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Knowledge and Skills Statement

Science concepts--interdependence within environmental systems. The student knows that interactions at various levels of organization occur within an ecosystem to maintain stability.

For example, changes in the amount of rainfall, unusual and prolonged temperature differences, deforestation, disease, or habitat loss will each have an effect on the populations that live in that environment.

the complexity and number of species in an environment

the biotic and abiotic resources provided to support specific populations in a community

the ability of an ecosystem to maintain and propagate itself without inputs from outside the system

Research

Correia, Alexandra M., and Luís F. Lopes. "Revisiting Biodiversity and Ecosystem Functioning through the Lens of Complex Adaptive Systems." Diversity 15, no. 8 (2023): 895. https://www.mdpi.com/1424-2818/15/8/895

Summary:  This work integrates the knowledge of the processes that connect biodiversity to ecosystem functioning (BEF). We present a framework for ecological management considering the BEF relationship within the scope of CAS. The CAS standpoint brings new insights into the BEF field and its relevance for future ecological conservation of the Earth’s life support.