Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

What is Biodiversity?01:19

What is Biodiversity?

28.2K
Biodiversity describes the variety of living things at multiple organizational levels: genetic, species and ecosystem diversity. Species diversity includes all branches of the evolutionary tree from single-celled prokaryotic organisms, bacteria, and archaea, to the eukaryotic kingdoms: plants; animals; fungi; and protists. To date, there have been about 1.75 million species identified, and new species are discovered every week.
28.2K
Ecological Disturbance02:26

Ecological Disturbance

17.6K
An ecological disturbance is a temporary disruption in the environment resulting from abiotic, biotic, or anthropogenic factors, causing a pronounced change in an ecosystem. The impact of an ecological disturbance, which can depend on its intensity, frequency, and spatial distribution, plays a significant role in shaping the species diversity within the ecosystem.
17.6K
Biodiversity and Human Values01:24

Biodiversity and Human Values

13.6K
Human civilization relies on biodiversity in many ways. Sudden changes in species biodiversity result in environmental changes that can modify weather patterns and therefore human civilizations.
13.6K
Threats to Biodiversity01:50

Threats to Biodiversity

23.2K
There have been five major extinction events throughout geological history, resulting in the elimination of biodiversity, followed by a rebound of species that adapted to the new conditions. In the current geological epoch, the Holocene, there is a sixth extinction event in progress. This mass extinction has been attributed to human activities and is thus provisionally called the Anthropocene. In 2019 the human population reached 7.7 billion people and is projected to comprise 10 billion by...
23.2K
What is an Ecosystem?01:17

What is an Ecosystem?

41.6K
Overview
41.6K
Keystone Species01:39

Keystone Species

22.5K
Measures of species biodiversity, such as richness (i.e., the number of species present) and evenness (i.e., their relative abundance), describe an ecological community’s structure. Many factors affect community structure, including abiotic factors (e.g., sunlight and nutrients), disturbances (e.g., fire or flood), species interactions (e.g., predation or competition), and chance events (e.g., foreign species invasion). Certain species—such as keystone species—also play a...
22.5K

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Divergence From Temperate Models: Pollution Dominance and Stochastic Assembly in a Continental Freshwater System Under Compressed Modernity.

Global change biology·2026
Same author

Global synthesis reveals systematic variation in trophic transfer efficiency across and within ecosystems.

Science advances·2026
Same author

Multitrophic interaction networks mediate biodiversity effects on ecosystem multifunctionality.

Nature communications·2026
Same author

Trophic cascades drive sustainability in the agricultural heritage rice-fish coculture system.

Current biology : CB·2026
Same author

Food web complexity underlies biodiversity effects on ecosystem functioning.

Nature·2026
Same author

Predictors of Food Web Resistance to Environmental Change.

Ecology letters·2026
Same journal

A New Framework to Empower Ecosystem Assessment Through the Integration of eDNA Inventories, Graph Theory and Niche Modelling.

Ecology letters·2026
Same journal

Correction to 'Artificial Light at Night Consistently Impacts Avian Physiology and Behaviour: A Meta-Analysis'.

Ecology letters·2026
Same journal

Lucky To Be Alive, Luckier to Breed: Lifetime Reproduction in Weddell Seals.

Ecology letters·2026
Same journal

Three-Dimensional Correlated Random Walks for Animal Movement and Habitat Selection.

Ecology letters·2026
Same journal

Higher-Order Interactions Can Promote Coexistence by Rewiring Intransitivities Into Competitive Networks.

Ecology letters·2026
Same journal

Plants That Evolved Under High Phylogenetic Diversity Have Higher Invasion Success, Particularly in Undisturbed Communities.

Ecology letters·2026
See all related articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Oct 11, 2025

JenaTron - An Experimental Approach to Study the Effects of Plant History and Soil History on Grassland Ecosystem Functioning
09:23

JenaTron - An Experimental Approach to Study the Effects of Plant History and Soil History on Grassland Ecosystem Functioning

Published on: March 21, 2025

1.3K

Biodiversity promotes ecosystem functioning despite environmental change.

Pubin Hong1, Bernhard Schmid2, Frederik De Laender3

  • 1Institute of Ecology, College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, and Key Laboratory for Earth Surface Processes of the Ministry of Education, Peking University, Beijing, China.

Ecology Letters
|December 2, 2021
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Biodiversity enhances ecosystem functioning, especially under global environmental change. High-diversity ecosystems show greater resistance and resilience to stressors like warming and drought.

Keywords:
biodiversityecosystem functionenvironmental changemeta-analysisstress gradient hypothesis

More Related Videos

Experimental Protocol for Manipulating Plant-induced Soil Heterogeneity
08:16

Experimental Protocol for Manipulating Plant-induced Soil Heterogeneity

Published on: March 13, 2014

19.1K
Linking Predation Risk, Herbivore Physiological Stress and Microbial Decomposition of Plant Litter
10:20

Linking Predation Risk, Herbivore Physiological Stress and Microbial Decomposition of Plant Litter

Published on: March 12, 2013

13.6K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Oct 11, 2025

JenaTron - An Experimental Approach to Study the Effects of Plant History and Soil History on Grassland Ecosystem Functioning
09:23

JenaTron - An Experimental Approach to Study the Effects of Plant History and Soil History on Grassland Ecosystem Functioning

Published on: March 21, 2025

1.3K
Experimental Protocol for Manipulating Plant-induced Soil Heterogeneity
08:16

Experimental Protocol for Manipulating Plant-induced Soil Heterogeneity

Published on: March 13, 2014

19.1K
Linking Predation Risk, Herbivore Physiological Stress and Microbial Decomposition of Plant Litter
10:20

Linking Predation Risk, Herbivore Physiological Stress and Microbial Decomposition of Plant Litter

Published on: March 12, 2013

13.6K

Area of Science:

  • Ecology
  • Environmental Science
  • Biodiversity Research

Background:

  • Decades of research link biodiversity to ecosystem functioning.
  • Uncertainty exists regarding biodiversity's persistence under global environmental change.
  • Global change drivers include warming, drought, nutrient addition, and CO2 enrichment.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To test how global change drivers modulate biodiversity's effect on ecosystem functioning.
  • To assess the resilience of high-diversity communities to environmental change.
  • To identify mechanisms driving biodiversity effects on ecosystem functions.

Main Methods:

  • Meta-analysis of 46 factorial experiments.
  • Manipulation of species richness and environmental conditions.
  • Analysis across microbes, phytoplankton, and plants.

Main Results:

  • Biodiversity consistently increased ecosystem functioning in both ambient and manipulated environments.
  • Biodiversity effects were amplified in stressful environments induced by global change drivers.
  • Interspecific complementarity was the primary driver of biodiversity effects, which increased over time.

Conclusions:

  • High-diversity ecosystems are more resistant to environmental change.
  • Biodiversity conservation is crucial for sustainable ecosystem management amidst global environmental change.
  • Findings highlight the importance of maintaining biodiversity for ecosystem stability and function.