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Biodiversity and ecosystem functioning at local and regional spatial scales
Author(s) -
Bond Emily M.,
Chase Jonathan M.
Publication year - 2002
Publication title -
ecology letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 6.852
H-Index - 265
eISSN - 1461-0248
pISSN - 1461-023X
DOI - 10.1046/j.1461-0248.2002.00350.x
Subject(s) - ecosystem , biodiversity , complementarity (molecular biology) , ecology , niche , niche differentiation , geography , ecological niche , environmental resource management , environmental science , biology , habitat , genetics
Local niche complementarity among species (the partitioning of species based upon niche differentiation) is predicted to affect local ecosystem functioning positively. However, recent theory predicts that greater local diversity may hinder local ecosystem functioning when diversity is enhanced through source–sink dynamics. We suggest community assembly as a way to incorporate both the local and regional processes that determine biodiversity and its consequent effects on ecosystem functioning. From this, we propose a hump‐shaped relationship between diversity and ecosystem functioning at local scales, but a linear increase of functioning with diversity at regional scales due to regional complementarity.