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Diversity
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Biodiversity and Ecosystem Function
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Biodiversity and Ecosystem Function

A special issue of Diversity (ISSN 1424-2818). This special issue belongs to the section "Biodiversity Loss & Dynamics".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 October 2024 | Viewed by 6688

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Haitao Wu

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Northeast Institute of Geography and Agricultural Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun 130102, China
Interests: wetland ecology; soil ecology; wetland biodiversity and ecosystem function; ecological restoration of degraded wetlands; protection and management of wetland ecosystem
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Junhong Bai

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Environment, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
Interests: carbon cycling; nitrogen cycling; biogeochemical processes; ecohydrological processes; ecological risks; heavy metals; wetland restoration; wetland soil; microbial ecology; wetland ecology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Numerous studies have proven that biodiversity and ecosystem functioning (BEF) are closely linked. Biodiversity is a major determinant factor of productivity, stability, and nutrient dynamics of ecosystems. It has been clearly established that ecosystem functions highly depend both on biotic factors (such as the community structure and diversity, and the interactions between species) and abiotic factors (such as climate, hydrology, soil/sediment or geology). However, the relative contribution of these factors is still a central question in the debate about the relationship between diversity and ecosystem function. The preservation, conservation, and restoration of biodiversity should be given a high priority for improving reginal or global ecosystem functions and ecological security.

We are inviting research articles, short communications, and reviews dealing with all aspects of BEF relationships. Papers on theoretical approaches, field and laboratory experiments of BEF relationships in natural ecosystems, as well as BEF studies in manipulated ecosystems are welcome. The aim of this Special Issue is to substantially deepen our understanding of BEF interactions and how to conserve and improve biodiversity in a changing world.

Prof. Dr. Haitao Wu
Prof. Dr. Junhong Bai
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Diversity is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

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Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

