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Jin Z, Tilman D. Crop diversity benefits increase with nation size. NATURE FOOD 2024:10.1038/s43016-024-00999-8. [PMID: 38831118 DOI: 10.1038/s43016-024-00999-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/05/2024]
Affiliation(s)
- Zhenong Jin
- Department of Bioproducts and Biosystems Engineering, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN, USA.
| | - David Tilman
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN, USA
- Bren School of Environmental Science and Management, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, USA
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2
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Suzuki Y, Economo EP. The Stability of Competitive Metacommunities Is Insensitive to Dispersal Connectivity in a Fluctuating Environment. Am Nat 2024; 203:668-680. [PMID: 38781525 DOI: 10.1086/729601] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/25/2024]
Abstract
AbstractMaintaining the stability of ecological communities is critical for conservation, yet we lack a clear understanding of what attributes of metacommunity structure control stability. Some theories suggest that greater dispersal promotes metacommunity stability by stabilizing local populations, while others suggest that dispersal synchronizes fluctuations across patches and leads to global instability. These effects of dispersal on stability may be mediated by metacommunity structure: the number of patches, the pattern of connections across patches, and levels of spatiotemporal correlation in the environment. Thus, we need theory to investigate metacommunity dynamics under different spatial structures and ecological scenarios. Here, we use simulations to investigate whether stability is primarily affected by connectivity, including dispersal rate and topology of connectivity network, or by mechanisms related to the number of patches. We find that in competitive metacommunities with environmental stochasticity, network topology has little effect on stability on the metacommunity scale even while it could change spatial diversity patterns. In contrast, the number of connected patches is the dominant factor promoting stability through averaging stochastic fluctuations across more patches, rather than due to more habitat heterogeneity per se. These results broaden our understanding of how metacommunity structure changes metacommunity stability, which is relevant for designing effective conservation strategies.
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3
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Meng B, Yang Q, Mehrabi Z, Wang S. Larger nations benefit more than smaller nations from the stabilizing effects of crop diversity. NATURE FOOD 2024:10.1038/s43016-024-00992-1. [PMID: 38789566 DOI: 10.1038/s43016-024-00992-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2023] [Accepted: 04/30/2024] [Indexed: 05/26/2024]
Abstract
Crop diversification is increasingly recognized as a strategy to stabilize national food production, yet the benefits of this approach may vary across nations due to the scale dependence of crop diversity and stability. Here we use crop production data from 131 nations from 1961 to 2020 to explore the spatial scale dependence of the crop diversity-stability relationship. Drawing on ecological theory and complementary analytical approaches, we find that as the total national harvested area increases, yield stability increases. Crop diversity stabilizes national yield stability, as does an increase in the number of farms, but these stabilizing effects are weaker in smaller countries. Our findings suggest that enhancing crop diversity at the national level may not provide a de facto universal strategy for increasing yield stability across all countries-with implications for national strategies promoting crop diversification to protect against food system shocks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bo Meng
- Institute of Ecology, College of Urban and Environmental Science and Key Laboratory for Earth Surface Processes of the Ministry of Education, Peking University, Beijing, China
- Key Laboratory of Vegetation Ecology, Ministry of Education, Institute of Grassland Science, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, China
| | - Qi Yang
- Institute of Ecology, College of Urban and Environmental Science and Key Laboratory for Earth Surface Processes of the Ministry of Education, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Zia Mehrabi
- Department of Environmental Studies, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, USA
| | - Shaopeng Wang
- Institute of Ecology, College of Urban and Environmental Science and Key Laboratory for Earth Surface Processes of the Ministry of Education, Peking University, Beijing, China.
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4
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Yilma ZA, Mengesha G, Girma Z. Species composition, relative abundance, and habitat association of birds in Dodola dry evergreen afro-montane forest and sub-afro-alpine scrubland vegetation, southeast Ethiopia. PeerJ 2024; 12:e16775. [PMID: 38223764 PMCID: PMC10788088 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.16775] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2023] [Accepted: 12/18/2023] [Indexed: 01/16/2024] Open
Abstract
Background Birds' functional groups are useful for maintaining fundamental ecological processes, ecosystem services, and economic benefits. Negative consequences of loss of functional groups are substantial. Birds are usually found at a high trophic level in food webs and are relatively sensitive to environmental change. Methods The first surveillance bird study was carried out southeast of Ethiopia adjacent to Bale Mountain National Park aimed at investigating the composition, relative abundance, and distribution of Aves. Using regular systematic point transact sampling, the density and species composition were analyzed through the mark recapture distance sampling engine assisted by R statistical software. Results This study recorded a total of seventy-eight bird species over two distinct seasons. Among these, fifteen species were exclusive to Erica habitats, twenty-six were found in natural forest habitats, and three were specific to plantation forest habitats. The study also discovered three endemic species. Based on the 2018 IUCN Red List categories, six of the species are globally threatened, three are near threatened, and the remaining sixty-nine are classified as least concern. The relative abundance of birds did not significantly differ across habitats and seasons, but variations were observed among blocks. Bird density was found to fluctuate across the three habitats and two seasons; however, these habitat differences were not influenced by seasonal changes. Conclusion The findings of this study reveal that the differences in composition and relative abundance are not merely seasonal changes in the forest and Erica habitats. Instead, these habitats create microclimates that cater to specific bird species. However, this localized endemism also presents challenges. The concentration of endemic species and potential resource constraints could pose a threat to these habitat-specialist birds.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Girma Mengesha
- School of Wildlife and Eco-tourism, Hawassa University, Hawassa, Ethiopia
| | - Zerihun Girma
- Wondo Genet College of Forestry and Natural Resource, Hawassa University, Wondo Gent, Ethiopia
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5
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Ross SRPJ, Friedman NR, Dudley KL, Yoshida T, Yoshimura M, Economo EP, Armitage DW, Donohue I. Divergent ecological responses to typhoon disturbance revealed via landscape-scale acoustic monitoring. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2024; 30:e17067. [PMID: 38273562 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.17067] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2023] [Revised: 11/09/2023] [Accepted: 11/14/2023] [Indexed: 01/27/2024]
Abstract
Climate change is increasing the frequency, intensity, and duration of extreme weather events across the globe. Understanding the capacity for ecological communities to withstand and recover from such events is critical. Typhoons are extreme weather events that are expected to broadly homogenize ecological dynamics through structural damage to vegetation and longer-term effects of salinization. Given their unpredictable nature, monitoring ecological responses to typhoons is challenging, particularly for mobile animals such as birds. Here, we report spatially variable ecological responses to typhoons across terrestrial landscapes. Using a high temporal resolution passive acoustic monitoring network across 24 sites on the subtropical island of Okinawa, Japan, we found that typhoons elicit divergent ecological responses among Okinawa's diverse terrestrial habitats, as indicated by increased spatial variability of biological sound production (biophony) and individual species detections. This suggests that soniferous communities are capable of a diversity of different responses to typhoons. That is, spatial insurance effects among local ecological communities provide resilience to typhoons at the landscape scale. Even though site-level typhoon impacts on soundscapes and bird detections were not particularly strong, monitoring at scale with high temporal resolution across a broad spatial extent nevertheless enabled detection of spatial heterogeneity in typhoon responses. Further, species-level responses mirrored those of acoustic indices, underscoring the utility of such indices for revealing insight into fundamental questions concerning disturbance and stability. Our findings demonstrate the significant potential of landscape-scale acoustic sensor networks to capture the understudied ecological impacts of unpredictable extreme weather events.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samuel R P-J Ross
- Integrative Community Ecology Unit, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University, Onna-son, Okinawa, Japan
- Zoology, School of Natural Sciences, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Nicholas R Friedman
- Environmental Informatics Section, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University, Onna-son, Okinawa, Japan
- Centre for Taxonomy and Morphology, Leibniz Institute for the Analysis of Biodiversity Change, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Kenneth L Dudley
- Environmental Informatics Section, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University, Onna-son, Okinawa, Japan
| | - Takuma Yoshida
- Environmental Science Section, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University, Onna-son, Okinawa, Japan
| | - Masashi Yoshimura
- Environmental Science Section, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University, Onna-son, Okinawa, Japan
| | - Evan P Economo
- Biodiversity & Biocomplexity Unit, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University, Onna-son, Okinawa, Japan
| | - David W Armitage
- Integrative Community Ecology Unit, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University, Onna-son, Okinawa, Japan
| | - Ian Donohue
- Zoology, School of Natural Sciences, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
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6
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Hodapp D, Armonies W, Dannheim J, Downing JA, Filstrup CT, Hillebrand H. Individual species and site dynamics are the main drivers of spatial scaling of stability in aquatic communities. Front Ecol Evol 2023. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2023.864534] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
IntroductionAny measure of ecological stability scales with the spatial and temporal extent of the data on which it is based. The magnitude of stabilization effects at increasing spatial scale is determined by the degree of synchrony between local and regional species populations.MethodsWe applied two recently developed approaches to quantify these stabilizing effects to time series records from three aquatic monitoring data sets differing in environmental context and organism type.Results and DiscussionWe found that the amount and general patterns of stabilization with increasing spatial scale only varied slightly across the investigated species groups and systems. In all three data sets, the relative contribution of stabilizing effects via asynchronous dynamics across space was higher than compensatory dynamics due to differences in biomass fluctuations across species and populations. When relating the stabilizing effects of individual species and sites to species and site-specific characteristics as well as community composition and aspects of spatial biomass distribution patterns, however, we found that the effects of single species and sites showed large differences and were highly context dependent, i.e., dominant species can but did not necessarily have highly stabilizing or destabilizing effects on overall community biomass. The sign and magnitude of individual contributions depended on community structure and the spatial distribution of biomass and species in space. Our study therefore provides new insights into the mechanistic understanding of ecological stability patterns across scales in natural species communities.
