The Ecosystems and Biodiversity discipline considers the diversity of life, its interactions with its physical environment and its stewardship from within the context of a process understanding of Earth's life support system.
Discipline interests include terrestrial ecosystems, their biogeochemical interactions with the lithosphere and atmosphere, and the role of human populations in altering these interactions (e.g. climate change, land-use change, pollution of ecosystems and eutrophication) and in their response to change (e.g. natural hazards, ecosystem services and climate change economics). Research ranges from investigations of individual habitats to whole catchment ecosystems and region wide investigations across latitudes ranging from the tropics to the poles. Such studies inform, and are integrated within Earth system models.
The discipline considers genetic diversity, nutrient cycles, comparative physiology, water balances and energy budgets in response to perturbation whether caused by natural catastrophe or human impacts, and extends to the influence of changing climate on ecosystem services. Such research is placed within a broader context of social interactions through our long-standing collaborations with colleagues in the Systems Department (MCT) and Geography (Social Science.)
Contact Information
Discipline Head - Dr Vincent Gauci
Email: v.gauci@open.ac.uk
Telephone: +44 (0) 1908 658137
Fax: