Spatial heterogeneity enhance robustness of large multi-species ecosystems

Understanding ecosystem stability and functioning is a long-standing goal in theoretical ecology, with one of the main tools being dynamical modelling of species abundances. With the help of spatially unresolved (well-mixed) population models and equilibrium dynamics, limits to stability and regions...

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Autores principales:	Susanne Pettersson, Martin Nilsson Jacobi
Formato:	article
Lenguaje:	EN
Publicado:	Public Library of Science (PLoS) 2021
Materias:	Biology (General) QH301-705.5
Acceso en línea:	https://doaj.org/article/df053f23136c4f4498a51fe75672ddeb
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spelling	oai:doaj.org-article:df053f23136c4f4498a51fe75672ddeb2021-11-18T05:48:33ZSpatial heterogeneity enhance robustness of large multi-species ecosystems1553-734X1553-7358https://doaj.org/article/df053f23136c4f4498a51fe75672ddeb2021-10-01T00:00:00Zhttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8575308/?tool=EBIhttps://doaj.org/toc/1553-734Xhttps://doaj.org/toc/1553-7358Understanding ecosystem stability and functioning is a long-standing goal in theoretical ecology, with one of the main tools being dynamical modelling of species abundances. With the help of spatially unresolved (well-mixed) population models and equilibrium dynamics, limits to stability and regions of various ecosystem robustness have been extensively mapped in terms of diversity (number of species), types of interactions, interaction strengths, varying interaction networks (for example plant-pollinator, food-web) and varying structures of these networks. Although many insights have been gained, the impact of spatial extension is not included in this body of knowledge. Recent studies of spatially explicit modelling on the other hand have shown that stability limits can be crossed and diversity increased for systems with spatial heterogeneity in species interactions and/or chaotic dynamics. Here we show that such crossing and diversity increase can appear under less strict conditions. We find that the mere possibility of varying species abundances at different spatial locations make possible the preservation or increase in diversity across previous boundaries thought to mark catastrophic transitions. In addition, we introduce and make explicit a multitude of different dynamics a spatially extended complex system can use to stabilise. This expanded stabilising repertoire of dynamics is largest at intermediate levels of dispersal. Thus we find that spatially extended systems with intermediate dispersal are more robust, in general have higher diversity and can stabilise beyond previous stability boundaries, in contrast to well-mixed systems. Author summary One of the major challenges facing humanity is the fragmentation of wildlife habitats and decline in biodiversity due to human land-use practices and need for resources. We need to find ways to combine human prosperity with biodiversity conservation. To achieve this a solid understanding of ecosystem stability and functioning is paramount. One way to gain such insight is to find limits when we expect species to go extinct or ecosystems to collapse by simulations of interacting species populations. Many such stability limits have been found theoretically the last decades, but for simplification of modelling, studies often exclude that ecosystems are spread out in space. Here, we explicitly include space and thus allow for dispersal and spatial heterogeneity (local differences) in species abundances. We find that for an ecosystem with the possibility of local spatial heterogeneity, the repertoire of the system’s dynamical behaviour increases dramatically. This increase in possibilities increases system robustness, enables limits previously marking extinction or collapse to be crossed without any remarkable change in global species abundances, and increases biodiversity. Thus we elucidate an additional mechanism pointing to spatial heterogeneity as crucial for ecosystem stability. We find intermediate dispersal as the most favourable for robustness and diversity of ecosystems since they display the largest repertoire of dynamical behaviour.Susanne PetterssonMartin Nilsson JacobiPublic Library of Science (PLoS)articleBiology (General)QH301-705.5ENPLoS Computational Biology, Vol 17, Iss 10 (2021)
institution	DOAJ
collection	DOAJ
language	EN
topic	Biology (General) QH301-705.5
spellingShingle	Biology (General) QH301-705.5 Susanne Pettersson Martin Nilsson Jacobi Spatial heterogeneity enhance robustness of large multi-species ecosystems
description	Understanding ecosystem stability and functioning is a long-standing goal in theoretical ecology, with one of the main tools being dynamical modelling of species abundances. With the help of spatially unresolved (well-mixed) population models and equilibrium dynamics, limits to stability and regions of various ecosystem robustness have been extensively mapped in terms of diversity (number of species), types of interactions, interaction strengths, varying interaction networks (for example plant-pollinator, food-web) and varying structures of these networks. Although many insights have been gained, the impact of spatial extension is not included in this body of knowledge. Recent studies of spatially explicit modelling on the other hand have shown that stability limits can be crossed and diversity increased for systems with spatial heterogeneity in species interactions and/or chaotic dynamics. Here we show that such crossing and diversity increase can appear under less strict conditions. We find that the mere possibility of varying species abundances at different spatial locations make possible the preservation or increase in diversity across previous boundaries thought to mark catastrophic transitions. In addition, we introduce and make explicit a multitude of different dynamics a spatially extended complex system can use to stabilise. This expanded stabilising repertoire of dynamics is largest at intermediate levels of dispersal. Thus we find that spatially extended systems with intermediate dispersal are more robust, in general have higher diversity and can stabilise beyond previous stability boundaries, in contrast to well-mixed systems. Author summary One of the major challenges facing humanity is the fragmentation of wildlife habitats and decline in biodiversity due to human land-use practices and need for resources. We need to find ways to combine human prosperity with biodiversity conservation. To achieve this a solid understanding of ecosystem stability and functioning is paramount. One way to gain such insight is to find limits when we expect species to go extinct or ecosystems to collapse by simulations of interacting species populations. Many such stability limits have been found theoretically the last decades, but for simplification of modelling, studies often exclude that ecosystems are spread out in space. Here, we explicitly include space and thus allow for dispersal and spatial heterogeneity (local differences) in species abundances. We find that for an ecosystem with the possibility of local spatial heterogeneity, the repertoire of the system’s dynamical behaviour increases dramatically. This increase in possibilities increases system robustness, enables limits previously marking extinction or collapse to be crossed without any remarkable change in global species abundances, and increases biodiversity. Thus we elucidate an additional mechanism pointing to spatial heterogeneity as crucial for ecosystem stability. We find intermediate dispersal as the most favourable for robustness and diversity of ecosystems since they display the largest repertoire of dynamical behaviour.
format	article
author	Susanne Pettersson Martin Nilsson Jacobi
author_facet	Susanne Pettersson Martin Nilsson Jacobi
author_sort	Susanne Pettersson
title	Spatial heterogeneity enhance robustness of large multi-species ecosystems
title_short	Spatial heterogeneity enhance robustness of large multi-species ecosystems
title_full	Spatial heterogeneity enhance robustness of large multi-species ecosystems
title_fullStr	Spatial heterogeneity enhance robustness of large multi-species ecosystems
title_full_unstemmed	Spatial heterogeneity enhance robustness of large multi-species ecosystems
title_sort	spatial heterogeneity enhance robustness of large multi-species ecosystems
publisher	Public Library of Science (PLoS)
publishDate	2021
url	https://doaj.org/article/df053f23136c4f4498a51fe75672ddeb
work_keys_str_mv	AT susannepettersson spatialheterogeneityenhancerobustnessoflargemultispeciesecosystems AT martinnilssonjacobi spatialheterogeneityenhancerobustnessoflargemultispeciesecosystems
_version_	1718424821645180928

Spatial heterogeneity enhance robustness of large multi-species ecosystems

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