Author
Listed:
- Shaopeng Wang
(Centre for Biodiversity Theory and Modelling, Theoretical and Experimental Ecology Station, CNRS and Paul Sabatier University
German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig
Institute of Ecology, Friedrich Schiller University Jena)
- Michel Loreau
(Centre for Biodiversity Theory and Modelling, Theoretical and Experimental Ecology Station, CNRS and Paul Sabatier University)
- Jean-Francois Arnoldi
(Centre for Biodiversity Theory and Modelling, Theoretical and Experimental Ecology Station, CNRS and Paul Sabatier University)
- Jingyun Fang
(College of Urban and Environmental Science, and Key Laboratory for Earth Surface Processes of the Ministry of Education, Peking University)
- K. Abd. Rahman
(Forest Research Institute Malaysia)
- Shengli Tao
(College of Urban and Environmental Science, and Key Laboratory for Earth Surface Processes of the Ministry of Education, Peking University)
- Claire de Mazancourt
(Centre for Biodiversity Theory and Modelling, Theoretical and Experimental Ecology Station, CNRS and Paul Sabatier University)
Abstract
The spatial scaling of stability is key to understanding ecological sustainability across scales and the sensitivity of ecosystems to habitat destruction. Here we propose the invariability–area relationship (IAR) as a novel approach to investigate the spatial scaling of stability. The shape and slope of IAR are largely determined by patterns of spatial synchrony across scales. When synchrony decays exponentially with distance, IARs exhibit three phases, characterized by steeper increases in invariability at both small and large scales. Such triphasic IARs are observed for primary productivity from plot to continental scales. When synchrony decays as a power law with distance, IARs are quasilinear on a log–log scale. Such quasilinear IARs are observed for North American bird biomass at both species and community levels. The IAR provides a quantitative tool to predict the effects of habitat loss on population and ecosystem stability and to detect regime shifts in spatial ecological systems, which are goals of relevance to conservation and policy.
Suggested Citation
Shaopeng Wang & Michel Loreau & Jean-Francois Arnoldi & Jingyun Fang & K. Abd. Rahman & Shengli Tao & Claire de Mazancourt, 2017.
"An invariability-area relationship sheds new light on the spatial scaling of ecological stability,"
Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 8(1), pages 1-8, August.
Handle:
RePEc:nat:natcom:v:8:y:2017:i:1:d:10.1038_ncomms15211
DOI: 10.1038/ncomms15211
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Citations
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Cited by:
- Shanafelt, David W. & Serra-Diaz, Josep M. & Bocquého, Géraldine, 2023.
"Measuring uncertainty in ecosystem service correlations as a function of sample size,"
Ecosystem Services, Elsevier, vol. 63(C).
- David William Shanafelt & Michel Loreau, 2018.
"Stability trophic cascades in food chains,"
Post-Print
hal-02097236, HAL.
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