This Issue focuses on a research article by Stohlgren et al. (2003) and two responses to it that were published in Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment. The article discusses the ecology of invasive species and the vulnerability of high diversity communities to invasives. Students, like many others, might assume that habitats with low plant diversity are more vulnerable to invasions of...

Publisher: EcoEd Digital Library

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This Issue focuses on a research article by Barange (2003) that was published in Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment. The article discusses long-term (inter-decadal and longer) patterns of change in marine species in the context of over-exploitation of marine fisheries. Barange’s emphasis is use of ecosystem-based management practice to move us towards sustainable fisheries. However, h...

Publisher: EcoEd Digital Library

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In this report, biodiversity and its relevance to the ecosystems that support humanity is discussed. Ecosystem functioning is defined as the collective activities of all biota within an ecosystem and how they affect its chemical and physical factors; therefore, it can be negatively impacted by decreases in biodiversity-the wide variety of life forms inhabiting the planet. The ecological and...

Publisher: EcoEd Digital Library

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This report defines the role of nearshore ecosystems, such as wetlands and seagrass meadows, as nurseries for populations of fish and shellfish that may be of commercial value to humans. The ecological value of nursery habitats in relation to the life cycle of many species of fish and invertebrates is mentioned as the nursery-role hypothesis is discussed. Biological, physical, chemical, and...

Publisher: EcoEd Digital Library

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A photo of the Menindee Lakes in arid Australia depicts floodplain eucalyptus trees (Eucalyptus largiflorens) that were killed by prolonged flooding after the lakes were made into storage reservoirs for irrigation and drinking. A recent study of Australian lakes found that when lakes in floodplains are made into reservoirs, greatly reducing the fluctuations in water level, the biodiversity of...

Publisher: EcoEd Digital Library

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