Biodiversity in Ecosystems - Linking Structure and Function

✍ Scribed by Yueh-Hsin Lo Juan A. Blanco Shovonlal Roy

• Publisher: InTech
• Year: 2015
• Tongue: English
• Leaves: 658
• Category: Library

✦ Synopsis

The term biodiversity has become a mainstream concept that can be found in any newspaper at any given time. Concerns on biodiversity protection are usually linked to species protection and extinction risks for iconic species, such as whales, pandas and so on. However, conserving biodiversity has much deeper implications than preserving a few (although important) species. Biodiversity in ecosystems is tightly linked to ecosystem functions such as biomass production, organic matter decomposition, ecosystem resilience, and others. Many of these ecological processes are also directly implied in services that the humankind obtains from ecosystems. The first part of this book will introduce different concepts and theories important to understand the links between ecosystem function and ecosystem biodiversity. The second part of the book provides a wide range of different studies showcasing the evidence and practical implications of such relationships.

✦ Table of Contents

Chapter 1   Importance of Allelopathy as Peudo-Mixotrophy for the Dynamics and Diversity of Phytoplankton by Roy Shovonlal
Chapter 2   Functional Redundancy and Ecosystem Function — The Soil Microbiota as a Case Study by Stephanie D. Jurburg and Joana Falcão Salles
Chapter 3   Biodiversity and Ecosystem Functioning in Tropical Habitats — Case Studies and Future Perspectives in Atlantic Rainforest and Cerrado Landscapes by Tathiana G. Sobrinho, Lucas N. Paolucci, Dalana C. Muscardi, Ana C. Maradini, Elisangela A. Silva, Ricardo R. C. Solar and José H. Schoereder
Chapter 4   Climate Change, Range Shifts and Multitrophic Interactions by Jeffrey A. Harvey and Miriama Malcicka
Chapter 5   Responding to Change — Criteria and Indicators for Managing the Transformation of Vegetated Landscapes to Maintain or Restore Ecosystem Diversity by Graham A. Yapp and Richard Thackway
Chapter 6   Maintaining Ecosystem Function by Restoring Forest Biodiversity – Reviewing Decision-Support Tools that link Biology, Hydrology and Geochemistry by Yueh-Hsin Lo, Juan A. Blanco, Clive Welham and Mike Wang
Chapter 7   Microbial Assembly in Agroecosystems — From the Small Arise the Big by Dennis Goss de Souza, Lucas William Mendes, Acácio Aparecido Navarrete and Siu Mui Tsai
Chapter 8   Impact of Organic Farming on Biodiversity by Martina Bavec and Franc Bavec
Chapter 9   Hydromorphology and Biodiversity in Headwaters — An Eco- Faunistic Substrate Preference Assessment in Forest Springs of the German Subdued Mountains by Martin Reiss and Peter Chifflard
Chapter 10   Biodiversity and Conservation of Temporary Ponds — Assessment of the Conservation Status of “Veiga de Ponteliñares”, NW Spain (Natura 2000 Network), Using Freshwater Invertebrates by Amaia Pérez-Bilbao, Cesar João Benetti and Josefina Garrido
Chapter 11   A First Approach to Assess the Impact of Bottom Trawling Over Vulnerable Marine Ecosystems on the High Seas of the Southwest Atlantic by J. Portela, J. Cristobo, P. Ríos, J. Acosta, S. Parra, J.L. del Río, E. Tel, V. Polonio, A. Muñoz, T. Patrocinio, R. Vilela, M. Barba and P. Marín
Chapter 12   Agrorural Ecosystem Effects on the Macroinvertebrate Assemblages of a Tropical River by Bert Kohlmann, Alejandra Arroyo, Monika Springer and Danny Vásquez
Chapter 13   Ecohidrology and Nutrient Fluxes in Forest Ecosystems of Southern Chile by Carlos E Oyarzún and Pedro Hervé-Fernandez
Chapter 14   Ecological Flexibility of the Top Predator in an Island Ecosystem — The Iriomote Cat Changes Feeding Patterns in Relation to Prey Availability by Shinichi Watanabe
Chapter 15   Grasses (Poaceae) of Easter Island — Native and Introduced Species Diversity by Víctor L. Finot, Clodomiro Marticorena, Alicia Marticorena, Gloria Rojas and Juan A. Barrera
Chapter 16   Plant Structure in the Brazilian Neotropical Savannah Species by Suzane Margaret Fank-de-Carvalho, Nádia Sílvia Somavilla, Maria Salete Marchioretto and Sônia Nair Báo
Chapter 17   Social Perception and Supply of Ecosystem Services — A Watershed Approach for Carbon Related Ecosystem Services by Antonio J. Castro, Caryn C. Vaughn, Jason P. Julian, Marina García Llorente and Kelsey N. Bowman
Chapter 18   The Importance of Large Trees in Shrine Forests for the Conservation of Epiphytic Bryophytes in Urban Areas by Yoshitaka Oishi and Keizo Tabata
Chapter 19   Miombo Woodlands Research Towards the Sustainable Use of Ecosystem Services in Southern Africa by Natasha Sofia Ribeiro, Stephen Syampungani, Nalukui M. Matakala, David Nangoma and Ana Isabel Ribeiro-Barros
Chapter 20   Ecological Restoration in Conservation Units by Suzane Bevilacqua Marcuzzo and Márcio Viera
Chapter 21   Actions for the Restoration of the Biodiversity of Forest Ecosystems in Cuba by Eduardo González Izquierdo, Juan A. Blanco, Gretel Geada López, Rogelio Sotolongo Sospedra, Martín González González, Barbarita Mitjans Moreno, Alfredo Jimenez González and José Sánchez Fonseca
Chapter 22   Biodiversity in Metal-Contaminated Sites – Problem and Perspective – A Case Study by E. Roccotiello, P. Marescotti, S. Di Piazza, G. Cecchi, M.G. Mariotti and M. Zotti
Chapter 23   Underutilized Crops and Intercrops in Crop Rotation as Factors for Increasing Biodiversity on Fields by Franc Bavec and Martina Bavec
Chapter 24   Protected Areas and Ecosystem Services — Integrating Grassland Conservation with Human Well-Being in South Africa by André Pelser, Nola Redelinghuys and Anna-Lee Kernan
Chapter 25   Shortage of Biodiversity in Grassland by Ricardo Loiola Edvan, Leilson Rocha Bezerra and Carlo Aldrovandi Torreão Marques