In the Case Study at the opening of this chapter, we saw lower hantavirus prevalence in small-mammal communities with higher species diversity than in those with lower species diversity (see Figure 19.2).
These results support the notion that species diversity can control certain ecological functions of a community. These community functions, or processes that control community structure, are numerous and include not only disease suppression, but also plant productivity, water quality and availability, atmospheric gas exchange, and even resistance to disturbance (and recovery afterward).
Many of these functions of communities provide valuable ecosystem services to humans, such as food and fuel production, water purification, oxygen and carbon dioxide exchange, and protection from catastrophic events such as floods or tsunamis (see Concept 23.1). The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (2005), a synthesis of studies produced under the auspices of the United Nations, details the importance of these ecosystem services to humans. The assessment predicts that if the current losses of species diversity continue, the world's human populations will be severely affected by the loss of the services those species, and the communities in which they live, provide.What evidence underlies these dire predictions? Recent research has attempted to look at the connections between species diversity and community function, not only to seek basic insights into community ecology, but also because of concerns over species losses and the services that may be affected as a result.
More on the topic In the Case Study at the opening of this chapter, we saw lower hantavirus prevalence in small-mammal communities with higher species diversity than in those with lower species diversity (see Figure 19.2).:
- CONCEPT 19.1 Species diversity differs among communities as a consequence of regional species pools, abiotic conditions, and species interactions.
- Can Species Diversity Suppress Human Diseases? A Case Study
- 19 Species Diversity in Communities
- CONCEPT 16.2 Species diversity and species composition are important descriptors of community structure.
- Species diversity varies with latitude
- Species diversity is an important measure of community structure
- The intermediate disturbance hypothesis considers species diversity under variable conditions
- Some relationships between species diversity and community function are positive
- Patterns of species diversity at different spatial scales are interconnected
- Species diversity estimates vary with sampling effort and scale
- Resource Mediation and Species Diversity
- Local and regional processes interact to determine local species diversity
- One of the most obvious ecological patterns on Earth is the variation in species composition and diversity among geographic locations.
- CONCEPT 19.4 Many experiments show that species diversity affects community function.
- CONCEPT 19.2 Resource partitioning is theorized to reduce competition and increase species diversity.
- CONCEPT 18.1 Patterns of species diversity and distribution vary at global, regional, and local spatial scales.
- CONCEPT 18.3 Regional differences in species diversity are influenced by area and distance, which determine the balance between immigration and extinction rates.
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