9306237 Orians This workshop will address the consequences of diversity or species loss for ecosystem processes, such as primary and secondary productivity, soil formation, nutrient cycling, and resistance to or recovery following disturbance, in tropical forests. Participants will explore ways in which these processes depend on species richness in general or on the presence of particular species. Those processes that appear to be most sensitive to species loss will be identified as priorities for future study. %%% Current assessment of consequences of global change has focused on species loss. Much less attention has been directed to consideration of the consequences of species loss for key ecosystem processes that affect regional climate, soil fertility and ecosystem stability. Increased understanding of the ecosystem function of biodiversity will improve assessment of the consequences of global change and loss of species from tropical forest ecosystems. *** u ~ le on request from Publications, NSF, 1800 G Street, NW, Washington, DC 20550, telephone (202) 357 7861 and via e mail (Bitnet: pubs@nsf; and I ` b p b F b p b B Times New Roman Symbol & Arial 1 Courier 1 MS LineDraw h d d + tarri joyner tarri joyner
