Biodiversity is widely
seen as an important focus of investigation throughout the LTER Network.
Site-level studies and experiments on the importance of biodiversity
have always been common within the LTER Network. Recently the LTER
Network has focused on developing a broader-scale understanding of
the processes that lead to and maintain biodiversity and the influence
that these processes have on ecosystem structure and function.
Two activities were initiated, a survey of biodiversity research
being conducted at LTER sites and a workshop on biodiversity, which
was held at the October 1995
Please see workshop presentation
The most popular idea was an examination of the relationship between
productivity and species richness at LTER sites. There was general
agreement that data available from LTER sites would be useful in examining
this relationship. Mike Willig (LUQ) and Bob Waide (NET) agreed to
follow up this discussion with a proposal to the National Center for
Ecological Analysis and Synthesis, which led to a 10-day meeting at
NCEAS in September, 1996, called
"Analysis of Relationships Between Productivity and Diversity
Using Experimental Results From the Long-Term Ecological Research
Network"
We convened a working group at the National Center for Ecological
Analysis and Synthesis (NCEAS) from September 10-16, 1996, in order
to synthesize data available from LTER sites and the literature to
search for general patterns in the relationship between productivity
and diversity of both producers and consumers. Twenty-two participants
took part in this meeting, and two follow-up meetings were attended
by a group of seven of the original participants. Our analyses included
original data from LTER sites and comprehensive searches of the literature.
In addition to analysis and synthesis of these original data, we used
mathematical modeling to develop and test new analytical techniques
and to propose new extensions of ecological theory.
Please
view the NCEAS proposal
Please
view the full report
Publications:
Waide, R. B. M.R. Willig, C. F. Steiner, G. Mittelbach, L. Gough,
S. I. Dodson, G.P. Juday, and R. Parmenter. 1999. The relationship
between primary productivity and species richness. Annual Review of
Ecology and Systematics 30:257-300.
Gough, L., C.W. Osenberg, K.L. Gross, and S.L. Collins. 2000. Fertilization
effects on species density and primary productivity in herbaceous
plant communities. Oikos 89:428-439.
Gross, K.L., M.R. Willig, L. Gough et al. 2000. Species diversity
and productivity at different spatial scales in herbaceous plant communities.
Oikos 89-417-427.
Dodson, S.I., S.E. Arnott, and K.L. Cottingham. The relationship
in lake communities between primary production and species richness.
Ecology (in press).
Mittelbach, G.G., C. F. Steiner, S.M. Scheiner, K.L.Gross, H.L. Reynolds,
R.B.Waide, M.R. Willig, S.I. Dodson, and L.Gough. What is the observed
relationship between species richness and productivity? (ms).
Scheiner,S. M., S. B. Cox, M. R. Willig, G. G. Mittelbach, C. Osenberg
and M. Kaspari. 2000. Species richness, species-area curves, and Simpson’s
paradox. Evolutionary Ecology Research.
Products:
Newsletter article: "Building
on Biodiversity"
For
more information:
Robert B. Waide
rwaide@lternet.edu
505/272-7316 or 7278
