Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Carlos A. Guerra, Miguel Berdugo, David J. Eldridge, Nico Eisenhauer, Brajesh K. Singh, Haiying Cui, Sebastian Abades, Fernando D. Alfaro, Adebola R. Bamigboye, Felipe Bastida, Jose L. Blanco-Pastor, Asuncion de los Rios, Jorge Duran, Tine Grebenc, Javier G. Illan, Yu-Rong Liu, Thulani P. Makhalanyane, Steven Mamet, Marco A. Molina-Montenegro, Jose L. Moreno, Arpan Mukherjee, Tina U. Nahberger, Gabriel F. Penaloza-Bojaca, Cesar Plaza, Sergio Pico, Jay Prakash Verma, Ana Rey, Alexandra Rodriguez, Leho Tedersoo, Alberto L. Teixido, Cristian Torres-Diaz, Pankaj Trivedi, Juntao Wang, Ling Wang, Jianyong Wang, Eli Zaady, Xiaobing Zhou, Xin-Quan Zhou, Manuel Delgado-Baquerizo
Summary: Soils are fundamental for terrestrial ecosystems, but a global assessment of hotspots for soil nature conservation is still lacking, hindering the establishment of conservation priorities. A global field survey identified different ecological dimensions of soils in various regions of the planet, emphasizing the importance of accounting for the multidimensionality of soil for future conservation efforts.
Article
Ecology
Hannah L. Buckley, David Hall, Rebecca M. Jarvis, Valance Smith, Leilani A. Walker, Jeff Silby, Graham Hinchliffe, Margaret C. Stanley, Aileen P. Sweeney, Bradley S. Case
Summary: Tree planting is an important strategy for climate mitigation in New Zealand, but exotic species dominate large-scale tree planting. The use of native species is hindered by a lack of data and policy and market mechanisms that favor exotic species. The AUT Living Laboratories Program aims to address these challenges and promote native revegetation for climate change adaptation on farmland soils.
FRONTIERS IN FORESTS AND GLOBAL CHANGE
(2023)
Review
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Camila I. Donatti, Angela Andrade, Emmanuelle Cohen-Shacham, Giacomo Fedele, Xiaoting Hou-Jones, Barakalla Robyn
Summary: The protection, restoration, management, and sustainable use of natural and modified ecosystems for climate change mitigation has gained global attention. However, these actions often lack consideration of other global challenges, missing the opportunity to provide additional benefits and compromising their potential for mitigation. Planning Nature-based Solutions for climate mitigation while addressing multiple global challenges is crucial in ensuring the continued delivery of mitigation and other benefits.
Review
Biodiversity Conservation
Kelemu Wudu, Assefa Abegaz, Linger Ayele, Mussie Ybabe
Summary: The article discusses the impact of climate change on biodiversity and the use of Nature based solutions (Nbs) to address this issue. Climate change is a major driver of mass extinction, shifts in species location, changes in species composition and phenology, decline in ecosystem services, and outbreaks of plant and animal diseases. Habitat modification, overexploitation, climate change, invasive alien species, and chains of extinction are the main factors contributing to biodiversity loss. The article emphasizes the importance of nature based solutions such as protecting intact ecosystems, managing working lands, and restoring native cover for mitigating climate change and protecting biodiversity.
BIODIVERSITY AND CONSERVATION
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Guiyao Zhou, Xuhui Zhou, David J. Eldridge, Ximei Han, Yanjun Song, Ruiqiang Liu, Lingyan Zhou, Yanghui He, Zhenggang Du, Manuel Delgado-Baquerizo
Summary: This study synthesizes 120 studies from five continents and finds that forest restoration can promote multiple dimensions of biodiversity and ecosystem function across different climates and forest types. However, predicted climate changes may constrain the positive effects of forest rewilding, and tradeoffs exist in very old forests between biodiversity and ecosystem function.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Elvire Bestion, Bart Haegeman, Soraya Alvarez Codesal, Alexandre Garreau, Michele Huet, Samuel Barton, Jose M. Montoya
Summary: This research reveals that temperature fluctuations alter the importance of biodiversity for ecosystem functioning, with wider fluctuations exacerbating the negative impact of species loss on ecosystem functioning. Species-rich communities are able to maintain ecosystem functioning under climate change, while species-poor communities typically cannot.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2021)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Divya Mehta, Rajiv Pandey, Ajay Kumar Gupta, Sirkku Juhola
Summary: Himalayan countries are implementing Nature-based Solutions to address ecological challenges and promote sustainable development. The results show that these solutions primarily use sustainable management, restoration, and conservation approaches to tackle societal and climatic challenges. The study highlights the importance of Nature-based Solutions in biodiversity conservation and climate risk management in the Himalayas.
