Biodiversity Loss Threatens Human Well-Being 英文参考文献.docVIP

Essay Biodiversity Loss Threatens Human Well-Being Sandra Díaz , Joseph Fargione, F. Stuart Chapin III, David Tilman * T he diversity of life on Earth is dramatically affected by human alterations of ecosystems [1]. processes and, thus, human well-being; and (c) such consequences will be felt disproportionately by the poor, who are most vulnerable to the loss of ecosystem services. studies. The ?rst is that the number and strength of mechanistic connections between biodiversity and ecosystem processes and services clearly justify the protection of the biotic integrity of existing and restored ecosystems and its inclusion in the design of managed ecosystems. All components of biodiversity, from genetic diversity to the spatial arrangement of landscape units, may play a role in the long-term provision of at least some ecosystem services. However, some of these components are more important than others in in?uencing speci?c ecosystem services. The evidence available indicates that it is functional composition—that is, the identity, abundance, and range of species traits—that appears to cause the effects of biodiversity on many ecosystem services. At least among species within the same trophic level (e.g., plants), rarer species are likely to have small effects at any given point in time. Thus, in natural systems, if we are to preserve the services that ecosystems provide to humans, we should focus on preserving or restoring Compelling evidence now shows that the reverse is also true: biodiversity in the broad sense affects the properties of ecosystems and, therefore, the bene?ts that humans obtain from them. In this article, we provide a synthesis of the most crucial messages emerging from the latest scienti?c literature and international assessments of the role of biodiversity in ecosystem services and human well-being. What We Do Know: Functional Traits Matter Most Biodiversity in the broad sense is the number, abundance, composition, spatial distribution, and inte