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13 pages, 1922 KiB  
Article
Responses of Phytoplankton Communities to Flow Regulation in Northeastern Riverine Wetlands of China
by Yao Meng and Haitao Wu
Diversity 2023, 15(12), 1191; https://doi.org/10.3390/d15121191 - 1 Dec 2023
Viewed by 1286
Abstract
Among the impacts of dam construction on river ecosystem, runoff regulation and habitat fragmentation are the two major concerns. Herein, the response characteristics of phytoplankton communities to reservoir impoundment and dam interception were explored by taking Manjiang and Songjiang rivers, where a man-made [...] Read more.
Among the impacts of dam construction on river ecosystem, runoff regulation and habitat fragmentation are the two major concerns. Herein, the response characteristics of phytoplankton communities to reservoir impoundment and dam interception were explored by taking Manjiang and Songjiang rivers, where a man-made engineering project was constructed, and the natural stretches located in the up-streams as the research objects. The results obtained revealed that the compositions of phytoplankton communities, collected from the 21 sampling sites in the riverine wetlands of reservoir stretch, flow-reduced stretch, and natural stretch, were dissimilar. The communities of phytoplankton were clustered into three groups. The co-occurrence network analysis indicated that the interspecific relationship structures of phytoplankton communities of each group were different. The indicator species Chlamydomonas ovalis, Synedra acus, and Chlamydomonas globosa, belonged to the Reservoir Wetlands Group, Diatoma vulgare, Fragilaria ca pucina, and Meridion circulare belonged to the Flow-reduced Wetlands Group, and Ceratoneis arcus and Treubaria crassispina belonged to the Natural Wetlands Group. The functional group L0 was the absolute dominant group in all three groups of the riverine wetlands, but a discrepancy was that the proportions of functional group X2 and functional group C in the Reservoir Wetlands Group were remarkably higher, while the proportion of functional group MP in the Flow-reduced Wetlands Group was noticeably higher. By assessing the status of the phytoplankton community composition and the functional group structure, we concluded that current velocity and water depth were crucial influencing factors, and the functional group structure based on the classification of livable water could be applied as a good indication for demonstrating phytoplankton community succession. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biodiversity and Ecosystem Function)
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20 pages, 9856 KiB  
Article
Seasonal Variation in the Organization of Dung Beetle Communities in the Moroccan Middle Atlas (Coleoptera: Scarabaeoidea)
by Hasnae Hajji, Abdellatif Janati-Idrissi, Abdelkhaleq Fouzi Taybi, Valérie Caron, Jean-Pierre Lumaret and Youness Mabrouki
Diversity 2023, 15(11), 1138; https://doi.org/10.3390/d15111138 - 11 Nov 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1387
Abstract
Dung beetles feed on and bury animal droppings, and their role is crucial in reducing the accumulation of manure, which diminishes the useful surface area of pastures. The aim of this research was to characterize the seasonal organization of dung beetle communities (Coleoptera: [...] Read more.
Dung beetles feed on and bury animal droppings, and their role is crucial in reducing the accumulation of manure, which diminishes the useful surface area of pastures. The aim of this research was to characterize the seasonal organization of dung beetle communities (Coleoptera: Scarabaeoidea) in the Middle Atlas region of Morocco in terms of core and satellite species. The beetles were collected using standard dung-baited traps. Four sites along a gradient of elevation were surveyed for one year every 7 to 10 days, depending on the season and local weather conditions. A total of 24,397 beetles were collected, belonging to 51 species. In most dung beetle communities, two to three species were found to be predominant, representing between 70 and 95% of all the individuals active at the same time but constituting only 10 to 30% of species diversity. The rapid succession of species at the same site limits the competition between species, allowing for the efficient use of available trophic resources. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biodiversity and Ecosystem Function)
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12 pages, 3767 KiB  
Article
Comparing the Effectiveness of Biodiversity Conservation across Different Regions at County Scale
by Kaikai Dong, Ziqi Chen, Ying Li, Guanglei Hou and Zhaoli Liu
Diversity 2023, 15(10), 1043; https://doi.org/10.3390/d15101043 - 28 Sep 2023
Viewed by 1013
Abstract
The central government of China encourages enthusiasm for biodiversity conservation by implementing a transfer payment policy targeted at Biodiversity National Key Ecological Functional Areas at the county scale. Biodiversity National Key Ecological Functional Areas are types of PAs that were designated by the [...] Read more.
The central government of China encourages enthusiasm for biodiversity conservation by implementing a transfer payment policy targeted at Biodiversity National Key Ecological Functional Areas at the county scale. Biodiversity National Key Ecological Functional Areas are types of PAs that were designated by the State Council of China for the implementation of biodiversity conservation. However, regional comparative assessment results of biodiversity conservation effectiveness in different county-level administrative units are still lacking. In this study, we developed a reference condition index to represent the ecological background, and we then constructed a conservation effectiveness index to compare the conservation efforts among 131 counties in seven Biodiversity National Key Ecological Functional Areas. The results showed the following: (1) The biological background could be well reflected by the reference condition index. The Tropical Rainforest Ecological Function Area in Mountain Areas in the Middle of Hainan Island had the best biological background, while the Desert Ecological Function Area on the Northwest Qiangtang Plateau had the worst. (2) The biodiversity conservation effectiveness of the Desert Ecological Function Area on the Northwest Qiangtang Plateau was the best, and that of the Wetland Ecological Function Area of the Three River Plain was worst. (3) Among the 131 counties, Taibai County in the Biodiversity Ecological Function Area of Qinba Mountain performed best, while Fujin City in the Wetland Ecological Function Area of the Three River Plain performed worst. Our study could provide valuable insights for the transfer payment. Meanwhile, it can also supply a scientific reference for the management of Biodiversity National Key Ecological Functional Areas to enhance biodiversity. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biodiversity and Ecosystem Function)
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14 pages, 2853 KiB  
Article
The Disappearance of Small Mammal Carcasses in Human-Dominated Habitats: A Field Experiment in Northeastern Japan
by Kyosuke Shizukuda and Masayuki U. Saito
Diversity 2023, 15(3), 339; https://doi.org/10.3390/d15030339 - 27 Feb 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1304
Abstract
Even in human-dominated regions such as urban and agricultural areas, there are organisms involved in the decomposition of animal carcasses. Therefore, it is possible that these complementary decomposition functions occur in different habitats. Here, we clarified the disappearance patterns of small mammal carcasses [...] Read more.
Even in human-dominated regions such as urban and agricultural areas, there are organisms involved in the decomposition of animal carcasses. Therefore, it is possible that these complementary decomposition functions occur in different habitats. Here, we clarified the disappearance patterns of small mammal carcasses in forest and human-dominated (urban and agricultural) habitats in northeastern Japan, based on field experiments. All small mammal carcasses in both summer and autumn were removed by different scavengers within 6 days; therefore, there was little difference in the disappearance rate of carcasses between habitats. The scavenger groups that contributed to carcass removal of remains in the summer survey differed between sites, suggesting that the disappearance process varies with landscape and canopy openness conditions. Although many carcasses were removed by vertebrates during the autumn survey, the vertebrate species involved differed among the survey sites. This study suggests that ecological functions related to the decomposition of small mammal carcasses in anthropogenically modified habitats may be maintained by the complementary activities of vertebrates and invertebrates. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biodiversity and Ecosystem Function)
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Review