ECOLOGICAL INDICATORS
(2023)
Book Review
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Gaia Vince
Summary: Renowned writer Kolbert raises the question in her latest work whether some environmental fixes could actually worsen existing problems.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Isabel B. Key, Alison C. Smith, Beth Turner, Alexandre Chausson, Cecile A. J. Girardin, Megan Macgillivray, Nathalie Seddon
Summary: Nature-based solutions (NbS) have the potential to address both climate change and biodiversity crises by supporting and enhancing the health of ecosystems. However, the outcomes of NbS for adaptation remain poorly understood. This systematic review found that 88% of interventions for climate change adaptation had positive impacts on ecosystem health, with an average increase in species richness of 67%. However, there were also trade-offs, particularly for forest management and the introduction of non-native species.
FRONTIERS IN ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Alejandro Berlinches de Gea, Yann Hautier, Stefan Geisen
Summary: Biodiversity, both aboveground and belowground, is negatively affected by global changes such as drought or warming. This article highlights the need to understand the relationship between soil biodiversity and ecosystem functioning under the influence of interactive global change drivers. The results from scarce studies studying interactive effects range from antagonistic to additive to synergistic, indicating the importance of quantitatively accounting for the impacts of interactive global change drivers on soil biodiversity and ecosystem functioning relationships.
GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY
(2023)
Review
Biodiversity Conservation
Nathalie Seddon, Alison Smith, Pete Smith, Isabel Key, Alexandre Chausson, Cecile Girardin, Jo House, Shilpi Srivastava, Beth Turner
Summary: Nature-based solutions (NbS) have gained popularity as an integrated approach to address climate change and biodiversity loss, but concerns have been raised about the overemphasis on tree planting for carbon sequestration. NbS should encompass a wide range of ecosystems, engage local communities, and be explicitly designed to benefit biodiversity in order to effectively tackle urgent challenges.
GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Simone Riegel, Laure Kuhfuss, Timothy Stojanovic
Summary: This paper investigates how the public values saltmarsh ecosystem services, with a focus on the carbon storage service. The study finds that the willingness to pay (WTP) of the Scottish public to support interventions for maintaining or improving these services is generally positive. Furthermore, the provision of additional information does not significantly affect individuals' preferences and WTP.
ECOLOGICAL ECONOMICS
(2023)
Review
Ecology
Gianalberto Losapio, Luisa Genes, Christopher J. Knight, Tyler N. McFadden, Lucas Pavan
Summary: Biodiversity is vital for ecosystem functioning, and ecosystem engineers are species that have a significant impact on ecological processes. However, their role is often overlooked and difficult to measure. Understanding ecosystem engineers is crucial for mitigating biodiversity loss and maintaining healthy ecosystems.
