The Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics (IBED) is one of eight research institutes of the Faculty of Science at the University of Amsterdam. IBED was founded in 2000 by merging research groups with the expertise in ecology and evolutionary biology, physical geography and environmental chemistry. Research at IBED targets the world around us from the level of molecules and genes to entire ecosystems. We aim to unravel how ecosystems function in all their complexity, and how they change due to natural processes and human activities. At the core of IBED lies the integrated approach to study biodiversity, ecosystems and the environment using methods typical of the disciplines of ecology, physical geography and environmental chemistry.