Quantifying the contribution of organisms to the provision of ecosystem services
Luck, Gary W. (Institute for Land, Water and Society)
Harrington, Richard (Rothamsted Research. Centre for Bioenergy and Climate Change)
Harrison, Paula A. (University of Oxford. Environmental Change Institute)
Kremen, Claire (University of California, Berkeley. Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management)
Berry, Pam M. (University of Oxford. Environmental Change Institute)
Bugter, Rob (Wageningen Universiteit)
Dawson, Terence P. (University of Southampton. School of Geography)
De Bello, Francesco (Université Joseph Fourier. Laboratoire d'Ecologie Alpine)
Díaz, Sandra (Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales)
Feld, Christian K. (Universität Duisburg-Essen. Abteilung für Angewandte Zoologie/Hydrobiologie)
Haslett, John R. (Universität Salzburg. Institut für Organismische Biologie)
Hering, Daniel (Universität Duisburg-Essen. Abteilung für Angewandte Zoologie/Hydrobiologie)
Kontogianni, Areti (Ege Üniversitesi. Department of Marine Sciences)
Lavorel, Sandra (Université Joseph Fourier. Laboratoire d'Ecologie Alpine)
Rounsevell, Mark (University of Edinburgh. Centre for the Study of Environmental Change and Sustainability)
Samways, Michael J. (University of Stellenbosch. Centre for Agricultural Biodiversity)
Sandin, Leonard (Sveriges lantbruksuniversitet. Department of Environmental Assessment)
Settele, Josef (Helmholtz Zentrum für Umweltforschung)
Sykes, Martin T. (Lunds universitet. Department of Physical Geography and Ecosystems Analysis)
Hove, Sybille van den (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals)
Vandewalle, Marie (Lunds universitet. Department of Physical Geography and Ecosystems Analysis)
Zobel, Martin (Tartu University. Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences)

Date:	2009
Abstract:	Research on ecosystem services has grown rapidly over the last decade. Two conceptual frameworks have been published to guide ecological assessments of organisms that deliver services-the concepts of service-providing units (SPUs) and ecosystem service providers (ESPs). Here, we unite these frameworks and present an SPU-ESP continuum that offers a coherent conceptual approach for synthesizing the latest developments in ecosystem service research, and can direct future studies at all levels of organization. In particular, we show how the service-provider concept can be applied at the population, functional group, and community levels. We strongly emphasize the need to identify and quantify the organisms and their characteristics (e. g. , functional traits) that provide services, and to assess service provision relative to the demands of human beneficiaries. We use key examples from the literature to illustrate the new approach and to highlight gaps in knowledge, particularly in relation to the impact of species interactions and ecosystem dynamics on service provision.
Grants:	European Commission 036890
Rights:	Tots els drets reservats.
Language:	Anglès
Document:	Article ; recerca ; Versió publicada
Subject:	Ecosystem services ; Service-providing units ; Ecosystem service providers ; Biodiversity ; Functional diversity
Published in:	Bioscience, Vol. 59 No. 3 (March 2009) , p. 223-235, ISSN 0006-3568

DOI: 10.1525/bio.2009.59.3.7

13 p, 252.5 KB

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