Andy Hector
A5018954744- Ecology and Vegetation Dynamics Studies
- Plant and animal studies
- Species Distribution and Climate Change
- Forest ecology and management
- Conservation, Biodiversity, and Resource Management
- Forest Management and Policy
- Rangeland and Wildlife Management
- Land Use and Ecosystem Services
- Ecosystem dynamics and resilience
- Plant Water Relations and Carbon Dynamics
- Forest Ecology and Biodiversity Studies
- Botany and Plant Ecology Studies
- Soil Carbon and Nitrogen Dynamics
- Economic and Environmental Valuation
- Animal Ecology and Behavior Studies
- Peatlands and Wetlands Ecology
- Plant Parasitism and Resistance
- Conservation, Ecology, Wildlife Education
- Agroforestry and silvopastoral systems
- Botany, Ecology, and Taxonomy Studies
- Turfgrass Adaptation and Management
- Forest Insect Ecology and Management
- Data Analysis with R
- Oil Palm Production and Sustainability
- Plant Ecology and Soil Science
University of Oxford
2016-2025
Leverhulme Trust
2024-2025
Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique
2023
Université Paris-Saclay
2023
Science Oxford
2022
University of Sheffield
2022
University of Zurich
2006-2016
Microsoft Research (United Kingdom)
2012
Kantonsspital Münsterlingen
2009
Imperial College London
2000-2005
Humans are altering the composition of biological communities through a variety activities that increase rates species invasions and extinctions, at all scales, from local to global. These changes in components Earth's biodiversity cause concern for ethical aesthetic reasons, but they also have strong potential alter ecosystem properties goods services provide humanity. Ecological experiments, observations, theoretical developments show depend greatly on terms functional characteristics...
At eight European field sites, the impact of loss plant diversity on primary productivity was simulated by synthesizing grassland communities with different numbers species. Results differed in detail at each location, but there an overall log-linear reduction average aboveground biomass For a given number species, fewer functional groups were less productive. These effects occurred along differences associated species composition and geographic location . Niche complementarity positive...
Accelerating rates of species extinction have prompted a growing number researchers to manipulate the richness various groups organisms and examine how this aspect diversity impacts ecological processes that control functioning ecosystems. We summarize results 44 experiments manipulated plants plant affects production biomass. show mixtures produce an average 1.7 times more biomass than monocultures are productive monoculture in 79% all experiments. However, only 12% do diverse polycultures...
Human activities have increased the availability of nutrients in terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. In grasslands, this eutrophication causes loss plant species diversity, but mechanism has been difficult to determine. Using experimental grassland communities, we found that addition light understory prevented biodiversity caused by eutrophication. There was no detectable role for competition soil resources diversity loss. Thus, is a major after explains particular threat diversity. Our...
Extensive research shows that more species-rich assemblages are generally productive and efficient in resource use than comparable with fewer species. But the question of how diversity simultaneously affects wide variety ecological functions ecosystems perform remains relatively understudied, it presents several analytical empirical challenges remain unresolved. In particular, researchers have developed disparate metrics to quantify multifunctionality, each characterizing different aspects...
Abstract The importance of biodiversity for the integrated functioning ecosystems remains unclear because most evidence comes from analyses biodiversity’s effect on individual functions. Here we show that effects ecosystem function become more important as functions are considered. We present first systematic investigation multifunctionality across multiple taxa, trophic levels and habitats using a comprehensive database 94 manipulations species richness. species-rich communities maintained...
Tree diversity improves forest productivity Experimental studies in grasslands have shown that the loss of species has negative consequences for ecosystem functioning. Is same true forests? Huang et al. report first results from a large biodiversity experiment subtropical China. The study combines many replicates, realistic tree densities, and plot sizes with wide range richness levels. After 8 years experiment, findings suggest strong positive effects on carbon accumulation. Thus, changing...
Summary 1. Plant growth is a fundamental ecological process, integrating across scales from physiology to community dynamics and ecosystem properties. Recent improvements in plant modelling have allowed deeper understanding more accurate predictions for wide range of issues, including competition among plants, plant–herbivore interactions functioning. 2. One challenge that, variety reasons, relative rate (RGR) almost universally decreases with increasing size, although traditional...
For more than 30 years, the relationship between net primary productivity and species richness has generated intense debate in ecology about processes regulating local diversity. The original view, which is still widely accepted, holds that hump-shaped, with first rising then declining increasing productivity. Although recent meta-analyses questioned generality of hump-shaped patterns, these syntheses have been criticized for failing to account methodological differences among studies. We...
Insurance effects of biodiversity can stabilize the functioning multispecies ecosystems against environmental variability when differential species' responses lead to asynchronous population dynamics. When are not perfectly positively correlated, declines in some populations compensated by increases others, smoothing ecosystem productivity. This variance reduction effect is analogous risk-spreading benefits diverse investment portfolios financial markets. We use data from BIODEPTH network...
Geographic variation can lead to the evolution of different local varieties, even in widespread forage plants. We investigated performance common plants relation their genetic diversity and adaptation at a continental scale using reciprocal transplants eight field sites across Europe over 2‐year period. The overall three test species, Trifolium pratense , Dactylis glomerata Plantago lanceolata was generally highest for replanted home site declined with increasing transplanting distance....
We present a multisite analysis of the relationship between plant diversity and ecosystem functioning within European BIODEPTH network plant-diversity manipulation experiments. report results 11 variables addressing several aspects key processes like biomass production, resource use (space, light, nitrogen), decomposition, measured across three years in plots varying species richness at eight different grassland field sites. Differences among sites explained substantial significant amounts...
Biodiversity can influence ecosystem functioning through changes in the amount of resource use complementary among species. Functional diversity is a measure biodiversity that aims to quantify complementarity and thereby explain predict functioning. The primary goal this article compare explanatory power four measures functional diversity: species richness, group attribute diversity, FD. secondary showcase novel methods required for calculating We find richness least variation aboveground...