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7
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Effects of diversity on thermal niche variation in bird communities under climate change. Sci Rep 2022; 12:21810. [PMID: 36528749 PMCID: PMC9759529 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-26248-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2022] [Accepted: 12/12/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Climate change alters ecological communities by affecting individual species and interactions between species. However, the impacts of climate change may be buffered by community diversity: diverse communities may be more resistant to climate-driven perturbations than simple communities. Here, we assess how diversity influences long-term thermal niche variation in communities under climate change. We use 50-year continental-scale data on bird communities during breeding and non-breeding seasons to quantify the communities' thermal variability. Thermal variability is measured as the temporal change in the community's average thermal niche and it indicates community's response to climate change. Then, we study how the thermal variability varies as a function of taxonomic, functional, and evolutionary diversity using linear models. We find that communities with low thermal niche variation have higher functional diversity, with this pattern being measurable in the non-breeding but not in the breeding season. Given the expected increase in seasonal variation in the future climate, the differences in bird communities' thermal variability between breeding and non-breeding seasons may grow wider. Importantly, our results suggest that functionally diverse wildlife communities can mitigate effects of climate change by hindering changes in thermal niche variability, which underscores the importance of addressing the climate and biodiversity crises together.
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8
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Wang Y, Wang S, Zhao L, Liang C, Miao B, Zhang Q, Niu X, Ma W, Schmid B. Stability and asynchrony of local communities but less so diversity increase regional stability of Inner Mongolian grassland. eLife 2022; 11:74881. [PMID: 36206306 PMCID: PMC9545536 DOI: 10.7554/elife.74881] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2021] [Accepted: 08/26/2022] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Extending knowledge on ecosystem stability to larger spatial scales is urgently needed because present local-scale studies are generally ineffective in guiding management and conservation decisions of an entire region with diverse plant communities. We investigated stability of plant productivity across spatial scales and hierarchical levels of organization and analyzed impacts of dominant species, species diversity, and climatic factors using a multisite survey of Inner Mongolian grassland. We found that regional stability across distant local communities was related to stability and asynchrony of local communities. Using only dominant instead of all-species dynamics explained regional stability almost equally well. The diversity of all or only dominant species had comparatively weak effects on stability and synchrony, whereas a lower mean and higher variation of precipitation destabilized regional and local communities by reducing population stability and synchronizing species dynamics. We demonstrate that, for semi-arid temperate grassland with highly uneven species abundances, the stability of regional communities is increased by stability and asynchrony of local communities and these are more affected by climate rather than species diversity. Reduced amounts and increased variation of precipitation in the future may compromise the sustainable provision of ecosystem services to human well-being in this region.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yonghui Wang
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Ecology and Resource Use of the Mongolian Plateau & Inner Mongolia Key Laboratory of Grassland Ecology, School of Ecology and Environment, Inner Mongolia University
| | - Shaopeng Wang
- Institute of Ecology, College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, and Key Laboratory for Earth Surface Processes of the Ministry of Education, Peking University
| | - Liqing Zhao
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Ecology and Resource Use of the Mongolian Plateau & Inner Mongolia Key Laboratory of Grassland Ecology, School of Ecology and Environment, Inner Mongolia University
| | - Cunzhu Liang
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Ecology and Resource Use of the Mongolian Plateau & Inner Mongolia Key Laboratory of Grassland Ecology, School of Ecology and Environment, Inner Mongolia University
| | - Bailing Miao
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Ecology and Resource Use of the Mongolian Plateau & Inner Mongolia Key Laboratory of Grassland Ecology, School of Ecology and Environment, Inner Mongolia University
| | - Qing Zhang
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Ecology and Resource Use of the Mongolian Plateau & Inner Mongolia Key Laboratory of Grassland Ecology, School of Ecology and Environment, Inner Mongolia University
| | - Xiaxia Niu
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Ecology and Resource Use of the Mongolian Plateau & Inner Mongolia Key Laboratory of Grassland Ecology, School of Ecology and Environment, Inner Mongolia University
| | - Wenhong Ma
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Ecology and Resource Use of the Mongolian Plateau & Inner Mongolia Key Laboratory of Grassland Ecology, School of Ecology and Environment, Inner Mongolia University
| | - Bernhard Schmid
- Department of Geography, Remote Sensing Laboratories, University of Zürich
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9
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Nain A, Sangili A, Hu SR, Chen CH, Chen YL, Chang HT. Recent progress in nanomaterial-functionalized membranes for removal of pollutants. iScience 2022; 25:104616. [PMID: 35789839 PMCID: PMC9250028 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2022.104616] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Membrane technology has gained tremendous attention for removing pollutants from wastewater, mainly due to their affordable capital cost, miniature equipment size, low energy consumption, and high efficiency even for the pollutants present in lower concentrations. In this paper, we review the literature to summarize the progress of nanomaterial-modified membranes for wastewater treatment applications. Introduction of nanomaterial in the polymeric matrix influences membrane properties such as surface roughness, hydrophobicity, porosity, and fouling resistance. This review also covers the importance of functionalization strategies to prepare thin-film nanocomposite hybrid membranes and their effect on eliminating pollutants. Systematic discussion regarding the impact of the nanomaterials incorporated within membrane, toward the recovery of various pollutants such as metal ions, organic compounds, dyes, and microbes. Successful examples are provided to show the potential of nanomaterial-functionalized membranes for regeneration of wastewater. In the end, future prospects are discussed to develop nanomaterial-based membrane technology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amit Nain
- Department of Chemistry, National Taiwan University, Taipei 10617, Taiwan
| | - Arumugam Sangili
- Department of Chemistry, National Taiwan University, Taipei 10617, Taiwan
| | - Shun-Ruei Hu
- Department of Chemistry, National Taiwan University, Taipei 10617, Taiwan
| | - Chun-Hsien Chen
- School of Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung 807378, Taiwan
| | - Yen-Ling Chen
- School of Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung 807378, Taiwan
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, National Chung Cheng University, Chia-Yi 621301, Taiwan
- Department of Fragrance and Cosmetic Science, College of Pharmacy, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung 807378, Taiwan
- Corresponding author
| | - Huan-Tsung Chang
- Department of Chemistry, National Taiwan University, Taipei 10617, Taiwan
- Corresponding author
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10
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Jarillo J, Cao-García FJ, De Laender F. Spatial and Ecological Scaling of Stability in Spatial Community Networks. Front Ecol Evol 2022. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2022.861537] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
There are many scales at which to quantify stability in spatial and ecological networks. Local-scale analyses focus on specific nodes of the spatial network, while regional-scale analyses consider the whole network. Similarly, species- and community-level analyses either account for single species or for the whole community. Furthermore, stability itself can be defined in multiple ways, including resistance (the inverse of the relative displacement caused by a perturbation), initial resilience (the rate of return after a perturbation), and invariability (the inverse of the relative amplitude of the population fluctuations). Here, we analyze the scale-dependence of these stability properties. More specifically, we ask how spatial scale (local vs. regional) and ecological scale (species vs. community) influence these stability properties. We find that regional initial resilience is the weighted arithmetic mean of the local initial resiliences. The regional resistance is the harmonic mean of local resistances, which makes regional resistance particularly vulnerable to nodes with low stability, unlike regional initial resilience. Analogous results hold for the relationship between community- and species-level initial resilience and resistance. Both resistance and initial resilience are “scale-free” properties: regional and community values are simply the biomass-weighted means of the local and species values, respectively. Thus, one can easily estimate both stability metrics of whole networks from partial sampling. In contrast, invariability generally is greater at the regional and community-level than at the local and species-level, respectively. Hence, estimating the invariability of spatial or ecological networks from measurements at the local or species level is more complicated, requiring an unbiased estimate of the network (i.e., region or community) size. In conclusion, we find that scaling of stability depends on the metric considered, and we present a reliable framework to estimate these metrics.
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11
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Li Z, Zhang H, Xu Y, Wang S. Composition of ‘fast–slow’ traits drives avian community stability over North America. Funct Ecol 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.13909] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Zhouyuan Li
- Key Laboratory for Earth Surface Processes of the Ministry of Education Institute of Ecology College of Urban and Environmental Sciences Peking University Beijing China
- China Grassland Research Center School of Grassland Science Beijing Forestry University Beijing China
| | - Heng Zhang
- Key Laboratory for Earth Surface Processes of the Ministry of Education Institute of Ecology College of Urban and Environmental Sciences Peking University Beijing China
| | - Yanjie Xu
- The Finnish Museum of Natural History University of Helsinki Helsinki Finland
- Wildlife Ecology and Conservation Group Wageningen University and Research Wageningen the Netherlands
| | - Shaopeng Wang
- Key Laboratory for Earth Surface Processes of the Ministry of Education Institute of Ecology College of Urban and Environmental Sciences Peking University Beijing China
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12
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Loreau M, Barbier M, Filotas E, Gravel D, Isbell F, Miller SJ, Montoya JM, Wang S, Aussenac R, Germain R, Thompson PL, Gonzalez A, Dee LE. Biodiversity as insurance: from concept to measurement and application. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2021; 96:2333-2354. [PMID: 34080283 PMCID: PMC8519139 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12756] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2020] [Revised: 05/25/2021] [Accepted: 05/26/2021] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
Biological insurance theory predicts that, in a variable environment, aggregate ecosystem properties will vary less in more diverse communities because declines in the performance or abundance of some species or phenotypes will be offset, at least partly, by smoother declines or increases in others. During the past two decades, ecology has accumulated strong evidence for the stabilising effect of biodiversity on ecosystem functioning. As biological insurance is reaching the stage of a mature theory, it is critical to revisit and clarify its conceptual foundations to guide future developments, applications and measurements. In this review, we first clarify the connections between the insurance and portfolio concepts that have been used in ecology and the economic concepts that inspired them. Doing so points to gaps and mismatches between ecology and economics that could be filled profitably by new theoretical developments and new management applications. Second, we discuss some fundamental issues in biological insurance theory that have remained unnoticed so far and that emerge from some of its recent applications. In particular, we draw a clear distinction between the two effects embedded in biological insurance theory, i.e. the effects of biodiversity on the mean and variability of ecosystem properties. This distinction allows explicit consideration of trade-offs between the mean and stability of ecosystem processes and services. We also review applications of biological insurance theory in ecosystem management. Finally, we provide a synthetic conceptual framework that unifies the various approaches across disciplines, and we suggest new ways in which biological insurance theory could be extended to address new issues in ecology and ecosystem management. Exciting future challenges include linking the effects of biodiversity on ecosystem functioning and stability, incorporating multiple functions and feedbacks, developing new approaches to partition biodiversity effects across scales, extending biological insurance theory to complex interaction networks, and developing new applications to biodiversity and ecosystem management.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michel Loreau
- Theoretical and Experimental Ecology Station, CNRS2 route du CNRSMoulis09200France
| | - Matthieu Barbier
- Theoretical and Experimental Ecology Station, CNRS2 route du CNRSMoulis09200France
| | - Elise Filotas
- Center for Forest ResearchUniversité du Québec (TELUQ)5800 Saint‐DenisMontrealQCH2S 3L5Canada
| | - Dominique Gravel
- Département de BiologieUniversité de Sherbrooke2500 Boulevard de l'UniversitéSherbrookeQCJ1K 2R1Canada
| | - Forest Isbell
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and BehaviorUniversity of Minnesota1479 Gortner AveSt. PaulMN55108U.S.A.
