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Showing papers by "Adrian C. Newton published in 2011"


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: It is shown that restoration projects can be effective in enhancing both biodiversity and multiple services, but that conflicts can arise, especially if single services are targeted in isolation.
Abstract: Ecological restoration is becoming regarded as a major strategy for increasing the provision of ecosystem services as well as reversing biodiversity losses. Here, we show that restoration projects can be effective in enhancing both, but that conflicts can arise, especially if single services are targeted in isolation. Furthermore, recovery of biodiversity and services can be slow and incomplete. Despite this uncertainty, new methods of ecosystem service valuation are suggesting that the economic benefits of restoration can outweigh costs. Payment for Ecosystem Service schemes could therefore provide incentives for restoration, but require development to ensure biodiversity and multiple services are enhanced and the needs of different stakeholders are met. Such approaches must be implemented widely if new global restoration targets are to be achieved.

789 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: An overview of key constraints to food security uses fusarium head blight as a case study to illustrate key influences of climate change on production and quality of wheat, and outlines key links between plant diseases, climate change and food security.
Abstract: Global food production must increase by 50% to meet the projected demand of the world’s population by 2050. Meeting this difficult challenge will be made even harder if climate change melts portions of the Himalayan glaciers to affect 25% of world cereal production in Asia by influencing water availability. Pest and disease management has played its role in doubling food production in the last 40 years, but pathogens still claim 10–16% of the global harvest. We consider the effect of climate change on the many complex biological interactions affecting pests and pathogen impacts and how they might be manipulated to mitigate these effects. Integrated solutions and international co-ordination in their implementation are considered essential. Providing a background on key constraints to food security, this overview uses fusarium head blight as a case study to illustrate key influences of climate change on production and quality of wheat, outlines key links between plant diseases, climate change and food security, and highlights key disease management issues to be addressed in improving food security in a changing climate.

676 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Barley is a resilient crop with much potential which can be realised in the future as mentioned in this paper, however, substantial gains in crucial sustainability characteristics should be achievable, together with increased understanding of the physiological basis of many agronomic traits, particularly water and nutrient use efficiency.
Abstract: Barley is cultivated both in highly productive agricultural systems and also in marginal and subsistence environments. Its distribution is worldwide and is of considerable economic importance for animal feed and alcohol production. The overall importance of barley as a human food is minor but there is much potential for new uses exploiting the health benefits of whole grain and beta-glucans. The barley supply chains are complex and show added value at many stages. Germplasm resources for barley are considerable, with much potential for exploitation of its biodiversity available through the use of recently developed genomic and breeding tools. Consequently, substantial gains in crucial sustainability characteristics should be achievable in the future, together with increased understanding of the physiological basis of many agronomic traits, particularly water and nutrient use efficiency. Barley’s ability to adapt to multiple biotic and abiotic stresses will be crucial to its future exploitation and increased emphasis on these traits in elite germplasm is needed to equip the crop for environmental change. Similarly, resource use efficiency should become a higher priority to ensure the crop’s sustainability in the long-term. Clearly barley is a resilient crop with much potential which can be realised in the future.

241 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: A combination of integrated modelling from different disciplines and multi-factorial experimentation is needed to advance understanding and prioritisation of the challenges of accelerated climate change, particularly in tolerance traits for abiotic and biotic stress.
Abstract: Accelerated climate change affects components of complex biological interactions differentially, often causing changes that are difficult to predict. Crop yield and quality are affected by climate change directly, and indirectly, through diseases that themselves will change but remain important. These effects are difficult to dissect and model as their mechanistic bases are generally poorly understood. A combination of integrated modelling from different disciplines and multi-factorial experimentation is needed to advance our understanding and prioritisation of the challenges. This will help prioritise breeding objectives. Food security brings in additional socio-economic, geographical and political factors. Enhancing resilience to the effects of climate change is important for all these systems and functional diversity, particularly in tolerance traits for abiotic and biotic stress, is one of the most effective targets for improved sustainability.

