Use of ecological thresholds to assess recovery in lotic ecosystems

Clements, William H.; Vieira, Nicole K. M.; Sonderegger, Derek L.

doi:10.1899/09-133.1

Cited by 53 publications

(46 citation statements)

References 51 publications

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“…an abrupt change in the response variable (Clements et al 2010), and to Box 1. A brief definition of the key concepts of ecological sites and the state and transition model (STM) used in this article.…”

Section: Inferential Statistical Analysismentioning

confidence: 99%

State and transition model approach in native forests of Southern Patagonia (Argentina): linking ecosystem services, thresholds and resilience

Peri

López²,

Rusch

et al. 2017

International Journal of Biodiversity Science, Ecosystem Servic

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The sustainable use of ñire forests requires knowledge of its dynamics and management to maintain long-term main forest ecosystem services. The aim of this work was to develop a structural-functional state and transition model for ñire forests in southern Patagonia. For this, provincial inventory information was analyzed together with information from permanent PEBANPA plots (plots of Ecology and Biodiversity, natural environments in Southern Patagonia) and studies of ecology and eco-physiology in ñire forests. This allowed the description of plant communities on these ecological sites and the history of natural disturbances. Seven states and 10 negative transitions were described, as well the factors that trigger transitions (levels of grazing, fire and intense logging). Mature forests with low grazing, no extractive activity and complete canopy cover (>70%) correspond to the reference state or condition of greater integrity, and grassland or murtillar (dominance of Empetrum rubrum) with forest loss is considered the most degraded state. Negative transitions determine the threshold crossings associated with the reduction or loss of resilience to the previous or original state. The development of state and transition models allows for early warnings of deterioration and is a tool to achieve more productive and environmental value. ARTICLE HISTORY

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Section: Inferential Statistical Analysismentioning

confidence: 99%

State and transition model approach in native forests of Southern Patagonia (Argentina): linking ecosystem services, thresholds and resilience

Peri

López²,

Rusch

et al. 2017

International Journal of Biodiversity Science, Ecosystem Servic

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show abstract

“…Establishing such irreversible change requires a pulse-type pressure trajectory to be demonstrated. Many analyses seek a single change point, but more generalized models allow for multiple shifts in the mean value, variance or rate of change of the response variable or ecosystem state and relate such shifts to temporal sequences of the pressure inducing them (Brock and Carpenter, 2006;Clements et al, 2010;Thomson et al, 2010).…”

Section: Demonstrating Pressure-induced Ecological Changementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Communities of benthic invertebrates in the upper Arkansas River in Colorado, USA appeared to respond to the release of a pressure, a cleanup of water quality, especially zinc removal (Clements et al, 2010). This study used a threshold-detection approach to determine the trajectory of benthic community change, but the study failed to link that change statistically to abundant water-quality information (Clements et al, 2010).…”

Section: Evidence For Pressure-induced Non-linear Ecological Changementioning

confidence: 99%

Regime shifts, thresholds and multiple stable states in freshwater ecosystems; a critical appraisal of the evidence

Capon

Lynch

Bond³

et al. 2015

Science of The Total Environment

171

111

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The concepts of ecosystem regime shifts, thresholds and alternative or multiple stable states are used extensively in the ecological and environmental management literature. When applied to aquatic ecosystems, these terms are used inconsistently reflecting differing levels of supporting evidence among ecosystem types. Although many aquatic ecosystems around the world have become degraded, the magnitude and causes of changes, relative to the range of historical variability, are poorly known. A working group supported by the Australian Centre for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis (ACEAS) reviewed 135 papers on freshwater ecosystems to assess the evidence for pressure-induced non-linear changes in freshwater ecosystems; these papers used terms indicating sudden and non-linear change in their titles and key words, and so was a positively biased sample. We scrutinized papers for study context and methods, ecosystem characteristics and focus, types of pressures and ecological responses considered, and the type of change reported (i.e., gradual, non-linear, hysteretic or irreversible change). There was little empirical evidence for regime shifts and changes between multiple or alternative stable states in these studies although some shifts between turbid phytoplankton-dominated states and clear-water, macrophyte-dominated states were reported in shallow lakes in temperate climates. We found limited understanding of the subtleties of the relevant theoretical concepts and encountered few mechanistic studies that investigated or identified cause-and-effect relationships between ecological responses and nominal pressures. Our results mirror those of reviews for estuarine, nearshore and marine aquatic ecosystems, demonstrating that although the concepts of regime shifts and alternative stable states have become prominent in the scientific and management literature, their empirical underpinning is weak outside of a specific environmental setting. The application of these concepts in future research and management applications should include evidence on the mechanistic links between pressures and consequent ecological change. Explicit consideration should also be given to whether observed temporal dynamics represent variation along a continuum rather than categorically different states.

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“…Threshold analyses have been used to explore changes in ecological response time series to prioritize conservation efforts (Fewster et al 2000) and to assess recovery in degraded ecosystems (Clements et al 2010). Similarly, threshold analyses have also looked at changes in an attribute's response to a single pressure, such as coral reef health to fishing pressure (Bellwood et al 2004) or ecosystem responses to lake eutrophication (Carpenter et al 1999).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Thresholds are advantageous from a management perspective because a small change in a pressure can result in a substantial improvement in system, or ecosystem, status (Samhouri et al 2010). These approaches are nascent but growing in a wide range of ecological applications (Andersen et al 2009, Clements et al 2010. In single-species fisheries management parlance, the concept of thresholds are captured in reference points such as B msy or F msy , where crossing beyond a certain population attribute may result in decreased stock status or fisheries' yield (Hilborn & Walters 1992).…”

Section: Critical Points and Ecological Thresholdsmentioning

confidence: 99%