Authors:
Midgley, G.F.
Publication Date:
2012
Abstract/Summary:
How is the biodiversity within an ecosystem related to the ecosystem’s function? Quantifying and understanding this relationship— the biodiversity ecosystem function (BEF) —is important because socio-economic development is almost always accompanied by the loss of natural habitat and species. Short-term economic gains may thus trump longer-term benefits for human society, creating vulnerabilities that could be avoided or corrected with enough knowledge about the role of biodiversity.
Resource Type:
Peer-reviewed Article
Source:
Science
Link:
http://science.sciencemag.org/content/335/6065/174.full