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    Ecosystem Effects of Biodiversity Loss Rival Climate Change and Pollution

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    sfinx77772496
    A new international study is the first comprehensive effort to compare the effects of biodiversity loss to other major environmental stressors caused by humans, such as climate change, pollution, and ozone depletion. The results show that future loss of plant and animal species has the potential to reduce plant growth and production as much as global warming and air pollution. Within projected ranges of species loss, reductions in plant growth were found to be as large as changes caused by other environmental issues. This highlights the need to protect biodiversity and the ecosystem services it provides.

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    Ecosystem Effects of Biodiversity Loss Rival Climate Change and Pollution

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    sfinx77772496
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    A new international study is the first comprehensive effort to compare the effects of biodiversity loss to other major environmental stressors caused by humans, such as climate change, pollution, and ozone depletion. The results show that future loss of plant and animal species has the potential to reduce plant growth and production as much as global warming and air pollution. Within projected ranges of species loss, reductions in plant growth were found to be as large as changes caused by other environmental issues. This highlights the need to protect biodiversity and the ecosystem services it provides.

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    A new international study is the first comprehensive effort to compare the effects of biodiversity loss to other major environmental stressors caused by humans, such as climate change, pollution, and ozone depletion. The results show that future loss of plant and animal species has the potential to reduce plant growth and production as much as global warming and air pollution. Within projected ranges of species loss, reductions in plant growth were found to be as large as changes caused by other environmental issues. This highlights the need to protect biodiversity and the ecosystem services it provides.

    Copyright:

    Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
    Download as DOC, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as doc, pdf, or txt
    22 views3 pages

    Ecosystem Effects of Biodiversity Loss Rival Climate Change and Pollution

    Uploaded by

    sfinx77772496
    A new international study is the first comprehensive effort to compare the effects of biodiversity loss to other major environmental stressors caused by humans, such as climate change, pollution, and ozone depletion. The results show that future loss of plant and animal species has the potential to reduce plant growth and production as much as global warming and air pollution. Within projected ranges of species loss, reductions in plant growth were found to be as large as changes caused by other environmental issues. This highlights the need to protect biodiversity and the ecosystem services it provides.

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    http://www.nsf.gov/news/news_summ.jsp?

    cntn_id=124016

    Ecosystem Effects of Biodiversity Loss Rival Climate Change and Pollution


    First comprehensive effort to compare biodiversity loss to other human-caused environmental changes Photo of native wi df owe!s in a "a ifo!nia se!pentine g!ass and. #ative wi df owe!s sti dominate this p!ai!ie$ i%e "a ifo!nia se!pentine g!ass and. "!edit and &a!ge! 'e!sion May 2 2!"2 &oss of (iodive!sit) appea!s to affect ecos)stems as much as c imate change* po ution and othe! majo! fo!ms of envi!onmenta st!ess* acco!ding to !esu ts of a new stud) () an inte!nationa !esea!ch team. +he stud) is the fi!st comp!ehensive effo!t to di!ect ) compa!e the effects of (io ogica dive!sit) oss to the anticipated effects of a host of othe! human$caused envi!onmenta changes. +he !esu ts* pu( ished in this wee%,s issue of the jou!na Nature* high ight the need fo! st!onge! oca * nationa and inte!nationa effo!ts to p!otect (iodive!sit) and the (enefits it p!ovides* acco!ding to the !esea!che!s* who a!e (ased at nine institutions in the -nited .tates* "anada and .weden. /+his ana )sis esta( ishes that !educed (iodive!sit) affects ecos)stems at eve s compa!a( e to those of g o(a wa!ming and ai! po ution*/ said 0en!) 1ho 2* p!og!am di!ecto! in the #ationa .cience 3oundation,s 4ivision of 5nvi!onmenta 6io og)* which funded the !esea!ch di!ect ) and th!ough the #ationa "ente! fo! 5co ogica 7na )sis and .)nthesis. /.ome peop e have assumed that (iodive!sit) effects a!e !e ative ) mino! compa!ed to othe! envi!onmenta st!esso!s*/ said (io ogist 4avid 0oope! of 8este!n 8ashington -nive!sit)* the ead autho! of the pape!. /9u! !esu ts show that futu!e oss of species has the potentia to !educe p ant p!oduction just as much as g o(a wa!ming and po ution./ .tudies ove! the ast two decades demonst!ated that mo!e (io ogica ) dive!se ecos)stems a!e mo!e p!oductive.

