Ecosystems

The term ecosystem was first suggested by botanist Roy Clapham to describe the biological and physical elements of an environment. Plants, animals and other organisms constitute the living things, whereas the landscape and local atmosphere represent the non-living components.

Ecosystems are responsible for the cycling of nutrients and the flow of energy. They are dynamic, and their composition and structure change when a disturbance occurs, either natural or anthropogenic.

The aim of this collection is to gather research on understanding how ecosystems are formed, maintained, and how they adapt to changing environmental conditions.

Potential topics include but are not limited to:

• Terrestrial ecosystems: forest, grassland, tundra, and desert ecosystems.
• Freshwater and marine ecosystems.
• Artificial ecosystems.
• Ecological energetics.
• Biodiversity and Biogeography.
• Nutrient cycling.
• Community dynamics.
• Conservation Science.

Collection advisors: Daniel Richter (Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Spain), Jaana Bäck (University of Helsinki, Finland)