30.11.2016 | TOP NEWS, Media Release
Everywhere the same species - intensive agriculture makes our landscapes more monotonous
The data used in the study come from the project "Biodiversity Exploratories". The picture shows one of the study sites in Brandenburg (Schorfheide-Chorin; photo: Beatrix Schnabel).
A measuring station at another study site in Thuringia (Hainich-Dün) with scientists taking samples in the background (photo: Beatrix Schnabel).
A leaf bug (Macrotylus paykulli) feeding on a restharrow plant (Ononis repens). Both species disappear when agricultural land use is intensified (photo: Lars Skipper).
Note for the media: Use of the pictures provided by iDiv is permitted for reports related to this media release only, and under the condition that credit is given to the picture originator.
Study in „Nature“ shows homogenisation of biotic communities
Where humans intensify the farming of grasslands, not only species diversity decreases, but the landscape becomes more monotonous and in the end everywhere the same species remain. This homogenisation has now been documented by a research team in a comprehensive study. The scientists have investigated 150 grassland sites in Germany taking into consideration more than 4,000 species of microbes, plants and animals. Among the authors are six members of the research centre iDiv (German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research Jena-Halle-Leipzig). The whole text of the iDiv press release is only available in German:https://www.idiv.de/de/news/news_single_view/news_article/because-of-i.htmlA press release of the Technical University of Munich is available in English:
https://www.tum.de/en/about-tum/news/press-releases/detail/article/33571/Website "Biodiversity Exploratories":
http://www.biodiversity-exploratories.de/1/home/Publication (iDiv members and scientists in bold):
Gossner MM, Lewinsohn T, Kahl T, Grassein F, Boch S, Prati D, Birkhofer K, Renner SC, Sikorski J, Wubet T, Arndt H, Baumgartner V, Blaser S, Blüthgen N, Börschig C, Buscot F, Diekötter T, Ré Jorge L, Jung K, Keyel AC, Klein AM, Klemmer S, Krauss J, Lange M, Müller J, Overmann J, Pašalić E, Penone C, Perović D, Purschke O, Schall P, Socher SA, Sonnemann I, Tschapka M, Tscharntke T, Türke M, Venter PC, Weiner CN, Werner M, Wolters V, Wurst S, Westphal C, Fischer M, Weisser WW, Allan E (2016) Land-use intensification causes multitrophic homogenisation of grassland communities. Nature. doi:10.1038/nature20575. Published online on 30. November 2016: http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/nature20575.htmlFunding:
DFG Priority Programme 1374 “Biodiversity Exploratories”. Further Information:Dr. Oliver Purschke
Postdoctoral researcher at the German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) and at Martin-Luther-University Halle-Wittenberg
Tel: +49 341 9733121; Mobile number on request via iDiv Outreach Department
Web: https://www.idiv.de/en/the_centre/employees/details/eshow/purschke-oliver.htmlProf. Dr. François Buscot
Head of the Department of Soil Ecology at the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ), Professor at Leipzig University and Co-Director of the German Centre Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv)
Tel.: +49 345 5585 221; Mobile number on request via iDiv Outreach Department
Web: https://www.idiv.de/en/the_centre/employees/details/eshow/buscot-francois.html and https://www.ufz.de/index.php?en=41325Dr. Tesfaye Wubet
Senior Scientist and Environmental Genomics group leader
Department of Soil Ecology, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research – UFZ
Tel.: +49 345 5585 204
Web: http://www.ufz.de/index.php?de=15359andDr. Tabea Turrini
iDiv Outreach
Tel.: +49 341 9733 106
Web: http://www.idiv.de/de/presse/mitarbeiterinnen.html
