12.9. Tockner

Keynote Presentations from the 5th ALTER-Net Summer School, Peyresq 5 - 14 September 2010

Speaker: Klement Tockner

tockner -at- igb-berlin.de

Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries (IGB), Mueggelseedamm 310, 12785 Berlin, Germany
Personal homepage

Title of the talk: Freshwater biodiversity in a nutshell (pdf: 11MB)

Abstract

There is clear and growing scientific evidence that we are on the verge of a major biodiversity crisis. However, few are aware of the catastrophic decline in freshwater biodiversity at both local and global scale. While freshwaters cover only 0.8% of the earth’s surface, they contain ~10% of all animals. More than 35% of all vertebrates are restricted to freshwaters. Compared with terrestrial and marine systems, they exhibit a 2-4 times higher extinction rate. Threats to freshwater biodiversity are growing and now are global in scale. The implications to ecosystems and humans are immense because rivers, lakes, ground waters, and wetlands provide a diverse array of crucial natural functions and services; more than any other ecosystems.

The goals of this presentation are (i) to raise awareness about the dramatic situation in freshwater biodiversity, and the ecosystem services that are being lost as this biodiversity declines, (ii) to present a comprehensive overview of the main pressures on global and European freshwater biodiversity, and define clear criteria for setting priorities for their sustainable management, and (iii) to suggest research and management priority actions for supporting local and global biodiversity, and the services it provides. In addition, I will present results from the ongoing research on river floodplain ecosystems that highlights the complex linkages between ecosystem structure and function and of species that exhibit complex life cycles.

Recommended background literature on this presentation:

• Dudgeon D, Arthington AH, Gessner MO, Kawabata Z-I, Knowler DJ, Lévêque C, Naiman RJ, Prieur-Richard A-H, Soto D, Stiassny MLJ, Sullivan CA (2005) Freshwater biodiversity: importance, threats, status and conservation challenges. Biol Rev 81:163–182. doi:10.1017/S1464793105006950
• Strayer DL, Dudgeon D (2010) Freshwater biodiversity conservation: recent progress and future challenges. J North American Benthological Society 29(1):344–358. doi: 10.1899/08-171.1
• Muneepeerakul R, Bertuzzo E, Lynch HJ, Fagan WF, Rinaldo A, Rodriguez-Iturbe I (2008) Neutral metacommunity models predict fish diversity patterns in Mississippi–Missouri basin. nature 453:220-223. doi: 10.1038/nature06813
• Tockner K, Pusch M, Borchardt D, Lorang MS (2010) Multiple stressors in coupled river–floodplain ecosystems. Freshwater Biology 55(1):135–151. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2427.2009.02371.x
• Tockner K, Bunn SE, Gordon C, Naiman RJ, Quinn GP, Stanford JA (2008) Flood plains: critically threatened ecosystems. in Polunin NVC (Editor) Aquatic Ecosystems. Cambridge University Press New York, Foundation for Environmental Conservation 2008.

Further information:

• www.freshwaterbiodiversity.eu