216 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The study highlights the potential value of combining the Delphi process and face-to-face meetings for identifying practically applicable C&I for planning ecological restoration, and suggests that the development of a generally applicable set of C &I for forest restoration will be difficult to achieve in practice.

111 citations


Book
01 Jan 2011
TL;DR: The report details the IUCN conservation status of 762 tree species and also includes information on current and potential uses of each species, in the hope that this will help promote sustainable resource management and conservation in the future.
Abstract: The report details the IUCN conservation status of 762 tree species and also includes information on current and potential uses of each species, in the hope that this will help promote sustainable resource management and conservation in the future. Various parts of trees found in the forest are used to make products as diverse as baseball bats, toothpaste, clothing dyes and hammocks and several species have edible parts or medicinal properties. Some species are also important culturally, with one being used during the important Dia de Muertos folk festival.

104 citations


Book ChapterDOI
01 Jan 2011
TL;DR: This review of the current status and prospects for landraces of cereals in the context of sustainable agriculture examines their potential as sources of novel disease and abiotic stress resistance genes or combination of genes if deployed appropriately, of phytonutrients accompanied with optimal micronutrient concentrations which can help alleviate aging-related and chronic diseases, and of nutrient use efficiency traits.
Abstract: Modern agriculture and conventional breeding and the liberal use of high inputs has resulted in the loss of genetic diversity and the stagnation of yields in cereals in less favourable areas Increasingly landraces are being replaced by modern cultivars which are less resilient to pests, diseases and abiotic stresses and thereby losing a valuable source of germplasm for meeting the future needs of sustainable agriculture in the context of climate change Where landraces persist there is concern that their potential is not fully realised Much effort has gone into collecting, organising, studying and analysing landraces recently and we review the current status and potential for their improved deployment and exploitation, and incorporation of their positive qualities into new cultivars or populations for more sustainable agricultural production In particular their potential as sources of novel disease and abiotic stress resistance genes or combination of genes if deployed appropriately, of phytonutrients accompanied with optimal micronutrient concentrations which can help alleviate aging-related and chronic diseases, and of nutrient use efficiency traits We discuss the place of landraces in the origin of modern cereal crops and breeding of elite cereal cultivars, the importance of on-farm and ex situ diversity conservation; how modern genotyping approaches can help both conservation and exploitation; the importance of different phenotyping approaches; and whether legal issues associated with landrace marketing and utilisation need addressing In this review of the current status and prospects for landraces of cereals in the context of sustainable agriculture, the major points are the following: (1) Landraces have very rich and complex ancestry representing variation in response to many diverse stresses and are vast resources for the development of future crops deriving many sustainable traits from their heritage (2) There are many germplasm collections of landraces of the major cereals worldwide exhibiting much variation in valuable morphological, agronomic and biochemical traits The germplasm has been characterised to variable degrees and in many different ways including molecular markers which can assist selection (3) Much of this germplasm is being maintained both in long-term storage and on farm where it continues to evolve, both of which have their merits and problems There is much concern about loss of variation, identification, description and accessibility of accessions despite international strategies for addressing these issues (4) Developments in genotyping technologies are making the variation available in landraces ever more accessible However, high quality, extensive and detailed, relevant and appropriate phenotyping needs to be associated with the genotyping to enable it to be exploited successfully We also need to understand the complexity of the genetics of these desirable traits in order to develop new germplasm (5) Nutrient use efficiency is a very important criterion for sustainability Landrace material offers a potential source for crop improvement although these traits are highly interactive with their environment, particularly developmental stage, soil conditions and other organisms affecting roots and their environment (6) Landraces are also a potential source of traits for improved nutrition of cereal crops, particularly antioxidants, phenolics in general, carotenoids and tocol in particular They also have the potential to improve mineral content, particularly iron and zinc, if these traits can be successfully transferred to improved varieties (7) Landraces have been shown to be valuable sources of resistance to pathogens and there is more to be gained from such sources There is also potential, largely unrealised, for disease tolerance and resistance or tolerance of pest and various abiotic stresses too including to toxic environments (8) Single gene traits are generally easily transferred from landrace germplasm to modern cultivars, but most of the desirable traits characteristic of landraces are complex and difficult to express in different genetic backgrounds Maintaining these characteristics in heterogeneous landraces is also problematic Breeding, selection and deployment methods appropriate to these objectives should be used rather than those used for high input intensive agriculture plant breeding (9) Participatory plant breeding and variety selection has proven more successful than the approach used in high input breeding programmes for landrace improvement in stress-prone environments where sustainable approaches are a high priority Despite being more complex to carry out, it not only delivers improved germplasm, but also aids uptake and communication between farmers, researchers and advisors for the benefit of all (10) Previous seed trade legislation was designed primarily to protect trade and return royalty income to modern plant breeders with expensive programmes to fund As the desirability of using landraces becomes more apparent to achieve greater sustainability, legislation changes are being made to facilitate this trade too However, more changes are needed to promote the exploitation of diversity in landraces and encourage their use