| | - Steve J. Miller
- Environmental Studies ProgramUniversity of Colorado, Boulder4001 Discovery DriveBoulderCO80303U.S.A.
| | - Jose M. Montoya
- Theoretical and Experimental Ecology Station, CNRS2 route du CNRSMoulis09200France
| | - Shaopeng Wang
- Institute of Ecology, College of Urban and Environmental Sciences and Key Laboratory for Earth Surface Processes of the Ministry of EducationPeking UniversityBeijing100871China
| | - Raphaël Aussenac
- Université Grenoble Alpes, INRAE, LESSEMSt‐Martin‐d'HèresF‐38402France
| | - Rachel Germain
- Biodiversity Research Centre and Department of ZoologyUniversity of British Columbia6270 University Blvd.VancouverBCV6T 1Z4Canada
| | - Patrick L. Thompson
- Biodiversity Research Centre and Department of ZoologyUniversity of British Columbia6270 University Blvd.VancouverBCV6T 1Z4Canada
| | - Andrew Gonzalez
- Department of BiologyMcGill University1205 Dr. Penfield AvenueMontrealQCH3A 1B1Canada
| | - Laura E. Dee
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary BiologyUniversity of Colorado, Boulder1900 Pleasant St.BoulderCO80303U.S.A.
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13
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Polazzo F, Rico A. Effects of multiple stressors on the dimensionality of ecological stability. Ecol Lett 2021; 24:1594-1606. [PMID: 33979468 PMCID: PMC8359956 DOI: 10.1111/ele.13770] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2021] [Revised: 03/25/2021] [Accepted: 04/09/2021] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Ecological stability is a multidimensional construct. Investigating multiple stability dimensions is key to understand how ecosystems respond to disturbance. Here, we evaluated the single and combined effects of common agricultural stressors (insecticide, herbicide and nutrients) on four dimensions of stability (resistance, resilience, recovery and invariability) and on the overall dimensionality of stability (DS) using the results of a freshwater mesocosm experiment. Functional recovery and resilience to pesticides were enhanced in nutrient-enriched systems, whereas compositional recovery was generally not achieved. Pesticides did not affect compositional DS, whereas functional DS was significantly increased by the insecticide only in non-enriched systems. Stressor interactions acted non-additively on single stability dimensions as well as on functional DS. Moreover we demonstrate that pesticides can modify the correlation between functional and compositional aspects of stability. Our study shows that different disturbance types, and their interactions, require specific management actions to promote ecosystem stability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francesco Polazzo
- IMDEA Water InstituteScience and Technology Campus of the University of AlcaláMadridSpain
| | - Andreu Rico
- IMDEA Water InstituteScience and Technology Campus of the University of AlcaláMadridSpain
- Cavanilles Institute of Biodiversity and Evolutionary BiologyUniversity of ValenciaPaternaValenciaSpain
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14
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Clark AT, Arnoldi JF, Zelnik YR, Barabas G, Hodapp D, Karakoç C, König S, Radchuk V, Donohue I, Huth A, Jacquet C, de Mazancourt C, Mentges A, Nothaaß D, Shoemaker LG, Taubert F, Wiegand T, Wang S, Chase JM, Loreau M, Harpole S. General statistical scaling laws for stability in ecological systems. Ecol Lett 2021; 24:1474-1486. [PMID: 33945663 DOI: 10.1111/ele.13760] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2020] [Revised: 03/08/2021] [Accepted: 03/21/2021] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
Ecological stability refers to a family of concepts used to describe how systems of interacting species vary through time and respond to disturbances. Because observed ecological stability depends on sampling scales and environmental context, it is notoriously difficult to compare measurements across sites and systems. Here, we apply stochastic dynamical systems theory to derive general statistical scaling relationships across time, space, and ecological level of organisation for three fundamental stability aspects: resilience, resistance, and invariance. These relationships can be calibrated using random or representative samples measured at individual scales, and projected to predict average stability at other scales across a wide range of contexts. Moreover deviations between observed vs. extrapolated scaling relationships can reveal information about unobserved heterogeneity across time, space, or species. We anticipate that these methods will be useful for cross-study synthesis of stability data, extrapolating measurements to unobserved scales, and identifying underlying causes and consequences of heterogeneity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adam Thomas Clark
- Department of Physiological Diversity, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ), Leipzig, Germany.,Institute of Biology, University of Graz, Graz, Austria.,German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
| | | | - Yuval R Zelnik
- Department of Ecology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden.,Centre for Biodiversity Theory and Modelling, Theoretical and Experimental Ecology Station, CNRS, Moulis, France
| | - György Barabas
- Division of Theoretical Biology, Department of Physics, Chemistry, and Biology, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden.,MTA-ELTE Theoretical Biology and Evolutionary Ecology Research Group, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Dorothee Hodapp
- Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity (HIFMB), Oldenburg, Germany.,Alfred-Wegener-Institute Helmholtz-Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI), Bremerhaven, Germany
| | - Canan Karakoç
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany.,Department of Environmental Microbiology, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ), Leipzig, Germany
| | - Sara König
- Department of Soil System Science, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ), Halle (Saale), Germany
| | - Viktoriia Radchuk
- Department of Ecological Dynamics, Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research (IZW), Berlin, Germany
| | - Ian Donohue
- Zoology Department, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Andreas Huth
- Department of Ecological Modelling, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ), Leipzig, Germany
| | - Claire Jacquet
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Zürich, Switzerland.,Department of Aquatic Ecology, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Eawag, Dübendorf, Switzerland
| | - Claire de Mazancourt
- Centre for Biodiversity Theory and Modelling, Theoretical and Experimental Ecology Station, CNRS, Moulis, France
| | - Andrea Mentges
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany.,Department of Computer Sciences, Martin Luther University, Halle, Germany
| | - Dorian Nothaaß
- Department of Physiological Diversity, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ), Leipzig, Germany.,Department of Ecological Modelling, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ), Leipzig, Germany
| | | | - Franziska Taubert
- Department of Ecological Modelling, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ), Leipzig, Germany
| | - Thorsten Wiegand
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany.,Department of Ecological Modelling, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ), Leipzig, Germany
| | - Shaopeng Wang
- Institute of Ecology, College of Urban and Environmental Science, and Key Laboratory for Earth Surface Processes of the Ministry of Education, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Jonathan M Chase
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany.,Department of Computer Sciences, Martin Luther University, Halle, Germany
| | - Michel Loreau
- Centre for Biodiversity Theory and Modelling, Theoretical and Experimental Ecology Station, CNRS, Moulis, France
| | - Stanley Harpole
- Department of Physiological Diversity, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ), Leipzig, Germany.,German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany.,Institute of Biology, Martin Luther University, Halle, Germany
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15
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Wang S, Loreau M, de Mazancourt C, Isbell F, Beierkuhnlein C, Connolly J, Deutschman DH, Doležal J, Eisenhauer N, Hector A, Jentsch A, Kreyling J, Lanta V, Lepš J, Polley HW, Reich PB, van Ruijven J, Schmid B, Tilman D, Wilsey B, Craven D. Biotic homogenization destabilizes ecosystem functioning by decreasing spatial asynchrony. Ecology 2021; 102:e03332. [PMID: 33705570 PMCID: PMC8244107 DOI: 10.1002/ecy.3332] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2020] [Revised: 12/06/2020] [Accepted: 01/11/2021] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
Our planet is facing significant changes of biodiversity across spatial scales. Although the negative effects of local biodiversity (α diversity) loss on ecosystem stability are well documented, the consequences of biodiversity changes at larger spatial scales, in particular biotic homogenization, that is, reduced species turnover across space (β diversity), remain poorly known. Using data from 39 grassland biodiversity experiments, we examine the effects of β diversity on the stability of simulated landscapes while controlling for potentially confounding biotic and abiotic factors. Our results show that higher β diversity generates more asynchronous dynamics among local communities and thereby contributes to the stability of ecosystem productivity at larger spatial scales. We further quantify the relative contributions of α and β diversity to ecosystem stability and find a relatively stronger effect of α diversity, possibly due to the limited spatial scale of our experiments. The stabilizing effects of both α and β diversity lead to a positive diversity–stability relationship at the landscape scale. Our findings demonstrate the destabilizing effect of biotic homogenization and suggest that biodiversity should be conserved at multiple spatial scales to maintain the stability of ecosystem functions and services.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shaopeng Wang
- Key Laboratory for Earth Surface Processes of the Ministry of Education, Institute of Ecology, College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China
| | - Michel Loreau
- Centre for Biodiversity Theory and Modelling, Theoretical and Experimental Ecology Station, CNRS and Paul Sabatier University, Moulis, 09200, France
| | - Claire de Mazancourt
- Centre for Biodiversity Theory and Modelling, Theoretical and Experimental Ecology Station, CNRS and Paul Sabatier University, Moulis, 09200, France
| | - Forest Isbell
