Ecosystem Function Measurement, Terrestrial Communities

DIAZ S

Encyclopedia of Biodiversity

Elsevier

Lugar: Oxford; Año: 2013; p. 72 - 99

This article deals with the functioning of terrestrial ecosystems with emphasis on primary producers and their relationship to biodiversity. Primary producers are the major sustainers of life. They determine the amount of energy and materials available to food webs. Biodiversity in this context involves not only the number and relative abundance of species (taxonomic diversity) but also the kind, range, distribution and relative abundance of traits they possess (functional diversity). These traits influence, and are influenced by, major ecosystem processes. Ecosystem resource dynamics and stability in the face of disturbance are discussed, including major methodological approaches to their study.