The Functional Consequences of Biodiversity Empirical Progress and Theoretical Extensions

Ann P. Kinzig, Stephen Pacala, David Tilman, "The Functional Consequences of Biodiversity: Empirical Progress and Theoretical Extensions."
English | 2001 | pages: 387 | ISBN: 0691088225, 0691088217 | PDF | 1,2 mb
Does biodiversity influence how ecosystems function? Might diversity loss affect the ability of ecosystems to deliver services of benefit to humankind? Ecosystems provide food, fuel, fiber, and drinkable water, regulate local and regional climate, and recycle needed nutrients, among other things. An ecosyste's ability to sustain functioning may depend on the number of species residing in the ecosystem-its biological diversity-but this has been a controversial hypothesis. There are many unanswered questions about how and why changes in biodiversity could alter ecosystem functioning. This volume, written by top researchers, synthesizes empirical studies on the relationship between biodiversity and ecosystem functioning and extends that knowledge using a novel and coordinated set of models and theoretical approaches.