Changing disturbance regimes, ecological memory, and forest resilience

Jill F Johnstone; Craig D Allen; Jerry F Franklin; Lee E Frelich; Brian J Harvey; Philip E Higuera; Michelle C Mack; Ross K Meentemeyer; Margaret R Metz; George LW Perry; Tania Schoennagel; Monica G Turner

doi:10.1002/fee.1311

journal article Sep 01, 2016

Changing disturbance regimes, ecological memory, and forest resilience

Jill F Johnstone Craig D Allen Jerry F Franklin Lee E Frelich Brian J Harvey Philip E Higuera Michelle C Mack Ross K Meentemeyer

Margaret R Metz George LW Perry Tania Schoennagel Monica G Turner

Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment Vol. 14 No. 7 pp. 369-378 · Wiley

View at Publisher Save 10.1002/fee.1311

Abstract

Ecological memory is central to how ecosystems respond to disturbance and is maintained by two types of legacies – information and material. Species life‐history traits represent an adaptive response to disturbance and are an information legacy; in contrast, the abiotic and biotic structures (such as seeds or nutrients) produced by single disturbance events are material legacies. Disturbance characteristics that support or maintain these legacies enhance ecological resilience and maintain a “safe operating space” for ecosystem recovery. However, legacies can be lost or diminished as disturbance regimes and environmental conditions change, generating a “resilience debt” that manifests only after the system is disturbed. Strong effects of ecological memory on post‐disturbance dynamics imply that contingencies (effects that cannot be predicted with certainty) of individual disturbances, interactions among disturbances, and climate variability combine to affect ecosystem resilience. We illustrate these concepts and introduce a novel ecosystem resilience framework with examples of forest disturbances, primarily from North America. Identifying legacies that support resilience in a particular ecosystem can help scientists and resource managers anticipate when disturbances may trigger abrupt shifts in forest ecosystems, and when forests are likely to be resilient.

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1,245

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References

Details

Published: Sep 01, 2016
Vol/Issue: 14(7)
Pages: 369-378
License: View

Authors

J

Jill F Johnstone

Department of Biology University of Saskatchewan Saskatoon Canada

C

Craig D Allen

US Geological Survey Fort Collins Science Center Jemez Mountains Field Station Los Alamos NM

J

Jerry F Franklin

College of Forest Resources University of Washington Seattle WA

L

Lee E Frelich

Department of Forest Resources University of Minnesota St Paul MN

B

Brian J Harvey

Department of Geography University of Colorado–Boulder Boulder CO

P

Philip E Higuera

Department of Ecosystem and Conservation Sciences University of Montana Missoula MT

M

Michelle C Mack

Center for Ecosystem Science and Society and Department of Biology Northern Arizona University Flagstaff AZ

R

Ross K Meentemeyer

Department of Forestry & Environmental Resources North Carolina State University Raleigh NC

M

Margaret R Metz

Department of Biology Lewis and Clark College Portland OR

G

George LW Perry

School of Environment University of Auckland Auckland New Zealand

T

Tania Schoennagel

Department of Geography University of Colorado–Boulder Boulder CO; INSTAAR University of Colorado–Boulder Boulder CO

M

Monica G Turner

Department of Zoology University of Wisconsin–Madison Madison WI

Funding

National Science Foundation Award: DEB‐EF‐0622770

National Park Service

U.S. Geological Survey

Cite This Article

Jill F Johnstone, Craig D Allen, Jerry F Franklin, et al. (2016). Changing disturbance regimes, ecological memory, and forest resilience. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, 14(7), 369-378. https://doi.org/10.1002/fee.1311

Changing disturbance regimes, ecological memory, and forest resilience

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