A Data-Driven Investigation Exploring Productivity–Diversity Relationships Across Scales

<p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Times,serif"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">This figure set and associated activity enable instructors to engage students with issues of scale and biodiversity by linking core ecological concepts (community and ecosystem ecology) to ecology practices (data interpretation, quantitative reasoning), human-environment interactions, and cross-cutting themes such recognizing patterns across scales. By examining both predictable patterns in controlled systems (British pastures) and variable patterns across global datasets, students learn how ecological theory is applied, tested, and sometimes challenged in real-world contexts. They also gain an appreciation of the interplay between biotic and abiotic factors, human impacts, and scale, setting the stage for inquiry-based learning and participation in global collaborative projects such as the Nutrient Network (NutNet).</span></span></span></p>