Could biodiversity be viewed as "structure" and "function" be reserved for nutrient cycling etc.?
Scott --- Scott Ruhren, Ph.D. Senior Director of Conservation Audubon Society of Rhode Island 12 Sanderson Road Smithfield, RI 02917-2600 401-949-5454 -----Original Message----- From: Ecological Society of America: grants, jobs, news [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Friday, April 20, 2007 12:12 PM To: ECOLOG-L@LISTSERV.UMD.EDU Subject: Re: Is biodiversity an ecosystem function? I agree with Casey. It is problematic, both linguistically and conceptu= ally, to refer to biodiversity as =93an=94 ecosystem service. I think i= t would be helpful to use the terminology and the typology of natural ca= pital set forth by Daly and Farley in their textbook on ecological econo= mics. Natural capital can take the form of stocks, from which goods flo= w, or funds, from which services flow. Some elements of natural capital= , including biodiversity, may take either form. <?xml:namespace prefix =3D o ns =3D "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:o= ffice" /> Biodiversity may be viewed firstly as a stock from which goods flow, esp= ecially biodiversity at the species level. Examples of goods flowing fr= om the stock of biodiversity include live stock, food, furs, fibers, etc= . At the genetic level, the most obvious goods would be genes, for exam= ple in genetic engineering. = = Biodiversity may also be viewed as a fund from which services flow, and = really there is no one authoritative or comprehensive list of such servi= ces, but they would include all of the services performed by species and= of value to humans (e.g., pollination, decomposition) and, at the genet= ic level, more nuanced services such as the provision of evolutionary ca= pacity. At the ecosystem level, one could argue that the =93services=94= flowing from the fund of biodiversity would include semi-marketable fun= ctions such as the provision of aesthetic pleasure, and in such cases th= e "services" overlap with older typologies of values provided by nature.= = = For more details I suggest the Daly/Farley textbook. = = Cheers, Brian Czech, Ph.D., President Center for the Advancement of the Steady State Economy SIGN THE POSITION on economic growth at: www.steadystate.org/PositiononE= G.html . EMAIL RESPONSE PROBLEMS? Use [EMAIL PROTECTED] -- Casey terHorst <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: I've always had difficulty understanding how a static measure (such as biodiversity, or even something like biomass) can be called a function. = This is partly just a semantic issue, but largely a real issue as well. Casey -- Casey terHorst Department of Biological Science CON 115 Florida State University Tallahassee, FL 32306 [EMAIL PROTECTED] Quoting Fabrice De Clerck <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>: > I have a quick question for the listserve for which I would be > interested in hearing people's opinions, and experiences. > > The question is: Is biodiversity an ecosystem service? > > Those of us that work in biodiversity and ecosystem functioning > studies typically regard biodiversity at the provider of services and > functions. Tilman's biodiversity and productiity, the biodiversity > and stability work, biodiversity and pollination (Klein), > biodiversity and pest control (Perfecto). > > Meanwhile in much of the development and economics literature, > biodiversity itself is a unique service and function where it is not > uncommon to see people state that "we will work with farmers to > improve the capacity of coffee farms to provide critical ecosystem > services such as carbon sequestration, biodiversity and water." > > Are both correct or is it important to distinguish between > biodiversity serving as a function, and biodiversity as the provider > of services. > > All comments are welcome on- or off the listserve. > > Cheers, > Fabrice > > ***************************************************** > Fabrice De Clerck PhD > > Landscape Ecologist/Ecologo de Paisaje > Dept. Agricultura y Agroforesteria > CATIE 7170, Turrialba, Costa Rica > Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Phone: (506) 558-2596 > Fax: (506) 558-2046 > Web: www.catie.ac.cr > > Adjunct Associate > Tropical Agriculture Program > The Earth Institute at Columbia University > Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Skype: fadeclerck > Web:www.earthinstitute.columbia.edu/mvp/ > ******************************************************* > "Everything not given is lost" >
