Discontinuities, cross-scale patterns, and the organization of ecosystems

Ecological structures and processes occur at specific spatiotemporal scales, and interactions that occur across multiple scales mediate scale-specific (e.g., individual, community, local, or regional) responses to disturbance. Despite the importance of scale, explicitly incorporating a multi-scale p...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Ecology (Durham) 2014-03, Vol.95 (3), p.654-667
Main Authors: Nash, Kirsty L, Allen, Craig R, Angeler, David G, Barichievy, Chris, Eason, Tarsha, Garmestani, Ahjond S, Graham, Nicholas A. J, Granholm, Dean, Knutson, Melinda, Nelson, R. John, Nyström, Magnus, Stow, Craig A, Sundstrom, Shana M
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Aggregation
Animals
Birds - anatomy & histology
Birds - physiology
body mass
Body Size
competition
CONCEPTS & SYNTHESIS: EMPHASIZING NEW IDEAS TO STIMULATE RESEARCH IN ECOLOGY
Conservation biology
discontinuity hypothesis
Ecosystem
Ecosystems
Environmental Sciences
extinction
Fish scales
Fishes - anatomy & histology
Fishes - physiology
Freshwater ecosystems
function
hierarchy theory
Hypotheses
invasion
Knowledge
Landscape ecology
Marine ecology
Marine ecosystems
Miljövetenskap
Models, Biological
multiple-scale analysis
nonlinear responses
Population Dynamics
regime shift
resilience
Species
Time Factors
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Summary:Ecological structures and processes occur at specific spatiotemporal scales, and interactions that occur across multiple scales mediate scale-specific (e.g., individual, community, local, or regional) responses to disturbance. Despite the importance of scale, explicitly incorporating a multi-scale perspective into research and management actions remains a challenge. The discontinuity hypothesis provides a fertile avenue for addressing this problem by linking measureable proxies to inherent scales of structure within ecosystems. Here we outline the conceptual framework underlying discontinuities and review the evidence supporting the discontinuity hypothesis in ecological systems. Next we explore the utility of this approach for understanding cross-scale patterns and the organization of ecosystems by describing recent advances for examining nonlinear responses to disturbance and phenomena such as extinctions, invasions, and resilience. To stimulate new research, we present methods for performing discontinuity analysis, detail outstanding knowledge gaps, and discuss potential approaches for addressing these gaps.
ISSN:0012-9658
1939-9170
1939-9170
DOI:10.1890/13-1315.1