Climate change and the disruption of ecosystem services: Big world problems occurring in small world microcosms

Ecosystem services, such as nutrient cycling and food production, are greatest in ecosystems with the highest species diversity. This phenomenon – known as the biodiversity-ecosystem functioning (BEF) relationship – has been shown to occur in a large range of ecosystem- and taxa- types. However, it is unknown how climate change will affect this relationship. By combining mathematical modeling with experiments using the naturally-occurring microcosms of the carnivorous plant, Sarracenia purpurea, we demonstrated that high diversity may no longer guarantee high ecosystem functioning when temperature and temperature variation increases.