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Biological Invasions and Ecosystem Properties: Can Species Make a Difference?

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Ecology of Biological Invasions of North America and Hawaii

Part of the book series: Ecological Studies ((ECOLSTUD,volume 58))

Abstract

How important are individual species in controlling ecosystem properties? Many studies of ecosystem-level dynamics are conducted with little reference to the influences of the individual species within ecosystems. In some cases this dis-regard is explicit, and it is argued that whole-system functional properties are better indicators of ecosystem status than is any aspect of species biology (O’Neill et al. 1977). This point of view has been deplored but not unambiguously disproved (cf. Foin and Jain 1977; Mcintosh 1980).

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Authors
  1. P. M. Vitousek
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biological Sciences, Stanford University, 94305, Stanford, California, USA

    Harold A. Mooney  & James A. Drake  & 

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Vitousek, P.M. (1986). Biological Invasions and Ecosystem Properties: Can Species Make a Difference?. In: Mooney, H.A., Drake, J.A. (eds) Ecology of Biological Invasions of North America and Hawaii. Ecological Studies, vol 58. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4612-4988-7_10

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4612-4988-7_10

  • Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY

  • Print ISBN: 978-0-387-97153-7

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4612-4988-7

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