Ernst Detlef Schulze

Bio: Ernst Detlef Schulze is an academic researcher from Max Planck Society. The author has contributed to research in topics: Biodiversity & Ecosystem. The author has an hindex of 133, co-authored 670 publications receiving 69504 citations. Previous affiliations of Ernst Detlef Schulze include University of Idaho & University of Utah.

Adverse soil mineral availability

Abstract: This chapter covers our molecular understanding of how plants acquire growth-limiting mineral nutrients and cope with the presence of potentially toxic elements in the soil. Plants rarely experience an ample supply of all 14 essential elements, which have to be taken up from an exceedingly complex system, the soil. Strategies to meet this challenge include tightly controlled nutrient uptake and the plasticity of root architecture. Nutrient status and external availability are constantly monitored and translated into changes in uptake capacity and root morphology. Symbioses are of major importance for plant nutrient acquisition. Mycorrhizae and nitrogen fixation are described in separate sections with respect to the molecular processes involved in partner recognition and establishment, as well as nutrient exchange. The final sections of the chapter elaborate on the mechanisms allowing adapted plants to thrive even when normally toxic concentrations of mostly non-essential elements such as sodium and aluminium are present in the soil. Large areas around the globe are affected by either salinization or the availability of aluminium because of low soil pH. Resistance is often mediated by exclusion of the element or sequestration in vacuoles. Finally, the rare ability of some plant species to hyperaccumulate metals in spite of their toxicity is introduced as an example of plant adaptation to extremely stressful environments.

Bioenergy: Potentials and limitations

Abstract: In this lecture we explain 1) the biochemical basis for photosynthesis and plant production and 2) the future demands on biomass for human use. Summing all physiological processes, the efficiency of converting solar energy into biomass is < 1.6% in the tropics, and between 0.4 and 0.8% for the temperate regions. In view of the present and future high demand on biomass for food, bioeconomics, fiber, construction material, only a relatively small fraction of plant production will be available for bioenergy. We estimate this fraction to be between 3 and 8% of the global energy demand by 2050. The contribution of bioenergy is at the higher end in tropical regions and in the less industrialized parts of the world, but may even be < 3% in industrialized nations.

The Theory of Island Biogeography

Abstract: Preface to the Princeton Landmarks in Biology Edition vii Preface xi Symbols Used xiii 1. The Importance of Islands 3 2. Area and Number of Speicies 8 3. Further Explanations of the Area-Diversity Pattern 19 4. The Strategy of Colonization 68 5. Invasibility and the Variable Niche 94 6. Stepping Stones and Biotic Exchange 123 7. Evolutionary Changes Following Colonization 145 8. Prospect 181 Glossary 185 References 193 Index 201

Effects of biodiversity on ecosystem functioning: a consensus of current knowledge

Abstract: Humans are altering the composition of biological communities through a variety of activities that increase rates of species invasions and species extinctions, at all scales, from local to global. These changes in components of the Earth's biodiversity cause concern for ethical and aesthetic reasons, but they also have a strong potential to alter ecosystem properties and the goods and services they provide to humanity. Ecological experiments, observations, and theoretical developments show that ecosystem properties depend greatly on biodiversity in terms of the functional characteristics of organisms present in the ecosystem and the distribution and abundance of those organisms over space and time. Species effects act in concert with the effects of climate, resource availability, and disturbance regimes in influencing ecosystem properties. Human activities can modify all of the above factors; here we focus on modification of these biotic controls. The scientific community has come to a broad consensus on many aspects of the re- lationship between biodiversity and ecosystem functioning, including many points relevant to management of ecosystems. Further progress will require integration of knowledge about biotic and abiotic controls on ecosystem properties, how ecological communities are struc- tured, and the forces driving species extinctions and invasions. To strengthen links to policy and management, we also need to integrate our ecological knowledge with understanding of the social and economic constraints of potential management practices. Understanding this complexity, while taking strong steps to minimize current losses of species, is necessary for responsible management of Earth's ecosystems and the diverse biota they contain.

Agricultural sustainability and intensive production practices

Abstract: A doubling in global food demand projected for the next 50 years poses huge challenges for the sustainability both of food production and of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems and the services they provide to society. Agriculturalists are the principal managers of global useable lands and will shape, perhaps irreversibly, the surface of the Earth in the coming decades. New incentives and policies for ensuring the sustainability of agriculture and ecosystem services will be crucial if we are to meet the demands of improving yields without compromising environmental integrity or public health.

The worldwide leaf economics spectrum

Abstract: Bringing together leaf trait data spanning 2,548 species and 175 sites we describe, for the first time at global scale, a universal spectrum of leaf economics consisting of key chemical, structural and physiological properties. The spectrum runs from quick to slow return on investments of nutrients and dry mass in leaves, and operates largely independently of growth form, plant functional type or biome. Categories along the spectrum would, in general, describe leaf economic variation at the global scale better than plant functional types, because functional types overlap substantially in their leaf traits. Overall, modulation of leaf traits and trait relationships by climate is surprisingly modest, although some striking and significant patterns can be seen. Reliable quantification of the leaf economics spectrum and its interaction with climate will prove valuable for modelling nutrient fluxes and vegetation boundaries under changing land-use and climate.

Carbon Isotope Discrimination and Photosynthesis

Abstract: We discuss the physical and enzymatic bases of carbone isotope discrimination during photosynthesis, noting how knowledge of discrimination can be used to provide additional insight into photosynthetic metabolism and the environmental influences on that process