The Ecological and Societal Consequences of Biodiversity Loss

About this book

The idea that changes in biodiversity can impact how ecosystems function has, over the last quarter-century, gone from being a controversial notion to an accepted part of science and policy. As the field matures, it is high time to review progress, explore the links between this new research area and fundamental ecological concepts, and look ahead to the implementation of this knowledge.

This book is designed to both provide an up-to-date overview of research in the area and to serve as a useful textbook for those studying the relationship between biodiversity and the functioning, stability and services of ecosystems. The Ecological and Societal Consequences of Biodiversity Loss is aimed at a wide audience of upper-undergraduate students, postgraduate students, and academic and research staff.

Contents

Introduction the Ecological and Societal Consequences of Biodiversity Loss   xiii / Michel LOREAU, Andy HECTOR, and Forest ISBELL

Part 1 Biodiversity and Ecosystems: An Overview   1
Chapter 1 Biodiversity Change: Past, Present, and Future   3 / Andy PURVIS and Forest ISBELL
Chapter 2 Biodiversity: Concepts, Dimensions, and Measures   25 / Anne CHAO and Robert K COLWELL
Chapter 3 Ecosystems: An Overview   47 / Amelia A WOLF, Sarah K ORTIZ, and Chase J RAKOWSKI

Part 2 How Biodiversity Affects Ecosystem Functioning   73
Chapter 4 Biodiversity and Ecosystem Functioning: Theoretical Foundations   75 / Shaopeng WANG
Chapter 5 Experimental Evidence for How Biodiversity Affects Ecosystem Functioning   97 / Mary I O’CONNOR, Joey R BERNHARDT, Keila STARK, Jacob USINOWICZ, and Matthew A WHALEN
Chapter 6 Biodiversity and Ecosystem Functioning in Observational Analyses   119 / Laura E DEE, Kaitlin KIMMEL, and Meghan HAYDEN

Part 3 How Biodiversity Affects Ecosystem Stability   145
Chapter 7 Biodiversity and Ecosystem Stability: New Theoretical Insights   147 / Michel LOREAU
Chapter 8 What Do Biodiversity Experiments Tell Us About Biodiversity and Ecological Stability Relationships?   167 / Lin JIANG and Qianna XU
Chapter 9 Biodiversity and Temporal Stability of Naturally Assembled Ecosystems Across Spatial Scales in a Changing World   189 / Yann HAUTIER and Fons VAN DER PLAS

Part 4 How Biodiversity Affects Human Societies   211
Chapter 10 Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services in Managed Ecosystems   213 / Bernhard SCHMID and Christian SCHÖB
Chapter 11 Biodiversity and Human Health: On the Necessity of Combining Ecology and Public Health   233 / Jean-François GUÉGAN, Benjamin ROCHE, and Serge MORAND
Chapter 12 Economic Valuation of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services   261 / Seth BINDER

Part 5 Zooming Out: Biodiversity in a Changing Planet   281
Chapter 13 Feedbacks Between Biodiversity and Climate Change   283 / Akira S MORI, Takehiro SASAKI, Maiko KAGAMI, Takeshi MIKI, and Moriaki YASUHARA
Chapter 14 Feedbacks Between Biodiversity and Society   305 / Kirsten HENDERSON
Chapter 15 Protecting and Restoring Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services   325 / Forest ISBELL

List of Authors   347
Index   351

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Biography

Michel Loreau is a theoretical ecologist with broad scientific interests. He is renowned internationally for his work on the relationships between biodiversity, ecosystem functioning, stability and the sustainability of coupled human-nature systems.

Andy Hector is an experimental ecologist with an interest in biodiversity, its loss and the consequences for ecosystem functioning and stability. He works primarily with plants, focusing on grassland and forest ecosystems, and is part of the Sabah Biodiversity Experiment in Malaysian Borneo.

Forest Isbell is an ecologist who studies grasslands, forests and agroecosystems. He investigates how changes in biodiversity are altering ecosystem functioning, stability and services, considering both the costs of biodiversity loss and the benefits of restoring biodiversity.