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, Minnesota, USA
| | - Carl Beierkuhnlein
- Department of Biogeography, BayCEER, University of Bayreuth, Bayreuth, 95440, Germany
| | - John Connolly
- UCD School of Mathematics and Statistics, University College Dublin, Dublin 4, Ireland.,German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Leipzig, 04103, Germany.,Institute of Biology/Geobotany and Botanical Garden, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Am Kirchtor 1, Halle (Saale), 06108, Germany
| | - Douglas H Deutschman
- Department of Biology, Wilfrid Laurier University, Waterloo, Ontario, N2L 3C5, Canada
| | - Jiří Doležal
- Department of Botany, Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, České Budějovice, 37005, Czech Republic.,Department of Functional Ecology, Institute of Botany, Czech Academy of Sciences, Třeboň, 37901, Czech Republic
| | - Nico Eisenhauer
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Leipzig, 04103, Germany.,Institute of Biology, Leipzig University, Leipzig, 04103, Germany
| | - Andy Hector
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX1 3RB, UK
| | - Anke Jentsch
- Department of Disturbance Ecology, BayCEER, University of Bayreuth, Bayreuth, 95440, Germany
| | - Jürgen Kreyling
- Experimental Plant Ecology, Institute of Botany and Landscape Ecology, Greifswald University, Greifswald, 17487, Germany
| | - Vojtech Lanta
- Department of Botany, Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, České Budějovice, 37005, Czech Republic.,Department of Functional Ecology, Institute of Botany, Czech Academy of Sciences, Třeboň, 37901, Czech Republic
| | - Jan Lepš
- Department of Botany, Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, České Budějovice, 37005, Czech Republic.,Institute of Entomology, Biology Centre CAS, České Budějovice, 37005, Czech Republic
| | - H Wayne Polley
- Agricultural Research Service, Grassland, Soil & Water Research Laboratory, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Temple, Texas, 76502, USA
| | - Peter B Reich
- Department of Forest Resources, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, Minnesota, 55108, USA.,Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University, Penrith, New South Wales, 2751, Australia
| | - Jasper van Ruijven
- Plant Ecology and Nature Conservation Group, Wageningen University, Wageningen, 6700 AA, The Netherlands
| | - Bernhard Schmid
- Department of Geography, Remote Sensing Laboratories, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, Zurich, 8057, Switzerland
| | - David Tilman
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, Minnesota, USA
| | - Brian Wilsey
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Organismal Biology, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa, USA
| | - Dylan Craven
- Centro de Modelación y Monitoreo de Ecosistemas, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Mayor, José Toribio Molina 29, Santiago, 8340589, Chile
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16
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Wang S, Isbell F, Deng W, Hong P, Dee LE, Thompson P, Loreau M. How complementarity and selection affect the relationship between ecosystem functioning and stability. Ecology 2021; 102:e03347. [PMID: 33742438 DOI: 10.1002/ecy.3347] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2020] [Revised: 12/14/2020] [Accepted: 01/13/2021] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
The biotic mechanisms underlying ecosystem functioning and stability have been extensively-but separately-explored in the literature, making it difficult to understand the relationship between functioning and stability. In this study, we used community models to examine how complementarity and selection, the two major biodiversity mechanisms known to enhance ecosystem biomass production, affect ecosystem stability. Our analytic and simulation results show that although complementarity promotes stability, selection impairs it. The negative effects of selection on stability operate through weakening portfolio effects and selecting species that have high productivity but low tolerance to perturbations ("risk-prone" species). In contrast, complementarity enhances stability by increasing portfolio effects and reducing the relative abundance of risk-prone species. Consequently, ecosystem functioning and stability exhibit either a synergy, if complementarity effects prevail, or trade-off, if selection effects prevail. Across species richness levels, ecosystem functioning and stability tend to be positively related, but negative relationships can occur when selection co-varies with richness. Our findings provide novel insights for understanding the functioning-stability relationship, with potential implications for both ecological research and ecosystem management.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shaopeng Wang
- Institute of Ecology, College of Urban and Environmental Science, and Key Laboratory for Earth Surface Processes of the Ministry of Education, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China
| | - Forest Isbell
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, Minnesota, 55108, USA
| | - Wanlu Deng
- Center for Statistical Science, Department of Industrial Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China
| | - Pubin Hong
- Institute of Ecology, College of Urban and Environmental Science, and Key Laboratory for Earth Surface Processes of the Ministry of Education, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China
| | - Laura E Dee
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado, 80309, USA
| | - Patrick Thompson
- Department of Zoology and Biodiversity Research Centre, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, V6T 1Z4, Canada
| | - Michel Loreau
- Centre for Biodiversity Theory and Modelling, Theoretical and Experimental Ecology Station, CNRS, Moulis, 09200, France
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17
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Thompson PL, Kéfi S, Zelnik YR, Dee LE, Wang S, de Mazancourt C, Loreau M, Gonzalez A. Scaling up biodiversity-ecosystem functioning relationships: the role of environmental heterogeneity in space and time. Proc Biol Sci 2021; 288:20202779. [PMID: 33715425 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2020.2779] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/28/2023] Open
Abstract
The biodiversity and ecosystem functioning (BEF) relationship is expected to be scale-dependent. The autocorrelation of environmental heterogeneity is hypothesized to explain this scale dependence because it influences how quickly biodiversity accumulates over space or time. However, this link has yet to be demonstrated in a formal model. Here, we use a Lotka-Volterra competition model to simulate community dynamics when environmental conditions vary across either space or time. Species differ in their optimal environmental conditions, which results in turnover in community composition. We vary biodiversity by modelling communities with different sized regional species pools and ask how the amount of biomass per unit area depends on the number of species present, and the spatial or temporal scale at which it is measured. We find that more biodiversity is required to maintain functioning at larger temporal and spatial scales. The number of species required increases quickly when environmental autocorrelation is low, and slowly when autocorrelation is high. Both spatial and temporal environmental heterogeneity lead to scale dependence in BEF, but autocorrelation has larger impacts when environmental change is temporal. These findings show how the biodiversity required to maintain functioning is expected to increase over space and time.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrick L Thompson
- Department of Zoology and Biodiversity Research Centre, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada V6T 1Z4
| | - Sonia Kéfi
- ISEM, CNRS, Univ. Montpellier, IRD, EPHE, Montpellier, France.,Santa Fe Institute, 1399 Hyde Park Road, Santa Fe, NM 87501, USA
| | - Yuval R Zelnik
- Centre for Biodiversity Theory and Modelling, Theoretical and Experimental Ecology Station, CNRS, 2 route du CNRS, 09200 Moulis, France.,Department of Ecology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, SE-750 07 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Laura E Dee
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309, USA
| | - Shaopeng Wang
- Institute of Ecology, College of Urban and Environmental Science, and Key Laboratory for Earth Surface Processes of the Ministry of Education, Peking University, 100871 Beijing, People's Republic of China
| | - Claire de Mazancourt
- Centre for Biodiversity Theory and Modelling, Theoretical and Experimental Ecology Station, CNRS, 2 route du CNRS, 09200 Moulis, France
| | - Michel Loreau
- Centre for Biodiversity Theory and Modelling, Theoretical and Experimental Ecology Station, CNRS, 2 route du CNRS, 09200 Moulis, France
| | - Andrew Gonzalez
- Department of Biology, McGill University, 1205 Dr. Penfield Avenue, Montreal, Quebec, Canada H3A 1B1
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18
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Individual species provide multifaceted contributions to the stability of ecosystems. Nat Ecol Evol 2020; 4:1594-1601. [PMID: 33046872 DOI: 10.1038/s41559-020-01315-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2018] [Accepted: 08/27/2020] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Exploration of the relationship between species diversity and ecological stability has occupied a prominent place in ecological research for decades. Yet, a key component of this puzzle-the contributions of individual species to the overall stability of ecosystems-remains largely unknown. Here, we show that individual species simultaneously stabilize and destabilize ecosystems along different dimensions of stability, and also that their contributions to functional (biomass) and compositional stability are largely independent. By simulating experimentally the extinction of three consumer species (the limpet Patella, the periwinkle Littorina and the topshell Gibbula) from a coastal rocky shore, we found that the capacity to predict the combined contribution of species to stability from the sum of their individual contributions varied among stability dimensions. This implies that the nature of the diversity-stability relationship depends upon the dimension of stability under consideration, and may be additive, synergistic or antagonistic. We conclude that, although the profoundly multifaceted and context-dependent consequences of species loss pose a significant challenge, the predictability of cumulative species contributions to some dimensions of stability provide a way forward for ecologists trying to conserve ecosystems and manage their stability under global change.
