There has recently been a surge of literature examining microbial invasions into a variety of
environments. These studies often include a component of biological diversity as a major …

A variety of soil factors are known to increase nutrient availability and plant productivity. The
most influential might be the organisms comprising the soil microbial community of the …

Biodiversity is essential to healthy ecosystem function, influencing productivity and
resilience to disturbance. Biodiversity loss endangers essential ecosystem services and …

Biological soil crusts (biocrusts) have been present on Earth's terrestrial surfaces for billions
of years. They are a critical part of ecosystem processes in dryland regions, as they cover …

Humans are altering the composition of biological communities through a variety of activities
that increase rates of species invasions and species extinctions, at all scales, from local to …

The links between plant diversity and ecosystem functioning remain highly controversial.
There is a growing consensus, however, that functional diversity, or the value and range of …

Species diversity is a major determinant of ecosystem productivity, stability, invasibility, and
nutrient dynamics. Hundreds of studies spanning terrestrial, aquatic, and marine ecosystems …

Community ecology theory can be used to understand biological invasions by applying
recent niche concepts to alien species and the communities that they invade. These ideas …

Stochastic niche theory resolves many of the differences between neutral theory and
classical tradeoff-based niche theories of resource competition and community structure. In …

Background The need to enhance the sustainability of intensive agricultural systems is
widely recognized One promising approach is to encourage beneficial services provided by …