Biodiversity change, that is how the taxonomic identities and abundances of species in ecological systems are changing over time, has two facets: temporal α diversity and temporal β diversity. To date, temporal α diversity has received most attention even though compositional shifts in assemblages exceed expectations based on ecological theory. Growing concern about the state of the world’s biodiversity highlights the need for better understanding of the extent, and consequences, of compositional reorganization in ecological systems.

中文翻译：

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时间β多样性-宏观生态学的观点

生物多样性的变化，即生态系统中物种的分类学特征和丰富度随时间变化的方式，具有两个方面：时间α多样性和时间β多样性。迄今为止，即使集合的组成变化超出了基于生态理论的预期，时间α多样性也受到了最多的关注。对世界生物多样性状况的日益增长的关注突出了需要更好地了解生态系统组成重组的程度和后果的需求。