biodiversity and ecosystem function

Question 1

Alpha diversity

Answer 1

species diversity within a particular habitat or ecosystem, measured as the number of species in a given area (species richness)

Question 2

Beta diversity

Answer 2

variation in species composition between different habitats or ecosystems

Question 3

Gamma diversity

Answer 3

total species diversity in a larger landscape or region, often encompass multiple ecosystems or habitats (a regional diversity that combines both alpha and beta diversity over a broad area)

Question 4

study for biodiversity effects on mental health

Answer 4

Methorst et al (2021)

Question 5

Methorst et al (2021) - Biodiversity effect on mental health explain

Answer 5

number of species in area directly related to mental health
the more species a park has the less hospitalisations that had for mental health related issues

also found distance to parks has a negative correlation to mental health
= further away = worse mental health

urban planners and greenspace managers should consider supporting biodiverse environments to promote mental health

species diversity could be salutogenic (health promoting) characteristic

Question 6

Study for biodiversity and ecosystem function

Answer 6

Reich et al (2021)

Question 7

Reich et al (2012) - biodiversity and ecosystem function
explain

Answer 7

compared ecosystem productivity in grasslands with high diversity with low diversity grasslands

Found ecosystem productivity increases with higher biodiversity
The longer the time scale - stronger the positive impact of diversity

Diverse plant communities become more efficient at using available resources over time.

Species interactions lead to complementary resource use (e.g., rooting at different soil depths, varying nutrient uptake strategies).

These effects accumulate over time, increasing overall function.

Functional Redundancy Fades:

functional diversity increases with time.

Positive diversity-dependent feedbacks enhance ecosystem functioning as ecosystems mature.

Question 8

why is ecological complexity so important?

Answer 8

Resilience to Change
Efficient Resource Use
Stability and Balance
Sustained Productivity

Question 9

how does microbiome diversity and microbial network complexity influence ecosystem function?

Answer 9

• positive influence
• complexity directly related to ecosystem richness

the more taxa present that supports the same function = increased redundancy

Higher diversity of taxa that supports different functions = increased functional uniqueness

as we lose complexity = we lose species function and species become more vulnerable to becoming extinct

Question 10

Resistance

Answer 10

the ability of a system to withstand disturbance

Question 11

Robustness

Answer 11

how much the number of species changes after the disturbance

Question 12

Persistence

Answer 12

the duration of a species in a community before local extinction occurs

Question 13

study for biodiversity ecosystem stability and resilience

Answer 13

Isabell et al (2015) - Biodiversity increases ecosystem stability but not resilience

Question 14

Isabell et al (2015) - Biodiversity increases ecosystem stability but not resilience

explain

Answer 14

collected data from many experimental grasslands affected by dry and wet extreme events
found that productivity of low-diversity communities changes by 50% during climate events
only 25% change in high diversity sites
after a year of each climate event ecosystem productivity had fully recovered at both sites

Biodiversity stabilises ecosystem productivity by increasing resistance to climate events

but has no effect on the resilience of communities