1
|
Gutgesell M, McCann K, O'Connor R, Kc K, Fraser EDG, Moore JC, McMeans B, Donohue I, Bieg C, Ward C, Pauli B, Scott A, Gillam W, Gedalof Z, Hanner RH, Tunney T, Rooney N. The productivity-stability trade-off in global food systems. Nat Ecol Evol 2024:10.1038/s41559-024-02529-y. [PMID: 39227681 DOI: 10.1038/s41559-024-02529-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2023] [Accepted: 07/29/2024] [Indexed: 09/05/2024]
Abstract
Historically, humans have managed food systems to maximize productivity. This pursuit has drastically modified terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems globally by reducing species diversity and body size while creating very productive, yet homogenized, environments. Such changes alter the structure and function of ecosystems in ways that ultimately erode their stability. This productivity-stability trade-off has largely been ignored in discussions around global food security. Here, we synthesize empirical and theoretical literature to demonstrate the existence of the productivity-stability trade-off and argue the need for its explicit incorporation in the sustainable management of food systems. We first explore the history of human management of food systems, its impacts on average body size within and across species and food web stability. We then demonstrate how reductions in body size are symptomatic of a broader biotic homogenization and rewiring of food webs. We show how this biotic homogenization decompartmentalizes interactions among energy channels and increases energy flux within the food web in ways that threaten their stability. We end by synthesizing large-scale ecological studies to demonstrate the prevalence of the productivity-stability trade-off. We conclude that management strategies promoting landscape heterogeneity and maintenance of key food web structures are critical to sustainable food production.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Krishna Kc
- University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada
| | | | - John C Moore
- Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA
| | - Bailey McMeans
- University of Toronto Mississauga, Mississauga, Ontario, Canada
| | | | | | | | - Brett Pauli
- University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada
| | - Alexa Scott
- University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada
| | | | | | | | - Tyler Tunney
- Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada
| | - Neil Rooney
- University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Rolls RJ, Deane DC, Johnson SE, Heino J, Anderson MJ, Ellingsen KE. Biotic homogenisation and differentiation as directional change in beta diversity: synthesising driver-response relationships to develop conceptual models across ecosystems. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2023; 98:1388-1423. [PMID: 37072381 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12958] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2022] [Revised: 03/23/2023] [Accepted: 03/28/2023] [Indexed: 04/20/2023]
Abstract
Biotic homogenisation is defined as decreasing dissimilarity among ecological assemblages sampled within a given spatial area over time. Biotic differentiation, in turn, is defined as increasing dissimilarity over time. Overall, changes in the spatial dissimilarities among assemblages (termed 'beta diversity') is an increasingly recognised feature of broader biodiversity change in the Anthropocene. Empirical evidence of biotic homogenisation and biotic differentiation remains scattered across different ecosystems. Most meta-analyses quantify the prevalence and direction of change in beta diversity, rather than attempting to identify underlying ecological drivers of such changes. By conceptualising the mechanisms that contribute to decreasing or increasing dissimilarity in the composition of ecological assemblages across space, environmental managers and conservation practitioners can make informed decisions about what interventions may be required to sustain biodiversity and can predict potential biodiversity outcomes of future disturbances. We systematically reviewed and synthesised published empirical evidence for ecological drivers of biotic homogenisation and differentiation across terrestrial, marine, and freshwater realms to derive conceptual models that explain changes in spatial beta diversity. We pursued five key themes in our review: (i) temporal environmental change; (ii) disturbance regime; (iii) connectivity alteration and species redistribution; (iv) habitat change; and (v) biotic and trophic interactions. Our first conceptual model highlights how biotic homogenisation and differentiation can occur as a function of changes in local (alpha) diversity or regional (gamma) diversity, independently of species invasions and losses due to changes in species occurrence among assemblages. Second, the direction and magnitude of change in beta diversity depends on the interaction between spatial variation (patchiness) and temporal variation (synchronicity) of disturbance events. Third, in the context of connectivity and species redistribution, divergent beta diversity outcomes occur as different species have different dispersal characteristics, and the magnitude of beta diversity change associated with species invasions also depends strongly on alpha and gamma diversity prior to species invasion. Fourth, beta diversity is positively linked with spatial environmental variability, such that biotic homogenisation and differentiation occur when environmental heterogeneity decreases or increases, respectively. Fifth, species interactions can influence beta diversity via habitat modification, disease, consumption (trophic dynamics), competition, and by altering ecosystem productivity. Our synthesis highlights the multitude of mechanisms that cause assemblages to be more or less spatially similar in composition (taxonomically, functionally, phylogenetically) through time. We consider that future studies should aim to enhance our collective understanding of ecological systems by clarifying the underlying mechanisms driving homogenisation or differentiation, rather than focusing only on reporting the prevalence and direction of change in beta diversity, per se.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Robert J Rolls
