Publication
Title
Changes in diatom patch-size distribution and degradation in a spatially self-organized intertidal mudflat ecosystem
Author
Abstract
Self-organized spatial patterns have been proposed as possible indicators for regime shifts in ecosystems. Until now, this hypothesis has only been tested in drylands. Here, we focus on intertidal mudflats where regular spatial patterns develop in early spring from the interaction between diatom growth and sedimentation but disappear when benthic herbivore abundance increases in early summer, accompanied by a dramatic shift to a bare mudflat. We followed the patch-size distributions of diatom biofilms during this degradation process. As time progressed, we found a temporal change in the spatial configuration occurring simultaneously with the loss of the diatomsediment feedback. This indicates a gradual failure in time of the self-organization process that underlies regular patterning in this ecosystem. The path to degradation co-occurred with the loss of the larger patches in the ecosystem, which resulted in a decrease of the truncation in the patch-size distribution. Hence, our study in mudflat ecosystems confirms the general hypothesis that spatial patterns can provide important clues about the level of degradation. Nevertheless, our study highlights the need for thorough study about the type of spatial patterns and the nature of the underlying feedbacks before a reliable assessment of ecosystem status can be made, as changes in patch-size distribution differed markedly with those observed in other ecosystems.
Language
English
Source (journal)
Ecology / Ecological Society of America [Washington, D.C.] - Washington, DC, 1920, currens
Publication
Washington, DC : 2012
ISSN
0012-9658 [print]
1939-9170 [online]
DOI
10.1890/11-0625.1
Volume/pages
93 :3 (2012) , p. 608-618
ISI
000302957300018
Full text (Publisher's DOI)
Full text (publisher's version - intranet only)
UAntwerpen
Faculty/Department
Research group
Publication type
Subject
Affiliation
Publications with a UAntwerp address
External links
Web of Science
Record
Identifier
Creation 23.04.2012
Last edited 09.10.2023
To cite this reference