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19
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Mougi A. Coupling of green and brown food webs and ecosystem stability. Ecol Evol 2020; 10:9192-9199. [PMID: 32953054 PMCID: PMC7487232 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.6586] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2019] [Revised: 06/22/2020] [Accepted: 06/25/2020] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Ecosystems comprise living organisms and organic matter or detritus. In earlier community ecology theories, ecosystem dynamics were normally understood in terms of aboveground, green-world trophic interaction networks, or food webs. Recently, there has been growing interest in the role played in ecosystem dynamics by detritus in underground, brown-world interactions. However, the role of decomposers in the consumption of detritus to produce nutrients in ecosystem dynamics remains unclear. Here, an ecosystem model of trophic food chains, detritus, decomposers, and decomposer predators demonstrated that decomposers play a totally different role than that previously predicted, with regard to their relationship between nutrient cycling and ecosystem stability. The high flux of nutrients due to efficient decomposition by decomposers increases ecosystem stability. However, moderate levels of ecosystem openness (with movement of materials) can either greatly increase or decrease ecosystem stability. Furthermore, the stability of an ecosystem peaks at intermediate openness because open systems are less stable than closed systems. These findings suggest that decomposers and the food-web dynamics of brown-world interactions are crucial for ecosystem stability, and that the properties of decomposition rate and openness are important in predicting changes in ecosystem stability in response to changes in decomposition efficiency driven by climate change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Akihiko Mougi
- Institute of Agricultural and Life SciencesAcademic AssemblyShimane UniversityMatsueJapan
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20
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Catano CP, Fristoe TS, LaManna JA, Myers JA. Local species diversity, β-diversity and climate influence the regional stability of bird biomass across North America. Proc Biol Sci 2020; 287:20192520. [PMID: 32126951 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2019.2520] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Biodiversity often stabilizes aggregate ecosystem properties (e.g. biomass) at small spatial scales. However, the importance of species diversity within communities and variation in species composition among communities (β-diversity) for stability at larger scales remains unclear. Using a continental-scale analysis of 1657 North American breeding-bird communities spanning 20-years and 35 ecoregions, we show local species diversity and β-diversity influence two components of regional stability: local stability (stability of bird biomass within sites) and spatial asynchrony (asynchronous fluctuations in biomass among sites). We found spatial asynchrony explained three times more variation in regional stability of bird biomass than did local stability. This result contrasts with studies at smaller spatial scales-typically plant metacommunities under 1 ha-that find local stability to be more important than spatial asynchrony. Moreover, spatial asynchrony of bird biomass increased with bird β-diversity and climate heterogeneity (temperature and precipitation), while local stability increased with species diversity. Our study reveals new insights into the scale-dependent processes regulating ecosystem stability, providing evidence that both local biodiversity loss and homogenization can destabilize ecosystem processes at biogeographic scales.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher P Catano
- Department of Biology, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO 63130, USA
| | - Trevor S Fristoe
- Ecology Group, Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany
| | - Joseph A LaManna
- Department of Biology, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO 63130, USA.,Department of Biological Sciences, Marquette University, Milwaukee, WI 53233, USA
| | - Jonathan A Myers
- Department of Biology, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO 63130, USA
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21
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Gonzalez A, Germain RM, Srivastava DS, Filotas E, Dee LE, Gravel D, Thompson PL, Isbell F, Wang S, Kéfi S, Montoya J, Zelnik YR, Loreau M. Scaling-up biodiversity-ecosystem functioning research. Ecol Lett 2020; 23:757-776. [PMID: 31997566 PMCID: PMC7497049 DOI: 10.1111/ele.13456] [Citation(s) in RCA: 129] [Impact Index Per Article: 32.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2019] [Revised: 11/18/2019] [Accepted: 12/14/2019] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
A rich body of knowledge links biodiversity to ecosystem functioning (BEF), but it is primarily focused on small scales. We review the current theory and identify six expectations for scale dependence in the BEF relationship: (1) a nonlinear change in the slope of the BEF relationship with spatial scale; (2) a scale‐dependent relationship between ecosystem stability and spatial extent; (3) coexistence within and among sites will result in a positive BEF relationship at larger scales; (4) temporal autocorrelation in environmental variability affects species turnover and thus the change in BEF slope with scale; (5) connectivity in metacommunities generates nonlinear BEF and stability relationships by affecting population synchrony at local and regional scales; (6) spatial scaling in food web structure and diversity will generate scale dependence in ecosystem functioning. We suggest directions for synthesis that combine approaches in metaecosystem and metacommunity ecology and integrate cross‐scale feedbacks. Tests of this theory may combine remote sensing with a generation of networked experiments that assess effects at multiple scales. We also show how anthropogenic land cover change may alter the scaling of the BEF relationship. New research on the role of scale in BEF will guide policy linking the goals of managing biodiversity and ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew Gonzalez
- Department of Biology, McGill University, 1205 Dr. Penfield Avenue, Montreal, H3A 1B1, Canada
| | - Rachel M Germain
- Department of Zoology and Biodiversity Research Centre, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, V6T 1Z4, Canada
| | - Diane S Srivastava
- Department of Zoology and Biodiversity Research Centre, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, V6T 1Z4, Canada
| | - Elise Filotas
- Center for Forest Research, Département Science et Technologie, Université du Québec, 5800 Saint-Denis, Téluq, Montreal, H2S 3L5, Canada
| | - Laura E Dee
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado, 80309, USA
| | - Dominique Gravel
- Département de biologie, Université de Sherbrooke, 2500 Boulevard de l'Université, Sherbrooke, J1K 2R1, Canada
| | - Patrick L Thompson
- Department of Zoology and Biodiversity Research Centre, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, V6T 1Z4, Canada
| | - Forest Isbell
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior, University of Minnesota, 1479 Gortner Avenue, St. Paul, MN, 55108, USA
| | - Shaopeng Wang
- Institute of Ecology, College of Urban and Environmental Science, and Key Laboratory for Earth Surface Processes of the Ministry of Education, Peking University, 100871, Beijing, China
| | - Sonia Kéfi
- ISEM, CNRS, Univ. Montpellier, IRD, EPHE, Montpellier, France
| | - Jose Montoya
- Centre for Biodiversity Theory and Modelling, Theoretical and Experimental Ecology Station, CNRS, 2 route du CNRS, 09200, Moulis, France
| | - Yuval R Zelnik
- Centre for Biodiversity Theory and Modelling, Theoretical and Experimental Ecology Station, CNRS, 2 route du CNRS, 09200, Moulis, France
| | - Michel Loreau
- Centre for Biodiversity Theory and Modelling, Theoretical and Experimental Ecology Station, CNRS, 2 route du CNRS, 09200, Moulis, France
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22
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Global evidence of positive biodiversity effects on spatial ecosystem stability in natural grasslands. Nat Commun 2019; 10:3207. [PMID: 31324792 PMCID: PMC6642091 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-11191-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2018] [Accepted: 06/26/2019] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Abstract
The effect of biodiversity on primary productivity has been a hot topic in ecology for over 20 years. Biodiversity–productivity relationships in natural ecosystems are highly variable, although positive relationships are most common. Understanding the conditions under which different relationships emerge is still a major challenge. Here, by analyzing HerbDivNet data, a global survey of natural grasslands, we show that biodiversity stabilizes rather than increases plant productivity in natural grasslands at the global scale. Our results suggest that the effect of species richness on productivity shifts from strongly positive in low-productivity communities to strongly negative in high-productivity communities. Thus, plant richness maintains community productivity at intermediate levels. As a result, it stabilizes plant productivity against environmental heterogeneity across space. Unifying biodiversity–productivity and biodiversity–spatial stability relationships at the global scale provides a new perspective on the functioning of natural ecosystems. Biodiversity–productivity relationships in natural ecosystems are highly variable, although positive relationships are most common. Here, using HerbDivNet data, the authors show that biodiversity stabilizes rather than increases plant productivity in natural grasslands at the global scale.
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23
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Arnoldi JF, Loreau M, Haegeman B. The inherent multidimensionality of temporal variability: how common and rare species shape stability patterns. Ecol Lett 2019; 22:1557-1567. [PMID: 31313468 DOI: 10.1111/ele.13345] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2019] [Revised: 06/07/2019] [Accepted: 06/26/2019] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
Empirical knowledge of diversity-stability relationships is mostly based on the analysis of temporal variability. Variability, however, often depends on external factors that act as disturbances, which makes comparisons across systems difficult to interpret. Here, we show how variability can reveal inherent stability properties of ecological communities. This requires that we abandon one-dimensional representations, in which a single variability measurement is taken as a proxy for how stable a system is, and instead consider the whole set of variability values generated by all possible stochastic perturbations. Despite this complexity, in species-rich systems, a generic pattern emerges from community assembly, relating variability to the abundance of perturbed species. Strikingly, the contrasting contributions of different species abundance classes to variability, driven by different types of perturbations, can lead to opposite diversity-stability patterns. We conclude that a multidimensional perspective on variability helps reveal the dynamical richness of ecological systems and the underlying meaning of their stability patterns.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jean-François Arnoldi
- Theoretical and Experimental Ecology Station CNRS and Paul Sabatier University, 09200, Moulis, France.,Zoology Department, School of Natural Sciences Trinity College Dublin, The University of Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Michel Loreau
- Theoretical and Experimental Ecology Station CNRS and Paul Sabatier University, 09200, Moulis, France
| | - Bart Haegeman
- Theoretical and Experimental Ecology Station CNRS and Paul Sabatier University, 09200, Moulis, France
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24
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Kéfi S, Domínguez‐García V, Donohue I, Fontaine C, Thébault E, Dakos V. Advancing our understanding of ecological stability. Ecol Lett 2019; 22:1349-1356. [DOI: 10.1111/ele.13340] [Citation(s) in RCA: 102] [Impact Index Per Article: 20.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2019] [Accepted: 05/26/2019] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Sonia Kéfi
- ISEM, CNRS, Univ. Montpellier, EPHE, IRD Montpellier France
| | | | - Ian Donohue
- Department of Zoology, School of Natural Sciences Trinity College Dublin Dublin 2 Ireland
| | | | - Elisa Thébault
- CNRS, Sorbonne Université, Institute of Ecology and Environmental Sciences of Paris Paris 75005 France
| | - Vasilis Dakos
- ISEM, CNRS, Univ. Montpellier, EPHE, IRD Montpellier France
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25
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McWilliams C, Lurgi M, Montoya JM, Sauve A, Montoya D. The stability of multitrophic communities under habitat loss. Nat Commun 2019; 10:2322. [PMID: 31127118 PMCID: PMC6534601 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-10370-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2018] [Accepted: 05/01/2019] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Habitat loss (HL) affects species and their interactions, ultimately altering community dynamics. Yet, a challenge for community ecology is to understand how communities with multiple interaction types-hybrid communities-respond to HL prior to species extinctions. To this end, we develop a model to investigate the response of hybrid terrestrial communities to two types of HL: random and contiguous. Our model reveals changes in stability-temporal variability in population abundances-that are dependent on the spatial configuration of HL. Our findings highlight that habitat area determines the variability of populations via changes in the distribution of species interaction strengths. The divergent responses of communities to random and contiguous HL result from different constraints imposed on individuals' mobility, impacting diversity and network structure in the random case, and destabilising communities by increasing interaction strength in the contiguous case. Analysis of intermediate HL suggests a gradual transition between the two extreme cases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chris McWilliams
- School of Computer Science, Electrical and Electronic Engineering, and Engineering Maths, Merchant Venturers Building, University of Bristol, Bristol, BS81UB, UK
| | - Miguel Lurgi
- Centre for Biodiversity Theory and Modelling, Theoretical and Experimental Ecology Station, CNRS, 2 route du CNRS, 09200, Moulis, France
| | - Jose M Montoya
- Centre for Biodiversity Theory and Modelling, Theoretical and Experimental Ecology Station, CNRS, 2 route du CNRS, 09200, Moulis, France
| | - Alix Sauve
- University of Bordeaux, Integrative and Theoretical Ecology LabEx COTE, 33615, Pessac, France
| | - Daniel Montoya
- Centre for Biodiversity Theory and Modelling, Theoretical and Experimental Ecology Station, CNRS, 2 route du CNRS, 09200, Moulis, France.
