Many natural disturbances have a strong climate forcing, and concern is rising about how
ecosystems will respond to disturbance regimes to which they are not adapted. Novelty can …

BACKGROUND Biodiversity is under siege, with greatly enhanced rates of local and global
extinction and the decline of once-abundant species. Current rates of human-induced …

The impact of local biodiversity loss on ecosystem functioning is well established, but the
role of larger-scale biodiversity dynamics in the delivery of ecosystem services remains …

Extensively managed grasslands are recognized globally for their high biodiversity and their
social and cultural values. However, their capacity to deliver multiple ecosystem services …

Approximately 25 years ago, ecologists became increasingly interested in the question of
whether ongoing biodiversity loss matters for the functioning of ecosystems. As such, a new …

A rich body of knowledge links biodiversity to ecosystem functioning (BEF), but it is primarily
focused on small scales. We review the current theory and identify six expectations for scale …

Restoring species diversity is proposed as a strategy to improve ecosystem resistance to
extreme droughts, but the impact of species diversity on resistance has not been evaluated …

Biological insurance theory predicts that, in a variable environment, aggregate ecosystem
properties will vary less in more diverse communities because declines in the performance …

Native biodiversity decline and non-native species spread are major features of the
Anthropocene. Both processes can drive biotic homogenization by reducing trait and …

Evidence is increasing for positive effects of α-diversity on ecosystem functioning. We
highlight here the crucial role of β-diversity–a hitherto underexplored facet of biodiversity–for …