Global taxonomic, functional and phylogenetic diversity of stream macroinvertebrate communities: unravelling spatial trends, ecological determinants and anthropogenic threats

 

GloBioTrends

 

Anthropogenic activities threaten biodiversity at global, regional and local scales. Addressing this situation requires knowledge of the main mechanisms underlying biodiversity patterns. While the threats facing large, charismatic organisms are relatively well-known, those facing small-sized organisms inhabiting freshwater ecosystems are poorly studied, especially at large scales and in terms of joint examination of different facets, i.e. taxonomic, phylogenetic and functional facets of biodiversity. This scarcity of knowledge is largely due to the absence of an organized dataset on functional and phylogenetic information. The project GloBioTrends (1) aims to increase understanding of functional and phylogenetic differences among stream macroinvertebrate faunas across the world, (2) examines variation in the responses of taxonomic, functional and phylogenetic biodiversity to natural and anthropogenic factors within distinct regions, and (3) predicts how environmental changes at global, regional and local scales affect stream macroinvertebrate biodiversity.

 

This project will include collaboration with a large number of researchers from across the world. Please, have a look a at the map on the Collaborators subpage. We are also welcoming new participants in this project. In case you are interested in collaborating with us, please send an email message to the principal investigator to learn more.

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The project is funded by the Academy of Finland for the period between September 2020 and December 2024. The core research team works at the Geography Research Unit of the University of Oulu.