IUCN Global Ecosystem Typology 2.0: descriptive profiles for biomes and ecosystem functional groups

Abstract

Ecosystems are critically important components of Earth’s biological diversity and as the natural capital that sustains human life and well-being. Yet all of the world’s ecosystems show hallmarks of human influence, and many are under acute risks of collapse, with consequences for habitats of species, genetic diversity, ecosystem services, sustainable development and human well-being. The IUCN Global Ecosystem Typology is a hierarchical classification system that, in its upper levels, defines ecosystems by their convergent ecological functions and, in its lower levels, distinguishes ecosystems with contrasting assemblages of species engaged in those functions. This report describes the three upper levels of the hierarchy, which provide a framework for understanding and comparing the key ecological traits of functionally different ecosystems and their drivers. An understanding of these traits and drivers is essential to support ecosystem management.

Terrestrial biomes: a conceptual review

“…A biome is a complex concept with no exact definition, some have argued that the varying traditions and usages of 'biome' and its synonyms are ambiguous and therefore of little empirical use (Kreft and Jetz 2010). However, the term is continually being adapted and re-invented (Griffith et al 2019;Keith et al 2020), and others suggest that much use can come from this flexibility of definition (Pennington et al 2004). Although the earliest endeavors did not use the term biome, phytogeography, and vegetation science in general, attempts to find general patterns that explain the distribution and interactions of living organisms with the physical and non-physical world.…”

“…If there are new concepts, new terms have to be coined to name them. In the case of biome, the most recent version of this term appearing in the literature is that of the Global Ecosystem Typology, issued by the IUCN (Keith et al 2020). In it, the term biome (functional biome) is used for level 2 of the proposed classification and is based on an imprecise definition with conditions such as "main ecological drivers" and "main ecological functions".…”

“…This conception of biomes is far from the ones based on a climatic or on stable environmental factors determinism. Additionally, different criteria are adopted for the biome definitions (Keith et al 2020): climate, disturbances, human influence, and that could be considered a source of inconsistency. If a new conceptual entity is proposed, perhaps a new name should be proposed to avoid confusion.…”

Using ecosystem risk assessment science in ecosystem restoration: a guide to applying the Red List of Ecosystems to ecosystem restoration

“…The IUCN Global Ecosystem Typology 44 was developed by a global network of cross-disciplinary specialists. It is a systematic and hierarchical classification that encompasses all of Earth's ecosystems, representing the diversity of both ecosystem function and biodiversity.…”

Collecting eco‐evolutionary data in the dark: Impediments to subterranean research and how to overcome them

“…These voids may open a few centimeters below ground level or descend several kilometers toward areas where the environmental conditions exceed the limits of life (Fišer et al, 2014). They are widespread on all continents, having been documented from different geological substrates, including carbonates (limestone and dolomite), sandstones, gypsum, granites, lava fields, iron ores, and even unconsolidated sediments (Keith et al, 2020). In summary, the cavities that we can access and explore by entering them represent just the tip of the iceberg of what lies below our feet (Ficetola et al, 2019;Mammola, Cardoso, et al, 2019).…”