Double seminar on the topics of plant communities, biodiversity and plant demography

We are pleased to invite you to this double seminar on the topics of plant communities, biodiversity and plant demography on Thursday 1. Dec from 14:15 – 16:00 held in Tunet, 4^th floor of Biologen Blokk A.

The seminars are organized in connection to the PhD defense of Ragnhild Gya on December 2^nd.

14:15 – 15:00: Prof. Anu Eskelinen, University of Oulu, Finland

Mechanisms of biodiversity change – insights from plant communities in the Anthropocene

Abstract: Plant communities and ecosystems around the world are experiencing unprecedented anthropogenic global change pressures, with projections of major changes in plant biodiversity. However, attempts to generalize biodiversity responses to global change pressures have had mixed success because idiosyncratic responses are often observed. Although decreases in plant biodiversity have been shown in response to some global change drivers, many studies report that local communities instead tolerate or resist global changes, show significant turnover of species and even increasing species richness. Moreover, species responses can either lag behind or exceed the velocity of global changes. A key to understanding these heterogeneous biodiversity responses and to target mitigation, conservation, and restoration actions in an appropriate way is to understand mechanisms that act behind biodiversity responses. In my talk I will present results from several recent case studies that investigate mechanisms linked to plant biodiversity change. I will specifically demonstrate that competition for light is a central mechanism driving plant biodiversity loss under nutrient enrichment and loss of herbivory, that nutrient enrichment can weaken the temporal storage effect provided by seed banks as a biodiversity maintaining mechanism, and that dispersal limitation interacts with trophic interactions and nutrients to constrain the invasion of novel species and their effects on diversity and productivity, causing lags in biodiversity response to global changes. 

15:15 – 16:00:  Associate Prof. Johan Dahlgren, University of Southern Denmark

Aging in plants – a demographic perspective

Abstract: It has long been assumed that plants may not experience the negative effects of growing older observed in many animal groups, and that they may even escape “actuarial senescence”, the increase in mortality with advancing age that occurs in, for example, all mammals and birds. However, little is known about how plant demographic rates are associated with organism age. I will present new results illustrating a remarkable variation in demographic aging of plants and discuss possible mechanisms.

If you would be interested in meeting Anu Eskelinen or Johan Dahlgren in a separate meeting, please reach out to Dagmar Egelkraut or Vigdis Vandvik.