91 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: This work aims to elucidate the role of meso‐scale dispersal barriers in climate‐tracking responses and indicates that species are responding to climate change through distributional range shifts that track suitable climatic conditions.
Abstract: Aim Evidence indicates that species are responding to climate change through distributional range shifts that track suitable climatic conditions. We aim to elucidate the role of meso-scale dispersal barriers in climate-tracking responses. Location South coast of England (the English Channel). Methods Historical distributional data of four intertidal invertebrate species were logistically regressed against sea surface temperature (SST) to determine a climate envelope. This envelope was used to estimate the expected climate-tracking response since 1990 along the coast, which was compared with observed range expansions. A hydrodynamic modelling approach was used to identify dispersal barriers and explore disparities between expected and observed climate tracking. Results Range shifts detected by field survey over the past 20 years were less than those predicted by the changes that have occurred in SST. Hydrodynamic model simulations indicated that physical barriers produced by complex tidal currents have variably restricted dispersal of pelagic larvae amongst the four species. Main conclusions We provide the first evidence that meso-scale hydrodynamic barriers have limited climate-induced range shifts and demonstrate that life history traits affect the ability of species to overcome such barriers. This suggests that current forecasts may be flawed, both by overestimating range shifts and by underestimating climatic tolerances of species. This has implications for our understanding of climate change impacts on global biodiversity.

78 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the impact of land-use change on carbon stocks in South West England was explored based on current UK national and regional-scale policies and plans, and three scenarios were explored for three scenarios: (i) Rebuilding Biodiversity (RB), involving habitat restoration of 824,244 hectares of strategic nature areas; (ii) Forest Strategy (FS), involving establishment of 16,000 hectares of new woodlands; and (iii) Biomass Strategy (BS), involving conversion of 65,513 hectares of arable land into bioenergy crops.

61 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
01 Feb 2011-Oikos
TL;DR: The results suggest that broad metacommunity structure would not be a good landscape-scale indicator for conservation status, and knowledge that metacomunity structure does not change over time could assist in long-term conservation strategy.
Abstract: The metacommunity concept provides important insights into large-scale patterns and dynamics of distributions of interacting species. However, temporal change of metacommunity structure is little studied and has not been previously analysed in the context of biodiversity change. As metacommunity structure is determined by multiple species distributions, it is expected to change as a result of biodiversity loss. To examine this process, we analysed structural change of a southern English woodland metacommunity at two points in time, seven decades apart. During this interval, the metacommunity lost β-diversity through taxonomic homogenization. We performed an ‘elements of metacommunity structure’ (EMS) analysis to examine metacommunity structure, based upon three structural elements: coherence (i.e. gaps in species range along a structuring gradient), spatial turnover (replacements), and species range boundary clumping. We predicted that metacommunity structure would decrease in spatial turnover and thus become more nested over time. We tested for change in individual structural elements with z-scores and examined the role of spatial and environmental variables as potential structuring mechanisms through correlation with EMS ordination axes. Our results demonstrated that the metacommunity had a Clementsian structure that was maintained over time. Despite no change in broad structure, coherence and species range boundary clumping increased. Spatial turnover increased along the first structuring gradient but decreased on the second gradient. We hypothesise that this difference between gradients may reflect the presence of competing processes affecting spatial turnover. The mechanisms of biological structuring involved both environmental and spatial factors at the scale of the individual woodland. Therefore, our results suggest that broad metacommunity structure would not be a good landscape-scale indicator for conservation status. Conversely, knowledge that metacommunity structure does not change over time could assist in long-term conservation strategy because fundamental metacommunity structural processes are resistant to environmental change.

