Eva Spehn

Plant diversity effects on soil heterotrophic activity in experimental grassland ecosystems

The loss of plant species from terrestrial ecosystems may cause changes in soil decomposer communities and in decomposition of organic material with potential further consequences for other ecosystem processes. This was tested in experimental communities of 1, 2, 4, 8, 32 plant species and of 1, 2 or 3 functional groups (grasses, legumes and non-leguminous forbs). As plant species richness was reduced from the highest species richness to monocultures, mean aboveground plant biomass decreased by 150%, but microbial biomass (measured by substrate induced respiration) decreased by only 15% (P = 0.05). Irrespective of plant species richness, the absence of legumes (across diversity levels) caused microbial biomass to decrease by 15% (P = 0.02). No effect of plant species richness or composition was detected on the microbial metabolic quotient (qCO2) and no plant species richness effect was found on feeding activity of the mesofauna (assessed with a bait-lamina-test). Decomposition of cellulose and birchwood sticks was also not affected by plant species richness, but when legumes were absent, cellulose samples were decomposed more slowly (16% in 1996, 27% in 1997, P = 0.006). A significant decrease in earthworm population density of 63% and in total earthworm biomass by 84% was the single most prominent response to the reduction of plant species richness, largely due to a 50% reduction in biomass of the dominant `anecic earthworms. Voles (Arvicola terrestris L.) also had a clear preference for high-diversity plots. Soil moisture during the growing season was unaffected by plant species richness or the number of functional groups present. In contrast, soil temperature was 2 K higher in monocultures compared with the most diverse mixtures on a bright day at peak season. We conclude that the lower abundance and activity of decomposers with reduced plant species richness was related to altered substrate quantity, a signal which is not reflected in rates of decomposition of standard test material. The presence of nitrogen fixers seemed to be the most important component of the plant diversity manipulation for soil heterotrophs. The reduction in plant biomass due to the simulated loss of plant species had more pronounced effects on voles and earthworms than on microbes, suggesting that higher trophic levels are more strongly affected than lower trophic levels.