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25 pages, 1047 KiB  
Review
The Role of Crop, Livestock, and Farmed Aquatic Intraspecific Diversity in Maintaining Ecosystem Services
by Agnès Bernis-Fonteneau, Devra I. Jarvis, Beate Scherf, Lukas Schütz, Yanxin Zhang, Fabio Attorre and Linda Collette
Diversity 2024, 16(7), 420; https://doi.org/10.3390/d16070420 - 18 Jul 2024
Viewed by 816
Abstract
Most of the attention given to intraspecific crop, livestock, and aquaculture diversity in agricultural production systems has been targeted at their roles in providing provisioning services, such as food and fibre or their cultural services, providing non-material benefits, such as places for recreation [...] Read more.
Most of the attention given to intraspecific crop, livestock, and aquaculture diversity in agricultural production systems has been targeted at their roles in providing provisioning services, such as food and fibre or their cultural services, providing non-material benefits, such as places for recreation and inspiration. The additional role that intraspecific crop, livestock, and aquaculture diversity has in providing regulating and supporting ecosystem services for agricultural productivity and ecosystem resilience has been largely neglected. A literature review was carried out across sectors (crop, livestock, aquaculture), both on the counterfactual, i.e., the lack of intraspecific diversity in the production system and on the direct and indirect roles that intraspecific diversity plays in maintaining seven of the regulating and supporting ecosystem services: (i) regulating pest and diseases; (ii) maintaining and regulating water and soil quality; (iii) regulating and improving the flow of reproductive diversity; (iv) buffering excess or lack of water; (v) regulating soil erosion; (vi) nutrient cycling in water and soil; and (vii) supporting habitat maintenance. Benefits from the use of intraspecific diversity, diversity per se, and adaptive traits include a limited use of chemical inputs and unsustainable practices and their negative impact on livelihoods, ecosystem functioning, and productivity. All sectors (crop, livestock, and aquaculture) should be examined in the agricultural production system to understand the provision of the different ecosystem services by intraspecific diversity. Differences in structure, functioning, and temporal and spatial scales of these sectors should also be considered. Supporting and regulating ecosystem services often have relatively longer-term processes than food provisioning and rely not only on the current diversity but also on its presence over time. The presented regulating and supporting ecosystem services rely on the presence of the diversity from the farm to the landscape and to agroecological zone. Neglecting the additional role that intraspecific crop, livestock, and aquaculture diversity has in providing regulating and supporting ecosystem services is shown in this review to be detrimental to agricultural productivity and landscape resilience. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biodiversity and Ecosystem Function)
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