PLANT BIODIVERSITY - Evolutionary and Ecological Perspectives

Biodiversity is the totality of variation in life-forms, across all levels of biological organi­ zation, from genes within species to the array of species themselves and finally, at the highest level, the living communities of ecosystems. The Rio Convention on Biological Diversity deals predominately with three crucial issues: the identification, conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity. These issues are currently the focus of intensive re­ search around the world e.g. on the characterization of genetic diversity and processes that generate and maintain biodiversity, classification of ecosystems/habitats, the role of diver­ sity for ecosystem function, the role of man in maintenance of biodiversity, and the links between domesticated and wild biodiversity. The current very rapid biotechnology development has resulted in that the world's genetic and species diversity increasingly are viewed as industrial assets of great potential economic value. New search strategies for identifying valuable areas or taxa for biodiversity prospecting are rapidly under deVelopment, using a variety of phylogenetic, biogeographic, genetic, and ecological data.