Quantifying effects of biodiversity on ecosystem functioning across times and places.

ABSTRACT: Biodiversity loss decreases ecosystem functioning at the local scales at which species interact, but it remains unclear how biodiversity loss affects ecosystem functioning at the larger scales of space and time that are most relevant to biodiversity conservation and policy. Theory predicts that additional insurance effects of biodiversity on ecosystem functioning could emerge across time and space if species respond asynchronously to environmental variation and if species become increasingly dominant when and where they are most productive. Even if only a few dominant species maintain ecosystem functioning within a particular time and place, ecosystem functioning may be enhanced by many different species across many times and places (β-diversity). Here, we develop and apply a new approach

SUBMITTER: Isbell F 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5957270 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature