by the Ecological Society of America

About the author: The Ecological Society of America, founded in 1915, is a private organization of scientists that works to promote ecological science. It publishes periodic Issues in Ecology reports to inform the public and political leaders about environmental issues.

One of the most striking features of the earth’s biota is its extraordinary diversity, estimated to include about 10 million different species. One of the most conspicuous aspects of contemporary global change is the rapid decline of this diversity in many ecosystems. The decline is not limited to increased rates of species extinction, but includes losses in genetic and functional diversity across population, community, ecosystem, landscape, and global scales. The term “biodiversity” refers collectively to all these aspects of biotic diversity. The wide- ranging decline in biodiversity...