Publication Date:
2011-06-08
Description:
We are in the midst of the sixth mass extinction (1), and we are watching species disappear faster than we can describe them (2). Three of the major drivers of extinction, emerging infectious diseases (3), invasive species (4), and threats from climate change (5), are especially difficult to address because of their rapid spread, broad geographic effects, and widespread impacts on entire classes (6) or ecosystems (7). We urgently need a better catalog of the abundance and distribution of species on the planet and a broader understanding of biotic (e.g., parasites, diseases, seed dispersal, pollination, predation, and competition) and abiotic...
Print ISSN:
0027-8424
Electronic ISSN:
1091-6490
Topics:
Biology
,
Medicine
,
Natural Sciences in General
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