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

Data Mining - Concepts and Techniques.

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

The most unique feature of Earth is the existence of life, and the most extraordinary feature of life is its diversity. Approximately 9 million types of plants, animals, protists and fungi inhabit the Earth. So, too, do 7 billion people. Two decades ago, at the first Earth Summit, the vast majority of the world's nations declared that human actions were dismantling the Earth's ecosystems, eliminating genes, species and biological traits at an alarming rate. This observation led to the question of how such loss of biological diversity will alter the functioning of ecosystems and their ability to provide society with the goods and services needed to prosper.

/pdf/biodiversity-loss-and-its-impact-on-humanity-2d0fgc88mg.pdf

Biodiversity loss and its impact on humanity

There is growing recognition that classifying terrestrial plant species on the basis of their function (into 'functional types') rather than their higher taxonomic identity, is a promising way forward for tackling important ecological questions at the scale of ecosystems, landscapes or biomes. These questions include those on vegetation responses to and vegetation effects on, environmental changes (e.g. changes in climate, atmospheric chemistry, land use or other disturbances). There is also growing consensus about a shortlist of plant traits that should underlie such functional plant classifications, because they have strong predictive power of important ecosystem responses to environmental change and/or they themselves have strong impacts on ecosystem processes. The most favoured traits are those that are also relatively easy and inexpensive to measure for large numbers of plant species. Large international research efforts, promoted by the IGBP–GCTE Programme, are underway to screen predominant plant species in various ecosystems and biomes worldwide for such traits. This paper provides an international methodological protocol aimed at standardising this research effort, based on consensus among a broad group of scientists in this field. It features a practical handbook with step-by-step recipes, with relatively brief information about the ecological context, for 28 functional traits recognised as critical for tackling large-scale ecological questions.

/pdf/a-handbook-of-protocols-for-standardised-and-easy-2uo4112zhh.pdf

A handbook of protocols for standardised and easy measurement of plant functional traits worldwide

Question: Is raising groundwater tables successful as a wetland restoration strategy? Location: Kennemer dunes, The Netherlands; Moksloot dunes, The Netherlands and Bullock Creek fen, New Zealand. Methods: Generalizations were made by analysing soil dynamics and the responsiveness of integrative plant traits on moisture, nutrient regime and seed dispersal in three case studies of rewetted vs. control wetlands with the same actual groundwater levels. Soil conditions included mineral (calcareous and non-calcareous) soils with no initial vegetation, mineral soils with established vegetation and organic soils with vegetation. Results: The responsiveness of traits to raised groundwater tables was related to soil type and vegetation presence and depended on actual groundwater levels. In the moist-wet zone, oligotrophic species, ‘drier’ species with higher seed longevity occupied gaps created by vegetation dieback on rewetting. The other rewetted zones still reflected trait values of the vegetation prev...

Plant traits in response to raising groundwater levels in wetland restoration: evidence from three case studies

Questions: 1. Do relationships among forest plant traits correspond to dispersability-persistence trade-offs or other inter-trait correlations found in the literature? 2. Do species groups delineated by trait similarity, differ in occurrence in ancient vs. new forests or isolated vs more continuous forest patches? 3. Are these patterns consistent for different forest types? Location: Central Belgium, near Leuven. Methods: We investigate the distributions of a large set of plant traits and combinations among all forest species occurring in patches with varying forest continuity and isolation. Through calculation of Gower's similarity index and subsequent clustering, ‘emergent’ species groups are delineated. Then, the relative occurrence of these different groups in forest patches of different age and size, sustaining different forest types (alluvial vs. Quercion), and having different isolation status is compared through multivariate GLM analysis. Results: Correlations among several life history t...

Groupings of life-history traits are associated with distribution of forest plant species in a fragmented landscape

Dispersal of plant species in time and space: Can nature development rely on soil seed banks and dispersal?

Restoration of Coastal Dunes

The article presents an overview of archaeobotanical research on artificial dwelling mounds, so-called ‘terps’, in the northern-Netherlands. A total of 40 studies carried out over the past 40 years is evaluated. The vegetation diversity in the area as well as the differences with the present marsh are studied. Seriation, Principal Component Analysis and Sorensen similarity indices are used to assess the diversity of both individual samples and sites. For comparison with the present marshes, an index based on the TMAP vegetation typology was defined. Based on these methods, a selection of the individual samples was analyzed phytosociologically. It is found that all samples represent a mixture of vegetation types, but that the salt marsh species are a constant factor. The variation in the sample composition is not related to their dating, except for some of the latest samples that reflect the earliest endikements. Great similarity to the present marshes is found, but the analysis also testifies of a landscape profoundly disturbed by human activities throughout history.

Renée M. Bekker

Papers

Plant traits in response to raising groundwater levels in wetland restoration: evidence from three case studies

Groupings of life-history traits are associated with distribution of forest plant species in a fragmented landscape

Dispersal of plant species in time and space: Can nature development rely on soil seed banks and dispersal?

Restoration of Coastal Dunes

A review of prehistoric and early historic mainland salt marsh vegetation in the northern-Netherlands based on the analysis of plant macrofossils