Biodiversity, community saturation and ecosystem function in lakes (COMSAT) (completed)

About the project

Empirical and theoretical results indicate that high biodiversity increases the adaptability to change, the predictability of ecosystem services, and the resistance to biological invasions. Lakes are ideal systems for testing predictions and responses related to biodiversity since they are units with well-defined boundaries, as inverted islands isolated by land. A strong east-west gradient in both phytoplankton and zooplankton species richness makes a longitudinal transect across Norway and Sweden a natural laboratory for investigating effects of biodiversity on natural lake ecosystem functioning. We will approach the relationships between species pool saturation, ecosystem functioning, and vulnerability to bioinvasions by field sampling of natural biodiversity gradients, classical and molecular measures of phyto- and zooplankton biodiversity, and up-scaling by predictive modeling tools. Statistical modeling will also be used to disentangle effects of multiple stressors like eutrophication, climate change, and invading species on the ecosystem services of lakes.

Financing

  • The Research Council of Norway (NFR)
Published Apr. 14, 2011 11:11 AM - Last modified Oct. 15, 2019 10:12 AM

Contact

Tom Andersen

E-mail: tom.andersen@bio.uio.no

Blindernveien 31

0316 Oslo

Norway

Participants

Detailed list of participants