Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Ecological Disturbance02:26

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.
Population Growth00:57

Population Growth

Population size is dynamic, increasing with birth rates and immigration, and decreasing with death rates and emigration. In ideal conditions with unlimited resources, populations can increase exponentially, which plots as a J-shaped growth rate curve of population size against time. This type of curve is characteristic of newly-introduced invasive species, or populations that have suffered catastrophic declines and are rebounding.
Trophic Efficiency00:46

Trophic Efficiency

Trophic level transfer efficiency (TLTE) is a measure of the total energy transfer from one trophic level to the next. Due to extensive energy loss as metabolic heat, an average of only 10% of the original energy obtained is passed on to the next level. This pattern of energy loss severely limits the possible number of trophic levels in a food chain.
Modeling with Differential Equations01:25

Modeling with Differential Equations

Population dynamics can be described mathematically by considering the population size P(t) as a function of time. The rate of change of the population is then represented by the derivative of P(t). A simple assumption is that the rate of growth is proportional to the size of the population itself. This leads to an exponential growth model, where the population increases rapidly without bound. While this is a useful first approximation, it does not reflect realistic long-term...
Marine Microbial Ecology01:30

Marine Microbial Ecology

Marine microbial ecosystems are shaped by distinct physicochemical limits, including high salinity, low nutrient availability, and fluctuating oxygen levels. These conditions favor smaller microbial cell sizes, which maximize their surface-to-volume ratio for efficient nutrient uptake.Microbial activity and community composition are closely linked to biogeochemical cycles, particularly in dynamic environments like estuaries, where halotolerant microbes thrive in response to variable salinity...
Predator-Prey Interactions02:39

Predator-Prey Interactions

Predators consume prey for energy. Predators that acquire prey and prey that avoid predation both increase their chances of survival and reproduction (i.e., fitness). Routine predator-prey interactions elicit mutual adaptations that improve predator offenses, such as claws, teeth, and speed, as well as prey defenses, including crypsis, aposematism, and mimicry. Thus, predator-prey interactions resemble an evolutionary arms race.

You might also read

Related Articles

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

Sort by
Same author

Resilience of the sessile benthic community to rockweed harvest.

Marine environmental research·2026
Same author

Threats to the Aquatic Arthropods of Freshwater Wetlands in a Changing Global Environment.

Annual review of entomology·2025
Same author

Ecosystem-size relationships of river populations and communities.

Trends in ecology & evolution·2024
Same author

Consequences of climate-induced range expansions on multiple ecosystem functions.

Communications biology·2023
Same author

Species-specific traits predict whole-assemblage detritus processing by pond invertebrates.

Oecologia·2022
Same author

Regulation of open populations of a stream insect through larval density dependence.

The Journal of animal ecology·2022
Same journal

Pollinator community composition and pollen resource use in calcareous grasslands under different landscape contexts across Europe.

The Journal of animal ecology·2026
Same journal

A global comparison of structural properties across ecological network types: The role of connectance, degree distribution and sampling inconsistencies.

The Journal of animal ecology·2026
Same journal

Native habitat affinities predict fish invasions with post-invasion habitat shifts.

The Journal of animal ecology·2026
Same journal

Understanding mammal avoidance of human settlements.

The Journal of animal ecology·2026
Same journal

Environmental factors associated with nesting habits and age shape the composition and connection between skin and uropygial gland microbiomes of birds.

The Journal of animal ecology·2026
Same journal

Leukocyte profiles reveal sex and age differences in immune investment in a polygynous bat.

The Journal of animal ecology·2026
See all related articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 24, 2026

Visualization of Productivity Zones Based on Nitrogen Mass Balance Model in Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island
05:04

Visualization of Productivity Zones Based on Nitrogen Mass Balance Model in Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island

Published on: July 14, 2023

Nonlinear effects of consumer density on multiple ecosystem processes.

Amanda J Klemmer1, Scott A Wissinger, Hamish S Greig

  • 1Biology Department, Allegheny College, Meadville, PA 16225, USA. jarlet@math.ntnu.no

The Journal of Animal Ecology
|February 21, 2012
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Increasing caddisfly density accelerated detritus decay and nutrient release in ponds. However, high densities showed threshold effects, indicating complex density-dependent ecosystem functions.

More Related Videos

Modeling the Size Spectrum for Macroinvertebrates and Fishes in Stream Ecosystems
07:41

Modeling the Size Spectrum for Macroinvertebrates and Fishes in Stream Ecosystems

Published on: July 30, 2019

Linking Predation Risk, Herbivore Physiological Stress and Microbial Decomposition of Plant Litter
10:20

Linking Predation Risk, Herbivore Physiological Stress and Microbial Decomposition of Plant Litter

Published on: March 12, 2013

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: May 24, 2026

Visualization of Productivity Zones Based on Nitrogen Mass Balance Model in Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island
05:04

Visualization of Productivity Zones Based on Nitrogen Mass Balance Model in Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island

Published on: July 14, 2023

Modeling the Size Spectrum for Macroinvertebrates and Fishes in Stream Ecosystems
07:41

Modeling the Size Spectrum for Macroinvertebrates and Fishes in Stream Ecosystems

Published on: July 30, 2019

Linking Predation Risk, Herbivore Physiological Stress and Microbial Decomposition of Plant Litter
10:20

Linking Predation Risk, Herbivore Physiological Stress and Microbial Decomposition of Plant Litter

Published on: March 12, 2013

Area of Science:

  • Ecology
  • Ecosystem Science
  • Environmental Science

Background:

  • Human activities are causing declines in common species abundance.
  • Understanding how species density affects ecosystem function is crucial.
  • Detritivores play a key role in nutrient cycling and energy flow.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To quantify the effects of detritivore density on biophysical processes.
  • To investigate the relationship between caddisfly density and nutrient/energy release from detritus.
  • To determine if these relationships exhibit nonlinear or threshold responses.

Main Methods:

  • Manipulated the density of the cased caddisfly (Limnephilus externus) in subalpine ponds.
  • Measured detritus decay rates (mass loss).
  • Quantified the release of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) from detrital substrates and their concentrations in the water column.

Main Results:

  • Detritus decay rates increased threefold with caddisfly density.
  • Nitrogen and phosphorus loss from detritus doubled across observed densities.
  • Threshold responses were observed in decay rates and nutrient release at high densities, linked to intraspecific competition and dietary shifts.

Conclusions:

  • Changes in the population size of common species can lead to nonlinear, threshold effects on ecosystem functions.
  • Density-dependent consumer-ecosystem function relationships are likely common across diverse species and ecosystems.
  • Intraspecific competition and resource limitation drive these nonlinear responses.