    7s a !esu t* the!e has (een g!owing conce!n that the ve!) high !ates of mode!n e:tinctions$$due to ha(itat oss* ove!ha!vesting and othe! human$caused envi!onmenta changes$$cou d !educe natu!e,s a(i it) to p!ovide goods and se!vices such as food* c ean wate! and a sta( e c imate. -nti now* it,s (een unc ea! how (iodive!sit) osses stac% up against othe! human$caused envi!onmenta changes that affect ecos)stem hea th and p!oductivit). /&oss of (io ogica dive!sit) due to species e:tinctions is going to have majo! effects on ou! p anet* and we need to p!epa!e ou!se ves to dea with them*/ said eco ogist 6!ad e) "a!dina e of the -nive!sit) of ;ichigan* one of the pape!,s co$autho!s. /+hese e:tinctions ma) we !an% as one of the top five d!ive!s of g o(a change./ <n the stud)* 0oope!* "a!dina e and co eagues com(ined data f!om a a!ge num(e! of pu( ished studies to compa!e how va!ious g o(a envi!onmenta st!esso!s affect two p!ocesses impo!tant in ecos)stems: p ant g!owth and the decomposition of dead p ants () (acte!ia and fungi. +he stud) invo ved the const!uction of a data(ase d!awn f!om 1=2 pee!$!eviewed pu( ications a(out e:pe!iments that manipu ated species !ichness and e:amined thei! effect on ecos)stem p!ocesses. +his g o(a s)nthesis found that in a!eas whe!e oca species oss du!ing this centu!) fa s within the owe! !ange of p!ojections > osses of 1 to 20 pe!cent of p ant species?* neg igi( e effects on ecos)stem p ant g!owth wi !esu t* and changes in species !ichness wi !an% ow !e ative to the effects p!ojected fo! othe! envi!onmenta changes. <n ecos)stems whe!e species osses fa within inte!mediate p!ojections of 21 to 40 pe!cent of species* howeve!* species oss is e:pected to !educe p ant g!owth () @ to 10 pe!cent. +he effect is compa!a( e to the e:pected effects of c imate wa!ming and inc!eased u t!avio et !adiation due to st!atosphe!ic o2one oss. 7t highe! eve s of e:tinction >41 to 60 pe!cent of species?* the effects of species oss !an%ed with those of man) othe! majo! d!ive!s of envi!onmenta change* such as o2one po ution* acid deposition on fo!ests and nut!ient po ution. /8ithin the !ange of e:pected species osses* we saw ave!age dec ines in p ant g!owth that we!e as a!ge as changes in e:pe!iments simu ating seve!a othe! majo! envi!onmenta changes caused () humans*/ 0oope! said. /.eve!a of us wo!%ing on this stud) we!e su!p!ised () the compa!ative st!ength of those effects./

    +he st!ength of the o(se!ved (iodive!sit) effects suggests that po ic)ma%e!s sea!ching fo! so utions to othe! p!essing envi!onmenta p!o( ems shou d (e awa!e of potentia adve!se effects on (iodive!sit) as we . .ti to (e dete!mined is how dive!sit) oss and othe! a!ge$sca e envi!onmenta changes wi inte!act to a te! ecos)stems. /+he (iggest cha enge oo%ing fo!wa!d is to p!edict the com(ined effects of these envi!onmenta cha enges to natu!a ecos)stems and to societ)*/ said A. 5mmett 4uff) of the 'i!ginia <nstitute of ;a!ine .cience* a co$autho! of the pape!. 7utho!s of the pape!* in addition to 0oope!* "a!dina e and 4uff)* a!e 5. "a!o 7dai! of the -nive!sit) of 'e!mont and the #ationa "ente! fo! 5co ogica 7na )sis and .)nthesisB Aa!!ett 6)!nes of the #ationa "ente! fo! 5co ogica 7na )sis and .)nthesisB 6!uce 0ungate of #o!the!n 7!i2ona -nive!sit)B C!isten ;atu ich of -nive!sit) of "a ifo!nia* <!vineB 7nd!ew 1on2a es of ;c1i -nive!sit)B &a!s 1amfe dt of the -nive!sit) of 1othen(u!gB and ;a!) 9,"onno! of the -nive!sit) of 6!itish "o um(ia and the #ationa "ente! fo! 5co ogica 7na )sis and .)nthesis. $#.3$ Media Contacts "he!) 4)(as* #.3 >D0E? 2=2$DDE4 cd)(asFnsf.gov Aim 5!ic%son* -nive!sit) of ;ichigan >DE4? 64D$1G42 e!ic%snFumich.edu The National Science Foundation (NSF) is an independent federal agency that supports fundamental research and education across all fields of science and engineering. In fiscal year (FY) 2012 its !udget is "#.0 !illion. NSF funds reach all $0 states through grants to nearly 2 000 colleges uni%ersities and other institutions. &ach year NSF recei%es o%er $0 000 competiti%e re'uests for funding and ma(es a!out 11 000 ne) funding a)ards. NSF also a)ards nearly "*20 million in professional and ser%ice contracts yearly. 1et #ews -pdates () 5mai #seful $%F &eb %ites' #.3 0ome Page: http://www.nsf.gov #.3 #ews: http://www.nsf.gov/news/ 3o! the #ews ;edia: http://www.nsf.gov/news/news!oom.jsp .cience and 5nginee!ing .tatistics: http://www.nsf.gov/statistics/ 7wa!ds .ea!ches: http://www.nsf.gov/awa!dsea!ch/

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