Please join us for the next LTER Synthesis webinar with Forest Isbell and Laura Dee.
Scaling-up Productivity Responses to Changes in Biodiversity April 12, 11am PDT / 2 p.m EDT REGISTER: https://ucsb.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_oeE5J9WBSP2NbQhWXsaISg SERIES INFORMATION: https://lternet.edu/stories/2018-synthesis-webinars/ Synthesis group description: It seems like a simple question. Does biodiversity loss cause productivity loss? Most experiments to test the question are done on small plots. Scaling up to natural ecosystems introduces complications that could tip the balance toward a stronger—or a weaker—relationship. Drawing on data from biodiversity experiments at multiple LTERs and global observational and experimental networks, the Biodiversity and Productivity working group asks what role time scales, spatial scales, type of experiment, and ecosystem type have on the strength of this key relationship. Speaker Bios: Forest Isbell, University of Minnesota Dr.Isbell is the associate director of Cedar Creek Ecosystem Science Reserve; an assistant professor in the Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior; and an associate fellow at the Institute on the Environment at the Univ. of Minnesota. His research investigates the anthropogenic drivers of changes in biodiversity and the consequences of biodiversity loss for ecosystem functioning, stability, and services. Previously, Forest was the Haines Family Professor of Aboveground Ecology at the University of Georgia and he completed postdoctoral research positions at the University of Minnesota and McGill University. Further information can be found at his lab website: z.umn.edu/isbell Laura Dee, University of Minnesota Dr. Dee is an Assistant Professor of Conservation Science in the Department of Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology and an Affiliate Fellow at the Institute on the Environment at the Univ. of Minnesota. Laura’s research falls at the interface of ecology and economics, addressing climatic, ecological and socioeconomic drivers of ecosystem services and their sustainable management. Laura completed a Ph.D. in Environmental Science & Management at UC Santa Barbara and a concurrent M.A. in Economics. She completed a post-doc at UMN, examining how climate change affects ecosystem services provided by boreal forests and management strategies to reduce those impacts. Laura is also affiliated with the Natural Capital Project at UMN. For more information, see my website: Lauraedee.com.