Land Use Change and Mountain Biodiversity

High-Elevation Land Use, Biodiversity, and Ecosystem Functioning Christian Korner, Gia Nakhutsrishvili, and Eva Spehn Diversity of Afroalpine Vegetation and Ecology of Treeline Species in the Bale Mountains, Ethiopia, and the Influence of Fire Masresha Fetene, Yoseph Assefa, Menassie Gashaw, Zerihun Woldu, and Erwin Beck Is Afroalpine Plant Biodiversity Negatively Affected by High-Altitude Fires? Karsten Wesche The Impact of Fire on Diversity, Structure, and Composition of the Vegetation on Mt. Kilimanjaro Andreas Hemp Effects of Fire on the Diversity of Geometrid Moths on Mt. Kilimanjaro Jan C. Axmacher, Ludger Scheuermann, Marion Schrumpf, Herbert V.M. Lyaruu, Konrad Fiedler, and Klaus Muller-Hohenstein The Influence of Fire on Mountain Sclerophyllous Forests and Their Small-Mammal Communities in Madagascar Bernardin P.N. Rasolonandrasana and Steven M. Goodman Fire, Plant Species Richness, and Aerial Biomass Distribution in Mountain Grasslands of Northwest Argentina Roxana Aragon, Julietta Carilla, and Luciana Cristobal The Biodiversity of the Columbian Paramo and Its Relation to Anthropogenic Impact Orlando Rangel Churio Grazing Impact on Vegetation Structure and Plant Species Richness in an Old-Field Succession of the Venezuelan Paramos Lina Sarmiento Vegetation and Grazing Patterns in Andean Environments: A Comparison of Pastoral Systems in Punas and Paramos Marcelo Molinillo and Maximina Monasterio Grazing Intensity, Plant Diversity, and Rangeland Conditions in the Southeastern Andes of Peru (Palccoyo, Cusco) Jorge Alberto Bustamante Becerra Importance of Carrying Capacity in Sustainable Management of Key High-Andean Puna Rangelands (Bofedales) in Ulla Ulla, Bolivia Humberto Alzerreca, Jorge Laura, Freddy Loza, Demetrio Luna, and Jonny Ortega Functional Diversity of Wetland Vegetation in the High-Andean Paramo, Venezuela Zulimar Hernandez and Maximina Monasterio Millennia of Grazing History in Eastern Ladakh, India, Reflected in Rangeland Vegetation Gopal S. Rawat and Bhupendra S. Adhikari Alpine Grazing in the Snowy Mountains of Australia: Degradation and Stabilization of the Ecosystem Ken Green, Roger B. Good, Stuart W. Johnston, and Lisa A. Simpson Vegetation of the Pamir (Tajikistan): Land Use and Desertification Problems Siegmar-W. Breckle and Walter Wucherer Effects of Grazing on Biodiversity, Productivity, and Soil Erosion of Alpine Pastures in Tajik Mountains Khukmatullo M. Akhmadov, Siegmar-W. Breckle, and Uta Breckle Plant Species Diversity, Forest Structure, and Tree Regeneration in Subalpine Wood Pastures Andrea C. Mayer, Veronika Stockli, Christine Huovinen, and Michael Kreuzer Patterns of Forest Recovery in Grazing Fields in the Subtropical Mountains of Northwest Argentina Julieta Carilla, H. Ricardo Grau, and Agustina Malizia Climatic and Anthropogenic Influences on the Dynamics of Prosopis ferox Forests in the Quebrada de Humahuaca, Jujuy, Argentina Mariano Morales and Ricardo Villalba Conservation of Biodiversity in the Maloti-Drakensberg Mountain Range Terry M. Everson and Craig.D. Morris Effects of Anthropogenic Disturbances on Biodiversity: A Major Issue of Protected-Area Management in Nepal Khadga Basnet Agricultural Development and Biodiversity Conservation in the Paramo Environments of the Andes of Merida, Venezuela Maximina Monasterio and Marcelo Molinillo Multidimensional (Climatic, Biodiversity, Socioeconomic, and Agricultural) Context of Changes in Land Use in the Vilcanota Watershed, Peru Stephan Halloy, Anton Seimon, Karina Yager, and Alfredo Tupayachi Fire and Grazing - A Synthesis of Human Impacts on Highland Biodiversity Eva M. Spehn, Maximo Liberman, and Christian Korner The Moshi-La Paz Research Agenda on Land Use Effects on Tropical and Subtropical Mountain Biodiversity

The functioning of European grassland ecosystems: Potential benefits of biodiversity to agriculture

About half the farmland of Europe is grassland pasture or hay meadow, and much is impoverished in plant species due to the addition of fertilizers and pesticides, agricultural re-sowing, habitat fragmentation, land abandonment and changes in grazing and mowing regimes. Given this widespread reduction, it is important to understand the effect that loss of biodiversity is having upon our wider environment. Here the authors summarize the main results from the BIODEPTH project, the first multinational, large-scale experiment to examine directly the relationship between plant diversity and the processes that determine the functioning of ecosystems. The results suggest that preserving and restoring grassland diversity may be beneficial to maintaining desirable levels of several ecosystem processes, and may therefore have applications in land management and agriculture.

