Biodiversity conservation under energy limitation: Possible consequences of human productivity appropriation for species richness, ecosystem functioning, and food production

The human population appropriates about one-third of global aboveground terrestrial productivity. Although we have only a limited knowledge of the consequences of this effect, it is probable that the decreasing energy available for natural ecosystems will lead to the decrease of biological diversity, ultimately leading to the loss of functioning of natural systems. Such a loss may potentially severely affect also human production systems, since they are inevitably tightly interlinked with natural systems, exemplified by soil communities. This impedes the potential for biodiversity conservation as well as the sustainability of ecosystem services necessary for maintaining human population, and calls for a new research agenda and urgent policy measures.