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26
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Thompson PL, Isbell F, Loreau M, O'Connor MI, Gonzalez A. The strength of the biodiversity-ecosystem function relationship depends on spatial scale. Proc Biol Sci 2019; 285:rspb.2018.0038. [PMID: 29875295 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2018.0038] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2018] [Accepted: 05/11/2018] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Our understanding of the relationship between biodiversity and ecosystem functioning (BEF) applies mainly to fine spatial scales. New research is required if we are to extend this knowledge to broader spatial scales that are relevant for conservation decisions. Here, we use simulations to examine conditions that generate scale dependence of the BEF relationship. We study scale by assessing how the BEF relationship (slope and R2) changes when habitat patches are spatially aggregated. We find three ways for the BEF relationship to be scale-dependent: (i) variation among local patches in local (α) diversity, (ii) spatial variation in the local BEF relationship and (iii) incomplete compositional turnover in species composition among patches. The first two cause the slope of the BEF relationship to increase moderately with spatial scale, reflecting nonlinear averaging of spatial variation in diversity or the BEF relationship. The third mechanism results in much stronger scale dependence, with the BEF relationship increasing in the rising portion of the species area relationship, but then decreasing as it saturates. An analysis of data from the Cedar Creek grassland BEF experiment revealed a positive but saturating slope of the relationship with scale. Overall, our findings suggest that the BEF relationship is likely to be scale dependent.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrick L Thompson
- Department of Zoology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada V6T 1Z4 .,Biodiversity Research Centre, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada V6T 1Z4
| | - Forest Isbell
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, University of Minnesota, Saint Paul, MN 55108, USA
| | - Michel Loreau
- Centre for Biodiversity Theory and Modelling, Theoretical and Experimental Ecology Station, CNRS and Paul Sabatier University, 09200 Moulis, France
| | - Mary I O'Connor
- Department of Zoology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada V6T 1Z4.,Biodiversity Research Centre, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada V6T 1Z4
| | - Andrew Gonzalez
- Department of Biology, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada H3A 1B1
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Radchuk V, Laender FD, Cabral JS, Boulangeat I, Crawford M, Bohn F, Raedt JD, Scherer C, Svenning JC, Thonicke K, Schurr FM, Grimm V, Kramer-Schadt S. The dimensionality of stability depends on disturbance type. Ecol Lett 2019; 22:674-684. [DOI: 10.1111/ele.13226] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/21/2018] [Revised: 07/09/2018] [Accepted: 01/05/2019] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Viktoriia Radchuk
- Department of Ecological Dynamics; Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research (IZW); Alfred-Kowalke-Straße 17 Berlin Germany
| | - Frederik De Laender
- Institute of Life-Earth-Environment; Namur Institute of Complex Systems; Research Unit in Environmental and Evolutionary Biology; Université de Namur; Rue de Bruxelles 61 Namur Belgium
| | - Juliano Sarmento Cabral
- Ecosystem Modeling; Center for Computational and Theoretical Biology (CCTB); University of Würzburg; Emil-Fischer-Str. 32 Würzburg Germany
| | - Isabelle Boulangeat
- Section for Ecoinformatics and Biodiversity; Department of Bioscience; Aarhus University; Ny Munkegade 114 Aarhus Denmark
- University Grenoble Alpes; Irstea LESSEM 38000 Grenoble France
| | - Michael Crawford
- Institute for Biochemistry and Biology; University of Potsdam; Maulbeerallee 2 Potsdam Germany
| | - Friedrich Bohn
- Department of Ecological Modelling; Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ; Permoserstr. 15 Leipzig Germany
- Karlsruhe Institute of Technology; Institute for Meteorology and Climate Research; Atmospheric Environmental Research (IMK-IFU); Kreuzeckbahnstrasse 19 82467 Garmisch-Partenkirchen Germany
| | - Jonathan De Raedt
- Institute of Life-Earth-Environment; Namur Institute of Complex Systems; Research Unit in Environmental and Evolutionary Biology; Université de Namur; Rue de Bruxelles 61 Namur Belgium
- Laboratory of Environmental Toxicology and Aquatic Ecology; Ghent University; Coupure Links 653 Ghent Belgium
| | - Cédric Scherer
- Department of Ecological Dynamics; Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research (IZW); Alfred-Kowalke-Straße 17 Berlin Germany
| | - Jens-Christian Svenning
- Section for Ecoinformatics and Biodiversity; Department of Bioscience; Aarhus University; Ny Munkegade 114 Aarhus Denmark
- Center for Biodiversity Dynamics in a Changing World (BIOCHANGE); Aarhus University; Ny Munkegade 114 Aarhus Denmark
| | - Kirsten Thonicke
- Research Domain 1; “Earth System Analysis”; Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK); Telegrafenberg A31 Potsdam Germany
| | - Frank M. Schurr
- Institute of Landscape and Plant Ecology; University of Hohenheim; August-von-Hartmann-Str. 3 Stuttgart Germany
| | - Volker Grimm
- Institute for Biochemistry and Biology; University of Potsdam; Maulbeerallee 2 Potsdam Germany
- Department of Ecological Modelling; Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ; Permoserstr. 15 Leipzig Germany
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig; Deutscher Platz 5e Leipzig Germany
| | - Stephanie Kramer-Schadt
- Department of Ecological Dynamics; Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research (IZW); Alfred-Kowalke-Straße 17 Berlin Germany
- Department of Ecology; Technische Universität Berlin; Rothenburgstrasse 12 12165 Berlin
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Zelnik YR, Arnoldi J, Loreau M. The three regimes of spatial recovery. Ecology 2019; 100:e02586. [PMID: 30556129 PMCID: PMC6375383 DOI: 10.1002/ecy.2586] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2018] [Revised: 11/08/2018] [Accepted: 11/08/2018] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Abstract
An enduring challenge for ecology is identifying the drivers of ecosystem and population stability. In a spatially explicit context, key features to consider are landscape spatial structure, local interactions, and dispersal. Substantial work has been done on each of these features as a driver of stability, but little is known on the interplay between them. Missing has been a more integrative approach, able to map and identify different dynamical regimes, predicting a system's response to perturbations. Here we first consider a simple scenario, i.e., the recovery of a homogeneous metapopulation from a single localized pulse disturbance. The analysis of this scenario reveals three fundamental recovery regimes: Isolated Regime when dispersal is not significant, Rescue Regime when dispersal mediates recovery, and Mixing Regime when perturbations spread throughout the system. Despite its simplicity, our approach leads to remarkably general predictions. These include the qualitatively different outcomes of various scenarios of habitat fragmentation, the surprising benefits of local extinctions on population persistence at the transition between regimes, and the productivity shifts of metacommunities in a changing environment. This study thus provides context to known results and insight into future directions of research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuval R. Zelnik
- Centre for Biodiversity Theory and ModellingTheoretical and Experimental Ecology StationCNRS and Paul Sabatier University09200MoulisFrance
| | | | - Michel Loreau
- Centre for Biodiversity Theory and ModellingTheoretical and Experimental Ecology StationCNRS and Paul Sabatier University09200MoulisFrance
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Zhang Y, Feng J, Loreau M, He N, Han X, Jiang L. Nitrogen addition does not reduce the role of spatial asynchrony in stabilising grassland communities. Ecol Lett 2019; 22:563-571. [PMID: 30632243 DOI: 10.1111/ele.13212] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2018] [Revised: 09/13/2018] [Accepted: 11/22/2018] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
While nitrogen (N) amendment is known to affect the stability of ecological communities, whether this effect is scale-dependent remains an open question. By conducting a field experiment in a temperate grassland, we found that both plant richness and temporal stability of community biomass increased with spatial scale, but N enrichment reduced richness and stability at the two scales considered. Reduced local-scale stability under N enrichment arose from N-induced reduction in population stability, which was partly attributable to the decline in local species richness, as well as reduction in asynchronous local population dynamics across species. Importantly, N enrichment did not alter spatial asynchrony among local communities, which provided similar spatial insurance effects at the larger scale, regardless of N enrichment levels. These results suggest that spatial variability among local communities, in addition to local diversity, may help stabilise ecosystems at larger spatial scales even in the face of anthropogenic environmental changes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yunhai Zhang
- School of Biological Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia, 30332, USA.,State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100093, China
| | - Jinchao Feng
- Institute of Desertification Studies, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Beijing, 100091, China
| | - Michel Loreau
- Centre for Biodiversity Theory and Modelling, Theoretical and Experimental Ecology Station, CNRS and Paul Sabatier University, Moulis, 09200, France
| | - Nianpeng He
- Synthesis Research Center of Chinese Ecosystem Research Network, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China
| | - Xingguo Han
- State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100093, China
| | - Lin Jiang
- School of Biological Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia, 30332, USA
