David A. Wardle

Research Statement

AI generated · 1d ago

David A. Wardle's indexed work centers on how biodiversity governs ecosystem functioning, with highly cited syntheses on the consensus linking species richness to ecosystem processes and, in Science, on biodiversity–ecosystem functioning as a research frontier. A parallel line examines aboveground–belowground ecological linkages, including herbivore-mediated connections between plant and soil communities and plant–soil feedbacks, alongside work on trophic downgrading and its planetary consequences and on how global change reshapes species interactions in terrestrial ecosystems. Beyond these lead-author syntheses, Wardle contributed as a middle author to biodiversity loss and its impact on humanity and to the role of biotic interactions in shaping species distributions and assemblages, extending his themes into conservation and modelling. No software, datasets, patents, or grants are indexed beyond publications. Across these works, the throughline is a career-long effort to connect plant, soil, and consumer communities into a single functional framework, a project shared with collaborators such as Cameron Wagg.

Most Cited Works

Biodiversity loss and its impact on humanity

Bradley J Cardinale, J Emmett Duffy, Andrew Gonzalez, David U Hooper, Charles Perrings, Patrick Venail, Anita Narwani, Georgina M Mace, David Tilman, David A Wardle, Ann P Kinzig, Gretchen C Daily, Michel Loreau, James B Grace, Anne Larigauderie, Diane S Srivastava, Shahid Naeem

Nature2012

7,448Citations

Biodiversity and Ecosystem Functioning: Current Knowledge and Future Challenges

Research Areas

Ecology and Vegetation Dynamics StudiesSoil Carbon and Nitrogen DynamicsMycorrhizal Fungi and Plant InteractionsFire effects on ecosystemsMicrobial Community Ecology and Physiolo

Affiliations & Education

Education

1986–1989
University of Calgary(CA)
PhD · Biological Sciences
1982–1985
University of Canterbury School of Biological Sciences(NZ)
BSc (honours) · Department of Botany

Employment

2023–present· now
Umea University (SE)

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Sources