Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Ecological Disturbance

Ecological Disturbance

An ecological disturbance is a temporary disruption in the environment resulting from abiotic, biotic, or anthropogenic factors, causing a pronounced change in an ecosystem. The impact of an ecological disturbance, which can depend on its intensity, frequency, and spatial distribution, plays a significant role in shaping the species diversity within the ecosystem.Ecological disturbances can be caused by an event as small as the trampling of underbrush to an incident as wide-ranging as a forest...

Threats to Biodiversity

Threats to Biodiversity

There have been five major extinction events throughout geological history, resulting in the elimination of biodiversity, followed by a rebound of species that adapted to the new conditions. In the current geological epoch, the Holocene, there is a sixth extinction event in progress. This mass extinction has been attributed to human activities and is thus provisionally called the Anthropocene. In 2019 the human population reached 7.7 billion people and is projected to comprise 10 billion by...

Microbial Wastewater Treatment

Microbial Wastewater Treatment

Microbial communities in aquatic ecosystems play a key role in the natural breakdown of contaminants introduced through domestic and industrial effluents. Acting as biological catalysts, these microbes change and mineralize a wide range of organic and inorganic pollutants under different redox conditions.In oxygen-rich surface waters, aerobic heterotrophs lead organic matter breakdown, using oxygen as the terminal electron acceptor to efficiently oxidize substrates to carbon dioxide and water.

Sustainable Development

Sustainable Development

As the human population continues to grow and use resources, we must be mindful of our planet’s natural limits. Sustainable development provides a pathway to maintain and improve human life now while also ensuring that future generations will have the resources that they need. The long-term success of sustainability efforts rests on understanding the interplay between human actions and ecological systems.

What is Conservation Biology?

What is Conservation Biology?

Conservation biology is a scientific field that focuses on the preservation of biodiversity in order to protect ecosystems while meeting the needs of the human population. Humans require properly functioning ecosystems to maintain our supply of natural resources, including food, medicines, and building materials.

Ecological Succession

Ecological Succession

Ecological succession is influenced by the processes of facilitation, inhibition, and toleration. Facilitation occurs when early successional species create more favorable ecological conditions for subsequent species, such as enhanced nutrient, water, or light availability. In contrast, inhibition happens when early successional species create unfavorable ecological conditions for potential successive species, such as limiting resource availability. In some cases, later successional species...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Valuing reductions in the risk of death in benefit-cost analyses of environment- and climate-health actions.

Bulletin of the World Health Organization·2026

Same author

The fiscal impact of biodiversity loss and a pathway for conservation finance.

Science (New York, N.Y.)·2026

Same author

Tracing Environmental DNA Transport in a Large Lake with Synthetic DNA Microparticles and Hydrodynamic Modeling.

Environmental science & technology·2026

Same author

A cautious approach to subsidies for environmental sustainability.

Science (New York, N.Y.)·2024

Same author

The path to scientifically sound biodiversity valuation in the context of the Global Biodiversity Framework.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·2024

Same author

Mainstreaming nature in US federal policy.

Science (New York, N.Y.)·2024

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 2, 2026

Watershed Planning within a Quantitative Scenario Analysis Framework

Watershed Planning within a Quantitative Scenario Analysis Framework

Published on: July 24, 2016

Managing ecological thresholds in coupled environmental-human systems.

Richard D Horan¹, Eli P Fenichel, Kevin L S Drury

¹Department of Agricultural, Food, and Resource Economics, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824-1039, USA. horan@msu.edu

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America

|April 20, 2011

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Strong institutions can prevent ecosystem regime shifts by managing socioeconomic-ecological systems (SES). The flexibility of management institutions critically influences ecological tipping points and system stability.

More Related Videos

Ecotoxicological Methodologies to Evaluate Biomarkers at Different Scales in Neotropical Anurans

Ecotoxicological Methodologies to Evaluate Biomarkers at Different Scales in Neotropical Anurans

Published on: April 28, 2023

Field Collection and Laboratory Maintenance of Canopy-Forming Giant Kelp to Facilitate Restoration

Field Collection and Laboratory Maintenance of Canopy-Forming Giant Kelp to Facilitate Restoration

Published on: June 7, 2024

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 2, 2026

Watershed Planning within a Quantitative Scenario Analysis Framework

Watershed Planning within a Quantitative Scenario Analysis Framework

Published on: July 24, 2016

Ecotoxicological Methodologies to Evaluate Biomarkers at Different Scales in Neotropical Anurans

Ecotoxicological Methodologies to Evaluate Biomarkers at Different Scales in Neotropical Anurans

Published on: April 28, 2023

Field Collection and Laboratory Maintenance of Canopy-Forming Giant Kelp to Facilitate Restoration

Field Collection and Laboratory Maintenance of Canopy-Forming Giant Kelp to Facilitate Restoration

Published on: June 7, 2024

Area of Science:

Ecology
Environmental Science
Social Science

Background:

Ecosystems can undergo abrupt regime shifts when crossing critical thresholds.
Socioeconomic-ecological systems (SES) involve human feedback responses that influence these thresholds.
Previous models made limiting assumptions about managerial flexibility within institutions.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate how different institutional arrangements affect SES stability landscapes.
To determine how alternative institutions alter ecological tipping points.
To model the impact of institutionally dependent human feedbacks on system dynamics.

Main Methods:

Developed a multidimensional model of a socioeconomic-ecological system (SES).
Incorporated institutionally dependent human feedback responses.
Analyzed the effects of varying institutional strengths on stability landscapes and tipping points.

Main Results:

The stability landscape of an SES is contingent upon its institutional arrangements.
Strong institutions can foster desirable states and eliminate undesirable ones.
Intermediate institutions mediate the existence and nature of tipping points.
Weak institutions may eliminate tipping points, leading to persistent undesirable states.

Conclusions:

Institutional design is crucial for managing SES and preventing undesirable regime shifts.
The strength and nature of institutions directly impact ecological stability and tipping points.
Effective institutions can enhance the resilience and steerability of coupled socioeconomic-ecological systems.