Martins, Ines S. orcid.org/0000-0003-4328-7286, Dornelas, Maria, Vellend, Mark et al. (1 more author) (2022) A millennium of increasing diversity of ecosystems until the mid-20th century. Global Change Biology. pp. 5945-5955. ISSN 1354-1013
Abstract
Land-use change is widely regarded as a simplifying and homogenising force in nature. In contrast, analysing global land-use reconstructions from the 10th to 20th centuries, we found progressive increases in the number, evenness, and diversity of ecosystems (including human-modified land-use types) present across most of the Earth's land surface. Ecosystem diversity increased more rapidly after ~1700 CE, then slowed or slightly declined (depending on the metric) following the mid-20th century acceleration of human impacts. The results also reveal increasing spatial differentiation, rather than homogenisation, in both the presence-absence and area-coverage of different ecosystem types at sub-global scales—at least, prior to the mid-20th century. Nonetheless, geographic homogenization was revealed for a subset of analyses at a global scale, reflecting the now-global presence of certain human-modified ecosystem types. Our results suggest that, while human land-use changes have caused declines in relatively undisturbed or “primary” ecosystem types, they have also driven increases in ecosystem diversity over the last millennium.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
---|---|
Authors/Creators: |
|
Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2022 The Authors. |
Dates: |
|
Institution: | The University of York |
Academic Units: | The University of York > Faculty of Sciences (York) > Biology (York) |
Depositing User: | Pure (York) |
Date Deposited: | 27 Jul 2022 07:50 |
Last Modified: | 16 Oct 2024 18:37 |
Published Version: | https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.16335 |
Status: | Published |
Refereed: | Yes |
Identification Number: | 10.1111/gcb.16335 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:189457 |
Download
Description: A millennium of increasing diversity of ecosystems until the mid-20th century
Licence: CC-BY 2.5