One of the greatest threats to the ecosystems we rely upon is not just a reduction in biodiversity, but also its homogenisation. Vast swathes of diverse, yet identical, fields are vulnerable to pathogen outbreaks or environmental disturbances. As governments plan to restore habitats under schemes such as the UK’s ‘Northern Forest’, there is a pressing need to quantify landscape-scale diversity and homogenisation. The central goal of our network is to measure assemblage homogenisation and structure. We will achieve this by having network members establish sites, within which they will use fractal plot arrangements to efficiently measure diversity across spatial scales.
We have three specific objectives. (1) Measure co-occurrences across taxonomic groups in local-scale assemblages. By spreading our sites widely, we will be able to examine the tendency of taxa with overlapping ranges to locally co-occur. (2) Contrast spatial homogenisation across taxa and sites. Our site design will allow us to quantify variation/homogenisation in composition (β-diversity) among sites, and within sites at 900m, 300m, and 100m scales. (3) Develop a scientific community using a common protocol for future experiments and grants. Our design allows for replicated experiments (with controls) and unlimited expansion, and is particularly appropriate for questions about spatial scaling.
We see these objectives as just the beginning, and want to build an inclusive network of ecologists collecting openly-accessible data. If you’re interested in what we’re trying to achieve, why not find out more about our sampling protocol, or fill in our ten-second sign-up form? We also have a one-page PDF that goes over the rationale and overall sampling aims of the scheme here.