Biodiversity, as a biological phenomenon, denotes the variability and complexity of life across genes, species, populations, communities, and ecosystems, including their functional traits and phylogenetic relationships. It emerges from evolutionary processes such as mutation, selection, gene flow, and drift, and is structured by ecological interactions, environmental gradients, and spatiotemporal dynamics. Biodiversity influences and reflects ecosystem functioning, stability, and resilience through mechanisms like complementarity, redundancy, and trophic interactions. It is quantitatively characterized using metrics of richness, evenness, turnover, and functional or phylogenetic diversity, and its patterns are central to understanding biogeography, ecosystem processes, and responses to environmental change.
Grassland degradation fundamentally reshapes how biodiversity supports ecosystem multifunctionality, shifting it from being plant-dominated to being mediated by soil microbes, according to a new study led by Prof. Yang Yuanhe ...
Plants & Animals
Nov 11, 2025
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The global crisis of diminishing biological diversity is challenging our current ability to monitor changes in ecosystems.
Ecology
Nov 1, 2025
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A new global synthesis published today in Nature Reviews Biodiversity reveals how seabirds act as powerful connectors between marine and terrestrial ecosystems and why protecting seabirds is a powerful opportunity when tackling ...
Plants & Animals
Oct 27, 2025
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Climate change is rapidly altering our environment—and posing major challenges for many animal species. Whether they can adapt depends largely on their genetic diversity. An international study involving researchers from ...
Evolution
Oct 17, 2025
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A new study published in PNAS shows that tree diversity consistently promotes productivity through fostering greater canopy structural complexity (CSC). Species complementarity is the main driver, with its positive effects ...
Plants & Animals
Oct 15, 2025
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The Biodiversity Collections Network (BCoN), in collaboration with the American Institute of Biological Sciences (AIBS), has developed a comprehensive roadmap toward an integrated biological and environmental data network.
Other
Oct 15, 2025
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Plant functional diversity is highly dynamic over time and fluctuates considerably. It is influenced by seasonal cycles and wet-dry periods, and varies depending on the region. These are the findings of researchers from Leipzig ...
Environment
Oct 9, 2025
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A study by Rutgers ecologist Myla Aronson and colleagues has found "overwhelming" evidence that increasing biodiversity in cities—establishing parks, installing native plants and encouraging sustainable landscaping—can ...
Ecology
Oct 9, 2025
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Human-caused biodiversity loss has accelerated over the past 50 years. An opinion article published in the open-access journal PLOS Biology by a team of international authors, including Anne Larigauderie, former Executive ...
Plants & Animals
Sep 30, 2025
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Uniform and intensive forest management approaches threaten European forest biodiversity. There are many different ways to manage forests, but the effects of different combinations of approaches are not well understood.
Plants & Animals
Sep 29, 2025
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