Detecting Thresholds of Ecological Change in the Anthropocene

Annual Review of Environment and Resources, Journal Year: 2022, Volume and Issue: 47(1), P. 797 - 821

Published: Sept. 6, 2022

Ecological thresholds comprise relatively fast changes in ecological conditions, with respect to time or external drivers, and are an attractive concept both scientific policy arenas. However, there is considerable debate concerning the existence, underlying mechanisms, generalizability of across a range subdisciplines. Here, we usethe general scale as unifying framework which systematically navigate variability within threshold research. We review literature show how observational adopted any one study, defined by its organizational level, spatiotemporal grain extent, analytical method, can influence detection magnitude. highlight need for nuance synthetic studies thresholds, could improve our predictive understanding thresholds. Nuance also needed when translating concepts into policies, including contingencies uncertainties.

Language: Английский

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Glacier retreat reorganizes river habitats leaving refugia for Alpine invertebrate biodiversity poorly protected

Nature Ecology & Evolution, Journal Year: 2023, Volume and Issue: 7(6), P. 841 - 851

Published: May 4, 2023

Language: Английский

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Universal beta-diversity–functioning relationships are neither observed nor expected

Trends in Ecology & Evolution, Journal Year: 2023, Volume and Issue: 38(6), P. 532 - 544

Published: Feb. 17, 2023

Language: Английский

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Habitat amount modulates biodiversity responses to fragmentation

Nature Ecology & Evolution, Journal Year: 2024, Volume and Issue: 8(8), P. 1437 - 1447

Published: June 24, 2024

Language: Английский

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Assembly processes inferred from eDNA surveys of a pond metacommunity are consistent with known species ecologies

Ecography, Journal Year: 2025, Volume and Issue: unknown

Published: Feb. 4, 2025

Technological advances are enabling ecologists to conduct large‐scale and structured community surveys. However, it is unclear how best extract information from these novel data. We metabarcoded 48 vertebrate species their eDNA in 320 ponds across England applied the ‘internal structure' approach, which uses joint distribution models (JSDMs) explain compositions as result of four metacommunity processes: environmental filtering, dispersal, interactions, stochasticity. confirm that filtering plays an important role assembly, find species' estimated preferences consistent with known ecologies. also detect negative biotic covariances between fish amphibians after controlling for divergent preferences, predator–prey interactions (likely mediated by predator avoidance behaviour), we high spatial autocorrelation palmate newt, its hypothesised relict distribution. Promisingly, ecologically spatially distinctive sites better explained covariates geographic locations, respectively, revealing where dispersal limitation act more strongly. These results recent proposal applying JSDMs patterns can help reveal relative importance limitation, interaction processes individual species. Our highlight value modern interpretation ecology, embraces fact assembly differ among sites. discuss data allow several study design improvements will strengthen inference observational

Language: Английский

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The internal structure of metacommunities

Oikos, Journal Year: 2021, Volume and Issue: 2022(1)

Published: Oct. 19, 2021

Current analyses of metacommunity data largely focus on global attributes across the entire metacommunity, such as mean alpha, beta, and gamma diversity, well partitioning compositional variation into single estimates contributions space environmental effects and, more recently, possible species interactions. However, this view neglects fact that different sites in landscape can vary widely how they contribute to these metacommunity‐wide attributes. We argue for a new conceptual framework with matched analytics goals studying complex interactive relations between process pattern metacommunities is focused among which we call ‘internal structure' metacommunity. To demonstrate internal structure could be studied, create synthetic using process‐based colonization–extinction model. then use joint distribution models estimate space, environment, biotic interactions driving assembly differ sites. find approach provides useful information about distinct ways structure. Although it has limitations, our work points at general understand other complexities might affect thus incorporated cohesive theory.

