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Ecology

Diversity favours productivity

A consequence of Darwin's 'principle of divergence' is that loss of species can harm the functioning of ecosystems. A study of algal communities in artificial streams suggests that he was right. See Letter p.86

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Figure 1: Complex environments require a diverse community of complementary species.

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Hector, A. Diversity favours productivity. Nature 472, 45–46 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1038/472045a

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