FUNCTIONAL ECOLOGY
(2023)
Review
Ecology
Pubin Hong, Bernhard Schmid, Frederik De Laender, Nico Eisenhauer, Xingwen Zhang, Haozhen Chen, Dylan Craven, Hans J. De Boeck, Yann Hautier, Owen L. Petchey, Peter B. Reich, Bastian Steudel, Maren Striebel, Madhav P. Thakur, Shaopeng Wang
Summary: The research shows that biodiversity has a positive impact on ecosystem functioning, especially in high-stress environments affected by global environmental change factors. This positive impact is mainly driven by interspecific complementarity and increases over time.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Mark A. Titley, Stuart H. M. Butchart, Victoria R. Jones, Mark J. Whittingham, Stephen G. Willis
Summary: Sociopolitical factors have emerged as important determinants of wildlife population trends and conservation effectiveness. Climate change impacts may be disproportionately significant in countries with weaker governance and lower greenhouse gas emissions, raising questions of international justice. The importance of transboundary conservation and the potential impacts of species redistribution across political boundaries under climate change have been highlighted.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Felix Gottschall, Simone Cesarz, Harald Auge, Kyle R. Kovach, Akira S. Mori, Charles A. Nock, Nico Eisenhauer
Summary: This study found that tree species richness can have a positive impact on soil ecosystem functions through spatial and temporal stability, and that soil microbial properties are significantly influenced by tree diversity and identity.
ECOLOGICAL MONOGRAPHS
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Masahiro Nakamura, Chisato Terada, Kinya Ito, Kazuaki Matsui, Shigeru Niwa, Masae Ishihara, Tanaka Kenta, Tetsuro Yoshikawa, Taku Kadoya, Tsutom Hiura, Hiroyuki Muraoka, Ken Ishida, Naoki Agetsuma, Ryosuke Nakamura, Hitoshi Sakio, Masahiro Takagi, Akira S. Mori, Megumi K. Kimura, Hiroko Kurokawa, Tsutomu Enoki, Tatsuyuki Seino, Atsushi Takashima, Hajime Kobayashi, Kazuho Matsumoto, Koichi Takahashi, Ryunosuke Tateno, Tomohiro Yoshida, Tatsur Nakaji, Masayuki Maki, Kazutaka Kobayashi, Karibu Fukuzawa, Kazuhiko Hoshizaki, Kazuhide Ohta, Keito Kobayashi, Motohiro Hasegawa, Satoshi N. Suzuki, Michinori Sakimoto, Yoichiro Kitagawa, Akiko Sakai, Hirofumi Kondo, Tomoaki Ichie, Koji Kageyama, Ayaka Hieno, Shogo Kato, Tatsuya Otani, Yasuhiro Utsumi, Tomonori Kume, Kosuke Homma, Koju Kishimoto, Kazuhiko Masaka, Kenta Watanabe, Motomu Toda, Dai Nagamatsu, Yuko Miyazaki, Tamon Yamashita, Naoko Tokuchi
Summary: This study presents the largest freely available EcoPlate dataset for Japan, collected from a network of natural forest sites in East Asia. The dataset provides a multifunctional index of soil microbial communities and can be used for comparative studies and testing hypotheses in community ecology and ecosystem function.
ECOLOGICAL RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Plant Sciences
Ryo Kitagawa, Shota Masumoto, Ryo Kaneko, Masaki Uchida, Akira S. Mori
Summary: This study investigates the contribution of intraspecific trait variation (ITV) to changes in functional community structure in tundra vegetation. The results suggest that ITV promotes convergence towards optimal traits, but also allows for trait diversification within communities under competitive conditions.
JOURNAL OF VEGETATION SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Yuta Kobayashi, Rupert Seidl, Werner Rammer, Kureha F. Suzuki, Akira S. Mori
Summary: This study investigates the potential of tree planting for ecosystem restoration in a cool-temperate forest in northern Japan. The research shows that species-rich, high-density planting scenarios perform best in restoration areas close to natural forests. However, biodiversity restoration is delayed when planted species richness is low or restoration areas are far from a seed source.
