摘要
Arguably,no subject in ecology is as broad and inclusive,yet fundamental,as biodiversity.The diverse facets of biodiversity are reflected by the plethora of its definitions,measurements,maintenance theories and management practices across spatial and temporal scales.In May 2011,we held a symposium for Theoretical Ecology and Biodiversity in Guangzhou,China,to showcase just that multitude of biodiversity.The symposium was sponsored by the State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol,Sun Yat-sen University and University of Alberta.We sought to achieve three goals.The first was to provide a venue to present and exchange the state of the art of biodiversity science.The second was to establish mentoring relationships by connecting a group of young ecologists to the internationally renowned scientists who were invited to attend the symposium.This special issue is the third goal we have accomplished.
