About this Research Topic
Human activities such as agriculture and mining have led to serious negative effects on biodiversity and important ecosystem services including biodiversity loss and climate change. Thus, it is important to quantify the key determinants of biodiversity, ecosystem functioning and ecological restoration of degraded plant communities in climate change sensitive ecosystems (i.e. subalpine and alpine meadow communities in Qinghai, tropical rainforests and tropical mountains). In this way, effective management, policy and methods can be developed to reduce the influence of climate change on these climate change sensitive ecosystems.
The aforementioned human activities continue to destroy and degrade plant communities and ecosystem functioning. Climatic changes further exacerbate negative impacts and may trigger rapid loss of species, precipitate decline and changes in the flows of ecosystem goods and services. As the collective anthropogenic influence intensifies, some ecosystems may be more sensitive than others to these changes. Ecosystems that contribute greatly to human well-being through the delivery of biodiversity and ecosystem benefits should be the focus of particular concern. There are key knowledge gaps on the specific nature of anthropogenic impacts, species and ecosystem responses, and possible management and mitigation measures. Comprehensive documentation of these aspects from highly sensitive regions and ecosystems is urgently needed, particularly at fine scales, which is relevant for developing management and mitigation measures. Pathways such as ecological restoration can offset some of the impacts, but even quantifying the impacts of observed and anticipated changes is far from adequate and other mitigation measures must be considered.
We welcome manuscripts that address one or more of the following subjects:
1. Key determinants of biodiversity (plants, animals, microorganisms and biotic interactions) in climate change sensitive ecosystems.
2. The mechanisms that regulate and maintain ecosystem functioning (e.g., carbon fixation, soil respiration, water balance, biomass and productivity, nutrient cycling) in climate change sensitive ecosystems.
3. Determining anthropogenic impacts and mitigation and restoration pathways for degraded plant communities to recover biodiversity and ecosystem functioning in climate change sensitive ecosystems.
The aforementioned human activities continue to destroy and degrade plant communities and ecosystem functioning. Climatic changes further exacerbate negative impacts and may trigger rapid loss of species, precipitate decline and changes in the flows of ecosystem goods and services. As the collective anthropogenic influence intensifies, some ecosystems may be more sensitive than others to these changes. Ecosystems that contribute greatly to human well-being through the delivery of biodiversity and ecosystem benefits should be the focus of particular concern. There are key knowledge gaps on the specific nature of anthropogenic impacts, species and ecosystem responses, and possible management and mitigation measures. Comprehensive documentation of these aspects from highly sensitive regions and ecosystems is urgently needed, particularly at fine scales, which is relevant for developing management and mitigation measures. Pathways such as ecological restoration can offset some of the impacts, but even quantifying the impacts of observed and anticipated changes is far from adequate and other mitigation measures must be considered.
We welcome manuscripts that address one or more of the following subjects:
1. Key determinants of biodiversity (plants, animals, microorganisms and biotic interactions) in climate change sensitive ecosystems.
2. The mechanisms that regulate and maintain ecosystem functioning (e.g., carbon fixation, soil respiration, water balance, biomass and productivity, nutrient cycling) in climate change sensitive ecosystems.
3. Determining anthropogenic impacts and mitigation and restoration pathways for degraded plant communities to recover biodiversity and ecosystem functioning in climate change sensitive ecosystems.
Keywords: functional traits, ecological restoration, community assembly, life-history strategies, plant diversity, animal diversity, microorganism diversity, ecosystem functioning, tropical rainforest
Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
