Understanding biodiversity dynamics – from human dominated systems to the fossil record
April session of the Modelling in Ecology & Evolution Meeting online series.
Keynote by Prof. Manuel Steinbauer from the University of Bayreuth, Germany, and University of Bergen, Norway
Understanding biodiversity dynamics – from human dominated systems to the fossil record
The fundamental processes that generate and maintain the complex patterns of life on Earth are not only human dominated but also strongly influenced by interactions across time. Understanding the effect of human behaviour and decision-making as well as the legacy of past processes is thus central for society, which critically depends on the many vital ecosystem services provided by biodiversity and ecosystem functioning.
My talk will first demonstrate how current biodiversity dynamics are fundamentally influenced by environmental processes from the deep-time past, I will then show how human induced dynamics in ecological systems have accelerated with time, before I outline research on humans as integral part of modern ecosystems.
The talk not only aims in presenting different case studies, many of which come from island systems. It also aims in discussing the potential and limitations of data available for studying biodiversity dynamics on very different timescales from decades (historic vegetation surveys) over millennia (pollen record) to the deep time fossil record.
Register here for this online event free of charge.