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Changes In Habitat Heterogeneity Alter Marine Sessile Benthic Communities, Pablo Munguia, Richard W. Osman, John Hamilton, Robert B. Whitlatch, Roman Zajac
Changes In Habitat Heterogeneity Alter Marine Sessile Benthic Communities, Pablo Munguia, Richard W. Osman, John Hamilton, Robert B. Whitlatch, Roman Zajac
Biology and Environmental Science Faculty Publications
Habitat heterogeneity is considered an important mechanism influencing diversity patterns in spatially structured habitats. However, spatial heterogeneity is not static and it can change along temporal scales. These changes, whether gradual or rapid, have the potential of forcing species extinctions or facilitating the introduction of nonnative species. Here, we present modeling results that show how changes in spatial heterogeneity over several generations can produce strong changes in benthic species composition residing in eastern Long Island Sound, USA. For many benthic species, hard substrate is a limiting resource which can vary in availability among different coastal areas. We modeled gradual changes …
Ecological Thresholds In Marine Communities: Theory, Experiments And Management. In Threshold Dynamics In Marine Coastal Systems (Theme Section), Richard W. Osman, Pablo Munguia, Roman Zajac
Ecological Thresholds In Marine Communities: Theory, Experiments And Management. In Threshold Dynamics In Marine Coastal Systems (Theme Section), Richard W. Osman, Pablo Munguia, Roman Zajac
Biology and Environmental Science Faculty Publications
There is increasing interest in the resilience of marine and estuarine populations, communities and ecosystems, and their rapid change when stresses reach some threshold or tipping point. Current research on thresholds is altering our understanding of these systems, the processes by which they change, and our approach to their management and restoration. In this Theme Section conceptual, modeling, and empirical studies explore threshold dynamics in marine coastal systems in a variety of habitats and across different scales. The contributions provide a window on present research, highlight some of the issues being debated, and point to some of the potential applications …