Publication Abstracts
Weiskopf et al. 2024
Weiskopf, S., F. Isbell, M.I. Arce-Plata, M. Di Marco, M. Harfoot, J. Johnson, S.B. Lerman, B.W. Miller, T. Morelli, A. Mori, , and S. Ferrier, 2024: Biodiversity loss reduces global terrestrial carbon storage. Nat. Commun., 15, no. 4354, doi:10.1038/s41467-024-47872-7.
Natural ecosystems store large amounts of carbon globally, as organisms absorb carbon from the atmosphere to build large, long-lasting, or slow-decaying structures such as tree bark or root systems. An ecosystem's carbon sequestration potential is tightly linked to its biological diversity. Yet when considering future projections, many carbon sequestration models fail to account for the role biodiversity plays in carbon storage. Here, we assess the consequences of plant biodiversity loss for carbon storage under multiple climate and land-use change scenarios. We link a macroecological model projecting changes in vascular plant richness under different scenarios with empirical data on relationships between biodiversity and biomass. We find that biodiversity declines from climate and land use change could lead to a global loss of between 7.44-103.14 PgC (global sustainability scenario) and 10.87-145.95 PgC (fossil-fueled development scenario). This indicates a self-reinforcing feedback loop, where higher levels of climate change lead to greater biodiversity loss, which in turn leads to greater carbon emissions and ultimately more climate change. Conversely, biodiversity conservation and restoration can help achieve climate change mitigation goals.
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BibTeX Citation
@article{we01400p,
author={Weiskopf, S. and Isbell, F. and Arce-Plata, M. I. and Di Marco, M. and Harfoot, M. and Johnson, J. and Lerman, S. B. and Miller, B. W. and Morelli, T. and Mori, A. and Weng, E. and Ferrier, S.},
title={Biodiversity loss reduces global terrestrial carbon storage},
year={2024},
journal={Nature Communication},
volume={15},
number={4354},
doi={10.1038/s41467-024-47872-7},
}
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RIS Citation
TY - JOUR ID - we01400p AU - Weiskopf, S. AU - Isbell, F. AU - Arce-Plata, M. I. AU - Di Marco, M. AU - Harfoot, M. AU - Johnson, J. AU - Lerman, S. B. AU - Miller, B. W. AU - Morelli, T. AU - Mori, A. AU - Weng, E. AU - Ferrier, S. PY - 2024 TI - Biodiversity loss reduces global terrestrial carbon storage JA - Nat. Commun. JO - Nature Communication VL - 15 IS - 4354 DO - 10.1038/s41467-024-47872-7 ER -
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