Data Mining for Global Trends in Mountain Biodiversity

Thanks to advances in electronic archiving of biodiversity data and the digitization of climate and other geophysical data, a new era in biogeography, functional ecology, and evolutionary ecology has begun. In Data Mining for Global Trends in Mountain Biodiversity, Christian Korner, Eva M. Spehn, and a team of experts from the Global Mountain Biodiversity Assessment of DIVERSITAS explore two of the hottest subjects in science and technology: biodiversity and data mining. They demonstrate how to harness the scientific power of biological databases for furthering ecological and evolutionary theory. Expert contributors address two aspects of the Global Mountain Biodiversity Assessment. They cover how to link biodiversity data with geophysical data and how to use biodiversity data to substantiate evolutionary and ecological theory. The text provides different methodological approaches and examples of successful mining of geo-referenced data in mountain regions on various scales. It includes: Elevational and latitudinal gradients in plant diversity E-mining trends in diversity of Lepidoptera, beetles, and birds Niche modeling to explain past trends and predict future trends in mountain biodiversity Sharing biodiversity data with the Global Biodiversity Information Facility Using electronic databases opens ways to manage biodiversity in a sustainable fashion, test evolutionary and ecological theories, and measure the impact of climate change on various species and its effect on conservation efforts. The information and examples presented in this book can stimulate the creative use of archive data to answer old questions with new tools, and advance knowledge and understanding of mountain biodiversity worldwide. The book highlights the benefits of and the continuing need for an increase in the amount and quality of georeferenced data provided online in order to meet the challenges of global change.

Creative Use of Mountain Biodiversity Databases: The Kazbegi Research Agenda of GMBA-DIVERSITAS

Abstract Geo-referenced archive databases on mountain organisms are very promising tools for achieving a better understanding of mountain biodiversity and predicting its changes. The Global Mountain Biodiversity Assessment (GMBA) of DIVERSITAS, in cooperation with the Global Biodiversity Information Facility, encourages a global effort to mine biodiversity databases on mountain organisms. The wide range of climatic conditions and topographies across the worlds mountains offers an unparalleled opportunity for developing and testing biodiversity theory. The power of openly accessible, interconnected electronic databases for scientific biodiversity research, which by far exceeds the original intent of archiving for mainly taxonomic purposes, has been illustrated. There is an urgent need to increase the amount and quality of geo-referenced data on mountain biodiversity provided online, in order to meet the challenges of global change in mountains.

MRI Newsletter 8: Georeferenced Biological Databases—A Tool for Understanding Mountain Biodiversity

Abstract The Mountain Research Initiative invited Dr Eva Spehn, Director of the Global Mountain Biodiversity Assessment (GMBA), and Dr Antoine Guisan, head of the Spatial Ecology Group at the University of Lausanne, to introduce the reader to their coordinated efforts to advance understanding and prediction of mountain biodiversity. Antoine Guisans EUROMONT project is one of the many scientific projects that may potentially provide data for the new GMBA initiative for a GIS mountain biodiversity database.

Plant Diversity in the Central Great Caucasus: A Quantitative Assessment

This book presents the first assessment of the high-elevation flora of the Central Caucasus with a community ecology emphasis. Following a geostatistical-climatological description of the region (in comparison to the European Alps), it describes the montane, alpine and nival plant assemblages on the basis of an ecological approach that combines moisture, soils and local habitat peculiarities. nHighlights include the famous giant herb communities in treeless parts of the upper montane belt, the various facets of alpine turf, and the unique assemblages and settings in the nival region. Further chapters address potential niche conservation between the Caucasus and the Alps, as well as a compilation of plant species habitat preferences (indicator values) that applies to a concept developed for the Alps. nRichly illustrated and featuring extensive quantitative data on species abundance, the book offers a unique guide to the plant species diversity of this prominent mountain range, and a valuable resource for comparative ecology and biodiversity assessments of warm temperate mountain systems.

Introduction: Mountains of Our Future Earth—Perth 2015

From 5 to 8 October 2015, 400 people from 52 countries on 6 continents attended the international conference “Mountains of Our Future Earth” in Perth, Scotland. The event was organized by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Chair in sustainable development at the Centre for Mountain Studies (CMS) at Perth College, University of the Highlands and Islands, together with 2 global organizations: the Mountain Research Initiative (MRI) and the Global Mountain Biodiversity Assessment (GMBA). This editorial introduces the conference and the papers in this special issue, which are based on presentations given during the conference. The present issue of MRD concludes with an evaluation of the conference and consequent recommendations for future research.