RESTORATION ECOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Forest Isbell, Patricia Balvanera, Akira S. Mori, Jin-Sheng He, James M. Bullock, Ganga Ram Regmi, Eric W. Seabloom, Simon Ferrier, Osvaldo E. Sala, Nathaly R. Guerrero-Ramirez, Julia Tavella, Daniel J. Larkin, Bernhard Schmid, Charlotte L. Outhwaite, Pairot Pramual, Elizabeth T. Borer, Michel Loreau, Taiwo Crossby Omotoriogun, David O. Obura, Maggie Anderson, Cristina Portales-Reyes, Kevin Kirkman, Pablo M. Vergara, Adam Thomas Clark, Kimberly J. Komatsu, Owen L. Petchey, Sarah R. Weiskopf, Laura J. Williams, Scott L. Collins, Nico Eisenhauer, Christopher H. Trisos, Delphine Renard, Alexandra J. Wright, Poonam Tripathi, Jane Cowles, Jarrett E. K. Byrnes, Peter B. Reich, Andy Purvis, Zati Sharip, Mary O'Connor, Clare E. Kazanski, Nick M. Haddad, Eulogio H. Soto, Laura E. Dee, Sandra Diaz, Chad R. Zirbel, Meghan L. Avolio, Shaopeng Wang, Zhiyuan Ma, Jingjing Liang, Hanan C. Farah, Justin Andrew Johnson, Brian W. Miller, Yann Hautier, Melinda D. Smith, Johannes M. H. Knops, Bonnie J. E. Myers, Zuzana Harmackova, Jorge Cortes, Michael B. J. Harfoot, Andrew Gonzalez, Tim Newbold, Jacqueline Oehri, Marina Mazon, Cynnamon Dobbs, Meredith S. Palmer
Summary: Despite progress in understanding global biodiversity loss, there are still taxonomic and geographic knowledge gaps. Decision makers often rely on expert judgement, but cannot engage with large and diverse groups of specialists. A survey of biodiversity experts worldwide revealed consensus and differences in perspectives and estimates, with underrepresented groups recommending different conservation priorities and providing higher estimates of biodiversity loss.
FRONTIERS IN ECOLOGY AND THE ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Joerg Mueller, Oliver Mitesser, Marc W. Cadotte, Fons van der Plas, Akira S. Mori, Christian Ammer, Anne Chao, Michael Scherer-Lorenzen, Petr Baldrian, Claus Baessler, Peter Biedermann, Simone Cesarz, Alice Classen, Benjamin M. Delory, Heike Feldhaar, Andreas Fichtner, Torsten Hothorn, Claudia Kuenzer, Marcell K. Peters, Kerstin Pierick, Thomas Schmitt, Bernhard Schuldt, Dominik Seidel, Diana Six, Ingolf Steffan-Dewenter, Simon Thorn, Goddert von Oheimb, Martin Wegmann, Wolfgang W. Weisser, Nico Eisenhauer
Summary: Intensification of land use by humans has led to a homogenization of landscapes and decreasing resilience of ecosystems globally due to a loss of biodiversity, including the majority of forests. Biodiversity-ecosystem functioning (BEF) research has provided compelling evidence for a positive effect of biodiversity on ecosystem functions and services at the local (alpha-diversity) scale, but we largely lack empirical evidence on how the loss of between-patch beta-diversity affects biodiversity and multifunctionality at the landscape scale (gamma-diversity).
GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Yuta Kobayashi, Chihiro Haga, Naoto Shinohara, Keita Nishizawa, Akira S. Mori
Summary: The study found a positive relationship between temperature and the optimum temperature for photosynthesis. By analyzing satellite data, researchers were able to estimate the optimum temperature based on the average temperature in subalpine and temperate forests in Japan. This finding has important implications for estimating productivity.
GLOBAL ECOLOGY AND BIOGEOGRAPHY
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Sebastian Seibold, Wolfgang W. Weisser, Didem Ambarli, Martin M. Gossner, Akira S. Mori, Marc W. Cadotte, Jonas Hagge, Claus Baessler, Simon Thorn
Summary: This study evaluates the changes in beta-diversity of saproxylic beetle communities during deadwood succession and identifies the major drivers of these changes. The results show that beta-diversity of saproxylic beetle communities increases over time and is positively correlated with phylogenetic distance between tree species and spatial distance among regions. The effects of spatial distance, climate, and forest structure remain constant throughout the succession process. The diversity of saproxylic beetles can be enhanced by promoting forests with diverse tree communities and structures.
