Why is biodiversity important?
Biodiversity is how we represent the variety of life on Earth, accounting for all the living things on the planet. High biodiversity can support healthy planetary life and create resilient ecosystems, allowing our planet to buffer against stressors like pollution and human-induced disturbance.
Ecosystem-first approach
I study how biodiversity can support healthy ecosystems and how to leverage the natural defenses an ecosystem has against stress to carry it into a healthy and thriving future. Through a combination of fieldwork, data science and community engagement, I work to connect in depth scientific investigation with applied solutions that help bring our ecosystems into a healthy future.
Read more about Biodiversity
Scientific Papers:
Cardinale, B. J. et al. (2012). Biodiversity loss and its impact on humanity. Nature, 486(7401), 59–67. https://doi.org/10.1038/nature11148
Chesson, P. (2000). Mechanisms of Maintenance of Species Diversity. Annual Review of Ecology and Systematics, 31(1), 343–366. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.ecolsys.31.1.343
Levin, S. A. (2000). Multiple Scales and the Maintenance of Biodiversity. Ecosystems, 3, 498–506. https://doi.org/10.1007s100210000044
MacArthur, R. H., & Wilson, E. O. (1967). The theory of island biogeography. Princeton University Press.
Scheffer, M., Van Nes, E. H., & Vergnon, R. (2018). Toward a unifying theory of biodiversity. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 115(4), 639–641. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1721114115
Wilson, E. O. (1985). The Biological Diversity Crisis. BioScience, 35(11), 700–706. https://doi.org/10.2307/1310051
Biodiversity in the Ocean:
Hughes, T. P. et al. (2003). Climate Change, Human Impacts, and the Resilience of Coral Reefs. Science, 301(5635), 929–933. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1085046
Sala, E., & Knowlton, N. (2006). Global Marine Biodiversity Trends. Annual Review of Environment and Resources, 31(1), 93–122. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.energy.31.020105.100235
Stachowicz, J. et al. (2007). Understanding the Effects of Marine Biodiversity on Communities and Ecosystems. Annual Review of Ecology, Evolution, and Systematics, 38(1), 739–766. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.ecolsys.38.091206.095659
Stella, J. et al. (2011). Coral-associated invertebrates: Diversity, ecological importance and vulnerability to disturbance. In J. Gordon (Ed.), Oceanography and Marine Biology (Vol. 20115434). CRC Press. https://doi.org/10.1201/b11009-3
Biodiversity in the news:
Biodiversity Optimism: Hope for Hitting Biodiversity Targets
The Invasive Plant Taking Over Iceland’s Biodiverse Native Grasses