A fabric of life view of the world

This month in Geneva, the 196 parties to the UnitedNations (UN) Convention on Biological Diversity will discuss the post-2020 Global BiodiversityFramework, in preparation for part two of the UNBiodiversity Conference (COP 15) in Kunming, China. By driving biodiversity actions worldwidethrough 2030 and beyond, this is arguably the most important biodiversity policy process of our time. There is a general sense that time is running out.Policy-makers and the general public are increasingly well-informed about nature, but this has not translated into slowing down its fast deterioration. Most of the biodiversity goals that have gained public attention are not consistent with the connectedness between humans and other organisms, or between different places and peoples through living bodies. This is in part reinforced by technical definitions,metaphors, and social narratives associated with biodiversity that are not explicit aboutthis connectedness. PFil: Díaz, Sandra Myrna. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Físicas y Naturales. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal; Argentin

Biodiversity: Concepts, patterns, trends, and perspectives

Biodiversity, a term now widely employed in science, policy, and wider society, has a burgeoning associated literature. We synthesize aspects of this literature, focusing on several key concepts, debates, patterns, trends, and drivers. We review the history of the term and the multiple dimensions and values of biodiversity, and we explore what is known and not known about global patterns of biodiversity. We then review changes in biodiversity from early human times to the modern era, examining rates of extinction and direct drivers of biodiversity change and also highlighting some less-well-studied drivers. Finally, we turn attention to the indirect drivers of global biodiversity loss, notably humanity's increasing global consumption footprint, and explore what might be required to reverse the ongoing decline in the fabric of life on Earth.Fil: Díaz, Sandra Myrna. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Físicas y Naturales. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal; ArgentinaFil: Malhi, Yadvinder. University of Oxford; Reino Unid

Meta-analysis shows that rapid phenotypic change in angiosperms in response to environmental change is followed by stasis

The amount and rate of phenotypic change at ecological timescales varies widely, but there has not been a comprehensive quantitative synthesis of the patterns and causes of such variation for plants. Present knowledge is based predominantly on animals, whose differences with plants in the origin of germ cells and the level of modularity (among others) could make it invalid for plants. We synthesized data on contemporary phenotypic responses of angiosperms to environmental change and show that if extinction does not occur, quantitative traits change quickly in the first few years following the environmental novelty and then remain stable. This general pattern is independent from life span, growth form, spatial scale, or the type of trait. Our work shows that high amounts and rates of phenotypic change at contemporary timescales observed in plants are consistent with the pattern of stasis and bounded evolution previously observed over longer time frames. We also found evidence that may contradict some common ideas about phenotypic evolution: (1) the total amount of phenotypic change observed does not differ significantly according to growth form or life span; (2) greater and faster divergence tends to occur between populations connected at the local scale, where gene flow could be intense, rather than between distant populations; and (3) traits closely related to fitness change as much and as fast as other traits.Fil: Gorne, Lucas Damián. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Físicas y Naturales. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal; ArgentinaFil: Díaz, Sandra Myrna. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Físicas y Naturales. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal; Argentin

Biodiversity loss threatens human well-being.

The diversity of life on Earth is dramatically affected by Human alterations of ecosystems. Compelling evidence now shows that the reverse is also true: biodiversity in the broad snsse affects the properties of ecosystem and, therefore, the benefits that humans obtain from them. In this article, we provide a synthesis of the most crucial messages emerging from the latest scientific literature and international assessments of the role of biodiversity in ecosystem services and human well- being. Human societies have beeb built on biodiversity. Many activities indispensable for human subsistence lead to biodiversity loss, and this trend is ikely to continue in the future. We clearly benefit from the diversity of organisms that we have learned to use for medicines, food, fibers, and other renwable resources. In addition, biodiversity has always been an integral part of the human experience and there are many moral reasons to preserve it for its own sake. What has been less recognized is that biodiversity also influences human well- being, including the access to water and basic materials for a satifactory life, and security in the face of environmental change, through its effects on the ecosystem processes that lie at the core of the Earth´s most vital life support system.Fil: Díaz, Sandra Myrna. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Físicas y Naturales. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal; ArgentinaFil: Fargione, Joseph. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba; Argentina. University Of New Mexico; Estados UnidosFil: Chapin III, Francis Stuart. University Of Alaska; Estados UnidosFil: Tilman, David. University of Minnesota; Estados Unido

Interactions between changing climate and biodiversity: Shaping humanity's future

Scientists have known for more than a century aboutpotential human impacts on climate (1). In the last 30 y,estimates of these impacts have been confirmed andrefined through increasingly precise climate assess-ments (2). Other global-scale human impacts, includingland use change, overharvesting, air and water pollu-tion, and increased disease risk from antibiotic resis-tance, have risen to critical levels, seriously jeopardizingthe prospects that future generations can thrive (3–5).Earth has entered a stage characterized by humandomination of critical Earth system processes (6–8).Although the basic trajectories of these changes arewell known, many of the likely consequences areshrouded in uncertainty because of poorly understoodinteractions among these drivers of change and there-fore their effects on ecosystems and societies.Fil: Stuart Chapin III, F.. University of Alaska; Estados UnidosFil: Díaz, Sandra Myrna. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Físicas y Naturales. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal; Argentin

