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Discontinuities, cross-scale patterns, and the organization of ecosystems
Citation
Nash, KL and Allen, CR and Angeler, DG and Barichievy, C and Eason, T and Garmestani, AS and Graham, NAJ and Granholm, D and Knutson, M and Nelson, RJ and Nystrom, M and Stow, CA and Sundstrom, SM, Discontinuities, cross-scale patterns, and the organization of ecosystems, Ecology, 95, (3) pp. 654-667. ISSN 0012-9658 (2014) [Refereed Article]
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Copyright Statement
Copyright 2014 by the Ecological Society of America
Abstract
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.
Item Details
| Item Type: | Refereed Article |
|---|---|
| Keywords: | body mass, competition, discontinuity hypothesis, extinction, function, hierarchy theory, invasion, multiple-scale analysis, nonlinear responses, regime shift, resilience |
| Research Division: | Environmental Sciences |
| Research Group: | Ecological Applications |
| Research Field: | Ecosystem Function |
| Objective Division: | Environment |
| Objective Group: | Ecosystem Assessment and Management |
| Objective Field: | Ecosystem Assessment and Management at Regional or Larger Scales |
| Author: | Nash, KL (Dr Kirsty Nash) |
| ID Code: | 107694 |
| Year Published: | 2014 |
| Web of Science® Times Cited: | 44 |
| Deposited By: | IMAS Research and Education Centre |
| Deposited On: | 2016-03-22 |
| Last Modified: | 2017-10-31 |
| Downloads: | 99 View Download Statistics |
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