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Bioengineer
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Pinpointing Ecological Thresholds to Enhance Ecosystem Management
- Ecosystems, especially temperate grasslands, face ecological thresholds crucial for their resilience under land use intensification and nitrogen fertilisation.
- Research on 150 grassland sites in Germany identified a tipping point at 80kg nitrogen/ha/yr, leading to species homogenization and reduced diversity.
- Exceeding this threshold hampers ecosystem resilience, impacting carbon sequestration, pollinator habitats, and nutrient cycling.
- Further fertiliser intensification beyond critical points decreases plant biomass, increases nutrient leaching, and raises vulnerability to climate stress.
- Maintaining functional trait diversity in grasslands is vital for adapting to environmental disturbances and preserving ecosystem services.
- Functional trait analysis aids in detecting early signs of ecosystem degradation and informs sustainable land management policies.
- The study's findings have broader implications for managing various ecosystems by anticipating critical regime shifts to guide conservation efforts.
- The research emphasizes the need for sustainable agricultural practices balancing productivity with biodiversity conservation to ensure ecosystem health.
- While highlighting the impacts of fertilisation, the study calls for further research on ecosystem recovery potential through adjusted management practices.
- By integrating long-term data with functional trait analyses, this interdisciplinary research showcases the complexity of ecosystem responses to human impacts.
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