Biodiversity was assessed by means of six indicators for three aspects of biodiversity: composition, structure and function.
However, human uses of the marine environment, including disturbances to the environment and alteration of populations (through targeted removals and other effects), are considered within the set of functional elements because they can affect biodiversity composition, structure, and function [26].
Here we summarize existing knowledge on the effects of armoring structures on the biodiversity, productivity, structure, and function of coastal ecoystems.
We evaluate each research program's relative emphasis on three principal elements of biodiversity organization: composition, structure, and function.
For example, we still struggle with connecting biodiversity and ecosystem structure and function to ecosystem services in a way that is meaningful to farmers and other land managers.
The biodiversity of a marine ecosystem plays an important role in its structure and function, and biodiversity information is increasingly used in management strategies for conserving harvested resources.
Measuring the mass balance of multiple key elements (C, N, and P), i.e. ecological stoichiometry [11], has emerged as a powerful tool for understanding mechanisms and processes important for the structure, biodiversity, and function of aquatic communities.
Indeed, this strategy provides a range of standardized criteria (e.g. biodiversity, structure, function) which could be used to monitor the trajectories of post-disturbance ecosystems toward desired reference communities.
Forest-floor small mammal communities may serve as ecological indicators of changes in forest structure and function, and hence biodiversity.
GoMA leaders perceived that a regional program of biodiversity research would do best over a long period of time if it promoted not only fundamental questions of composition, structure, and function, but also the application of biodiversity knowledge to sustainable management of a regional marine ecosystem.
