Abstract

The sustainability of our managed and natural environments is critical for the future of humankind and to ensure long-term quality of life. We also recognize that the environment and our economics are intrinsically linked (PCAST 2011, Holdren et al. 2014). The services provided by these ecosystems (e.g., food and fiber, fuel, biodiversity, biogeochemistry, water and energy, air quality) (MEA 2005, Heinz 2006, FAO 2011, FAO et al. 2012), however, are under threat due to dramatic changes in climate, chemical climate, land use and management, invasive species and species loss, and other human activities (Vitousek et al. 1997, NRC 2001, 2007). Understanding the responses of the biosphere to the anthropogenic drivers of environmental change is both an intellectual grand challenge and a practical necessity. Enhancements or disruptions of these services by human-caused environmental change could alter the fundamental trajectory of society over large parts of the world.