Biologists devised the word biodiversity to allow us to talk about the totality of life on Earth, encompassing everything from the level of DNA and genes, through to individuals, species, and whole ecosystems. Reducing global biodiversity loss in the face of unprecedented population extirpation and species extinction has become a fundamental goal for conservation, and the subject of an array of...

Biological organisms use intricate networks of chemical reactions to control molecular processes and spatiotemporal organization. In turn, these living systems are embedded in self-organized structures of larger scales, for example, ecosystems. Synthetic in vitro efforts have reproduced the architectures and behaviors of simple cellular circuits. However, because all these systems share the sam...

In this contribution a view of the promise and difficulties of modelling grassland is given. This is largely centred around work with a grassland ecosystem simulator known as the Hurley Pasture Model. A brief introduction sets forth possible reasons for building a large ecosystem model, and stresses the importance of modelling objectives. It is suggested that a model is de rigeur for any resear...

The core assumption of this symposium is that science can provide insight to management. Nowhere is this link more formally established than in regard to the science and management of forest ecosystems. The basic questions addressed are integral to our understanding of nature; the applications of this understanding are crucial to effective stewardship of natural resources (Carpenter and Turner ...

We examine how control over a technology platform can increase profits and innovation. By choosing how much to open and when to bundle enhancements, platform sponsors can influence choices of ecosystem partners. Platform openness invites developer participation but sacrifices direct sales. Bundling enhancements early drives developers away but bundling late delays platform growth. Ironically, d...

Millennium Ecosystem Assessment documented the importance of ecosystem services. It is therefore important to include these services in the national system of economic accounts. This requires estimation of “accounting prices” for ecosystems, that is, the marginal value of a change in the size of the system. This raises a number of questions: What do we mean by the “size” of the system? What is ...

Regarding the effects of UV-B radiation on aquatic ecosystems, recent scientific and public interest has focused on marine primary producers and on the aquatic web, which has resulted in a multitude of studies indicating mostly detrimental effects of UV-B radiation on aquatic organisms. The interest has expanded to include ecologically significant groups and major biomass producers using mesoco...

The biological systems known as ecosystems are always composed of a great number of "pa r tne r s " (10, 26, 27). Solar energy, which is the origin of life, is captured by plants possessing chlorophyll (the green plants) which grow on land and in the sea. All species of vegetarian animals, from minuscule crustaceans to elephants, feed on these plants. Such animals may be devoured by carnivores,...