Global change Ecology

Question 1

Biodiversity-Ecosystem Functioning (BEF)

Answer 1

BEF is the study of how the diversity of species within an ecosystem influences its overall functioning and the provision of ecosystem services.

Question 2

How can eco-evolution mechanisms behind the BEF relationship be assesed?

Answer 2

with experiments
e.g. the “gold standard” Jena experiment (2002):
* grassland communities with different levels of plant diversity
* 60 species of 4 functional groups (grasses, small herbs, tall herbs, legumes

Now: Mesocosm experiments
Performance of ecosystems is measured by biomass production!
* all treatment combination of soil history (with/without)
* all treatment combinations of plant history (with/without)
* controll- treatment
* => Full factorial experiment
* Allowes to disentangle temporal effects (legag effects) of soil microbial communities from temporal effects on plants.

legumes: Hülsenfrüchte

Question 3

Biodiversity experiment: the issue of realism

Answer 3

Experimental versus real-world communities
-> the results of biodiversit- ecosystem functioning experiments are realistic

Question 4

Linking climate change and biodiversity loss

Answer 4

• climate change and biodiversity loss are two of the most pressing issues of the Anthropocene
• the two are interconnected -> means that resolving either issue requires consideration of the other
  => mutually supporting goals

Question 5

5 drivers of biodiversity loss

Question 6

Driver “pollution”: airborne reactive nitrogen deposition

Answer 6

-> burning of fossile energy
airborne: pollution in air -> rain down
NItrogen deposition leads to loss of species richness beacuse somme will outcompete the other (Nitrogen = fertilizer)

Question 7

Driver “Invasive species”

Answer 7

IAS Invasive alien species
* have gained importance in the last years
* the spread rate depends on the number of founder populations
=> Importance to focuse on small founder populations!

Question 8

Archeophytes

Answer 8

introduced before 1492

Question 9

Neophytes

Answer 9

Introduced after 1492

Question 10

Emerging viruses def.

Answer 10

• newly identified or previously known viruses
• that have increased in incidence, geographic range, or virulence
• pose a potential threat to human and animal health.

virulence: Fähigkeit eines Krankheitserregers, eine Erkrankung hervorrufen. Grad der Pathogenität.

Question 11

Emerging infectious disease def.

Answer 11

• newly identified or re-emerging diseases that have recently appeared or experienced an increase in incidence
• posing a threat to public health

Question 12

Viruses and environmetal change

Answer 12

Viruses can respond to a changing environment and are tehrefore susceptible to environmental changes such as climate change and land-use change.
-> cause epidemic and pandemic
-> is often a result of a zoonosis

Question 13

What is Ebola?

Answer 13

• highly contaigous & life threatening fever desease
• out of 10 infected, 5-8 will die
• spread strategy in humans: hit and run
• Reservoir of Evola viruses: Bats (especially Fruit-Bats)

Question 14

Symptoms of Ebola

Answer 14

1. flu-like with skin rash
2. Vomiting diarrhea, bleeding on and in the body “hemorrhaigic fever” -> fail of organs

Question 15

Reservoir hosts

Answer 15

fruit- bats
* nocturnal, feed on fruits and nectar
* all three species show migratory & social behavior (Zugflughund)
=> Virus exchange, transregional & inter- species

Question 16

Why does the Ebolavirus not kill the fruit- bats?

Answer 16

Theory 1: oldest mammals, therefore possible co evolution with virus -> viral spread strategy “Infect & persist”

Theory 2: Ability to fly requires enormous amount of energy & fast metabolism -> genetic altertions of the immune system, therefore particularly efficient to fight against virus
->

=> Both theories might be true

Question 17

How does the curve of a virus outbreak look like?

Answer 17

Sigmoidal curve/ Saturational curve = dynamics of invasive species
* Abundancy commulative infections over TIme (achses)
* Pre-emergence -> Curve starts with Patient Zero -> exponentional increase -> Turning point:
-> 1. towards pandemic emergence
-> 2. Saturation (Commulative Infections)
or
-> 3. decrease back to zero

commulative = all persons ever infected

Question 18

5 years till they developed a vaccine! Why covid so much faster?

Answer 18

1. resticted to the global south
2. we hav learned from ebola -> more understanding of the urgency

Question 19

Why do more recent Ebola outbreaks tend to spiral out of control?

Answer 19

• higher population density
• humans travel a lot more
  (like fruit- bats)
• proximity to large cities

-> no self-limitation of epidemic

Question 20

Why do more recent Ebola outbreaks tend to spiral out of control? Asynchronous globalization

Answer 20

• lack of education
• lack of trust in helathcare workers
• Cellphones enable rash communication about quarantine measures and vaccines
  -> fatal mix: Poor level of education & use of modern communication undermines interventions

(even more dramatic in 2018 outbreak: attacks on aid workers complicated response)

Question 21

Why do more recent Ebola outbreaks tend to spiral out of control? (add on)

Answer 21

1. Low capacity for intervention -> Exceeding a threshold of infected persons
2. Little expertise of Ebola -> Ebola causes fear
3. Inadequate documentation -> “marginal diseases from Western perspective until 2014 => Time lag

Question 22

Reasons for outbreak increase

Answer 22

1. Land-use change: possibly increaseds the probability to direct contact and alternative jump- pathways
2. CLimate change: outbreaks 1994-2002 increased during dry years at the end of the rainy season -> increased drought frequency may increase frequency of jump

=> HUMAN MADE

Question 23

What to do?

Answer 23

We explore the jump and learn from it. (sensitive way)
-> much room for research e.g. high immunity in Gabon, Frequent contact with small amount of the virus

=> One Health (their helath = our health)