9302906 Chapin We propose a workshop (1) to synthesize current information and hypotheses about the patterns and causes of diversity in arctic and alpine tundra, (2) to develop predictions about the impact of global change on future biodiversity of tundra, (3) to develop a framework for understanding the ecosystem consequences of tundra biodiversity, and (4) to discuss experimental approaches for testing these hypotheses and approaches. *** Such a workshop is important to address the functional consequences of biodiversity in a rapidly changing world. It is particularly appropriate to address these questions in tundra, where low biodiversity may make the system vulnerable to any changes in biodiversity which occur, where the communities are simple and small enough to manipulate diversity and observe the ecosystem consequences, and where manipulations simulating climate change have caused a substantial decline in species richness in less than a decade. %%%
