Abstract

The efficacy and practicability of an idea, and the will of individuals or society to explore it, determine whether it catalyzes change or merely enters the vast store of quiescent ideas that make up the bulk of humanity's collective wisdom. The idea that biodiversity influences ecosystem functioning is not new. As in all science, there remain differences among researchers on the interpretation of biodiversity and ecosystem functioning research, but the efficacy of the idea that the diversity of life, not just its mass, influences both the biogeochemical and biotic properties of ecosystems, is well established. This chapter looks across the many contributions in this book and considers a few messages the current field of biodiversity and ecosystem functioning research give us concerning efficacy, practicability, and societal will.