Biodiversity Loss Threatens Human Well-Being

At least among species within the same trophic level (e.g., plants), rarer species are likely to have small effects at any given point in time. [...]in natural systems, if we are to preserve the services that ecosystems provide to humans, we should focus on preserving or restoring their biotic integ...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:PLoS biology Vol. 4; no. 8; p. e277
Main Authors: Díaz, Sandra, Fargione, Joseph, Chapin, F. Stuart, Tilman, David
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: United States Public Library of Science 01.08.2006
Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Subjects:
Animals
Biodiversity
Biodiversity loss
Biological diversity
Conservation of Natural Resources
Drinking water
Ecology
Ecosystem services
Ecosystems
Environmental aspects
Food
Genetic diversity
Greenhouse Effect
Human settlements
Humans
Nutrient cycles
Nutrient retention
Poverty
Quality of Life
Relative abundance
Retention
Soil fertility
Species composition
Sustainable development
Trophic levels
United States
Animals
Poverty
Humans
Greenhouse Effect
Quality of Life
Conservation of Natural Resources
Biodiversity
ISSN:1545-7885, 1544-9173, 1545-7885
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:At least among species within the same trophic level (e.g., plants), rarer species are likely to have small effects at any given point in time. [...]in natural systems, if we are to preserve the services that ecosystems provide to humans, we should focus on preserving or restoring their biotic integrity in terms of species composition, relative abundance, functional organization, and species numbers (whether inherently species-poor or species-rich), rather than on simply maximizing the number of species present.\n Ecosystem services are the benefits provided by ecosystems that contribute to making human life both possible and worth living. [...]the service of formation, retention, and sustained fertility of soils necessary for the production of plants and animals considered important by different human societies depends on the ecosystem processes of decomposition, nutrient cycling by soil microbiota, and the retention of water and soil particles by a well-developed root network (Figure 1, path 2 and top sub-box in red of Ecosystem Services box).
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ISSN:1545-7885
1544-9173
1545-7885
DOI:10.1371/journal.pbio.0040277