50 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors compared the P-nutrition of winter and spring barley genotypes from an association genetic-mapping population grown in a field trial with different cultivation treatments (conventional plough vs. minimum tillage) which had been established over a number of years.
Abstract: To enhance the sustainability of agriculture it is imperative that the use of P-fertilisers by temperate cereal crops be improved. This can be achieved both by agronomic and genetic approaches. While many studies have demonstrated genotypic variation in P-use efficiency in a number of cereal species the robustness of this genetic variation in contrasting environments is rarely considered. In this paper we describe an experiment in which we compare the P-nutrition of winter and spring barley genotypes from an association genetic-mapping population grown in a field trial with different cultivation treatments (conventional plough vs. minimum tillage) which had been established over a number of years. We demonstrate that, while there is significant variation between genotypes in their P nutrition, this variation is not comparable between cultivation treatments and only one winter barley genotype (cv. Gleam) has beneficial P-use efficiency traits in both cultivation systems. Analysis of the association genetic-mapping population demonstrated that there was a strong environmental component in the genotypic variation, with more significant associations of shoot P concentration with known SNP (Single Nucleotide Polymorphism) markers when the population was grown in minimum tillage treatments. These data suggest that it may be possible to identify genetic components to variation in P nutrition in barley, but that a large interaction with environmental variables may limit the usefulness of any genes or markers discovered for improving P-use efficiency to the conditions under which the screening was performed.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the implications of Goodhart's Law for monitoring biodiversity are examined with specific reference to the IUCN Red List Index (RLI), and the use of the RLI as an indicator could affect how conservation actions are targeted and how the Red List assessment is conducted, potentially undermining the assessment process itself.
Abstract: Increasing efforts have recently focused on development of indicators for monitoring biodiversity loss, stimulated by development of the “2010 target.” Such efforts have failed to consider Goodhart's Law, which states that once an indicator is made into a policy target, then it will lose the information content that qualifies it to play its role as an indicator. The implications of Goodhart's Law for monitoring biodiversity are examined with specific reference to the IUCN Red List Index (RLI). According to Goodhart's Law, use of the RLI as an indicator could affect how conservation actions are targeted and how the Red List assessment is conducted, potentially undermining the assessment process itself. The use of targets in conservation policy and the associated development of indicators should therefore be undertaken with caution. Specifically, to support monitoring of global biodiversity loss, systems should be put in place to prevent the manipulation of indicators and the assessments on which they are based, to ensure that the information they provide is objective and reliable.

