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

17.0K
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.
17.0K
Ecological Succession02:17

Ecological Succession

17.1K
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...
17.1K
What is an Ecosystem?01:17

What is an Ecosystem?

39.2K
Overview
39.2K
Habitat Fragmentation02:31

Habitat Fragmentation

17.4K
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.
17.4K
Bioremediation00:46

Bioremediation

18.1K
Bioremediation is the use of prokaryotes, fungi, or plants to remove pollutants from the environment. This process has been used to remove harmful toxins in groundwater as a byproduct of agricultural run-off and also to clean up oil spills.
18.1K
Threats to Biodiversity01:50

Threats to Biodiversity

22.0K
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...
22.0K

You might also read

Related Articles

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

Sort by
Same author

A connectivity threshold between grass patches amplifies coastal dune formation.

Nature communications·2026
Same author

Frequent fire alters soil total phosphorus but does not affect phosphorus availability in a montane grassland.

Biogeochemistry·2026
Same author

Spatial and temporal scale-dependent feedbacks govern dynamics of biocrusts in drylands.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·2025
Same author

Increased aridity drives post-fire recovery of Mediterranean forests towards open shrublands.

The New phytologist·2023
Same author

Self-organized sulfide-driven traveling pulses shape seagrass meadows.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·2023
Same author

Phase-separation physics underlies new theory for the resilience of patchy ecosystems.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·2023

Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 22, 2025

Field Collection and Laboratory Maintenance of Canopy-Forming Giant Kelp to Facilitate Restoration
14:44

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

Published on: June 7, 2024

1.6K

How spatiotemporal dynamics can enhance ecosystem resilience.

Pablo Moreno-Spiegelberg1, Max Rietkerk2, Damià Gomila1

  • 1Institute for Cross-Disciplinary Physics and Complex Systems (Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas - Universitat de les Illes Balears), Palma de Mallorca E-07122, Spain.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
|March 13, 2025
PubMed
Summary

Self-organization in ecosystems with complex dynamics enhances resilience by avoiding ecological tipping points. This study models vegetation dynamics, revealing distinct regimes that precede collapse, offering insights for plant-soil systems.

Keywords:
excitabilityplant–soil interactionsresiliencetraveling pulsesvegetation patterns

More Related Videos

Experimental Protocol for Manipulating Plant-induced Soil Heterogeneity
08:16

Experimental Protocol for Manipulating Plant-induced Soil Heterogeneity

Published on: March 13, 2014

18.7K
Resurrection of Dormant Daphnia magna: Protocol and Applications
07:37

Resurrection of Dormant Daphnia magna: Protocol and Applications

Published on: January 19, 2018

18.2K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: May 22, 2025

Field Collection and Laboratory Maintenance of Canopy-Forming Giant Kelp to Facilitate Restoration
14:44

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

Published on: June 7, 2024

1.6K
Experimental Protocol for Manipulating Plant-induced Soil Heterogeneity
08:16

Experimental Protocol for Manipulating Plant-induced Soil Heterogeneity

Published on: March 13, 2014

18.7K
Resurrection of Dormant Daphnia magna: Protocol and Applications
07:37

Resurrection of Dormant Daphnia magna: Protocol and Applications

Published on: January 19, 2018

18.2K

Area of Science:

  • Ecology
  • Mathematical Biology
  • Systems Biology

Background:

  • Ecosystem resilience is crucial for stability.
  • Complex spatiotemporal dynamics can arise from feedback loops.
  • Posidonia oceanica meadows exhibit known positive and negative feedbacks, including sulfide toxicity.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate how self-organization in complex dynamical systems enhances ecosystem resilience.
  • To model the transition from homogeneous vegetation to extinction, avoiding traditional tipping points.
  • To apply a general model to Posidonia oceanica meadows and other plant-soil systems.

Main Methods:

  • A general mathematical model incorporating positive and negative feedback loops was developed.
  • The model was applied to Posidonia oceanica meadows, considering sulfide accumulation dynamics.
  • Simulations analyzed transitions through various dynamical regimes under increasing mortality.

Main Results:

  • A progressive transition from homogeneous states to extinction was observed through distinct dynamical regimes.
  • Regimes included turbulent dynamics, spiral/wave train formation, and traveling pulses/expanding rings.
  • Expanding rings were identified as a precursor to ecosystem collapse, occurring beyond typical tipping points.

Conclusions:

  • Self-organization can promote ecosystem resilience by enabling avoidance of abrupt ecological tipping points.
  • The observed sequence of dynamical regimes provides a framework for understanding ecosystem state transitions.
  • The general model and findings are applicable to diverse spatially extended plant-soil systems.