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Ecosystems in Action: Lessons from Marine Ecology about Recovery, Resistance, and Reversibility

Ecosystems in Action: Lessons from Marine Ecology about Recovery, Resistance, and Reversibility AbstractThe study of ecosystems in action, by measuring ecosystem recovery from disturbance, resistance to alterations, and the reversibility of ecosystem changes, highlights features of natural communities that contribute to resilience. Examples from marine intertidal and subtidal communities document the importance of species redundancy and complementarity in resistance and recovery, and they also show why recovery potential and resistance can differ from place to place within the same ecosystem. Whether a change is considered reversible may depend on the timescale of interest, and on whether fundamental new ecological processes have taken hold after a disturbance. By focusing on recovery, resistance, and reversibility as key components of resilience, marine ecologists have provided a much-needed empirical database about the response of the living world to human-mediated change. http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png BioScience Oxford University Press

Ecosystems in Action: Lessons from Marine Ecology about Recovery, Resistance, and Reversibility

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References (41)

Publisher
Oxford University Press
Copyright
© 2008 American Institute of Biological Sciences
Subject
Overview Articles
ISSN
0006-3568
eISSN
1525-3244
DOI
10.1641/B580108
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

AbstractThe study of ecosystems in action, by measuring ecosystem recovery from disturbance, resistance to alterations, and the reversibility of ecosystem changes, highlights features of natural communities that contribute to resilience. Examples from marine intertidal and subtidal communities document the importance of species redundancy and complementarity in resistance and recovery, and they also show why recovery potential and resistance can differ from place to place within the same ecosystem. Whether a change is considered reversible may depend on the timescale of interest, and on whether fundamental new ecological processes have taken hold after a disturbance. By focusing on recovery, resistance, and reversibility as key components of resilience, marine ecologists have provided a much-needed empirical database about the response of the living world to human-mediated change.

Journal

BioScienceOxford University Press

Published: Jan 1, 2008

Keywords: Keywords disturbance sustainability resilience kelp forest coral reef

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