Page - 5 - in options, Volume winter 2015/2016

research news 5winter 2015/2016 + optionswww.iiasa.ac.at iiasa research Species dispersal aids biodiversity P lanet Earth is home to millions of species, from single-celled bacteria to plants, insects, and mammals. Yet how this biodiversity developed—and how it contributes to stable ecosystems—is one of the mysteries of modern biology.In a new study published in the Journal of Theoretical Biology, IIASA researchers tested one of the most-often cited mechanisms linking biodiversity and ecosystem stability, known as the spatial insurance hypothesis. “The basic concept centers around two ideas,” explains ecologist David Shanafelt, who led the study. “The first is that the more functionally redundant species an ecosystem has, the more resistant it will be to environmental shocks. The second is that immigration of species can replace those that go extinct locally, and that is why dispersal can have a stabilizing effect on ecosystem properties, such as productivity— the generation of biomass.” Shanafelt is a PhD student at Arizona State University in the USA, and conducted the study as part of his participation in the 2012 IIASA Young Scientists Summer Program, in collaboration with IIASA Evolution and Ecology Program Director Ulf Dieckmann and researchers Matthias Jonas and Oskar Franklin. The study is based on a modeling framework developed by an international collaboration of researchers. It finds that intermediate levels of species dispersal, or immigration, can  maintain the productivity of an ecosystem, even when the environmental conditions experienced by the species are fluctuating. “Our results have implications for real-world systems,” explains Shanafelt. “For  example, with the growth of international trade, ecosystems are more connected, leading to an increase in the global dispersal of species. Our results allow projecting how this trend affects ecosystem productivity and biodiversity, under assumptions that are more realistic than those in previous models.” KL Further info Shanafelt DW, Dieckmann U, Jonas M, Franklin O, Loreau M, Perrings C (2015). Biodiversity, productivity, and the spatial insurance hypothesis revisited. Journal of Theoretical Biology 380:426–435 [doi:10.1016/j.jtbi.2015.06.017]. David Shanafelt David.shanafelt@asu.edu § Ulf Dieckmann dieckmann@iiasa.ac.at Chinese CO2 emissions lower  than  thought CO2 emissions in China may be more than 10% lower than previously estimated in most international datasets, according to a new study published in the journal Nature. IIASA researcher Junguo Liu contributed to the study, which analyzed the energy content of coal from Chinese mines in a systematic way. They found that because coal in the region has lower energy content than other types, previous analyses had overestimated emissions from coal‑fired power plants. www.iiasa.ac.at/news/chinaCO2-15 Future of world religions The religious profile of the world is rapidly changing, driven primarily by differences in fertility rates and the number of young people subscribing to the world’s major religions, as well as by people switching faiths, according to a new study published in the Yearbook of International Religious Demography. IIASA researchers developed the projections for a recent Pew Research Center report entitled, "The Future of World Religions: Population Growth Projections, 2010–2050" (2 April 2015). www.iiasa.ac.at/news/religion-15 Good practice climate policies Replicating climate and energy policies with proven potential around the world could significantly contribute to bringing greenhouse gas emissions down to meet the target of limiting climate change to 2°C. According to a new study from IIASA and partners, replicating these “good practice policies” around the world could take us a long way towards meeting climate goals. www.iiasa.ac.at/news/goodpractice-15 Trans‑Siberian railroad remix A new network of high‑speed trains, roads, and telecommunication infrastructure could forge a new link from Europe to Asia and create a corridor of new development in between. Researcher Yuri Gromyko presented this vision, a project led by academic institutions in Russia, at the fifth workshop of the IIASA‑coordinated project, “Challenges and Opportunities of Economic Integration within a wider European and Eurasian Space.” Several further workshops are planned which will form the foundation for the research phase of the project. blog.iiasa.ac.at/transsiberia-15