4.9. Lavorel Global

Keynote Presentations from the 2nd ALTER-Net Summer School, Peyresq 1 - 13 September 2007

Abstract

Biodiversity is variously affected by global changes, and especially land use change, seen by experts as the main driver for current and projected changes in the diversity life on Earth. Large-scale models use a range of different methods to project vegetation changes under global-change scenarios and associated changes in biodiversity. These models at regional scales tell us little however about what our landscapes will look like 50 years from now. This lecture will present some basic concepts and approaches (both empirical and modelling) currently used by researchers to project changes in plant diversity and some key ecosystem properties at the landscape scale. I will subsequently focus on functional approaches, which consider species not from a taxonomic point of view, but from the perspective of their biological characteristics that determine their responses to environmental changes and their effects on ecosystem. Lastly I will examine how such studies can help us project changes in ecosystem services delivered by diverse landscapes.

Recommended background literature on this presentation:

• Díaz S, Lavorel S, de Bello F, Quétier F, Grigulis K, Robson TM (to be submitted) Incorporating plant functional diversity effects in ecosystem service assessments.
• Garnier E, Lavorel S, Ansquer P, Castro H, Cruz P, Dolezal J, Eriksson O, Fortunel C, Freitas H, Golodets C, Grigulis K, Jouany C, Kazakou E, Kigel J, Kleyer M, Lehsten V, Leps J, Meier T, Pakeman R, Papadimitriou M, Papanastasis VP, Quested H, Quétier F, Robson M, Roumet C, Rusch G, Skarpe C, Sternberg M, Theau JP, Thébault A, Vile D, Zarovali MP (2007) Assessing the effects of land-use change on plant traits, communities and ecosystem functioning in grasslands: a standardized methodology and lessons from an application to 11 European sites. Annals of Botany 99:967-985 10.1093/aob/mcl215
• Quétier F, Lavorel S, Thuiller W, Davies I (2007) Assessing ecosystem-service sensitivity to land-use change in a mountain grassland landscape: A plant-trait based modeling approach. Ecological Applications (in press) (pdf: 100KB)
• Quétier F, Thébault A, Lavorel S (2007) Plant traits in a state and transition framework as markers of ecosystem response to land-use change. Ecological Monographs 77(1):33-52. (pdf: 700KB)
• Diaz S, Fargione J, Chapin III FS, Tilman D (2006) Biodiversity loss threatens human well-being. PLOS Biology 4(8) 1300-1305. (pdf: 700KB)
• Thuiller W, Lavorel S, Midgley G, Lavergne S, Rebelo T (2003) Relating plant traits and species distributions along bioclimatic gradients for 88 Leucadendron Taxa. Ecology 85(6) 1688-1699. http://www.esajournals.org/archive/0012-9658/85/6/pdf/i0012-9658-85-6-1688.pdf(pdf: 400KB)
• Lavorel S, Diaz S, Cornelissen JHC, Garnier E, Harrison SP, McIntyre S, Pausas JG, Pérez-Harguindeguy N, Roumet C, Urcelay C : Plant functional types: are we getting any closer to the Holy Grail? (pdf: 4MB)
• Mace G, Masundire H, Baillie J, Rickets T, Brooks T, Hoffmann M, Stuart S, Balmford A, Purvis A, Reyers B, Wang J, Revenga C, Kennedy E, Naeem S, Alkemade R, Allnutt T, Bakarr M, Bond W, Chanson J, Cox N, Fonseca G, Hilton-Taylor C, Loucks C, Rodrigues A, Sechrest W, Stattersfield A, van Rensburg BJ, Whiteman C, Abell R, Cokeliss Z, Lamoreux J, Pereira HM, Thönell J, Williams P (2005) Biodiversity. Chapter 4 in Carpenter S, Pingali PL, Bennett EM, Zurek MB (eds.) Ecosystems and Human Well-being: Current state and trends, Volume 1, Findings of the Condition and Trends Working Group of the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, Island Press, Washington, Covelo, London, Pp. 77-122. http://www.maweb.org/documents/document.273.aspx.pdf (pdf: 2MB)