Facultative mutualisms: A double‐edged sword for foundation species in the face of anthropogenic global change
Abstract Ecosystems worldwide depend on habitat‐forming foundation species that often facilitate themselves with increasing density and patch size, while also engaging in facultative mutualisms. Anthropogenic global change (e.g., climate change, eutrophication, overharvest, land‐use change), however...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Wiley
2021-01-01
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| Series: | Ecology and Evolution |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.7044 |
| _version_ | 1831537068252069888 |
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| author | Tjisse van derHeide Christine Angelini Jimmy deFouw Johan S. Eklöf |
| author_facet | Tjisse van derHeide Christine Angelini Jimmy deFouw Johan S. Eklöf |
| author_sort | Tjisse van derHeide |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Ecosystems worldwide depend on habitat‐forming foundation species that often facilitate themselves with increasing density and patch size, while also engaging in facultative mutualisms. Anthropogenic global change (e.g., climate change, eutrophication, overharvest, land‐use change), however, is causing rapid declines of foundation species‐structured ecosystems, often typified by sudden collapse. Although disruption of obligate mutualisms involving foundation species is known to precipitate collapse (e.g., coral bleaching), how facultative mutualisms (i.e., context‐dependent, nonbinding reciprocal interactions) affect ecosystem resilience is uncertain. Here, we synthesize recent advancements and combine these with model analyses supported by real‐world examples, to propose that facultative mutualisms may pose a double‐edged sword for foundation species. We suggest that by amplifying self‐facilitative feedbacks by foundation species, facultative mutualisms can increase foundation species’ resistance to stress from anthropogenic impact. Simultaneously, however, mutualism dependency can generate or exacerbate bistability, implying a potential for sudden collapse when the mutualism's buffering capacity is exceeded, while recovery requires conditions to improve beyond the initial collapse point (hysteresis). Thus, our work emphasizes the importance of acknowledging facultative mutualisms for conservation and restoration of foundation species‐structured ecosystems, but highlights the potential risk of relying on mutualisms in the face of global change. We argue that significant caveats remain regarding the determination of these feedbacks, and suggest empirical manipulation across stress gradients as a way forward to identify related nonlinear responses. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-16T22:59:39Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-06272f7402644443aac2553a256458e1 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2045-7758 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-16T22:59:39Z |
| publishDate | 2021-01-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Ecology and Evolution |
| spelling | doaj.art-06272f7402644443aac2553a256458e12022-12-21T22:12:46ZengWileyEcology and Evolution2045-77582021-01-01111294410.1002/ece3.7044Facultative mutualisms: A double‐edged sword for foundation species in the face of anthropogenic global changeTjisse van derHeide0Christine Angelini1Jimmy deFouw2Johan S. Eklöf3Department of Coastal Systems Royal Netherlands Institute of Sea Research and Utrecht University Den Burg The NetherlandsDepartment of Environmental Engineering Sciences Engineering School for Sustainable Infrastructure and the Environment University of Florida Gainesville FL USADepartment of Aquatic Ecology & Environmental Biology Institute for Water and Wetland Research Radboud University Nijmegen The NetherlandsDepartment of Ecology, Environment and Plant Sciences Stockholm University Stockholm SwedenAbstract Ecosystems worldwide depend on habitat‐forming foundation species that often facilitate themselves with increasing density and patch size, while also engaging in facultative mutualisms. Anthropogenic global change (e.g., climate change, eutrophication, overharvest, land‐use change), however, is causing rapid declines of foundation species‐structured ecosystems, often typified by sudden collapse. Although disruption of obligate mutualisms involving foundation species is known to precipitate collapse (e.g., coral bleaching), how facultative mutualisms (i.e., context‐dependent, nonbinding reciprocal interactions) affect ecosystem resilience is uncertain. Here, we synthesize recent advancements and combine these with model analyses supported by real‐world examples, to propose that facultative mutualisms may pose a double‐edged sword for foundation species. We suggest that by amplifying self‐facilitative feedbacks by foundation species, facultative mutualisms can increase foundation species’ resistance to stress from anthropogenic impact. Simultaneously, however, mutualism dependency can generate or exacerbate bistability, implying a potential for sudden collapse when the mutualism's buffering capacity is exceeded, while recovery requires conditions to improve beyond the initial collapse point (hysteresis). Thus, our work emphasizes the importance of acknowledging facultative mutualisms for conservation and restoration of foundation species‐structured ecosystems, but highlights the potential risk of relying on mutualisms in the face of global change. We argue that significant caveats remain regarding the determination of these feedbacks, and suggest empirical manipulation across stress gradients as a way forward to identify related nonlinear responses.https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.7044alternative stable statesanthropogenic global changebistabilityestablishment thresholdfacultative mutualismfoundation species |
| spellingShingle | Tjisse van derHeide Christine Angelini Jimmy deFouw Johan S. Eklöf Facultative mutualisms: A double‐edged sword for foundation species in the face of anthropogenic global change Ecology and Evolution alternative stable states anthropogenic global change bistability establishment threshold facultative mutualism foundation species |
| title | Facultative mutualisms: A double‐edged sword for foundation species in the face of anthropogenic global change |
| title_full | Facultative mutualisms: A double‐edged sword for foundation species in the face of anthropogenic global change |
| title_fullStr | Facultative mutualisms: A double‐edged sword for foundation species in the face of anthropogenic global change |
| title_full_unstemmed | Facultative mutualisms: A double‐edged sword for foundation species in the face of anthropogenic global change |
| title_short | Facultative mutualisms: A double‐edged sword for foundation species in the face of anthropogenic global change |
| title_sort | facultative mutualisms a double edged sword for foundation species in the face of anthropogenic global change |
| topic | alternative stable states anthropogenic global change bistability establishment threshold facultative mutualism foundation species |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.7044 |
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