De-oxygenation in marine ecosystems is increasing as a result of anthropogenic eutrophication and climatic change.  Over an 8 million year period, in the Kimmeridgian, shelf seas experienced fluctuating anoxia. We develop a Biological Traits Approach to describe functioning of the 21 fossil assemblages (dominated by bivalves and contained gastropods, brachiopods, scaphopods, bryozoans, serpulids, hydroids and crustaceans) recorded during this period.

Ancient hypoxia can provide a useful analogue to facilitate our understanding of current and future long-term marine de-oxygenation. Biological Traits Analysis of 21 palaeocommunities showed that changes in benthic functioning occurred during differing levels of hypoxia in UK shelf seas in the Kimmeridgian (~150 million years ago). These changes were primarily driven by changes in redox state and primary production.

The blanket bogs of the Southern Pennines have suffered a history of atmospheric pollution and poor land management, resulting in the near-extinction of Sphagnum mosses. Amid on-going restoration, Sphagnum re-introduction trials have been established to answer fundamental questions; how, where, when and what. Here, we present the latest results of these experiments.

Multi-species grasslands have been discussed as an interesting option for biomass production. Experiments showed the positive effect of species-richness on ecosystem functions of temperate grassland mixtures. Using the newly developed, individual-based grassland model GRASSMIND, we investigate the influence of biodiversity on biomass yield and carbon balance for different management strategies.

BiodivERsA is a network of 21 funding agencies across 15 countries promoting transnational cooperation of biodiversity research teams across Europe. Since 2008, it has allocated ~30M€ through annual joint calls. We will present an overview of the projects supported by BiodivERsA, their scientific novelty and European added value, and how they bridge the gap between scientific knowledge and societal needs.

Temporal contingencies are often assumed to be important, yet remain largely under-examined for many ecological systems.  We investigated the effect of copper contamination on marine biofilm development and the subsequent settlement of macro-invertebrates.  Early results suggest that macro-invertebrate succession is influenced by an interaction between biofilm composition and copper toxicity.

We analyse the effect of land use intensification on ecosystem multifunctionality, using around 30 measures of ecosystem function and services collected from 150 grasslands, data come from the German Biodiversity Exploratories project. We investigate overall effects of land use intensity on multifunctionality and also identify synergies and trade-offs between different functions and between biodiversity and functioning.

Areas near the Mediterranean have a high species diversity, mostly therophytes with many medicinal species.  Their zonation from the sea is clearly affected by climate.  This contrasts with the Sahara which has fewer species but more specialists in using groundwater. Three new record species for Libya were found in the Saharan site.

In this study we test whether biodiversity restoration management can also promote soil based ecosystem functions. We determined the accumulation rates of C and N in soil, enzyme activities and soil structure changes in a field experiment in relation to grassland management, productivity and composition. Plant diversity restoration management showed a strong impact on the soil based ecosystem services.

It is crucial to know which component of biodiversity drives ecosystem functions and services. We tested the relative importance of dominant traits (Mass ratio hypothesis) versus trait dissimilarity (Complementary hypothesis) in driving decomposition in a microcosm experiment with isopod community as a model system. Results showed that Mass ratio hypothesis rules, while trait dissmilarity and species richness do not.

Although sediment dynamics are mainly driven by hydrodynamic forcing, biotic engineering of the sediments can significantly affect the outcome of physical interactions. We propose an integrated physical-biological model in way to 1) forecast both the morphological and ecological evolution of estuaries 2) explicitly include the role of the benthic biota in sediment transport

The assessment of plant functional diversity is a promising approach to study forests response to disturbance and to generate useful information for its conservation. This study presents analyses of weighted functional traits of 126 vegetation plots randomly located in three successional stages in a region of tropical dry forests in the Colombian Caribbean and its relation to environmental variables.

Restoring ecosystems into the future means reassessing goals. One goal may be the continued provision of multiple ecosystem services in a changing environment. Trade-offs among services may prevent their simultaneous attainment. We show, using trees and shrubs in an agricultural landscape, how carbon sequestration may be compatible with biodiversity restoration.

Soil micro-organisms are of great importance for long term sustainability of ecosystems. In two biodiverse Iberian grassland sites, we tested whether there is a relationship between functional diversity of soil bacteria and vascular plant species diversity; as well as investigating their relationship to soil chemical properties. Results show significant correlation.

Reedswamps are disappearing across Europe but expanding within the USA and Australia. Consequences for lake ecosystem functioning are unknown. We propose a method for investigating reedswamp functionality that is focused upon analysis of aquatic macroinvertebrate assemblages. This type of information will facilitate the management of this surprisingly important, diverse and dynamic lacustrine habitat.