The functional consequences of biodiversity : empirical progress and theoretical extensions /
Ann P. Kinzig, Stephen W. Pacala, and David Tilman, editors.
- Princeton : Princeton University Press, (c)2001.
- 1 online resource (xxvi, 365 pages) : illustrations
- Monographs in population biology ; 33 .
Includes bibliographies and index.
Opening remarks / The transition from sampling to complementarity / Ann P. Kinzig. Biodiversity, composition, and ecosystem processes: theory and concepts / David Tilman and Clarence Lehman. Experimental and observational studies of diversity, productivity, and stability / David Tilman [and others. Biodiversity and the functioning of grassland ecosystems: multi-site comparisons / Andy Hector. Autotrophic-heterotrophic interactions and their impacts on biodiversity and ecosystem functioning / Shahid Naeem. Empirical evidence for biodiversity-ecosystem functioning relationships / Bernhard Schmid, Jasmin Joshi, and Felix Schläpfer -- Stephen Pacala and David Tilman.
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.