Book
01 Jan 2011
TL;DR: In this article, the authors present the results of an international research project, which was designed explicitly to examine application of the forest landscape restoration (FLR) approach to dryland forest ecosystems in Latin America.
Abstract: This book presents the results of an international research project, which was designed explicitly to examine application of the forest landscape restoration (FLR) approach to dryland forest ecosystems in Latin America. In order for FLR to be transferred into mainstream practice that is adopted and promoted by governments and the private sector, as well as by local communities, information is needed on how the principles of FLR can be implemented in practice, in a cost-effective manner. It is this information need that the project was designed to address. The research focused on seven dryland areas where native forests have been subjected to intense human pressure in recent decades, resulting in severe deforestation and degradation. Each of these areas is characterized by high biodiversity of international conservation importance, with many endemic, threatened species.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The findings will enable the different Rrs genes to be better characterized in the effect they exert on pathogen growth and may aid in identification of the most effective resistance.
Abstract: Scald disease of barley, caused by the fungal pathogen Rhynchosporium secalis, is one of the most serious diseases of this crop worldwide. Disease control is achieved in part by deployment of major resistance (Rrs) genes in barley. However, in both susceptible and resistant barley plants, R. secalis is able to complete a symptomless infection cycle. To examine the R. secalis infection cycle, Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated transformation was used to generate R. secalis isolates expressing the green fluorescent protein or DsRed fluorescent protein, and that were virulent on an Rrs2 plant (cv. Atlas), but avirulent on an Rrs1 plant (cv. Atlas 46). Confocal laser scanning microscopy revealed that R. secalis infected the susceptible cultivar and formed an extensive hyphal network that followed the anticlinal cell walls of epidermal cells. In the resistant cultivar, hyphal development was more restricted and random in direction of growth. In contrast to earlier models of R. secalis infection, epidermal collapse was not observed until approximately 10 days post-inoculation in both cultivars. Sporulation of R. secalis was observed in both susceptible and resistant interactions. Observations made using the GFP-expressing isolate were complemented and confirmed using a combination of the fluorescent probes 5-chloromethylfluorescein diacetate and propidium iodide, in the non-transformed wild-type isolate. The findings will enable the different Rrs genes to be better characterized in the effect they exert on pathogen growth and may aid in identification of the most effective resistance.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors used LANDIS-II, a spatially explicit model of forest dynamics, to assess the potential for passive restoration of degraded tropical dry forests through natural regeneration.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The New Forest (England) was first designated as a protected area more than 900 years ago and a traditional pattern of land use has been maintained ever since, providing a rare opportunity to examine the resilience of an integrated social-ecological system over nine centuries.
Abstract: Protected areas are increasingly being recognized as coupled social-ecological systems, whose effectiveness depends on their resilience. Here I present a historical profile of an individual case study, the New Forest (England), which was first designated as a protected area more than 900 years ago. Uniquely, a traditional pattern of land use has been maintained ever since, providing a rare opportunity to examine the resilience of an integrated social-ecological system over nine centuries. The New Forest demonstrates that over the long term, coupled social-ecological systems can be resilient to major internal and external shocks, including climate change, mass human mortality and war. Changes in governance had the greatest impact on the reserve itself, with two major crises identified in the mid-19th and 20th centuries. Resolution of these crises depended on the formation of alliances between local people and external partners, including the general public, a process that was supported by improvements in visitor access. Over a timescale of centuries, this social-ecological system has been highly dynamic in disturbance regimes but relatively stable in land use patterns. However, the factors underpinning resilience have changed over time. This case study suggests that for protected areas to be effective over the long term, social structures and institutions as well as environmental processes require adaptive capacity.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the authors examined the use of a spatially explicit model of forest dynamics (LANDIS-II) to examine the impacts of different types of disturbance on a dryland forest landscape in Central Chile.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the effects of field-trial scale, including plot size, and its interaction with fertiliser level and barley germplasm on mixture efficacy in controlling powdery mildew were investigated.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Inbreeding depression appears to be the most immediate genetic factor in population decline, and conservation efforts should try to maintain large and genetically diverse populations.