- School of Environmental and Rural Sciences, University of New England, Armidale, New South Wales, 2351, Australia
| | - David C Deane
- School of Agriculture, Biomedicine and Environment, La Trobe University, Bundoora, Victoria, 3086, Australia
| | - Sarah E Johnson
- Natural Resources Department, Northland College, Ashland, WI, 54891, USA
| | - Jani Heino
- Geography Research Unit, University of Oulu, P.O. Box 8000, Oulu, FI-90014, Finland
| | - Marti J Anderson
- New Zealand Institute for Advanced Study (NZIAS), Massey University, Albany Campus, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Kari E Ellingsen
- Norwegian Institute for Nature Research (NINA), Fram Centre, P.O. Box 6606 Langnes, Tromsø, 9296, Norway
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Wu T, Imrit MA, Movahedinia Z, Kong J, Woolway RI, Sharma S. Climate tracking by freshwater fishes suggests that fish diversity in temperate lakes may be increasingly threatened by climate warming. DIVERS DISTRIB 2022. [DOI: 10.1111/ddi.13664] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Thomas Wu
- Department of Biology York University Toronto Ontario Canada
| | | | | | - Jude Kong
- Department of Mathematics York University Toronto Ontario Canada
| | | | - Sapna Sharma
- Department of Biology York University Toronto Ontario Canada
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
McLeod A, Leroux SJ, Gravel D, Chu C, Cirtwill AR, Fortin M, Galiana N, Poisot T, Wood SA. Sampling and asymptotic network properties of spatial multi‐trophic networks. OIKOS 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/oik.08650] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Anne McLeod
- Dept of Biology, Memorial Univ. of Newfoundland St. John's NL Canada
| | - Shawn J. Leroux
- Dept of Biology, Memorial Univ. of Newfoundland St. John's NL Canada
| | | | - Cindy Chu
- Aquatic Research and Monitoring Section, Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry Peterborough ON Canada
- Great Lakes Laboratory for Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, Fisheries and Oceans Canada Burlington ON Canada
| | | | - Marie‐Josée Fortin
- Dept of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Univ. of Toronto Toronto ON Canada
| | - Núria Galiana
- Theoretical and Experimental Ecology Station, CNRS and Paul Sabatier Univ. Moulis France
| | - Timothée Poisot
- Dépt de Sciences Biologiques, Univ. de Montréal Montréal QC Canada
| | | |
Collapse
|
5
|
Ortega JCG, Geijer J, Bergsten J, Heino J, Herrmann J, Johansson F, Bini LM. Spatio-temporal variation in water beetle assemblages across temperate freshwater ecosystems. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2021; 792:148071. [PMID: 34153756 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.148071] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2021] [Revised: 05/21/2021] [Accepted: 05/23/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Ecological communities are structured by several mechanisms, including temporal, spatial and environmental factors. However, the simultaneous effects of these factors have rarely been studied. Here, we investigated their role on water beetle assemblages sampled over a period of 18 years. Water beetles were sampled in the spring of each year in lotic and lentic water bodies from mainland region of Kalmar and Öland Island in southeastern Sweden. We assessed how past assemblage structure, environmental factors and spatial variables correlated with current assemblage structure using a variation partitioning approach. We also tested for correlates of temporal beta diversity of water beetle assemblages with multiple regressions. We found that past water beetle assemblage structure explained current water beetle assemblage structure better than the environmental and spatial correlates. We also observed that temporal beta diversity of water beetle assemblages was mainly due to species gain rather than to species loss. Finally, environmental variables (e.g., hydroperiod, habitat size and hydrology) and timespan between sampling events explained part of temporal beta diversity and contribution of species loss to total assemblage dissimilarity variation. Despite the fact that most variation remained unexplained, we found that ecological factors that have been thought to be important for water beetle richness and abundance in past studies (e.g. water body size, water permanence, shore slope, and whether the water body is lentic or lotic) were also correlated to temporal beta diversity. From a conservation point of view, our study suggest that temporal variability of assemblage structure should be included in biological monitoring because of its potential to predict current assemblage structure.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jean C G Ortega
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ecologia e Manejo de Recursos Naturais, Universidade Federal do Acre, Sala de Pesquisadores Visitantes, BR-364, Km 04, Campus Universitário, Rio Branco, AC 69915-900, Brazil.
