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

The Theory of Island Biogeography

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.

/pdf/effects-of-biodiversity-on-ecosystem-functioning-a-consensus-13j8vabcus.pdf

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

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.

/pdf/agricultural-sustainability-and-intensive-production-1h98l920tu.pdf

Agricultural sustainability and intensive production practices

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.

/pdf/the-worldwide-leaf-economics-spectrum-1uikdmil76.pdf

The worldwide leaf economics spectrum

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

Carbon Isotope Discrimination and Photosynthesis

Origin of nitrate in forest spring water: evidence from natural isotope ratios of NO3-d15N and NO3-d18O

auf Basis eines breiten indikatorensets an Pflanzen- und tierarten wurden charakteristik und spezifitat der artenausstattung westmitteleuropaischer Buchenwalder ausgewertet. Buchenwalder mit ihrer weiten Verbreitung und weiten standortlichen amplitude weisen vielfaltige zonosen auf. allerdings gibt es bei den meisten untersuchten artengruppen nur wenige spezifisch an Buche oder Buchenwalder gebundene arten. die Befunde deuten darauf hin, dass die meisten der heute im westlichen teil mitteleuropas anzutreffenden "Buchenwaldarten" vor der massenausbreitung der phylogenetisch sehr jungen heimischen Buche bereits lange in anderen laubwaldtypen vorkamen und erst viel spater in sich ausbreitende Buchenwalder inkorporiert oder verdrangt wurden. die Buche selbst hat ins westmitteleuropaische tief- und Hugelland, in denen Buchenwalder eine geringe Biotopkontinuitat und Habitattradition aufweisen, vergleichsweise wenige identifikationsstiftende Buchenwaldarten i. e .s. mitgebracht (z. B. im gegensatz zu illyrischen, karpatischen und balkanischen Buchenwaldern mit viel alterer oder ursprunglicher Habitattradition). diese beschranken sich v. a. auf sehr ausbreitungsstarke organismengruppen wie Pilze und Flechten, die zu der weiten Wanderung aus den eiszeitlichen refugien befahigt waren und die aufgrund der sehr spaten massenausbreitung der Buche bereits vorhandene ausbreitungshindernisse in bewirtschaftetem gebiet uberwinden konnten. die kurze und in einer bereits durch nutzungseinflusse gepragten landschaft ablaufende entwicklungsgeschichte des "nati - onalen naturerbes Buchenwalder" zeigt: erstens konnen die meisten "Buchenwaldarten" des westmitteleuropaischen tief- und Hugellandes bei naturnaher und nachhaltiger Bewirtschaftung in Wirtschaftswaldern uberleben, wenn uber raum und zeit ausreichend schlusselstrukturen vorhanden sind. zweitens leben viele dieser arten nicht nur in buchen-, sondern auch oder sogar schwerpunktmasig in eichen- und edellaubbaumreichen Waldgesellschaften, denen ein grosteil des artenpools originar entstammt. dem langfristigen erhalt dieser Vielfalt wird ein integratives gesamtkonzept abgestufter nutzungs- und schutzintensitaten am besten gerecht.

Are the German conceptions suitable for the conservation of the specific flora and fauna of native beech forests? - A critical assessment based on the origin of forest species of central European lowland and submontane regions.

Ernst Detlef Schulze

Papers

Origin of nitrate in forest spring water: evidence from natural isotope ratios of NO3-d15N and NO3-d18O

Are the German conceptions suitable for the conservation of the specific flora and fauna of native beech forests? - A critical assessment based on the origin of forest species of central European lowland and submontane regions.

Zur Bewirtschaftung der Fichte

Nettoprimärproduktion und Bioenergie

Naturschutz und Forstwirtschaft