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

Variability in the environment defines the structure and dynamics of all living systems, from
organisms to ecosystems. Species have evolved traits and strategies that allow them to …

Since the late Pleistocene, large-bodied mammals have been extirpated from much of Earth.
Although all habitable continents once harbored giant mammals, the few remaining species …

Background Harnessing beneficial microbes presents a promising strategy to optimize plant
growth and agricultural sustainability. Little is known to which extent and how specifically …

There is mounting evidence that biodiversity increases the stability of ecosystem processes
in changing environments, but the mechanisms that underlie this effect are still controversial …

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 …

Aim Current weaknesses of diversity theory include: a failure to distinguish different
biogeographical response variables under the general heading of diversity; and a general …

Body size is perhaps the most fundamental property of an organism and is related to many
biological traits, including abundance. The relationship between abundance and body size …

Independent species fluctuations are commonly used as a null hypothesis to test the role of
competition and niche differences between species in community stability. This hypothesis …

Ecological communities are constantly responding to environmental change. Theory and
evidence suggest that the loss or decline of stress-intolerant species can be compensated …