| | | | - Johannes Bergsten
- Department of Zoology, Swedish Museum of Natural History, Stockholm SE-10405, Sweden
| | - Jani Heino
- Finnish Environment Institute, Freshwater Centre, Paavo Havaksen Tie 3, FI-90570 Oulu, Finland
| | - Jan Herrmann
- Department of Biology and Environmental Science, Linnaeus University, Kalmar SE-39182, Sweden
| | - Frank Johansson
- Department of Ecology and Genetics, Uppsala University, Uppsala SE-75236, Sweden
| | - Luis M Bini
- Departamento de Ecologia, Universidade Federal de Goiás, Av. Esperança, s/n, Campus Samambaia, Goiânia, GO 74690-900, Brazil
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Perrin SW, Bærum KM, Helland IP, Finstad AG. Forecasting the future establishment of invasive alien freshwater fish species. J Appl Ecol 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2664.13993] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Sam Wenaas Perrin
- Department of Natural History Norwegian University of Science and Technology Trondheim Norway
- Centre of Biodiversity Dynamics Norwegian University of Science and Technology Trondheim Norway
| | | | | | - Anders Gravbrøt Finstad
- Department of Natural History Norwegian University of Science and Technology Trondheim Norway
- Centre of Biodiversity Dynamics Norwegian University of Science and Technology Trondheim Norway
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
A unifying framework for studying and managing climate-driven rates of ecological change. Nat Ecol Evol 2020; 5:17-26. [PMID: 33288870 DOI: 10.1038/s41559-020-01344-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2020] [Accepted: 10/12/2020] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
During the Anthropocene and other eras of rapidly changing climates, rates of change of ecological systems can be described as fast, slow or abrupt. Fast ecological responses closely track climate change, slow responses substantively lag climate forcing, causing disequilibria and reduced fitness, and abrupt responses are characterized by nonlinear, threshold-type responses at rates that are large relative to background variability and forcing. All three kinds of climate-driven ecological dynamics are well documented in contemporary studies, palaeoecology and invasion biology. This fast-slow-abrupt conceptual framework helps unify a bifurcated climate-change literature, which tends to separately consider the ecological risks posed by slow or abrupt ecological dynamics. Given the prospect of ongoing climate change for the next several decades to centuries of the Anthropocene and wide variations in ecological rates of change, the theory and practice of managing ecological systems should shift attention from target states to target rates. A rates-focused framework broadens the strategic menu for managers to include options to both slow and accelerate ecological rates of change, seeks to reduce mismatch among climate and ecological rates of change, and provides a unified conceptual framework for tackling the distinct risks associated with fast, slow and abrupt ecological rates of change.
Collapse
|
8
|
Loewen CJG, Strecker AL, Gilbert B, Jackson DA. Climate warming moderates the impacts of introduced sportfish on multiple dimensions of prey biodiversity. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2020; 26:4937-4951. [PMID: 32538537 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.15225] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2019] [Accepted: 05/11/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Human-assisted introductions of exotic species are a leading cause of anthropogenic change in biodiversity; however, context dependencies and interactions with co-occurring stressors impede our ability to predict their ecological impacts. The legacy of historical sportfish stocking in mountainous regions of western North America creates a unique, natural quasiexperiment to investigate factors moderating invasion impacts on native communities across broad geographic and environmental gradients. Here we synthesize fish stocking records and zooplankton relative abundance for 685 mountain lakes and ponds in the Cascade and Canadian Rocky Mountain Ranges, to reveal the effects of predatory sportfish introduction on multiple taxonomic, functional and phylogenetic dimensions of prey biodiversity. We demonstrate an innovative analytical approach, combining exploratory random forest machine learning with confirmatory multigroup analysis using multivariate partial least-squares structural equation models, to generate and test hypotheses concerning environmental moderation of stocking impacts. We discovered distinct effects of stocking across different dimensions of diversity, including negligible (nonsignificant) impacts on local taxonomic richness (i.e. alpha diversity) and trophic structure, in contrast to significant declines in compositional uniqueness (i.e. beta diversity) and body size. Furthermore, we found that stocking impacts were moderated by cross-scale interactions with climate and climate-related land-cover variables (e.g. factors linked to treeline position and glaciers). Interactions with physical morphometric and lithological factors were generally of lesser importance, though catchment slope and habitat size constraints were relevant in certain dimensions. Finally, applying space-for-time substitution, a strong antagonistic (i.e. dampening) interaction between sportfish predation and warmer temperatures suggests redundancy of their size-selective effects, meaning that warming will lessen the consequences of introductions in the future and stocked lakes may be less impacted by subsequent warming. While both stressors drive biotic homogenization, our results have important implications for fisheries managers weighing the costs/benefits of stocking-or removing established non-native populations-under a rapidly changing climate.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Charlie J G Loewen
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Angela L Strecker
- Institute for Watershed Studies, Western Washington University, Bellingham, WA, USA
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Western Washington University, Bellingham, WA, USA
| | - Benjamin Gilbert
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Donald A Jackson
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| |
Collapse
|