Biodiversity is responsible for the provision of many ecosystem services; human well‐being
is based on these services, and consequently on biodiversity. In soil, earthworms represent …

▪ Abstract It has often been argued that conserving biodiversity is necessary for maintaining
ecosystem functioning. We critically evaluate the current evidence for this argument …

Wild mammals are icons of conservation efforts, yet there is no rigorous estimate available
for their overall global biomass. Biomass as a metric allows us to compare species with very …

Understanding the interactions among different species and their responses to
environmental changes, such as elevated atmospheric concentrations of CO2, is a central …

Aim An important issue regarding biodiversity concerns its influence on ecosystem
functioning. Experimental work has led to the proposal of mechanisms such as niche …

Global biodiversity is in decline. This is of concern for aesthetic and ethical reasons, but
possibly also for practical reasons, as suggested by experimental studies, mostly with plants …

Functional biodiversity research explores drivers and functional consequences of
biodiversity changes. Land use change is a major driver of changes of biodiversity and of …

Human domination of the biosphere has greatly altered ecosystems, often overwhelming
their capacity to provide ecosystem services critical to our survival. Yet ecological …

Requirements for research, practices and policies affecting soil management in relation to
global food security are reviewed. Managing soil organic carbon (C) is central because soil …

Predicting ecosystem responses to global change is a major challenge in ecology. A critical
step in that challenge is to understand how changing environmental conditions influence …