Lunch with a Scientist is an ongoing monthly lecture series at Cedar Creek. Each month, scientists present a general-audience lecture about their work at or related to Cedar Creek and take questions from the audience.
The series has been running since January 2019 as an in-person program. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, it was shifted online in April 2020, from which point recordings are available. Programs take place on the second Tuesday of each month (11:30am central time), either in-person at Cedar Creek, via zoom, or both. Details about speakers and delivery mode are at
https://cbs.umn.edu/cedarcreek/public-programs/lunch-scientistProgram Description
Biodiversity is often described as nature’s safety net—but how exactly does it help ecosystems stay stable, especially in a changing world? In this talk, Dr. Maowei Liang shares insights from his research on how biodiversity stabilizes ecosystems across different spatial scales. Drawing on long-term data, ecological models, and fieldwork, he will explain how biodiversity buffers ecosystems against disturbance by spreading ecological risk across space and time. In particular, he will highlight how human-driven changes—such as land use and climate variability—affect this relationship. This program offers a timely and accessible look at why biodiversity matters for ecosystem stability, and what that means for conservation, restoration, and land management today.
About the Researcher - Maowei Liang
Dr. Maowei Liang is Cedar Creek's research scientist. Maowei was awarded his Ph.D. from Inner Mongolia University, China in 2019. He is broadly interested in community and ecosystem ecology. Specifically, his work investigates how changes in ecosystem functioning across spatial-temporal scales are associated with plant compositional shifts (e.g., biodiversity) in the face of climate and land-use changes. As site research scientist, he conducts and publishes results of ecological research, and coordinates ecosystem restoration and land management work to strengthen and complement Cedar Creek's mission.