How do the dual effects of greenhouse gases on the ocean (warming and acidification) interact with local stressors (overfishing and pollution) to reduce ecosystem services and cause extinctions?

The ocean covers 70% of the planet, yet the dual impacts of greenhouse gases are typically ignored – e.g. solutions designed to reduce heating without reducing CO2 concentrations ignore the threat posed by acidification. Moreover, we know little about the synergies between local and global stressors, and how reducing the former might buy us time to deal with the latter.

What is the extinction probability faced by each species; why; and what should, and is, being done to reduce this?

Why? – Unlike all other human impacts on the planet, extinction is irreversible.

Obstacles – shortfalls in capacity and funding for understanding species taxonomy, distribution, and extinction probability.

How much biodiversity exists and how does its change or loss affect the system as a whole, and how modern methods of scientific investigations on biodiversity (including Artificial Intelligence) can help in solving this problem?

Biodiversity underpins the life-support system of our planet. But several factors, including natural and anthropogenic factors, have brought us to a critical point. The world is experiencing an unprecedented rate of species extinction, which may have far-reaching consequences for all life forms.

What fraction of species do we need to maintain a functioning ecosystem?

Over the past two decades, more than 150 experiments have manipulated the diversity of bacteria, fungi, plants and animals in habitats around the world to examine how biodiversity impacts the functioning of ecosystems. These experiments have shown that species extinction has significant impacts on (i) the rate at which ecosystems produce food, fiber, and biofuel, (ii) the ability of ecosystems to sequester carbon from, and release oxygen to, Earth’s atmosphere, (iii) the rate at which dead organic matter is decomposed and biologically essential nutrients are recycled, and (iv) the frequency and severity of pest outbreaks. With solid theoretical models and a wealth of data in hand, we are now poised to say how many species must be conserved in order to maximize the rates of ecological processes that are essential to the existence of life.