Disturbance type determines how connectivity shapes ecosystem resilience

Connectivity is fundamentally important for shaping the resilience of complex human and natural networks when systems are disturbed. Ecosystem resilience is, in part, shaped by the spatial arrangement of habitats, the permeability and fluxes between them, the stabilising functions performed by organ...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inScientific reports Vol. 11; no. 1; p. 1188
Main Authors Pearson, Ryan M., Schlacher, Thomas A., Jinks, Kristin I., Olds, Andrew D., Brown, Christopher J., Connolly, Rod M.
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published London Nature Publishing Group UK 13.01.2021
Nature Publishing Group
Nature Portfolio
Subjects
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631/158/1144
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631/158/2445
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Dispersal
Ecological function
Ecosystem conservation
Ecosystem resilience
Ecosystems
Grazing
Humanities and Social Sciences
Microcosms
multidisciplinary
Permeability
Science
Science (multidisciplinary)
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Summary:Connectivity is fundamentally important for shaping the resilience of complex human and natural networks when systems are disturbed. Ecosystem resilience is, in part, shaped by the spatial arrangement of habitats, the permeability and fluxes between them, the stabilising functions performed by organisms, their dispersal traits, and the interactions between functions and stressor types. Controlled investigations of the relationships between these phenomena under multiple stressors are sparse, possibly due to logistic and ethical difficulties associated with applying and controlling stressors at landscape scales. Here we show that grazing performance, a key ecosystem function, is linked to connectivity by manipulating the spatial configuration of habitats in microcosms impacted by multiple stressors. Greater connectivity enhanced ecosystem function and reduced variability in grazing performance in unperturbed systems. Improved functional performance was observed in better connected systems stressed by harvesting pressure and temperature rise, but this effect was notably reversed by the spread of disease. Connectivity has complex effects on ecological functions and resilience, and the nuances should be recognised more fully in ecosystem conservation.
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ISSN:2045-2322
2045-2322
DOI:10.1038/s41598-021-80987-1