[Ecolunch] Tomorrow's Ecolunch: Forest Isbell, Tuesday Feb. 14th

[Katie NCEAS]

Dear all,

Your friendly reminder of our "Valentine" Ecolunch is tomorrow, February 14th.
 Please join us :)

> Dr. Forest Isbell, University of Minnesota
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> Causes and consequences of changes in grassland plant diversity
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> **Tuesday** February 14th @ 12:15
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> From Dr. Isbell:
> Humans are causing many changes on a global scale, such as                 changes in nutrient availability, species origin (native vs. exotic), land use, and climate. There is concern that these anthropogenic influences could tip ecosystems over critical thresholds, leading to rapid, and potentially irreversible, changes in ecosystems. Furthermore, biodiversity is declining worldwide, and there is considerable evidence that ecosystem functioning (e.g., productivity, nutrient cycling) directly depends on biodiversity. Thus, there is concern that biodiversity declines will decrease the services that ecosystems provide for people. This talk will explore: (1) whether nutrient enrichment can cause a critical transition from a diverse to a depauperate grassland plant community by promoting an exotic species invasion, and (2) the extent to which grassland plant species are functionally redundant, such that their extinction will not influence ecosystem functioning.
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> Website: web.me.com/forest.isbell
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> ********************************
> 
> GENERAL INFORMATION: Ecolunch is usually Thursday, at 12:15 pm (brown bag lunch) National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis, 735 State 
> St., Suite 300, Santa Barbara, CA 93101 Phone: (805) 892-2500
> 
> A schedule of upcoming Ecolunch seminars is available on the web at: 
> http://www.nceas.ucsb.edu/ecolunch
> 
> DIRECTIONS FROM UCSB BY BUS: You can get to NCEAS by taking the 11:40 a.m. bus (#24x) from campus. From the transit center, walk one block east to
> State Street and two blocks south to the Balboa Building at 735 State Street. To return to campus, you can take the 1:30 p.m. bus (#24x) from
> the transit station and be back on campus by 1:49 p.m. Or you can take the 2:20 p.m. bus and arrive on campus at 2:39.
> BY CAR: take Highway 101 South. Once in Santa Barbara, exit on Carrillo Street. Turn left onto Carrillo. Drive 5 blocks and turn right on State
> Street. NCEAS is located on the right side at 735 State St., Suite 300. To park: Drive past NCEAS on State Street and make your first right on Ortega
> Street. Drive 1 block and turn right on Chapala Street. Park in the underground Mall parking lot on your right. (First 75 minutes free). Once
> you are at the Balboa Building: We are on the third floor in the lounge area.
> 
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