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Species Redundancy and Ecosystem Reliability

Species Redundancy and Ecosystem Reliability The concept of species redundancy in ecosystem processes is troublesome because it appears to contradict the traditional emphasis in ecology on species singularity. When species richness is high, however, ecosystem processes seem clearly insensitive to considerable variation in biodiversity. Some elementary principles from reliability engineering, where engineered redundancy is a valued part of systems design, suggest that we should rethink our stance on species redundancy. For example, a central tenet of reliability engineering is that reliability always increases as redundant components are added to a system, a principle that directly supports redundant species as guarantors of reliable ecosystem functioning. I argue that we should embrace species redundancy and perceive redundancy as a critical feature of ecosystems which must be preserved if ecosystems are to function reliably and provide us with goods and services. My argument is derived from basic principles of reliability engineering which demonstrate that the probability of reliable system performance is closely tied to the level of engineered redundancy in its design. Empirical demonstrations of the value of species redundancy in ecosystem reliability would provide new insights into the ecology of communities and the value of species conservation. Redundancia de Especies y Confiabilidad del Ecosistema El concepto de redundancia de especies en procesos ecológicos es problemático puesto que aparentemente contradice el énfasis tradicional en ecologia sobre la singularidad de las especies. Sin embargo, cuando la riqueza de especies es alta, los procesos del ecosistema parecen claramente insensibles a variaciones considerables de la biodiversidad. Principios elementales de confiabilidad en ingenieria, donde la redundancia es evaluada como parte del diseño de sistemas, sugiere que deberíamos repensar nuestra postura sobre la redundancia de especies. Por ejemplo, un principio central de confiabilidad ingenieril es que la confiabilidad siempre incrementa cuando componentes redundantes son agregados al sistema, un sistema que directamente soporta especies redundantes como garante del funcionamiento del ecosistema. Yo argumento que deberíamos abarcar la redundancia de especies y percibir redundancia como una característica crítica del ecosistema que debe ser conservada si los ecosistemas funcionaran confiablemente y nos provean de bienes y servicios. Demostraciones empíricas de el valor de la redundancia de especies en confiabilidad de ecosistemas provee nuevas intuiciones dentro de la ecología de comunidades y el valor de la conservación de las especies. http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Conservation Biology Wiley

Species Redundancy and Ecosystem Reliability

Naeem, Shahid
Conservation Biology , Volume 12 (1) – Feb 1, 1998
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References (45)

Publisher
Wiley
Copyright
Society for Conservation Biology
ISSN
0888-8892
eISSN
1523-1739
DOI
10.1111/j.1523-1739.1998.96379.x
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

The concept of species redundancy in ecosystem processes is troublesome because it appears to contradict the traditional emphasis in ecology on species singularity. When species richness is high, however, ecosystem processes seem clearly insensitive to considerable variation in biodiversity. Some elementary principles from reliability engineering, where engineered redundancy is a valued part of systems design, suggest that we should rethink our stance on species redundancy. For example, a central tenet of reliability engineering is that reliability always increases as redundant components are added to a system, a principle that directly supports redundant species as guarantors of reliable ecosystem functioning. I argue that we should embrace species redundancy and perceive redundancy as a critical feature of ecosystems which must be preserved if ecosystems are to function reliably and provide us with goods and services. My argument is derived from basic principles of reliability engineering which demonstrate that the probability of reliable system performance is closely tied to the level of engineered redundancy in its design. Empirical demonstrations of the value of species redundancy in ecosystem reliability would provide new insights into the ecology of communities and the value of species conservation. Redundancia de Especies y Confiabilidad del Ecosistema El concepto de redundancia de especies en procesos ecológicos es problemático puesto que aparentemente contradice el énfasis tradicional en ecologia sobre la singularidad de las especies. Sin embargo, cuando la riqueza de especies es alta, los procesos del ecosistema parecen claramente insensibles a variaciones considerables de la biodiversidad. Principios elementales de confiabilidad en ingenieria, donde la redundancia es evaluada como parte del diseño de sistemas, sugiere que deberíamos repensar nuestra postura sobre la redundancia de especies. Por ejemplo, un principio central de confiabilidad ingenieril es que la confiabilidad siempre incrementa cuando componentes redundantes son agregados al sistema, un sistema que directamente soporta especies redundantes como garante del funcionamiento del ecosistema. Yo argumento que deberíamos abarcar la redundancia de especies y percibir redundancia como una característica crítica del ecosistema que debe ser conservada si los ecosistemas funcionaran confiablemente y nos provean de bienes y servicios. Demostraciones empíricas de el valor de la redundancia de especies en confiabilidad de ecosistemas provee nuevas intuiciones dentro de la ecología de comunidades y el valor de la conservación de las especies.

Journal

Conservation Biology – Wiley

Published: Feb 1, 1998

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