Where does the forest come back from? Soil and litter seed banks and juvenile bank as sources of vegetation resilience in the face of land-use change in a semiarid Neotropical forest

The existence of reservoirs from which dominant species could recruit after disturbance is considered a key factor in ecosystem resilience. The literature on the role of soil seed banks in community regeneration is vast for sub-humid Holarctic systems, but much scarcer for semiarid Neotropical ones. Additionally, litter seed banks and juvenile plant banks have been scarcely studied worldwide. In this study, we aimed to analyze the different reservoirs from where dominant woody species regenerate from in the semiarid Neotropical Chaco forest of Córdoba, Argentina, and, whether the soil and litter seed banks, and the juvenile bank are effective sources of resilience of these forests in the face of different land use regimes. We selected four ecosystem types subjected to increasing long-term land-use intensity: primary forest (with no land use in the last 50 yr), secondary forest (with low land use intensity), closed species-rich shrubland (with moderate land use intensity), and open shrubland (with high land use intensity). We monitored four sites per ecosystem type. At each site we recorded the % cover of adults and the number of juveniles (saplings and seedlings) of all woody species. Additionally, we collected litter and soil samples that were then processed in the lab for taxonomic identification and germinability of seeds. We compared the species composition of the soil, litter and juvenile banks ("reservoirs") with that of the established vegetation within each ecosystem type. We also compared the reservoirs from different ecosystem types with the established vegetation of the primary forest, considered as the reference ecosystem. Woody species were absent from the soil seed bank, but were very well represented in the litter seed bank and juvenile bank from different ecosystem types. These two reservoirs showed high similarity with the established vegetation within each ecosystem type. However, increasing land use intensity decreased similarity between the reservoirs from each of the three ecosystem types subjected to land use and the established vegetation of the primary forest. Litter seed and juvenile banks, but not the soil seed bank are the main reservoirs of dominant woody species in the Chaco forest. However, the ability of these reservoirs to act as sources of resilience decreases as land use intensifies.Fil: Lipoma, Maria Lucrecia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Físicas y Naturales. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal; ArgentinaFil: Fortunato, Valentina. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales; ArgentinaFil: Enrico, Lucas. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Físicas y Naturales. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal; ArgentinaFil: Díaz, Sandra Myrna. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Físicas y Naturales. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal; Argentina62nd Annual Symposium of the International Association for Vegetation ScienceBremenAlemaniaInternational Association for Vegetation Scienc

The past as a lens for biodiversity conservation on a dynamically changing planet

We are in the midst of a major biodiversity crisis, with deep impacts on the functioning of ecosystems and derived benefits to people (1, 2). But we still have time to pull back. To do so, it is imperative that we learn from plants’ and animals’ pastactions (3, 4). Conservation biology, ecology, and paleontology all emphasize that natural systems must exhibit resilience and dynamic responses to rapid environmental changes (3, 5, 6). Both climate and land-use change have accelerated over thepast decades, underscoring the urgency for increased understanding and action (7–9). The cumulative effects of these disruptions are not additive or systematic; rather, they posecomplex, dynamic environmental challenges to ecological systems (see “dynamic systems” Table 1). With the dramatic ecological effects from climate fluctuations and increasing in stability of the fabric of life (10–12), we anticipate that biota will dramatically shift their ranges, reconfiguring ecological communities across Earth’s natural landscapes (13) (Fig. 1).Today’s most prevalent conservation approaches focus on the maintenance of static reserves. These approaches need to be supplemented by approaches that facilitate dynamic ecological shifts using flexible strategies that involve local stake holders(14–17). In addition, given the magnitude, rates, and complex interactions of anthropogenic and climatic change occurring today, these conservation approaches must beinformed by research that spans time scales to infer likely responses (18). This special feature integrates research from across spatial and temporal scales to explore how ecosystem sand communities function dynamically to respond to large scale environmental change, highlighting proposed solutions for conserving biodiversity on a rapidly changing planetFil: MacGuire, Jenny L.. Georgia Institute of Techology; Estados UnidosFil: Michelle Lawing, A.. Georgia Institute of Techology; Estados UnidosFil: Díaz, Sandra Myrna. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Físicas y Naturales. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal; ArgentinaFil: Stenseth, Nils Chr. University of Oslo; Noruega. International Union of Biological Sciences; Franci

No branch left behind: tracking terrestrial biodiversity from a phylogenetic completeness perspective

Biodiversity is ultimately the outcome of millions of years of evolution; however, due to increasing human domination of the Earth, biodiversity in its multiple dimensions is changing rapidly. Here, we present “phylogenetic completeness” (PC) as a concept and method for safeguarding Earth's evolutionary heritage by maintaining all branches of the tree of life. Using data for five major terrestrial clades, we performed a global evaluation of the PC approach and compared the results to an approach in which species are conserved or lost at random. We demonstrate that under PC, for a given number of species extinctions, it is possible to maximize the protection of evolutionary innovations in every clade. The PC approach is flexible, may be used to conduct a phylogenetic audit of biodiversity under different conservation scenarios, complements existing conservation efforts, and is linked to the post-2020 UN Convention on Biodiversity targets.Fil: Pinto Ledezma, Jesús N.. University of Minnesota; Estados UnidosFil: Díaz, Sandra Myrna. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Físicas y Naturales. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal; ArgentinaFil: Halpern, Benjamin S.. University of California; Estados UnidosFil: Khoury, Colin. San Diego Botanic Garden; Estados Unidos. Centro Internacional de Agricultura Tropical; ColombiaFil: Cavender Bares, Jeannine. University of Minnesota; Estados Unido

