<html><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"></head><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><div class="">Dear all,</div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">As promised, here is your bimonthly update on progress for each of the projects identified in our second meeting. For your reference, the list of projects and leaders can also be found here:</div><div class=""><a href="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1iML_EzPHvhQjNI50Z0ITYCGj58kiP7lbUBSog9aQ5IU/edit?usp=sharing" class="">https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1iML_EzPHvhQjNI50Z0ITYCGj58kiP7lbUBSog9aQ5IU/edit?usp=sharing</a></div><div class="">If you would like to contribute to one or more of these projects, then please feel free to contact the project leader(s) and offer ways to help. If you have questions, then please feel free to ask the project leaders or me. Thanks in advance for your contributions!</div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">Best wishes,</div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">Forest, Jane, and Laura</div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class=""><b class="">Nonrandom changes in biodiversity and EF led by Tim Newbold</b></div><div class="">We have started to pull together the manuscript. We now have some draft text for the biodiversity change section, and Laura Dee will provide some text on ecosystem functioning soon. I have also made progress with the analysis of PREDICTS and other biodiversity data to show how biodiversity change is related to species' numerical rarity.</div><div class=""><b class=""><br class=""></b></div><div class=""><b class="">BEF causality review led by Laura Dee</b></div><div class="">I hope to send this draft out when I am back from vacation by mid-August. The current status is revisions and clarifying the key messages. Still waiting on a few people for contributions to sections of the main text. When I send the draft, the next step will be revising the existing text (including <span style="font-size: small; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class="">for people who contributed sections to help revise their sections)</span> and writing/crafting the future directions/research agenda section.</div><div class=""><b class=""><br class=""></b></div><div class=""><b class="">NutNet BEF causality analysis led by Laura Dee</b></div><div class="">A few people contacted me about wanting to contribute to this paper as authors. Analyses are done, and I am working on writing. I will send an update in August to the people who contacted me.</div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class=""><b class="">Instrumental variables with Cedar Creek biodiversity and fertilization experiments led by Jane Cowles</b></div><div class="">No update at this time.</div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class=""><b class="">Quantifying performance-enhancing insurance effects led by Forest Isbell</b></div><div class="">More than two dozen tree diversity experiments have now submitted data. I am still waiting on a few more. We ruled out the possibility of also adding in marine data, and will stick with the grassland and forest studies. I will soon begin analyzing these data.</div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class=""><b class="">Global drivers of biodiversity loss (N) led by Yann Hautier</b></div><div class="">No update at this time.</div><div class=""><b class=""><br class=""></b></div><div class=""><b class="">SAR, EAR, and BEF led by Akira Mori</b></div><div class="">No update at this time.</div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class=""><b class="">Agenda 2049 led by Mary O’Connor</b></div><div class="">No update at this time.</div><div class=""><b class=""><br class=""></b></div><div class=""><b class="">Coexistence mechanisms led by Jane Cowles</b></div><div class="">No update at this time.</div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class=""><div class=""><b class="">Global BEF led by Sasha Wright</b></div><div class="">I have received text and comments from most of the people who volunteered to work on the MS. The manuscript is now offline and I am combing through different comments and unifying the goals of the paper. People can expect another draft sometime in the fall (our baby is due in two weeks!).</div></div></body></html>