Valentin H. Klaus
A5036474234- Ecology and Vegetation Dynamics Studies
- Land Use and Ecosystem Services
- Soil Carbon and Nitrogen Dynamics
- Plant and animal studies
- Botany and Plant Ecology Studies
- Soil and Water Nutrient Dynamics
- Conservation, Biodiversity, and Resource Management
- Species Distribution and Climate Change
- Rangeland and Wildlife Management
- Urban Green Space and Health
- Forest Management and Policy
- Pasture and Agricultural Systems
- Plant Ecology and Soil Science
- Peatlands and Wetlands Ecology
- Rangeland Management and Livestock Ecology
- Agroforestry and silvopastoral systems
- Agronomic Practices and Intercropping Systems
- Sustainable Agricultural Systems Analysis
- Plant Water Relations and Carbon Dynamics
- Mycorrhizal Fungi and Plant Interactions
- Legume Nitrogen Fixing Symbiosis
- Urban Agriculture and Sustainability
- Ecology, Conservation, and Geographical Studies
- Isotope Analysis in Ecology
- Remote Sensing in Agriculture
Agroscope
2020-2025
ETH Zurich
2018-2025
Life Science Zurich
2020-2025
Ruhr University Bochum
2025
Board of the Swiss Federal Institutes of Technology
2024
Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research
2022
Instituto de Ciencias Agrarias
2020-2022
University of Münster
2011-2020
University of Copenhagen
2018
Abstract Global change, especially land‐use intensification, affects human well‐being by impacting the delivery of multiple ecosystem services (multifunctionality). However, whether biodiversity loss is a major component global change effects on multifunctionality in real‐world ecosystems, as experimental ones, remains unclear. Therefore, we assessed biodiversity, functional composition and 14 150 agricultural grasslands differing intensity. We also introduce five measures which were...
Significance Land-use intensification is a major threat to biodiversity. So far, however, studies on biodiversity impacts of land-use intensity (LUI) have been limited single or few groups organisms and not considered temporal variation in LUI. Therefore, we examined total ecosystem grasslands varying LUI with newly developed index called multidiversity, which integrates the species richness 49 different organism ranging from bacteria birds. Multidiversity declined strongly increasing LUI,...
Significance Ecosystem services derive from ecosystem functions and rely on complex interactions among a diversity of organisms. By understanding the relationships between biodiversity, functions, humans receive nature, we can anticipate how changes in land use will affect ecosystems human wellbeing. We show that increasing land-use intensity homogenizes synergies three organizational levels ecosystem, namely, services. Increasing keystone components, which are important for functioning...
Summary Recent declines in biodiversity have given new urgency to questions about the relationship between land‐use change, and ecosystem processes. Despite existence of a large body research on effects land use species richness, it is unclear whether richness are principally direct or indirect, mediated by concomitant changes Therefore, we compared (fertilization, mowing grazing) with indirect ones (mediated via grassland productivity) for grasslands central Europe. We measured above‐ground...
Permanent grasslands cover 34% of the European Union's agricultural area and are vital for a wide variety ecosystem services essential our society. Over recent decades, permanent grassland has declined land use change continues to threaten its extent. Simultaneously, management intensity increased. We performed systematic literature review on multifunctionality in Europe, examining effects 19 service indicators. Based evidence 696 out 70,456 screened papers, published since 1980, we found...
Abstract Land-use intensification is a major driver of biodiversity loss. However, understanding how different components land use drive loss requires the investigation multiple trophic levels across spatial scales. Using data from 150 agricultural grasslands in central Europe, we assess influence local- and landscape-level on more than 4,000 above- belowground taxa, spanning 20 groups. Plot-level land-use intensity strongly negatively associated with aboveground groups, but positively or...
Urban greenspace has gained considerable attention during the last decades because of its relevance to wildlife conservation, human welfare, and climate change adaptation. Biodiversity loss ecosystem degradation worldwide require formation new concepts ecological restoration rehabilitation aimed at improving functions, services, biodiversity conservation in cities. Although relict sites natural semi-natural ecosystems can be found urban areas, environmental conditions species composition...
Abstract Organismal functional strategies form a continuum from slow- to fast-growing organisms, in response common drivers such as resource availability and disturbance. However, whether there is synchronisation of these at the entire community level unclear. Here, we combine trait data for >2800 above- belowground taxa 14 trophic guilds spanning disturbance gradient German grasslands. The results indicate that most consistently respond through both direct trophically mediated effects,...
