Local food web management increases resilience and buffers against global change effects on freshwaters

Pablo Urrutia-Cordero; Mattias K. Ekvall; Lars-Anders Hansson

doi:10.1038/srep29542

journal article Open Access Jul 08, 2016

Local food web management increases resilience and buffers against global change effects on freshwaters

Pablo Urrutia-Cordero Mattias K. Ekvall Lars-Anders Hansson

Scientific Reports Vol. 6 No. 1 · Springer Science and Business Media LLC

View at Publisher Save 10.1038/srep29542

Abstract

AbstractA major challenge for ecological research is to identify ways to improve resilience to climate-induced changes in order to secure the ecosystem functions of natural systems, as well as ecosystem services for human welfare. With respect to aquatic ecosystems, interactions between climate warming and the elevated runoff of humic substances (brownification) may strongly affect ecosystem functions and services. However, we hitherto lack the adaptive management tools needed to counteract such global-scale effects on freshwater ecosystems. Here we show, both experimentally and using monitoring data, that predicted climatic warming and brownification will reduce freshwater quality by exacerbating cyanobacterial growth and toxin levels. Furthermore, in a model based on long-term data from a natural system, we demonstrate that food web management has the potential to increase the resilience of freshwater systems against the growth of harmful cyanobacteria and thereby that local efforts offer an opportunity to secure our water resources against some of the negative impacts of climate warming and brownification. This allows for novel policy action at a local scale to counteract effects of global-scale environmental change, thereby providing a buffer period and a safer operating space until climate mitigation strategies are effectively established.

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Published: Jul 08, 2016
Vol/Issue: 6(1)
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Pablo Urrutia-Cordero

Cite This Article

Pablo Urrutia-Cordero, Mattias K. Ekvall, Lars-Anders Hansson (2016). Local food web management increases resilience and buffers against global change effects on freshwaters. Scientific Reports, 6(1). https://doi.org/10.1038/srep29542

Local food web management increases resilience and buffers against global change effects on freshwaters

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