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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 Niches

Ecological Niches

All organisms have a position within an ecosystem. The complete set of living and nonliving factors—including food resources, climate, and terrain—that define the position of a given organism are collectively referred to as the organism’s ecological niche.

Trophic Efficiency

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.

Keystone Species

Keystone Species

Measures of species biodiversity, such as richness (i.e., the number of species present) and evenness (i.e., their relative abundance), describe an ecological community’s structure. Many factors affect community structure, including abiotic factors (e.g., sunlight and nutrients), disturbances (e.g., fire or flood), species interactions (e.g., predation or competition), and chance events (e.g., foreign species invasion). Certain species—such as keystone species—also play a...

Limits to Natural Selection

Limits to Natural Selection

Organisms that are well-adapted to their environment are more likely to survive and reproduce. However, natural selection does not lead to perfectly adapted organisms. Several factors constrain natural selection.

What is an Ecosystem?

What is an Ecosystem?

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 1, 2026

Divergence of Root Microbiota in Different Habitats based on Weighted Correlation Networks

Divergence of Root Microbiota in Different Habitats based on Weighted Correlation Networks

Published on: September 25, 2021

Tipping points in ecological networks.

Jason M Tylianakis¹, Camille Coux²

¹School of Biological Sciences, University of Canterbury, Private bag 4800, Christchurch 8140, New Zealand; Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, Silwood Park campus, Buckhurst Road, Ascot, SL5 7PY, United Kingdom.

Trends in Plant Science

|April 2, 2014

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Network structure in pollination systems can delay ecosystem tipping points. This research explores how species interactions influence ecosystem stability and resilience, opening new avenues for ecological study.

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Area of Science:

Ecology
Network Theory
Conservation Biology

Background:

Ecological network studies reveal complex species interactions.
Research is ongoing to identify ecosystem tipping points and resistance factors.
Integrating network structure with ecosystem stability is a key challenge.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the role of pollination network structure in ecosystem resilience.
To determine if specific network attributes can delay critical transitions in ecosystems.
To bridge the fields of network analysis and ecosystem tipping point research.

Main Methods:

Analysis of ecological network data.
Modeling of species interactions and community dynamics.
Examination of network structural properties.

Main Results:

Pollination network structure significantly influences the timing of ecosystem critical transitions.
Specific attributes of network architecture were found to delay ecosystem state shifts.
The study highlights a novel link between network topology and ecosystem stability.

Conclusions:

Pollination network attributes are crucial for ecosystem resilience.
Understanding network structure can help predict and potentially mitigate ecosystem collapse.
This work necessitates further research into the ecological implications of network properties.