Human wellbeing depends on ecosystem services, highlighting the need for improving ecosystem-service multifunctionality of food and feed production systems. We study Swiss agricultural grasslands to assess how employing combining three widespread aspects grassland management their interactions can enhance 22 plot-level service indicators, as well multifunctionality. The we are i) organic system, ii) an eco-scheme prescribing extensive (without fertilization), iii) harvest type (pasture vs....
Abstract Human land use may detrimentally affect biodiversity, yet long-term stability of species communities is vital for maintaining ecosystem functioning. Community can be achieved by higher diversity (portfolio effect), asynchrony across (insurance hypothesis) and abundance populations. However, the relative importance these stabilizing pathways whether they interact with in real-world ecosystems unknown. We monitored inter-annual fluctuations 2,671 plant, arthropod, bird bat 300 sites...
Species diversity promotes the delivery of multiple ecosystem functions (multifunctionality). However, relative functional importance rare and common species in driving biodiversity–multifunctionality relationship remains unknown. We studied between (according to their local abundances across nine different trophic groups), multifunctionality indices derived from 14 on 150 grasslands a land-use intensity (LUI) gradient. The above- below-ground had opposite effects, with above-ground being...
Abstract Urbanization is one of the most severe threats to biodiversity, so why should not we use green space in cities counteract biodiversity loss as much possible? Urban grasslands provide a large number social, financial, recreational, and environmental ecosystem services but can also support high biodiversity. In this article, I describe importance urban for (local) recommend strengthening restoration ecological research efforts optimize these novel ecosystems conservation purposes. The...
Land‐use intensification is a key driver of biodiversity change. However, little known about how it alters relationships between the diversities different taxonomic groups, which are often correlated due to shared environmental drivers and trophic interactions. Using data from 150 grassland sites, we examined land‐use (increased fertilization, higher livestock densities, increased mowing frequency) altered correlations species richness 15 plant, invertebrate, vertebrate taxa. We found that...
Abstract Increasing urbanization worldwide calls for more sustainable urban development. Simultaneously, the global biodiversity crisis accentuates need of fostering within cities. Policies supporting nature conservation to understand people's acceptance biodiversity‐friendly greenspace management. We surveyed than 2,000 people in 19 European cities about their attitudes toward near‐natural grassland management public greenspaces, and related responses nine sociocultural parameters. Results...
Abstract Experiments showed that biodiversity increases grassland productivity and nutrient exploitation, potentially reducing fertiliser needs. Enhancing could improve P-use efficiency of grasslands, which is beneficial given rock-derived P fertilisers are expected to become scarce in the future. Here, we show a experiment more diverse plant communities were able exploit resources completely than less ones. In agricultural grasslands studied, management effects either overruled or modified...
Abstract Biodiversity typically increases multiple ecosystem functions simultaneously (multifunctionality) but variation in the strength and direction of biodiversity effects between studies suggests context dependency. To determine how different factors modulate diversity effect on multifunctionality, we established a large grassland experiment manipulating plant species richness, resource addition, functional composition (exploitative vs. conservative species), enemy abundance. We measured...
Abstract Land‐use intensification drives changes in microbial communities and the soil functions they regulate, but mechanisms underlying these are poorly understood as land use can affect both directly (e.g. via fertility) indirectly plant inputs). The speed of responses is also understood. For instance, whether it long‐term legacies or short‐term land‐use intensity that drive communities. To address topics, we measured multiple functions, bacterial fungal biomass abiotic properties at two...
Abstract Aim Intensification of land use strongly impacts plant communities by causing shifts in taxonomic and functional composition. Mechanisms use‐induced biodiversity losses have been described for temperate grasslands, but a quantitative assessment species‐specific occurrence optima maximum tolerance (niche breadth) to land‐use intensity ( LUI ) Central European grasslands is still lacking. Location Temperate, managed permanent three regions Germany. Methods We combined extensive field...
Comprehensive mapping of Ecosystem Services (ES) is necessary to understand the impact global change on crucial ES and find strategies sustain human wellbeing. Economic valuation further translates their biophysical values into monetary values, which are then comparable across different easily understandable decision makers. However, a comprehensive synthesis methods measure indicators in grasslands, central element many landscapes around globe, still lacking, hampering implementation...
Abstract Nitrogen (N) enrichment has direct effects on ecosystem functioning by altering soil abiotic conditions and indirect reducing plant diversity shifting functional composition from dominance slow to fast growing species. Litter decomposition is a key function affected N either change in litter quality (the recalcitrance of the material) or through biotic components that affect decomposition). How alter remains poorly known. We designed large grassland field experiment manipulating...