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.

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...

Competition

Competition

When organisms require the same limited resources within an environment, they may have to compete for them. Competition is a net-negative interaction. Even if two competing individuals or populations do not interact directly, the overall fitness of both competitors is lowered as a result of not having full access to the limited resource.

What is an Ecosystem?

What is an 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.

Habitat Fragmentation

Habitat Fragmentation

Habitat fragmentation describes the division of a more extensive, continuous habitat into smaller, discontinuous areas. Human activities such as land conversion, as well as slower geological processes leading to changes in the physical environment, are the two leading causes of habitat fragmentation. The fragmentation process typically follows the same steps: perforation, dissection, fragmentation, shrinkage, and attrition.

You might also read

Related Articles

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

Sort by

Same author

Soil microbial ecology and microbiome-metabolite linkages improve understanding of ecosystem states along terrestrial-aquatic interfaces.

FEMS microbiology ecology·2026

Same author

Data sonification offers a novel approach for communicating Earth's tipping points.

Ecology and society : a journal of integrative science for resilience and sustainability·2026

Same author

Transformative capacity of social-ecological systems.

Ecology and society : a journal of integrative science for resilience and sustainability·2026

Same author

Disastrous consequences: shortcomings of resiliency strategies for coping with accelerating environmental change.

Ecology and society : a journal of integrative science for resilience and sustainability·2026

Same author

Migratory Songbirds as Potential Ectozoochorous Protist Dispersal Vectors.

Ecology and evolution·2025

Same author

Advancing ecology and evolution through continental scientific drilling.

Trends in ecology & evolution·2025

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Nov 22, 2025

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

Panarchy: opportunities and challenges for ecosystem management.

Ahjond Garmestani^1,2, Dirac Twidwell^3,4, David G Angeler⁵

¹Office of Research and Development, US Environmental Protection Agency, Gulf Breeze, FL.

Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment

|January 7, 2021

Summary

This study introduces panarchy, a resilience-based framework, to address ecosystem management challenges in the Anthropocene. It offers innovative solutions for complex social-ecological problems and policy reform in environmental change.

More Related Videos

Watershed Planning within a Quantitative Scenario Analysis Framework

Watershed Planning within a Quantitative Scenario Analysis Framework

Published on: July 24, 2016

Prospecting Microbial Strains for Bioremediation and Probiotics Development for Metaorganism Research and Preservation

Prospecting Microbial Strains for Bioremediation and Probiotics Development for Metaorganism Research and Preservation

Published on: October 31, 2019

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Nov 22, 2025

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

Watershed Planning within a Quantitative Scenario Analysis Framework

Watershed Planning within a Quantitative Scenario Analysis Framework

Published on: July 24, 2016

Prospecting Microbial Strains for Bioremediation and Probiotics Development for Metaorganism Research and Preservation

Prospecting Microbial Strains for Bioremediation and Probiotics Development for Metaorganism Research and Preservation

Published on: October 31, 2019

Area of Science:

Ecology
Environmental Management
Resilience Science

Background:

Modern ecosystem management faces challenges due to accelerating environmental change and outdated policies.
Traditional regulatory approaches often lead to adverse outcomes in complex social-ecological systems.
The Anthropocene necessitates innovative strategies for managing unexpected events and uncertainty.

Purpose of the Study:

To introduce and evaluate the application of panarchy, a resilience-based conceptual framework.
To address the persistent challenge of halting large-scale grass-to-tree transitions in the US Great Plains.
To explore panarchy as a model for policy reform in ecosystem management.

Main Methods:

Implementation of the panarchy framework at the project onset.
Review of the application process and initial outcomes of the project.
Analysis of evidence for policy reform and comparison with traditional management.

Main Results:

Panarchy was applied to address persistent ecosystem state transitions.
Initial outcomes suggest potential for policy reform in ecosystem management.
Identified opportunities and challenges for using panarchy as a management model.

Conclusions:

Panarchy offers a promising alternative to traditional ecosystem management approaches.
The framework provides a model for navigating complex social-ecological problems under environmental change.
Evidence suggests panarchy can inform policy reform for more adaptive ecosystem stewardship.