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Zelnik YR, Arnoldi JF, Loreau M. The Impact of Spatial and Temporal Dimensions of Disturbances on Ecosystem Stability. Front Ecol Evol 2018; 6:224. [PMID: 30788343 PMCID: PMC6379063 DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2018.00224] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Ecosystems constantly face disturbances which vary in their spatial and temporal features, yet little is known on how these features affect ecosystem recovery and persistence, i.e., ecosystem stability. We address this issue by considering three ecosystem models with different local dynamics, and ask how their stability properties depend on the spatial and temporal properties of disturbances. We measure the spatial dimension of disturbances by their spatial extent while controlling for their overall strength, and their temporal dimension by the average frequency of random disturbance events. Our models show that the return to equilibrium following a disturbance depends strongly on the disturbance’s extent, due to rescue effects mediated by dispersal. We then reveal a direct relation between the temporal variability caused by repeated disturbances and the recovery from an isolated disturbance event. Although this could suggest a trivial dependency of ecosystem response on disturbance frequency, we find that this is true only up to a frequency threshold, which depends on both the disturbance spatial features and the ecosystem dynamics. Beyond this threshold the response changes qualitatively, displaying spatial clusters of disturbed regions, causing an increase in variability, and even a system-wide collapse for ecosystems with alternative stable states. Thus, spanning the spatial dimension of disturbances is a way to probe the underlying dynamics of an ecosystem. Furthermore, considering spatial and temporal dimensions of disturbances in conjunction is necessary to predict ecosystem responses with dramatic ecological consequences, such as regime shifts or population extinction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuval R Zelnik
- Centre for Biodiversity Theory and Modelling, Theoretical and Experimental Ecology Station, CNRS and Paul Sabatier University, Moulis, France
| | - Jean-François Arnoldi
- Centre for Biodiversity Theory and Modelling, Theoretical and Experimental Ecology Station, CNRS and Paul Sabatier University, Moulis, France
| | - Michel Loreau
- Centre for Biodiversity Theory and Modelling, Theoretical and Experimental Ecology Station, CNRS and Paul Sabatier University, Moulis, France
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31
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Shanafelt DW, Loreau M. Stability trophic cascades in food chains. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2018; 5:180995. [PMID: 30564399 PMCID: PMC6281913 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.180995] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2018] [Accepted: 10/08/2018] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
While previous studies have evaluated the change in stability for the addition or removal of individual species from trophic food chains and food webs, we know of no study that presents a general theory for how stability changes with the addition or removal of trophic levels. In this study, we present a simple model of a linear food chain and systematically evaluate how stability-measured as invariability-changes with the addition or removal of trophic levels. We identify the presence of trophic cascades in the stability of species. Owing to top-down control by predation and bottom-up regulation by prey, we find that stability of a species is highest when it is at the top of the food chain and lowest when it is just under the top of the food chain. Thus, stability shows patterns identical to those of mean biomass with the addition or removal of trophic levels in food chains. Our results provide a baseline towards a general theory of the effect of adding or removing trophic levels on stability, which can be used to inform empirical studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- David W. Shanafelt
- Centre for Biodiversity Theory and Modelling, Theoretical and Experimental Ecology Station, CNRS and Paul Sabatier University, 09200 Moulis, France
- Université de Lorraine, Université de Strasbourg, AgroParis Tech, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique, Bureau d'Economie Théorique et Appliquée, 54000 Nancy, France
| | - Michel Loreau
- Centre for Biodiversity Theory and Modelling, Theoretical and Experimental Ecology Station, CNRS and Paul Sabatier University, 09200 Moulis, France
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32
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Changes in temperature alter the relationship between biodiversity and ecosystem functioning. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2018; 115:10989-10994. [PMID: 30297403 PMCID: PMC6205462 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1805518115] [Citation(s) in RCA: 114] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Global warming and the loss of biodiversity through human activities (e.g., land-use change, pollution, invasive species) are two of the most profound threats to the functional integrity of the Earth's ecosystems. These factors are, however, most frequently investigated separately, ignoring the potential for synergistic effects of biodiversity loss and environmental warming on ecosystem functioning. Here we use high-throughput experiments with microbial communities to investigate how changes in temperature affect the relationship between biodiversity and ecosystem functioning. We found that changes in temperature systematically altered the relationship between biodiversity and ecosystem functioning. As temperatures departed from ambient conditions the exponent of the diversity-functioning relationship increased, meaning that more species were required to maintain ecosystem functioning under thermal stress. This key result was driven by two processes linked to variability in the thermal tolerance curves of taxa. First, more diverse communities had a greater chance of including species with thermal traits that enabled them to maintain productivity as temperatures shifted from ambient conditions. Second, we found a pronounced increase in the contribution of complementarity to the net biodiversity effect at high and low temperatures, indicating that changes in species interactions played a critical role in mediating the impacts of temperature change on the relationship between biodiversity and ecosystem functioning. Our results highlight that if biodiversity loss occurs independently of species' thermal tolerance traits, then the additional impacts of environmental warming will result in sharp declines in ecosystem function.
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33
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Thorson JT, Scheuerell MD, Olden JD, Schindler DE. Spatial heterogeneity contributes more to portfolio effects than species variability in bottom-associated marine fishes. Proc Biol Sci 2018; 285:20180915. [PMID: 30282649 PMCID: PMC6191698 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2018.0915] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2018] [Accepted: 09/10/2018] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Variance of community abundance will be reduced relative to its theoretical maximum whenever population densities fluctuate asynchronously. Fishing communities and mobile predators can switch among fish species and/or fishing locations with asynchronous dynamics, thereby buffering against variable resource densities (termed 'portfolio effects', PEs). However, whether variation among species or locations represent the dominant contributor to PE remains relatively unexplored. Here, we apply a spatio-temporal model to multidecadal time series (1982-2015) for 20 bottom-associated fishes in seven marine ecosystems. For each ecosystem, we compute the reduction in variance over time in total biomass relative to its theoretical maximum if species and locations were perfectly correlated (total PE). We also compute the reduction in variance due to asynchrony among species at each location (species PE) or the reduction due to asynchrony among locations for each species (spatial PE). We specifically compute total, species and spatial PE in 10-year moving windows to detect changes over time. Our analyses revealed that spatial PE are stronger than species PE in six of seven ecosystems, and that ecosystems where species PE is constant over time can exhibit shifts in locations that strongly contribute to PE. We therefore recommend that spatial and total PE be monitored as ecosystem indicators representing risk exposure for human and natural consumers.
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Affiliation(s)
- James T Thorson
- Fisheries Resource Analysis and Monitoring Division, Northwest Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 2725 Montlake Boulevard East, Seattle, WA 98112, USA
| | - Mark D Scheuerell
- Fish Ecology Division, Northwest Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 2725 Montlake Boulevard East, Seattle, WA 98112, USA
| | - Julian D Olden
- School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences, University of Washington, PO Box 355020, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Daniel E Schindler
- School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences, University of Washington, PO Box 355020, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
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34
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Climate mediates the biodiversity-ecosystem stability relationship globally. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2018; 115:8400-8405. [PMID: 30061405 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1800425115] [Citation(s) in RCA: 107] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The insurance hypothesis, stating that biodiversity can increase ecosystem stability, has received wide research and political attention. Recent experiments suggest that climate change can impact how plant diversity influences ecosystem stability, but most evidence of the biodiversity-stability relationship obtained to date comes from local studies performed under a limited set of climatic conditions. Here, we investigate how climate mediates the relationships between plant (taxonomical and functional) diversity and ecosystem stability across the globe. To do so, we coupled 14 years of temporal remote sensing measurements of plant biomass with field surveys of diversity in 123 dryland ecosystems from all continents except Antarctica. Across a wide range of climatic and soil conditions, plant species pools, and locations, we were able to explain 73% of variation in ecosystem stability, measured as the ratio of the temporal mean biomass to the SD. The positive role of plant diversity on ecosystem stability was as important as that of climatic and soil factors. However, we also found a strong climate dependency of the biodiversity-ecosystem stability relationship across our global aridity gradient. Our findings suggest that the diversity of leaf traits may drive ecosystem stability at low aridity levels, whereas species richness may have a greater stabilizing role under the most arid conditions evaluated. Our study highlights that to minimize variations in the temporal delivery of ecosystem services related to plant biomass, functional and taxonomic plant diversity should be particularly promoted under low and high aridity conditions, respectively.
