Issues in Ecology, Issue 04: Biodiversity and Ecosystem Functioning

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In this report, biodiversity and its relevance to the ecosystems that support humanity is discussed. Ecosystem functioning is defined as the collective activities of all biota within an ecosystem and how they affect its chemical and physical factors; therefore, it can be negatively impacted by decreases in biodiversity-the wide variety of life forms inhabiting the planet. The ecological and economic consequences of losses in biodiversity are explained. Additionally, case studies of scientific efforts to understand ecosystem functioning and to assess biodiversity are presented. Issues in Ecology is an ongoing series of reports designed to present major ecological issues in an easy-to-read manner. This Issue summarizes the consensus of a panel of scientific experts based on the information that was current and available at the time of its publication in 1999.

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Primary or BEN resource type	Report
Secondary resource type	Assignment/activity (non-laboratory)
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Format	pdf
Is Part Of	This resource is part of ESA's Issues in Ecology series.
Collection Link	http://esa.org/ecoed/folders/0094/activeteachingwithissuesinecologyca...
Ecological Core Concept	Landscapes and larger scales -- Biodiversity patterns at larger scales Landscapes and larger scales Human impacts -- Biodiversity loss Human impacts Ecosystems -- Food webs and trophic cascades Ecosystems Communities -- Species composition, abundance, and diversity Communities
Drought & Water-Ecosystem Services Collection	Off
Conservation Targets Under Global Change Collection	Off
Big Data Collection	Off
Editor's Choice	No
Audience	Undergraduate upper division 15-16 Undergraduate lower division 13-14
Pedagogical Use Description	This report can be used for general information, classroom reading and discussion, and as a springboard for more information research. The report illustrates applications of ecology as it relates to our society and environment.
Keywords	Ecosystem functioning, Biodiversity, Species, Functional Types, Ecosystem, Observational studies, Experimental studies, Diversity, Food Web, Richness, report
Life science discipline (subject)	Ecology
Primary Author Controlled Name	Shahid Naeem Robert Costanza Paul Ehrlich Osvaldo Sala J.H. Lawton Harold Mooney Frank Golley F.S. Chapin III David Tilman David Hooper Amy Symstad
Primary Author Affiliation	Department of Zoology, University of Washington Department of Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley Institute for Ecological Economics, University of Maryland Department of Biological Sciences, Stanford University Institute of Ecology, University of Georgia Department of Biology, Western Washington University NERC Centre for Population Biology, Imperial College at Silwood Park Environmental Sciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratories Department of Biological Sciences, Stanford University Departamento de Ecologia, University of Buenos Aires Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, University of Minnesota
Primary Author email	n/a
Rights	Copyright 2008 by Shahid Naeem, Chair, F.S. Chapin III, Robert Costanza, Paul R. Ehrlich, Frank B. Golley, David U. Hooper, J.H. Lawton, Robert V. O’Neill, Harold A. Mooney, Osvaldo E. Sala, Amy J. Symstad,David Tilman, and the Ecological Society of America.
Review Status	Accepted
Resource Editor	Unknown
Reviewer A	Unknown
Reviewer B	Unknown
Date Of Record Submission	2008-01-09

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