Biodiversity and Ecosystem Function. 1994. (Springer Study Edition). 116 figs. 22 tabs. 7 pls. XXVII,525 p. gr8vo. Paper bd.

Originally published as volume 99 in the series 'Ecological Studies'.-With the accelerating loss of biodiversity there is increasing concernabout how this loss may be affecting ecosystem processes, or services,that are of benefit to human well-being. The limited studies thataddress the principal question directly, species numbers versus systemfunction, are evaluated. Moreover, the degree of redundandy withinsystems, the ubiquity of keystone species, the tightness of speciesinteractions from mutualisms to food webs, the resilience of systems toperturbation, the interactions of landscape units are explored, as isalso how policy decisions are driven in this research area.