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35
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Zhang Y, He N, Loreau M, Pan Q, Han X. Scale dependence of the diversity-stability relationship in a temperate grassland. THE JOURNAL OF ECOLOGY 2018; 106:1227-1285. [PMID: 29725139 PMCID: PMC5916871 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2745.12903] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
A positive relationship between biodiversity and ecosystem stability has been reported in many ecosystems; however, it has yet to be determined whether and how spatial scale affects this relationship. Here, for the first time, we assessed the effects of alpha, beta and gamma diversity on ecosystem stability and the scale dependence of the slope of the diversity-stability relationship.By employing a long-term (33 years) dataset from a temperate grassland, northern China, we calculated the all possible spatial scales with the complete combination from the basic 1-m2 plots.Species richness was positively associated with ecosystem stability through species asynchrony and overyielding at all spatial scales (1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 m2). Both alpha and beta diversity were positively associated with gamma stability.Moreover, the slope of the diversity-area relationship was significantly higher than that of the stability-area relationship, resulting in a decline of the slope of the diversity-stability relationship with increasing area.Synthesis. With the positive species diversity effect on ecosystem stability from small to large spatial scales, our findings demonstrate the need to maintain a high biodiversity and biotic heterogeneity as insurance against the risks incurred by ecosystems in the face of global environmental changes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yunhai Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- Department of Agroecology, Aarhus University, Tjele, Denmark
- School of Biology, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Nianpeng He
- Synthesis Research Center of Chinese Ecosystem Research Network, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Michel Loreau
- Centre for Biodiversity Theory and Modelling, Theoretical and Experimental Ecology Station, CNRS and Paul Sabatier University, Moulis, France
| | - Qingmin Pan
- State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Xingguo Han
- State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
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36
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Delsol R, Loreau M, Haegeman B. The relationship between the spatial scaling of biodiversity and ecosystem stability. GLOBAL ECOLOGY AND BIOGEOGRAPHY : A JOURNAL OF MACROECOLOGY 2018; 27:439-449. [PMID: 29651225 PMCID: PMC5892714 DOI: 10.1111/geb.12706] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/14/2023]
Abstract
AIM Ecosystem stability and its link with biodiversity have mainly been studied at the local scale. Here we present a simple theoretical model to address the joint dependence of diversity and stability on spatial scale, from local to continental. METHODS The notion of stability we use is based on the temporal variability of an ecosystem-level property, such as primary productivity. In this way, our model integrates the well-known species-area relationship (SAR) with a recent proposal to quantify the spatial scaling of stability, called the invariability-area relationship (IAR). RESULTS We show that the link between the two relationships strongly depends on whether the temporal fluctuations of the ecosystem property of interest are more correlated within than between species. If fluctuations are correlated within species but not between them, then the IAR is strongly constrained by the SAR. If instead individual fluctuations are only correlated by spatial proximity, then the IAR is unrelated to the SAR. We apply these two correlation assumptions to explore the effects of species loss and habitat destruction on stability, and find a rich variety of multi-scale spatial dependencies, with marked differences between the two assumptions. MAIN CONCLUSIONS The dependence of ecosystem stability on biodiversity across spatial scales is governed by the spatial decay of correlations within and between species. Our work provides a point of reference for mechanistic models and data analyses. More generally, it illustrates the relevance of macroecology for ecosystem functioning and stability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robin Delsol
- Centre for Biodiversity Theory and Modelling, Theoretical and Experimental Ecology Station, CNRS and Paul Sabatier University, Moulis, France
| | - Michel Loreau
- Centre for Biodiversity Theory and Modelling, Theoretical and Experimental Ecology Station, CNRS and Paul Sabatier University, Moulis, France
| | - Bart Haegeman
- Centre for Biodiversity Theory and Modelling, Theoretical and Experimental Ecology Station, CNRS and Paul Sabatier University, Moulis, France
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Gonzalez A, Thompson P, Loreau M. Spatial ecological networks: planning for sustainability in the long-term. CURRENT OPINION IN ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY 2017; 29:187-197. [PMID: 29696070 PMCID: PMC5912508 DOI: 10.1016/j.cosust.2018.03.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
Humans are producing complex and often undesirable social and ecological outcomes in many landscapes around the world. To sustain biodiversity and ecosystem services in fragmented landscapes conservation planning has turned to the identification and protection of large-scale spatial ecological networks (SEN). Now widely adopted, this approach typically focuses on static connectivity, and ignores the feedbacks between changes to the network's topology and the eco-evolutionary dynamics on the network. We review theory showing that diversity, stability, ecosystem functioning and evolutionary adaptation all vary nonlinearly with connectivity. Measuring and modelling an SEN's long-term dynamics is immensely challenging but necessary if our goal is sustainability. We show an example where the robustness of an SEN's ecological properties to node and link loss depends on the centrality of the nodes targeted. The design and protection of sustainable SENs requires scenarios of how landscape change affects network structure and the feedback this will have on dynamics. Once established, SEN must be monitored if their design is to be adapted to keep their dynamics within a safe and socially just operating space. When SEN are co-designed with a broad array of stakeholders and actors they can be a powerful means of creating a more positive relationship between people and nature.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew Gonzalez
- Department of Biology, McGill University, Montreal, QC H3A 1B1, Canada
| | - Patrick Thompson
- Department of Zoology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada
| | - Michel Loreau
- Centre for Biodiversity Theory and Modelling, Theoretical and Experimental Ecology Station, CNRS and Paul Sabatier University, 09200 Moulis, France
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38
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Wilcox KR, Tredennick AT, Koerner SE, Grman E, Hallett LM, Avolio ML, La Pierre KJ, Houseman GR, Isbell F, Johnson DS, Alatalo JM, Baldwin AH, Bork EW, Boughton EH, Bowman WD, Britton AJ, Cahill JF, Collins SL, Du G, Eskelinen A, Gough L, Jentsch A, Kern C, Klanderud K, Knapp AK, Kreyling J, Luo Y, McLaren JR, Megonigal P, Onipchenko V, Prevéy J, Price JN, Robinson CH, Sala OE, Smith MD, Soudzilovskaia NA, Souza L, Tilman D, White SR, Xu Z, Yahdjian L, Yu Q, Zhang P, Zhang Y. Asynchrony among local communities stabilises ecosystem function of metacommunities. Ecol Lett 2017; 20:1534-1545. [PMID: 29067791 PMCID: PMC6849522 DOI: 10.1111/ele.12861] [Citation(s) in RCA: 87] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2017] [Revised: 08/01/2017] [Accepted: 09/06/2017] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Temporal stability of ecosystem functioning increases the predictability and reliability of ecosystem services, and understanding the drivers of stability across spatial scales is important for land management and policy decisions. We used species‐level abundance data from 62 plant communities across five continents to assess mechanisms of temporal stability across spatial scales. We assessed how asynchrony (i.e. different units responding dissimilarly through time) of species and local communities stabilised metacommunity ecosystem function. Asynchrony of species increased stability of local communities, and asynchrony among local communities enhanced metacommunity stability by a wide range of magnitudes (1–315%); this range was positively correlated with the size of the metacommunity. Additionally, asynchronous responses among local communities were linked with species’ populations fluctuating asynchronously across space, perhaps stemming from physical and/or competitive differences among local communities. Accordingly, we suggest spatial heterogeneity should be a major focus for maintaining the stability of ecosystem services at larger spatial scales.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kevin R Wilcox
- Department of Microbiology and Plant Biology, University of Oklahoma, 770 Van Vleet Oval, Norman, OK, 73019, USA
| | - Andrew T Tredennick
- Department of Wildland Resources and the Ecology Center, Utah State University, 5230 Old Main Hill, Logan, UT, 84321, USA
| | - Sally E Koerner
- Department of Biology, University of North Carolina Greensboro, Greensboro, NC, 27412, USA
| | - Emily Grman
- Biology Department, Eastern Michigan University, 441 Mark Jefferson Science Complex, Ypsilanti, MI, 48197, USA
| | - Lauren M Hallett
- Environmental Studies Program and Department of Biology, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR, 97403, USA
| | - Meghan L Avolio
- Morton K. Blaustein Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Johns Hopkins University, 301 Olin Hall 3400 N. Charles Street, Baltimore, MD, 21218, USA
| | - Kimberly J La Pierre
- Smithsonian Environmental Research Center, 647 Contees Wharf Road, Edgewater, MD, 21037, USA
| | - Gregory R Houseman
- Department of Biological Sciences, Wichita State University, Wichita, KS, 67260, USA
| | - Forest Isbell
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, University of Minnesota, Saint Paul, MN, 55108, USA
| | | | - Juha M Alatalo
- Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Qatar University, Doha, Qatar
| | - Andrew H Baldwin
- Department of Environmental Science and Technology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, 20742, USA
| | - Edward W Bork
- Agriculture/Forestry Center, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, T6G 2P5
| | - Elizabeth H Boughton
- Archbold Biological Station, MacArthur Agroecology Research Center, 300 Buck Island Ranch Road, Lake Placid, FL, 33852, USA
| | - William D Bowman
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and Mountain Research Station, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, 80309, USA
| | - Andrea J Britton
- The James Hutton Institute, Craigiebuckler, Aberdeen, AB15 8QH, UK
| | - James F Cahill
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, T6G 2E9, Canada
| | - Scott L Collins
- Department of Biology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, 87131, USA
| | - Guozhen Du
- School of Life Science, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, Gansu, China
| | - Anu Eskelinen
- Department of Physiological Diversity, Helmholtz Center for Environmental Research - UFZ, Permoserstr. 15, D-04318, Leipzig, Germany.,German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena- Leipzig, Deutscher Platz 5e, D-04103, Leipzig, Germany.,Department of Ecology, University of Oulu, P.O. Box 3000, FI-90014, Oulu, Finland
| | - Laura Gough
- Department of Biological Sciences, Towson University, Towson, MD, 21252, USA
| | - Anke Jentsch
- Department of Disturbance Ecology, University of Bayreuth, D-95440, Bayreuth, Germany
| | - Christel Kern
- Northern Research Station, US Forest Service, 5985 Highway K, Rhinelander, WI, 54501, USA
| | - Kari Klanderud
- Faculty of Environmental Sciences and Natural Resource Management, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, P.O. Box 5003, NO-1432, Aas, Norway
| | - Alan K Knapp
- Department of Biology, Graduate Degree Program in Ecology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, 80523, USA
| | - Juergen Kreyling
- Institute of Botany and Landscape Ecology, Experimental Plant Ecology, Greifswald University, Soldmannstrasse 15, D-17487, Greifswald, Germany
| | - Yiqi Luo
- Department of Microbiology and Plant Biology, University of Oklahoma, 770 Van Vleet Oval, Norman, OK, 73019, USA.,Department of Biological Sciences, Center for Ecosystem Science and Society (Ecoss), Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ, 86011, USA.,Department for Earth System Science, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
| | - Jennie R McLaren
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX, 79968, USA
| | - Patrick Megonigal
- Smithsonian Environmental Research Center, Edgewater, MD, 20754, USA
| | - Vladimir Onipchenko
- Department of Geobotany, Moscow State Lomonosov University, Leninskie gory 1-12, 119234, Moscow, Russia
| | - Janet Prevéy
- USFS Pacific Northwest Research Station, 3625 93rd Ave SW, Olympia, WA, 98512, USA
| | - Jodi N Price
- Institute of Land, Water and Society, Charles Sturt University, Albury, NSW, 2640, Australia
| | - Clare H Robinson
- School of Earth & Environmental Sciences, The University of Manchester, Williamson Building, Oxford Road, Manchester, M13 9PL, UK
| | - Osvaldo E Sala
- School of Life Sciences and School of Sustainability, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, 85287, USA
| | - Melinda D Smith
- Department of Biology, Graduate Degree Program in Ecology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, 80523, USA
| | - Nadejda A Soudzilovskaia
- Conservation Biology Department, Institute of Environmental Sciences, CML, Leiden University, Einsteinweg 2, 2333 CC, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Lara Souza
- Department of Microbiology and Plant Biology, University of Oklahoma, 770 Van Vleet Oval, Norman, OK, 73019, USA.,Oklahoma Biological Survey, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK, 73019, USA
| | - David Tilman
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, College of Biological Sciences, University of Minnesota, Saint Paul, MN, 55108, USA
| | - Shannon R White
- Environment and Parks, Government of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, T5K 2M4, Canada
| | - Zhuwen Xu
- Institute of Applied Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang, Liaoning, 110016, China
| | - Laura Yahdjian
- Universidad de Buenos Aires, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, Instituto de Investigaciones Fisiológicas y Ecológicas Vinculadas a la Agricultura (IFEVA), Facultad de Agronomía, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Qiang Yu
- National Hulunber Grassland Ecosystem Observation and Research Station/Institute of Agricultural Resources and Regional Planning, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, 100081, China
| | - Pengfei Zhang
- School of Life Science, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, Gansu, China
| | - Yunhai Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100093, China.,Department of Agroecology, Aarhus University, Blichers Allé 20, 8830, Tjele, Denmark
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