Diverse Landscapes Are More Productive and Adapt Better to Climate Change

Ecosystems with high biodiversity are more productive and stable towards annual fluctuations in environmental conditions than those with a low diversity of species. They also adapt better to climate-driven environmental changes.  These are the key findings environmental scientists at the University of Zurich made in a study of about 450 landscapes harboring 2,200 plants and animal species.

The dramatic, worldwide loss of biodiversity is one of today's greatest environmental problems. The loss of species diversity affects important ecosystems on which humans depend. Previous research predominantly addressed short-term effects of biodiversity in small experimental plots planted with few randomly selected plant species.  These studies have shown that species-poor plant assemblages function less well and produce less biomass than species rich systems.

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