The role of species composition in the emergence of alternate vegetation states in a temperate rainforest system
Landscape Ecology, 2020•Springer
Context Forest systems are dynamic and can alternate between alternative stable states in
response to climate, disturbance and internal abiotic and biotic conditions. Switching
between states depends on the crossing of critical thresholds and the establishment of
feedbacks that drive (and maintain) changes in ecosystem functioning. The nature of these
thresholds and the workings of these feedbacks have been well-researched, however, the
factors that instigate movement toward and across a threshold remain poorly understood …
response to climate, disturbance and internal abiotic and biotic conditions. Switching
between states depends on the crossing of critical thresholds and the establishment of
feedbacks that drive (and maintain) changes in ecosystem functioning. The nature of these
thresholds and the workings of these feedbacks have been well-researched, however, the
factors that instigate movement toward and across a threshold remain poorly understood …
Context
Forest systems are dynamic and can alternate between alternative stable states in response to climate, disturbance and internal abiotic and biotic conditions. Switching between states depends on the crossing of critical thresholds and the establishment of feedbacks that drive (and maintain) changes in ecosystem functioning. The nature of these thresholds and the workings of these feedbacks have been well-researched, however, the factors that instigate movement toward and across a threshold remain poorly understood.
Objectives
In this paper, we explore the role of species composition in initiating ecosystem state change in a temperate landscape mosaic of fire-prone and fire-sensitive vegetation systems.
Methods
We construct two 12-kyr palaeocecological records from two proximal (230 m apart) sites in Tasmania, Australia, and apply the Alternative Stable States model as a framework to investigate ecosystem feedbacks and resilience threshold dynamics.
Results
Our results indicate that, in this system, invasion by pyrogenic Eucalyptus species is a key factor in breaking down negative (stabilising) feedbacks that maintain pyrophobic sub-alpine rainforest.
Conclusions
We conclude that the emergence of an alternative stable pyrogenic state in these relic rainforest systems depends on the extent of pyrophytic species within the system. These findings are critical for understanding resilience in forest ecosystems under future climate and land management changes and are relevant to fire-adapted cool-temperate ecosystems globally.
Springer
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