Eutrophication is perhaps the most important threat to European biodiversity. A major source of nutrients to semi-natural ecosystems is atmospheric nitrogen deposition and experiments have suggested that these nutrients may reduce species richness. However, until very recently there was no clear evidence that widespread biodiversity reduction caused by regional air pollution was actually occurring. Stevens et al.(Science, 303, 1876) changed this perception. Described as a milestone in global change research, the study (i) showed a dramatic decline in species richness of UK acid grasslands in relation to nitrogen (N) deposition, (ii) linked empirical with experimental research to estimate the timescale of the observed change, and (iii) provided a predictive equation to estimate species richness of similar sites based on N deposition. The current proposal brings together an interdisciplinary team of leading ecologists, biogeochemists and atmospheric chemists to develop and extend this approach. They aim to determine whether N-deposition is seriously impacting species richness on a wider scale across European grasslands and to elucidate the mechanism responsible. We plan to use a multinational and multidisciplinary approach to address the ecological processes that drive biodiversity change in the systems. Specifically, we will address five objectives: A. To define the range of N-deposition over which the relationship described in Stevens et al. (2004) remains linear in European grasslands. B. To test whether this relationship holds true in a contrasting grassland system. C. To determine the processes behind biodiversity susceptibility to N deposition by designing integrated N-addition experiments across the BEGIN network. D. To assess the predictive ability of the relationships developed, and to determine the time factor of biodiversity loss, by re-sampling former grassland N-addition experiments across Europe and co-ordinating information on present experiments. E. To incorporate the knowledge gained from the above research into specific recommendations for mitigation of damage to grassland diversity from N deposition.
Project leader:
Dr. David Gowing
Department of Biological Sciences
Open University
MK7 6AA Milton Keynes United Kingdom
Phone:+44 1908 659 468
Fax:+44 1908 654 167
Email
Principal Investigators:
Prof. Didier Alard, Université de Bordeaux 1, FR
Prof. Martin Diekmann, University of Bremen, DE
Dr. Roland Bobbink, Utrecht University, NL
Dr. Nancy B. Dise, Manchester Metropolitan University, UK
Associated Group:
Dr. Per Aarrestad, Norwegian Institure for Nature Research, Trondheim, Norway
Prof. Martin Hermy, KU Leuven, BE
Prof. Serge Muller, Université de Metz, FR
Prof. Jan G.M. Roelofs, Radboud University of Nijmegen, NL
Dr. Ursula Falkengren-Grerup, Department of Ecology Lund, SE
Dr. Bridget Emmett, Centre for Ecology and Hydrology Bangor, UK
Prof. David Fowler, Edinburgh Research Station, UK
Dr. J. Owen Mountford, NERC, UK
Dr. Gareth Phoenix, University of Sheffield, UK
Dr. Gary Lovett, Institute of Ecosystem Studies, US
Dr. David Tilman, University of Minnesota, US
Dr. Vigdis Vandvik, University of Bergen, Norway
Prof. Angheluta Vadineau, University of Bucharest, Romenia