Language: Английский

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From species sorting to mass effects: spatial network structure mediates the shift between metacommunity archetypes

Ecography, Journal Year: 2021, Volume and Issue: 44(5), P. 715 - 726

Published: Feb. 1, 2021

Local assemblages are embedded in networks of communities connected by dispersal, and understanding the processes that mediate this local–regional interaction is central to biodiversity patterns. In network (i.e. metacommunity), strength dispersal relative intensity environmental selection typically determines whether local comprised species well‐adapted environment sorting) or dominated regionally successful may not be locally adapted mass effects), which extension capacity landscape sustain diversity. Despite fundamentally spatial nature these dispersal‐mediated processes, much our theoretical comes from spatially implicit systems, a special case structure patches all each other equally. many real both connections among topology) distributions environments across autocorrelation) arranged uniformly. Here, we use metacommunity model investigate how heterogeneities change balance between sorting versus effects diversity outcomes. Our simulations show that, general, generates an outlier patterns compared networks, most likely amplifies sorting. Network topology has strong effect on outcome, with topologies sparse few loops promoting into suitable patches. Spatial autocorrelation another key factor; interacting topology, intermediate‐scale clusters similar can emerge, leading reduction regional competition, hence maintenance gamma These results provide better role complex plays necessary step relate conservation.

Language: Английский

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Ecophylogenetics redux

Ecology Letters, Journal Year: 2021, Volume and Issue: 24(5), P. 1073 - 1088

Published: Feb. 10, 2021

Abstract Species’ evolutionary histories shape their present‐day ecologies, but the integration of phylogenetic approaches in ecology has had a contentious history. The field ecophylogenetics promised to reveal process community assembly from simple indices pairwise distances – communities shaped by environmental filtering were composed closely related species, whereas competition less species. However, mapping onto phylogeny proved be not so straightforward, and remains mired controversy. Nonetheless, ecophylogenetic methods provided important advances across ecology. For example between species is strong predictor pest pathogen sharing, can thus inform models invasion, coexistence disease dilution/amplification effect biodiversity. structure may also provide information on niche space occupancy, helping interpret patterns facilitation, succession ecosystem functioning with relevance for conservation restoration dynamics among within foodwebs metacommunities. I suggest leveraging our understanding evolution trees would allow progress further, while maintaining essence original vision that seductive.

Language: Английский

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Linking human impacts to community processes in terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems

Ecology Letters, Journal Year: 2022, Volume and Issue: 26(2), P. 203 - 218

Published: Dec. 22, 2022

Human impacts such as habitat loss, climate change and biological invasions are radically altering biodiversity, with greater effects projected into the future. Evidence suggests human may differ substantially between terrestrial freshwater ecosystems, but reasons for these differences poorly understood. We propose an integrative approach to explain by linking four fundamental processes that structure communities: dispersal, speciation, species-level selection ecological drift. Our goal is provide process-based insights why impacts, responses across ecosystem types using a mechanistic, eco-evolutionary comparative framework. To enable insights, we review synthesise (i) how influence diversity dynamics in versus communities, specifically whether relative importance of each process differs among (ii) pathways which can produce divergent due strength ecosystems identify. Finally, highlight research gaps next steps, discuss this new conservation. By focusing on shape aim mechanistically link ongoing future changes ecosystems.

Language: Английский

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Disentangling spatial and environmental effects: Flexible methods for community ecology and macroecology

Ecosphere, Journal Year: 2022, Volume and Issue: 13(4)

Published: April 1, 2022

Abstract Community ecologists and macroecologists have long sought to evaluate the importance of environmental conditions in determining species distributions, community composition, diversity across sites. Different methods been used estimate species–environment relationships, but their differences jointly fit disentangle spatial autocorrelation structure remain poorly studied. We compared how four broad families statistical models estimated contribution environment space variation occurrence abundance. These included redundancy analysis (RDA), generalized linear (GLMs), additive (GAMs), three types tree‐based machine learning (ML) methods: boosted regression trees (BRT), random forests, trees. The component model consisted Moran's eigenvector maps (MEMs; RDA, GLM, ML), smooth splines (in GAM), or nonlinear modeling coordinates ML). simulated typical site‐by‐species data assess methods' performance (1) fitting models, (2) partitioning explained by predictors. observed marked among generally caused different performances structures. Generalized BRT with MEMs were most reliable for effects a wide range scenarios. remaining tended underestimate pure effects, because either underfitting structures overestimation when estimated. Performing on nine empirical datasets using these yielded contrasting results, especially estimation fraction variation. Our results suggest that previously overlooked performing partitioning, ML, offer flexible approaches analyze matrices. provide general guidelines usefulness under ecological sampling scenarios, distribution modeling, ecology, macroecology.

Language: Английский

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