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Ecosystem responses to community disassembly
Erika Zavaleta1, Jae Pasari, Jonathan Moore
1Environmental Studies Department, University of California, Santa Cruz, California 95064, USA. zavaleta@ucsc.edu
Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences
|May 13, 2009
Summary
Community disassembly, or nonrandom species loss, significantly impacts ecosystem functions. Understanding species vulnerability and their ecological roles is crucial for conservation amid the extinction crisis.
Area of Science:
- Ecology
- Conservation Biology
- Ecosystem Science
Background:
- Global ecosystems face unprecedented extinction rates and species declines.
- Community disassembly, the nonrandom loss of species, is a key process affecting ecosystem stability.
- The order of species loss is influenced by vulnerability to stressors and inherent susceptibility.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how community disassembly affects ecosystem functions.
- To synthesize information on species response traits (vulnerability) and effect traits (ecosystem contribution).
- To evaluate the concept of community disassembly for conservation and restoration.
Main Methods:
- Synthesizing information on species response traits.
- Analyzing evidence from long-term studies, landscape fragmentation, modeling, and manipulative experiments.
- Evaluating the link between species vulnerability and ecosystem function contribution.
Main Results:
- Species loss order depends on vulnerability and inherent susceptibility.
- Evidence indicates community disassembly directly impacts ecosystem functioning.
- A potential positive link exists between species vulnerability and ecosystem contribution, exacerbating extinction crisis impacts.
Conclusions:
- Community disassembly profoundly alters ecosystem functions and species persistence.
- Understanding trait-based species loss is vital for predicting and mitigating extinction impacts.
- The community disassembly framework offers guidance for conservation and restoration strategies.
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