JOURNAL OF ANIMAL ECOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Akira S. Mori, Forest Isbell, Marc W. Cadotte
Summary: Biodiversity changes can have serious consequences for ecosystem functionality. This study introduces different methods to assess the relationship between diversity and multifunctionality, focusing on redundancy/uniqueness and the influence of the number and identity of functions. The results highlight the importance of retaining high levels of diversity in managed assemblages and emphasize the need to unravel the hierarchical roles of biodiversity. Understanding the relationship between biodiversity and multifunctionality is crucial for both theory and practice.
Article
Plant Sciences
Yoshiko Iida, Kaoru Niiyama, Shin-ichiro Aiba, Hiroko Kurokawa, Shuntaro Kondo, Mana Mukai, Akira S. Mori, Satoshi Saito, Yi Sun, Kiyoshi Umeki
Summary: The relationships between growth and survival in different tree species are crucial for maintaining species diversity in forests. These trade-offs vary depending on species traits, tree sizes, and environmental conditions.
JOURNAL OF ECOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biology
Akira S. Mori, Kureha F. Suzuki, Masakazu Hori, Taku Kadoya, Kotaro Okano, Aya Uraguchi, Hiroyuki Muraoka, Tamotsu Sato, Hideaki Shibata, Yukari Suzuki-Ohno, Keisuke Koba, Mariko Toda, Shin-ichi Nakano, Michio Kondoh, Kaoru Kitajima, Masahiro Nakamura
Summary: As interest in natural capital grows and society increasingly recognizes the value of biodiversity, we must discuss how ecosystem observations to detect changes in biodiversity can be sustained through collaboration across regions and sectors. However, there are many barriers to establishing and sustaining large-scale, fine-resolution ecosystem observations. First, comprehensive monitoring data on both biodiversity and possible anthropogenic factors are lacking. Second, some in situ ecosystem observations cannot be systematically established and maintained across locations. Third, equitable solutions across sectors and countries are needed to build a global network.
PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Akira S. Mori, Forest Isbell
Summary: International collaborations are aimed at addressing global environmental issues, and academic work and science policy interfaces play a crucial role, although their significance is often overlooked by scholars. There is a need for fair credit distribution, transparency, and diversity in academia and policy reports, recognizing that these factors can enhance inclusivity and equity, driving solutions.
TRENDS IN ECOLOGY & EVOLUTION
(2023)
Article
Microbiology
Shota Masumoto, Akira S. Mori, Keita Nishizawa, Minagi Naka, Shunsuke Matsuoka, Shu-Kuan Wong, Masaki Uchida
Summary: Primary succession and microtopography in the moraines of the Arklio Glacier on Ellesmere Island have synergistic effects on the community assembly of soil fungi, contributing to fungal spatial diversity in the glacier forefield.
FEMS MICROBIOLOGY ECOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Anne Chao, Chun-Huo Chiu, Kai-Hsiang Hu, Fons van Der Plas, Marc W. Cadotte, Oliver Mitesser, Simon Thorn, Akira S. Mori, Michael Scherer-Lorenzen, Nico Eisenhauer, Claus Baessler, Benjamin M. Delory, Heike Feldhaar, Andreas Fichtner, Torsten Hothorn, Marcell K. Peters, Kerstin Pierick, Goddert von Oheimb, Joerg Mueller
Summary: Biodiversity plays a crucial role in ecosystem functioning, and current research mainly focuses on local ecosystems. However, the increasing homogenization of landscapes in the Anthropocene may also impact biodiversity and ecosystem functioning at larger scales. To address this issue, a new statistical framework based on Hill-Chao numbers is proposed to quantify biodiversity and multifunctionality at different scales.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Akira S. Mori, Forest Isbell
Summary: Global goals and targets have been set for biodiversity conservation in the coming decade. It is important to carefully consider the effectiveness of different strategies for conservation, such as restoration and preservation. Prioritizing the preservation of intact and pristine areas is crucial, as even the best restoration efforts can only partially recreate natural systems. It is necessary to recognize the fundamental differences between the types of places that are priorities for preservation, restoration, or both.
JOURNAL OF APPLIED ECOLOGY
(2023)
