The information on this site is subject to a disclaimer and a copyright notice . Loss of species is playing a key role in the gradual erosion of the quality of our environment.
Plant communities are solar power stations that produce food energy for everything else.
Harvest yields were found to increase when there was a range of plants with different characteristics growing together. Similar patterns occurred in a broad range of European grasslands, making the findings applicable on a continental scale. These findings represent the latest development in the scientific debate about how the loss of biodiversity affects the way in which ecosystems function - recently a major focus of ecological research. The grasslands were varied in plant diversity to mimic the gradual loss of species seen throughout Europe. Notes to Editors 1.