Clockwise and counterclockwise hysteresis characterize state changes in the same aquatic ecosystem

Abstract

Incremental increases in a driver variable, such as nutrients or detritus, can trigger abrupt shifts in aquatic ecosystems that may exhibit hysteretic dynamics and a slow return to the initial state. A model system for understanding these dynamics is the microbial assemblage that inhabits the cup-shaped leaves of the pitcher plant Sarracenia purpurea. With enrichment of organic matter, this system flips within three days from an oxygen-rich state to an oxygen-poor state. In a replicated greenhouse experiment, we enriched pitcher-plant leaves at different rates with bovine serum albumin (BSA), a molecular substitute for detritus. Changes in dissolved oxygen (DO) and undigested BSA concentration were monitored during enrichment and recovery phases. With increasing enrichment rates, the dynamics ranged from clockwise hysteresis (low), to environmental tracking (medium), to novel counterclockwise hysteresis (high). These experiments demonstrate that detrital enrichment rate can modulate a diversity of hysteretic responses within a single aquatic ecosystem, and suggest different management strategies may be needed to mitigate the effects of high vs. low rates of detrital enrichment.

Microxanox: an R package for simulating an aquaticMICRobial ecosystem that can occupyOXic orANOXic states

“…It is also possible that the ecosystem state changes abruptly to a new state that is difficult to recover from [10]. This possibility for abrupt, perhaps catastrophic changes that are difficult to reverse causes considerable concern [4, 7, 13].…”

The Economic Value of Water Ecology in Sponge City Construction Based on a Ternary Interactive System

“…Given the present situation regarding ecological water resource shortages and the deteriorating water environment, coordinating the rational development and utilization of ecological water resources, and enhancing the service function of the water ecosystem, have become urgent tasks [ 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 ]. The assessment of the service value of the water ecosystem can help people to better understand the value of ecological water resources and promote the sustainable development of ecological water resources [ 10 , 11 ].…”

Evaluating the precariousness of coral recovery when coral and macroalgae are alternative basins of attraction

“…The evidence includes patterns of community trajectories from time series measurements (Bestelmeyer et al 2011; Mumby et al 2013), parameterized, mechanistic models (Mumby et al 2007; Muthukrishnan et al 2016; Briggs et al 2018), and field experiments (Steneck et al 2014; Schmitt et al 2019). Definitive experimental tests of multiple attractors are rare (Petraitis and Dudgeon 2004; Collins et al 2021; Northrop et al 2021), although recent field experiments support the idea that a macroalgae state can, on at least some coral reefs, be an alternative attractor (Schmitt et al 2019).…”