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Article: Understanding marine biodiversity: a research agenda for the nation. (includes related article on a May 1994 biodiversity workshop)
- Article from:
- Oceanus
- Article date:
- September 22, 1995
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1995 Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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The biological diversity of the world ocean is subject to unprecedented alterations that are largely due to potentially irreversible effects of human activities. What do we know about the pattern and scale of these changes, and how are they altering the structure and organization of marine communities? How can we improve our ability to predict the effects of a growing human population on the diversity of life in the sea? Answering these questions requires a substantially improved understanding of the fundamental mechanisms that create, maintain, and regulate diversity in the sea.
In 1993 the National Research Council's Ocean Studies Board and Board on Biology ...