Abstract: Pioneer species are essential for forest regeneration and ecosystem resilience. Pinus chiapensis is an endangered pioneer key species for tropical montane cloud forest regeneration in Mesoamerica. Human activities have severely reduced some P. chiapensis populations, which exhibited a small or null colonization potential suggesting the involvement of genetic factors associated with small populations. We explored the relationships between (i) population genetic diversity (allozymes) and population size, including sampling size effects, (ii) fitness estimates associated with colonization potential (seed viability and seedling performance) in a common environment and population size, and (iii) fitness estimates and observed heterozygosity in populations with sizes spanning five orders of magnitude. All the estimates of genetic diversity and fitness increased significantly with population size. Low fitness was detected in progenies of small populations of disturbed and undisturbed habitats. Progenies with the lowest observed heterozygosity displayed the lowest fitness estimates, which, in turn, increased with heterozygosity, but seed viability peaked at intermediate heterozygosity values suggesting inbreeding and outbreeding depression. Inbreeding depression appears to be the most immediate genetic factor in population decline. Conservation efforts should try to maintain large and genetically diverse populations, enhance gene flow by restoring connectivity between adjacent populations, and avoid genetically distant individuals.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: This first successful transformation of R. collo-cygni has enabled better description of the stages of disease development and pathogen behaviour during the endophytic/asymptomatic stage of its life cycle.
Abstract: Ramularia collo-cygni, the causal agent of ramularia leaf spot disease in barley was transformed to express the green fluorescent protein and DsRed fluorescent protein using a combined protoplast and Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated transformation technique. Regenerated protoplasts from mycelial fragments were transformed with A. tumefaciens strain AGL1 containing either pCAMBgfp or pCAMBDsRed plasmids. Two different isolates of R. collo-cygni were transformed and several stable transformants were recovered. These transformants infected detached barley leaves and characteristic swan’s-neck-shaped conidiophores were seen on detached leaves 9 days after inoculation, as well as spore-like structures formed from hyphal swellings. This first successful transformation of R. collo-cygni has enabled better description of the stages of disease development and pathogen behaviour during the endophytic/asymptomatic stage of its life cycle.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors examine the similarities between the concepts of the knowledge economy and the green economy and explore their potential interface, with reference to a case study currently underway in the county of Dorset, England.
Abstract: UK, along with many other developed countries, is now considered to be primarily a knowledge economy. According to this model, future prosperity will depend on the development of knowledge-intensive, high value-added economic activities, and on a highly skilled workforce. At the same time, the development of the green economy has recently moved towards the centre of political discourse, stimulated by current economic and environmental crises. A number of parallels are evident between the concepts of the knowledge economy and the green economy: both are currently the focus of government policy initiatives, but both are characterised by uncertainty regarding how they should be defined and implemented. This paper first examines these definitions, and then explores their potential interface. Lessons are identified for development of the green economy from recent research into the functioning of the knowledge economy. This reflects the reality that in countries such as UK, development of a green economy will largely represent the greening of the knowledge economy. How this might be achieved in practice is explored with reference to a case study currently underway in the county of Dorset, England.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Wood crickets were found to live in and able to move along mature woodland edges directly bordering agricultural land, indicating that conservation initiatives focusing on creating woodland corridors and developing woodland habitat networks have the potential to facilitate the spread and population viability of wood crickets, if the woodland edges are given enough time to develop.
Abstract: Information on the dispersal ability of flightless insect species associated with woodlands is severely lacking. Therefore, a study was conducted examining the dispersal ability of wood cricket (Nemobius sylvestris) juveniles (nymphs) and adults in a wooded landscape on the Isle of Wight, UK, to further our understanding of the ecology and management of this and other flightless insects. A series of experiments were conducted where nymphs and adults were released and observed at a range of spatial-temporal scales within different habitat environments. The results of this investigation indicated no difference in the dispersal ability of wood cricket nymphs and adults. However, adult females moved less than adult males. Adult males were found to spread twice as fast as females, and males were found capable of traversing up to 55 m away from woodland habitat through semi-natural and grazed grassland. Additionally, rates of population spread of both wood cricket nymphs and adults (males and females) were found to be accurately described by the inverse-power function, predicting only few individuals dispersing over time. Together this indicates that overall colonization success and rate of population spread, being female dependent, is likely to be low for this species. Wood crickets were found to live in and able to move along mature woodland edges directly bordering agricultural land. This indicates that conservation initiatives focusing on creating woodland corridors and developing woodland habitat networks have the potential to facilitate the spread and population viability of wood crickets, if the woodland edges are given enough time to develop. However, long-term monitoring is needed to evaluate the overall effectiveness of such approaches.

