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SUMMARY:Cancelled: Understanding drivers and consequences of plant diversi
 ty across temporal and spatial scales in an era of rapid global change - J
 eannine Cavender-Bares\, Minnesota
DTSTART:20200220T130000Z
DTEND:20200220T140000Z
UID:TALK131821@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:85030
DESCRIPTION:Advancing our understanding of the causes and consequences of 
 biodiversity and its change through time is critical to sustaining our lif
 e support systems. Using a series of empirical systems—including model c
 lades\, large datasets\, field observations and manipulative experiments
 —in conjunction with molecular\, ecophysiological and spectroscopic meth
 ods that enable integration of biological processes across spatial and tem
 poral scales\, I reveal a series of insights on the factors that drive com
 munity assembly and influence ecosystem function. Within the oaks (Quercus
  spp)\, convergence in the two broadly distributed clades—which underwen
 t parallel sympatric adaptive radiation and diversified into ecological ha
 bitats associated with variation in life-history strategies—explains how
  they became a dominant and hyperdiverse clade on the North American conti
 nent. Expanding diseases such as the oak wilt fungus (Bretziella fagacearu
 m)\, however\, threaten to radically change these forests. Spectroscopic t
 echnologies enable study of these threats to and changes in ecosystems in 
 more detail and at broader spatial extents than ever before possible. In t
 wo forest diversity experiments\, spectral approaches using airborne spect
 roscopy accurately detect the effects of biodiversity on productivity\, pr
 oviding insight into its underlying drivers. Differences between the spect
 ral reflectance of monocultures and mixed species stands enable us to spec
 trally quantify net biodiversity effects on productivity and on canopy nit
 rogen\, and the method can be applied at large spatial scales. The extent 
 to which such data can enhance study of belowground soil and microbial pro
 cesses is not well understood. In grassland systems\, aboveground vegetati
 on quantity and quality are known to influence belowground microbial proce
 sses and nutrient cycling. In two grassland biodiversity experiments\, eco
 system productivity\, and the chemical\, structural and phylogenetic-funct
 ional composition of plant communities are tightly coupled to soil inputs 
 that drive microbial processes belowground such that vegetation chemistry 
 and productivity\, as detected from airborne sensors\, predicts belowgroun
 d soil processes. I will explain how these varied studies advance biodiver
 sity knowledge in an era of rapid change.
LOCATION:Department of Plant Sciences\, Large Lecture Theatre
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