Disturbance type determines how connectivity shapes ecosystem resilience

Ryan M Pearson; Thomas A Schlacher; Kristin I Jinks; Andrew D Olds; Christopher J Brown; Rod M Connolly

doi:10.1038/s41598-021-80987-1

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Disturbance type determines how connectivity shapes ecosystem resilience

Journal article

Open access

Peer reviewed

Disturbance type determines how connectivity shapes ecosystem resilience

Ryan M Pearson, Thomas A Schlacher, Kristin I Jinks, Andrew D Olds, Christopher J Brown and Rod M Connolly

Scientific Reports, Vol.11(1), pp.1-8

2021

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-80987-1

PMCID: PMC7806881

PMID: 33441960

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Abstract

Connectivity

Permeability

Grazing

Ecosystems

Microcosms

Dispersal

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.

Details

Title: Disturbance type determines how connectivity shapes ecosystem resilience
Authors: Ryan M Pearson (Author) - Griffith University
Thomas A Schlacher (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, School of Science and Engineering - Legacy
Kristin I Jinks (Author) - Griffith University
Andrew D Olds (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, School of Science and Engineering - Legacy
Christopher J Brown (Author) - Griffith University
Rod M Connolly (Author) - Griffith University
Publication details: Scientific Reports, Vol.11(1), pp.1-8
Publisher: Nature Publishing Group
Date published: 2021
DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-80987-1
ISSN: 2045-2322
PMID: 33441960; PMC7806881
Copyright note: © The Author(s) 2021. This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article’s Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.
Grants: Predicting fisheries change from cumulative impacts to aquatic habitats, DE160101207, Australian Research Council (Australia, Canberra) - ARC
Promoting resilience of ecosystems through connectivity, DP150102271, Australian Research Council (Australia, Canberra) - ARC
Predicting interactive effects of multiple stressors on marine ecosystems, DP180103124, Australian Research Council (Australia, Canberra) - ARC
Organisation Unit: School of Science and Engineering - Legacy; School of Science, Technology and Engineering
Language: English
Record Identifier: 99503808802621
Output Type: Journal article

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