Journal Article
TL;DR: The results indicate that wood cricket adults can be considered as more powerful dispersers than nymphs; however, further analysis of how the insects move through natural heterogeneous environments at a range of spatio-temporal scales needs to be performed to provide a complete understanding of the dispersal ability of the species.

01 Jan 2011
TL;DR: This work analysed structural change of a southern English woodland metacommunity expected to change as a result of biodiversity loss and suggested that broad metacomunity structure would not be a good landscape-scale indicator for conservation status.
Abstract: Th e metacommunity concept provides important insights into large-scale patterns and dynamics of distributions of interactTh e metacommunity concept provides important insights into large-scale patterns and dynamics of distributions of interacting species. However, temporal change of metacommunity structure is little studied and has not been previously analysed ing species. However, temporal change of metacommunity structure is little studied and has not been previously analysed in the context of biodiversity change. As metacommunity structure is determined by multiple species distributions, it is in the context of biodiversity change. As metacommunity structure is determined by multiple species distributions, it is expected to change as a result of biodiversity loss. To examine this process, we analysed structural change of a southern English expected to change as a result of biodiversity loss. To examine this process, we analysed structural change of a southern English woodland metacommunity at two points in time, seven decades apart. During this interval, the metacommunity lost woodland metacommunity at two points in time, seven decades apart. During this interval, the metacommunity lost β -diversity through taxonomic homogenization. We performed an ‘ elements of metacommunity structure ’ (EMS) analysis -diversity through taxonomic homogenization. We performed an ‘ elements of metacommunity structure ’ (EMS) analysis to examine metacommunity structure, based upon three structural elements: coherence (i.e. gaps in species range along a to examine metacommunity structure, based upon three structural elements: coherence (i.e. gaps in species range along a structuring gradient), spatial turnover (replacements), and species range boundary clumping. We predicted that metacomstructuring gradient), spatial turnover (replacements), and species range boundary clumping. We predicted that metacommunity structure would decrease in spatial turnover and thus become more nested over time. We tested for change in indimunity structure would decrease in spatial turnover and thus become more nested over time. We tested for change in individual structural elements with z-scores and examined the role of spatial and environmental variables as potential structuring vidual structural elements with z-scores and examined the role of spatial and environmental variables as potential structuring mechanisms through correlation with EMS ordination axes. Our results demonstrated that the metacommunity had a Clemmechanisms through correlation with EMS ordination axes. Our results demonstrated that the metacommunity had a Clementsian structure that was maintained over time. Despite no change in broad structure, coherence and species range boundary entsian structure that was maintained over time. Despite no change in broad structure, coherence and species range boundary clumping increased. Spatial turnover increased along the fi rst structuring gradient but decreased on the second gradient. We clumping increased. Spatial turnover increased along the fi rst structuring gradient but decreased on the second gradient. We hypothesise that this diff erence between gradients may refl ect the presence of competing processes aff ecting spatial turnover. hypothesise that this diff erence between gradients may refl ect the presence of competing processes aff ecting spatial turnover. Th e mechanisms of biological structuring involved both environmental and spatial factors at the scale of the individual woodTh e mechanisms of biological structuring involved both environmental and spatial factors at the scale of the individual woodland. Th erefore, our results suggest that broad metacommunity structure would not be a good landscape-scale indicator for land. Th erefore, our results suggest that broad metacommunity structure would not be a good landscape-scale indicator for conservation status. Conversely, knowledge that metacommunity structure does not change over time could assist in longconservation status. Conversely, knowledge that metacommunity structure does not change over time could assist in longterm conservation strategy because fundamental metacommunity structural processes are resistant to environmental change. term conservation strategy because fundamental metacommunity structural processes are resistant to environmental change.