Abstract
Climate extremes are on the rise. Impacts of extreme climate and weather events on ecosystem services and ultimately human well‐being can be partially attenuated by the organismic, structural, and functional diversity of the affected land surface. However, the ongoing transformation of terrestrial ecosystems through intensified exploitation and management may put this buffering capacity at risk. Here, we summarize the evidence that reductions in biodiversity can destabilize the functioning of ecosystems facing climate extremes. We then explore if impaired ecosystem functioning could, in turn, exacerbate climate extremes. We argue that only a comprehensive approach, incorporating both ecological and hydrometeorological perspectives, enables us to understand and predict the entire feedback system between altered biodiversity and climate extremes. This ambition, however, requires a reformulation of current research priorities to emphasize the bidirectional effects that link ecology and atmospheric processes.
Jian Peng
Professor for Hydrology and Remote Sensing / Head of Remote Sensing Department (UFZ)
I am the head of the Department of Remote Sensing at the UFZ and a full professor for Hydrology and Remote Sensing at the University of Leipzig.
Claudia Guimarães-Steinicke
Postdoctoral fellow / Remote Sensing in Geo- and Ecosystem Research
Chaonan Ji
Postdoctoral fellow / Earth System Data Science
My research interests include the classification of hyperspectral images from air and space, gradient analysis, and its application in urban areas. My current research interest is in the study and analysis of environmental responses to climate extremes.
Milena Mönks
Scientific project management in the Breathing Nature initiative / Earth System Data Science
Scientific project management in the Breathing Nature initiative