Global Mountain Biodiversity Assessment: A Report on the First International Conference on Mountain Biodiversity

The first International Conference on Global Mountain Biodiversity took place on the Rigi, “queen of the mountains,” in Switzerland in September 2000. More than 120 experts from 34 nations made presentations on their research on biodiversity in all major mountain ranges of the world. Steep terrain and mountain climate in combination with severe land use pressure cause mountain ecosystems to rank among the most endangered landscapes in the world (Chapter 13 of Agenda 21 of the Rio Protocol). Until now, the problems of sustainable biological diversity in mountains have never been taken up as part of a globally coordinated scientific initiative. Consequently, the international program DIVERSITAS and the Swiss Academy of Sciences (SAS), together with Professors Christian Körner and Bruno Messerli, initiated a global mountain biodiversity network that was inaugurated at the conference. The Global Mountain Biodiversity Assessment (GMBA) is one of the 12 STAR (Special Target Areas of Research) projects of DIVERSITAS (Paris). GMBA focuses on the biodiversity of the upper montane zone, the treeline ecotone, and treeless alpine regions worldwide. A central network office will be established in Switzerland, with members of the steering committee organizing projects and meetings on a continental scale. GMBA aims to synthesize available evidence and initiate new research activities with a comparative emphasis (elevational transects as well as cross-/intercontinental comparisons). This important process of assessing and evaluating current knowledge about mountain biodiversity (and also identifying gaps in understanding) started at the Rigi conference. The conference was led by Professor Christian Körner (Basle) and was jointly organized by the Swiss Academy of Sciences, the Basle Institute of Botany, the University of Basle, and the Swiss Biodiversity Forum under the patronage of DIVERSITAS, IUCN, UNU, FAO, and IGBP/GCTE. Delegates from international organizations (IUCN, UNEP, FAO) and the Swiss funding agencies (the Swiss Federal Office for Agriculture and the Swiss Agency for the Environment, Forests, and Landscape) contributed expertise on incorporating scientific knowledge about biodiversity in political processes. Other delegates shared their expertise on national action plans (M. Chakraborty, UNEP) and protected area management (D. Williamson, FAO). Maritta R. von Biberstein Koch-Weser, the director general of IUCN, expressed her sympathy with this global undertaking, which will assist scientifically based conservation plans. Many researchers from poor and developing countries were able to participate, thanks to financial support from the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) and the Swiss National Science Foundation’s SCOPES program for Eastern Europe. The peer-selected contributions (60 plenary presentations and 40 posters) illustrated current knowledge about the diversity of bacteria, plants, animals, and humans in the mountain regions of the world. The first part of the conference was dominated by reports on inventories (how much mountain biodiversity is there?), including examples from the Himalayas, Andes, Rocky Mountains, Alps, and alpine zones of New Zealand and Australia. The second part of the conference focused on changes in mountain biodiversity due to long-term climatic change and land use. The climatic component was covered by a special session of GLORIA (Global Observation Research Initiative in Alpine environments). GLORIA aims to establish a long-term observation network, using a monitoring method (the multisummit approach) to compare high mountain biocoenoses and their climateinduced changes along altitudinal as well as horizontal gradients. The multisummit approach and the draft of a field manual for this initiative were discussed. (For more information on GLORIA, see www.pph. univie.ac.at/gloria/gloria.html.) The session on the land use component of global change underlined that, in some areas of the globe, change in the social climate is likely to affect mountain biota more heavily and more rapidly than change in the physical climate. On the other hand, it was also shown that adequate traditional land use of mountain biota might even increase their biodiversity and preserve their functional integrity, so that the presence of people may improve ecosystem values. In order to illustrate the problem of mountain biodiversity for a broad audience, many participants agreed to contribute to a synthesis on Global Mountain Biodiversity, which should be available as a book in the year 2002, the International Year of Mountains. A short executive summary of the results of the conference will be published soon with the financial support of the United Nations University in Tokyo. Information on the new GMBA network and the results of the conference can be obtained from the GMBA web site (www.unibas.ch/gmba/) or by subscribing to the information bulletin to regularly receive information on the activities of the GMBA network (please write a brief request to gmba@ubaclu.unibas.ch). 88