Forest biodiversity, ecosystem functioning and the provision of ecosystem services

Forests are critical habitats for biodiversity and they are also essential for the provision of a wide range of ecosystem services that are important to human well-being. There is increasing evidence that biodiversity contributes to forest ecosystem functioning and the provision of ecosystem services. Here we provide a review of forest ecosystem services including biomass production, habitat provisioning services, pollination, seed dispersal, resistance to wind storms, fire regulation and mitigation, pest regulation of native and invading insects, carbon sequestration, and cultural ecosystem services, in relation to forest type, structure and diversity. We also consider relationships between forest biodiversity and multifunctionality, and trade-offs among ecosystem services. We compare the concepts of ecosystem processes, functions and services to clarify their definitions. Our review of published studies indicates a lack of empirical studies that establish quantitative and causal relationships between forest biodiversity and many important ecosystem services. The literature is highly skewed; studies on provisioning of nutrition and energy, and on cultural services, delivered by mixed-species forests are under-represented. Planted forests offer ample opportunity for optimising their composition and diversity because replanting after harvesting is a recurring process. Planting mixed-species forests should be given more consideration as they are likely to provide a wider range of ecosystem services within the forest and for adjacent land uses. This review also serves as the introduction to this special issue of Biodiversity and Conservation on various aspects of forest biodiversity and ecosystem services

Maintaining ecosystem resilience: functional responses of tree cavity nesters to logging in temperate forests of the Americas

Logging often reduces taxonomic diversity in forest communities, but little is known about how this biodiversity loss affects the resilience of ecosystem functions. We examined how partial logging and clearcutting of temperate forests influenced functional diversity of birds that nest in tree cavities. We used point-counts in a before-after-control-impact design to examine the effects of logging on the value, range, and density of functional traits in bird communities in Canada (21 species) and Chile (16 species). Clearcutting, but not partial logging, reduced diversity in both systems. The effect was much more pronounced in Chile, where logging operations removed critical nesting resources (large decaying trees), than in Canada, where decaying aspen Populus tremuloides were retained on site. In Chile, logging was accompanied by declines in species richness, functional richness (amount of functional niche occupied by species), community-weighted body mass (average mass, weighted by species densities), and functional divergence (degree of maximization of divergence in occupied functional niche). In Canada, clearcutting did not affect species richness but nevertheless reduced functional richness and community-weighted body mass. Although some cavity-nesting birds can persist under intensive logging operations, their ecosystem functions may be severely compromised unless future nest trees can be retained on logged sites.Fil: Ibarra, José Tomás. University of British Columbia; Canadá. Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile; ChileFil: Martin, Michaela. University of British Columbia; CanadáFil: Cockle, Kristina Louise. University of British Columbia; Canadá. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Salta. Instituto de Bio y Geociencias del NOA. Universidad Nacional de Salta. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales. Museo de Ciencias Naturales. Instituto de Bio y Geociencias del NOA; ArgentinaFil: Martin, Kathy. University of British Columbia; Canad

Human and mouse essentiality screens as a resource for disease gene discovery.

The identification of causal variants in sequencing studies remains a considerable challenge that can be partially addressed by new gene-specific knowledge. Here, we integrate measures of how essential a gene is to supporting life, as inferred from viability and phenotyping screens performed on knockout mice by the International Mouse Phenotyping Consortium and essentiality screens carried out on human cell lines. We propose a cross-species gene classification across the Full Spectrum of Intolerance to Loss-of-function (FUSIL) and demonstrate that genes in five mutually exclusive FUSIL categories have differing biological properties. Most notably, Mendelian disease genes, particularly those associated with developmental disorders, are highly overrepresented among genes non-essential for cell survival but required for organism development. After screening developmental disorder cases from three independent disease sequencing consortia, we identify potentially pathogenic variants in genes not previously associated with rare diseases. We therefore propose FUSIL as an efficient approach for disease gene discovery

Hierarchische habitat-auswahl beim sperlingskauz (Glaucidium passerinum) in alten waldbeständen des französischen voralpenlandes

Maintaining or restoring old-growth stand structures in mountain forests, including deadwood and snags provided by natural disturbances, is considered critical for the conservation of secondary cavity-nesting birds. Under current climate warming, old-growth mountain forests might become increasingly important for boreo-alpine species living in the southern part of their ranges. Here, we focused on hierarchical habitat selection by Eurasian Pygmy Owls Glaucidium passerinum in mixed mountain forests at their low latitude range limit in the southern French Prealps. We quantified Pygmy Owl habitat use at complementary hierarchical levels, from the local population to individual home ranges, by combining systematic playback counts and radio-telemetry. Mean home range sizes for breeding adult males covered 0.67 km2, ranging between 0.46 and 0.98 km2. We found evidence for Pygmy Owl habitat selection being a consistently hierarchical process, with (1) fir-dominated forests selected as the main habitat at the population level; (2) old-growth fir-dominated forest stands including edges with grassland gaps and karstic eroded areas selected at the home range level; and (3) amount of surrounding dead or decaying spruces increasing the occurrence probability of owl nesting cavities. Conserving Pygmy Owls at their low latitude range limit therefore requires the maintenance of old-growth mixed forests dominated by firs that provide these critical habitat features within a complex and heterogeneous landscape mosaic.Das Erhalten oder die Wiederherstellung alter Bestandsstrukturen in Gebirgswäldern inklusive des durch natürliche Störeinflüsse entstandenen Totholzes und der Baumstümpfe wird als ausschlaggebend für den Erhalt derjenigen Vögel betrachtet, die in sekundären Bruthöhlen nisten. Bei der derzeitigen Klimaerwärmung könnten die alten Gebirgswald-Bestände für diejenigen boreoalpinen Arten immer wichtiger werden, die am südlichen Rand ihrer Verbreitungsgebiete leben. In unserer Studie konzentrierten wir uns auf die hierarchische Habitat-Auswahl von Sperlingskäuzen (Glaucidium passerinum) in Mischwäldern auf mittlerer Höhe der südlichen französischen Voralpen. Mit einer Kombination von Radio-Telemetriedaten und systematisch erfassten Ruf-Zählungen quantifizierten wir die Nutzung der Habitate auf allen Ebenen: von der örtlichen Population bis hin zu den alltäglichen Lebensräumen der Einzeltiere. Die Größe der individuellen Lebensräume brütender, adulter Männchen reichte von 0,46 bis 0,98 km2 und betrug im Schnitt 0,67 km2. Wir fanden Hinweise darauf, dass die Habitat-Auswahl bei Sperlingskäuzen ein durchgängig hierarchischer Vorgang ist: (i) Tannen-dominierte Wälder wurden auf Populations-Ebene als wichtigste Habitate ausgewählt, (ii) auf der Ebene der individuellen Habitate lagen Altbestände von Tannenwäldern, die mit Wiesenflecken und karstig erodierten Bereichen durchsetzt war, an erster Stelle, und (iii) die Menge an toten oder vermodernden Fichten erhöhten die Wahrscheinlichkeit, Nisthöhlen der Sperlingskäuze zu finden. Sperlingskäuze auf den niedrigeren Höhen ihrer Verbreitungsgebieten zu halten, erfordert daher den Erhalt von alten, vorherrschend mit Tannen besetzten Mischwäldern, die innerhalb eines komplexen und heterogenen Landschaftsbildes diese wichtigen Auswahlkriterien für Habitate bieten