[PCA] NEWS: Will loss of plant diversity compromise Earth's life-support systems?

[Olivia Kwong]

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2011-03/ajob-wlo030311.php

Will loss of plant diversity compromise Earth's life-support systems?
Meta-analysis and reflections on two decades of biodiversity research
provide some answers and reveal new questions

Biodiversity around the world is increasingly threatened by global
warming, habitat loss, and other human impacts. But what does this
loss of species mean for the functioning of ecosystems that humans
depend on for goods and services? Can ecosystems around our planet
survive and maintain their primary functions with fewer species in
them? After decades of research on many issues pertaining to life on
Earth, are scientists any closer to attaining these answers?

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