Quantifying the Contribution of Organisms to the Provision of Ecosystem Services

Research on ecosystem services has grown rapidly over the last decade. Two conceptual frameworks have been published to guide ecological assessments of organisms that deliver services?the concepts of service-providing units (SPUs) and ecosystem service providers (ESPs). Here, we unite these frameworks and present an SPU-ESP continuum that offers a coherent conceptual approach for synthesizing the latest developments in ecosystem service research, and can direct future studies at all levels of organization. In particular, we show how the service-provider concept can be applied at the population, functional group, and community levels. We strongly emphasize the need to identify and quantify the organisms and their characteristics (e.g., functional traits) that provide services, and to assess service provision relative to the demands of human beneficiaries. We use key examples from the literature to illustrate the new approach and to highlight gaps in knowledge, particularly in relation to the impact of species interactions and ecosystem dynamics on service provision. Fil: Luck, Gary. Charles Sturt University; Australia Fil: Harrington, Richard. Rothamsted Research. Department of Plant and Invertebrate Ecology. Centre for Bioenergy and Climate Change; Reino Unido Fil: Harrison, Paula A.. Oxford University Centre for the Environment. Environmental Change Institute; Reino Unido Fil: Kremen, Claire. University of California. Environmental Sciences Policy and Management; Reino Unido Fil: Berry, Pam M.. Oxford University Centre for the Environment. Environmental Change Institute; Reino Unido Fil: Bugter, Rob. Wageningen University and Research Centre; Países Bajos Fil: Dawson, Terence P.. University of Southampton. School of Geography; Reino Unido Fil: de Bello, Francesco. Université Joseph Fourier. Laboratoire d’Ecologie Alpine; Francia Fil: Diaz, Sandra Myrna. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Físicas y Naturales. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal; Argentina Fil: Feld, Christian K.. University of Duisburg-Essen. Department of Applied Zoology/Hydrobiology; Alemania Fil: Haslett, John R.. University of Salzburg. Department of Organismal Biology. Division of Zoology and Functional Anatomy; Austria Fil: Hering, Daniel. University of Duisburg-Essen. Department of Applied Zoology/Hydrobiology; Alemania Fil: Kontogianni, Areti. University of the Aegean. Department of Environmental Studies and the Department of Marine Sciences; Grecia Fil: Lavorel, Sandra. Université Joseph Fourier. Laboratoire d’Ecologie Alpine; Francia Fil: Ronsevell, Mark. University of Edinburgh. Centre for Environmental Change and Sustainability; Reino Unido Fil: Samways, Michael J.. University of Stellenbosch. Faculty of AgriSciences. Centre for Agricultural Biodiversity. Department of Conservation Ecology and Entomology; Sudáfrica Fil: Sandin, Leonard. Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences. Department of Environmental Assessment; Suecia Fil: Settele, Josef. Department of Community Ecology. UFZ-Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research; Alemania Fil: Sykes, Martin T.. Lund University. Department of Physical Geography and Eco-systems Analysis; Suecia Fil: van den Hove, Sybille. Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Median SCP and the Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals; España Fil: Wandewalle, Marie. Lund University. Department of Physical Geography and Eco-systems Analysis; Suecia Fil: Zobel, Martin. University of Tartu. Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences; Estonia