La complejidad de la vegetación aumenta la retención de semillas en el suelo en el bosque chaqueño de Córdoba

La dispersión de las semillas es fundamental para la dinámica y resiliencia de los ecosistemas terrestres. A pesar de que la dispersión primaria de las semillas ha sido muy estudiada, se conoce con menos detalle el destino de las semillas una vez que llegan al suelo. Se ha propuesto que la retención de las semillas en la superficie del suelo está fuertemente relacionada con la complejidad de la vegetación; por lo tanto, disturbios que modifican esta estructura, como el uso de la tierra, podrían comprometer la retención delas semillas. El presente trabajo analizó cómo diferentes intensidades de uso de la tierra afectan la complejidad de la vegetación y cómo ésta se relaciona con la retención de semillas en el ecosistema del bosque chaqueño de Córdoba. Para ello se realizó un experimento a campo en 16 sitios del bosque chaqueño que presentaban diferencias en variables estructurales ( % de suelo cubierto, estructura vertical y tipo de cobertura del suelo) asociadas a diferentes intensidades de uso. Se utilizaron semillas artificiales simulando las semillas de las principales especies leñosas del bosque chaqueño. Éstas se depositaron encuadrados dentro de una transecta y luego de 25 días se registró el % de semillas retenidas. En el mismo cuadrado se tomaron medidas de las diferentes variables estructurales.El experimento se repitió en dos años para captar la variabilidad interanual del viento y las precipitaciones. Mayores intensidades de uso de la tierra se asociaron con menor complejidad de la vegetación. A su vez, mayor complejidad de la vegetación aumentó el número de semillas retenidas, siendo este patrón más evidente cuando la velocidad del viento fue mayor. Se concluye que la complejidad de la vegetación en interacción con la velocidad del viento, influyen significativamente la retención de las semillas en la superficie del sueloFil: Lipoma, Maria Lucrecia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Físicas y Naturales. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal; ArgentinaFil: Díaz, Sandra Myrna. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Físicas y Naturales. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal; ArgentinaFil: Cuchietti, Anibal. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Físicas y Naturales. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal; ArgentinaFil: Gorne, Lucas Damián. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Físicas y Naturales. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal; ArgentinaXXVIII Reunión Argentina de EcologíaMar del PlataArgentinaAsociación Argentina de EcologíaUniversidad Nacional de Mar del PlataInstituto de Investigaciones Marinas y CosterasAgencia de Promoción Científica y TecnológicaConsejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnica

Analyzing individual drivers of global changes promotes inaccurate long-term policies in deforestation hotspots: The case of Gran Chaco

In the context of the global climate and biodiversity crises, forecasting the effectiveness of Protected Areas (PAs) and forest management to conserve biodiversity in the long-term is a high priority, especially in threatened environments. By combining distribution models and conservation planning protocols, we analyzed the effect of global climate and agriculture-linked activities in the long-term conservation opportunities of one most threatened deforestation hotspots: the South American Gran Chaco. We showed that assessing the effects of each driver of global change individually, promotes inaccurate long-term policies in deforestation hotspots. Our future scenarios indicated a low impact of climate change on the species distributions when it was analyzed individually. However, its effects were strongly exacerbated when both drivers of threat were combined in the same analyses, strongly diminishing conservation opportunities in the region: more than 50% of the remaining species' distribution and hotspot areas could be lost in the near future. In this dramatic context, we identified important opportunities to improve the level of long-term protection by increasing at least 5.6% the protection coverage and placing PAs strategically. It is imperative policymakers promote policies to generate a long-term improvement of conservation areas that are resilient to both threats as soon as possible for these threatened environments.Fil: Prieto Torres, David Alexander. Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico. Facultad de Estudios Superiores de Iztacala; MéxicoFil: Díaz, Sandra Myrna. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Físicas y Naturales. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal; ArgentinaFil: Cordier, Javier Maximiliano. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto de Diversidad y Ecología Animal. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Físicas y Naturales. Instituto de Diversidad y Ecología Animal; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales. Centro de Zoología Aplicada; ArgentinaFil: Torres, Ricardo Marcelo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto de Diversidad y Ecología Animal. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Físicas y Naturales. Instituto de Diversidad y Ecología Animal; ArgentinaFil: Carón, María Mercedes. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Físicas y Naturales. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales. Museo de Zoología; ArgentinaFil: Nori, Javier. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto de Diversidad y Ecología Animal. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Físicas y Naturales. Instituto de Diversidad y Ecología Animal; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales. Centro de Zoología Aplicada; Argentin