dynamic, complex communities across diverse spatial and temporal scales is essential.
  • This research identifies new frontiers for understanding BEF in real-world landscapes.