Transient Social-Ecological Stability: the Effects of Invasive Species and Ecosystem Restoration on Nutrient Management Compromise in Lake Erie
Together, lake ecosystems and local human activity form complex social-ecological systems (SESs) characterized by feedback loops and discontinuous change. Researchers in diverse fields have suggested that complex systems do not have single stable equilibria in the long term because of inevitable per...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Resilience Alliance
2010-03-01
|
| Series: | Ecology and Society |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.ecologyandsociety.org/vol15/iss1/art20/ |
| _version_ | 1818717196601262080 |
|---|---|
| author | Eric D. Roy Jay F. Martin Elena G. Irwin Joseph D. Conroy David A. Culver |
| author_facet | Eric D. Roy Jay F. Martin Elena G. Irwin Joseph D. Conroy David A. Culver |
| author_sort | Eric D. Roy |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Together, lake ecosystems and local human activity form complex social-ecological systems (SESs) characterized by feedback loops and discontinuous change. Researchers in diverse fields have suggested that complex systems do not have single stable equilibria in the long term because of inevitable perturbation. During this study, we sought to address the general question of whether or not stable social-ecological equilibria exist in highly stressed and managed lacustrine systems. Using an integrated human-biophysical model, we investigated the impacts of a species invasion and ecosystem restoration on SES equilibrium, defined here as a compromise in phosphorus management among opposing stakeholders, in western Lake Erie. Our integrated model is composed of a calibrated ecological submodel representing Sandusky Bay, and a phosphorus management submodel that reflects the societal benefits and costs of phosphorus regulation. These two submodels together form a dynamic feedback loop that includes freshwater ecology, ecosystem services, and phosphorus management. We found that the invasion of dreissenid mussels decreased ecosystem resistance to eutrophication, necessitating increased phosphorus management to preserve ecosystem services and thus creating the potential for a shift in social-ecological equilibrium. Additionally, our results suggest that net benefits in the region following the invasion of dreissenids may never again reach the pre-invasion level if on-site phosphorus control is the sole management lever. Further demonstrating transient system stability, large-scale wetland restoration shifted points of management compromise to states characterized by less on-site phosphorus management and higher environmental quality, resulting in a significant increase in net benefits in the region. We conclude that lacustrine SESs are open and dynamic, and we recommend that future models of these systems emphasize site-specific perturbation over equilibrium, thereby aiding the development of management plans for building system resistance to undesirable change that are both flexible and sustainable in an unknowable future. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-17T19:31:19Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-4444501659c14f7d89aa9fa56d809c40 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1708-3087 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-17T19:31:19Z |
| publishDate | 2010-03-01 |
| publisher | Resilience Alliance |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Ecology and Society |
| spelling | doaj.art-4444501659c14f7d89aa9fa56d809c402022-12-21T21:35:15ZengResilience AllianceEcology and Society1708-30872010-03-011512010.5751/ES-03184-1501203184Transient Social-Ecological Stability: the Effects of Invasive Species and Ecosystem Restoration on Nutrient Management Compromise in Lake ErieEric D. Roy0Jay F. Martin1Elena G. Irwin2Joseph D. Conroy3David A. Culver4Department of Food, Agricultural and Biological Engineering, Ohio State UniversityDepartment of Food, Agricultural and Biological Engineering, Ohio State UniversityDepartment of Agricultural, Environmental and Development Economics, Ohio State UniversityDepartment of Evolution, Ecology and Organismal Biology, Ohio State UniversityDepartment of Evolution, Ecology and Organismal Biology, Ohio State UniversityTogether, lake ecosystems and local human activity form complex social-ecological systems (SESs) characterized by feedback loops and discontinuous change. Researchers in diverse fields have suggested that complex systems do not have single stable equilibria in the long term because of inevitable perturbation. During this study, we sought to address the general question of whether or not stable social-ecological equilibria exist in highly stressed and managed lacustrine systems. Using an integrated human-biophysical model, we investigated the impacts of a species invasion and ecosystem restoration on SES equilibrium, defined here as a compromise in phosphorus management among opposing stakeholders, in western Lake Erie. Our integrated model is composed of a calibrated ecological submodel representing Sandusky Bay, and a phosphorus management submodel that reflects the societal benefits and costs of phosphorus regulation. These two submodels together form a dynamic feedback loop that includes freshwater ecology, ecosystem services, and phosphorus management. We found that the invasion of dreissenid mussels decreased ecosystem resistance to eutrophication, necessitating increased phosphorus management to preserve ecosystem services and thus creating the potential for a shift in social-ecological equilibrium. Additionally, our results suggest that net benefits in the region following the invasion of dreissenids may never again reach the pre-invasion level if on-site phosphorus control is the sole management lever. Further demonstrating transient system stability, large-scale wetland restoration shifted points of management compromise to states characterized by less on-site phosphorus management and higher environmental quality, resulting in a significant increase in net benefits in the region. We conclude that lacustrine SESs are open and dynamic, and we recommend that future models of these systems emphasize site-specific perturbation over equilibrium, thereby aiding the development of management plans for building system resistance to undesirable change that are both flexible and sustainable in an unknowable future.http://www.ecologyandsociety.org/vol15/iss1/art20/Dreissenaecosystem servicesinvasive speciesLake Erielake eutrophicationlake managementperturbationphosphorus |
| spellingShingle | Eric D. Roy Jay F. Martin Elena G. Irwin Joseph D. Conroy David A. Culver Transient Social-Ecological Stability: the Effects of Invasive Species and Ecosystem Restoration on Nutrient Management Compromise in Lake Erie Ecology and Society Dreissena ecosystem services invasive species Lake Erie lake eutrophication lake management perturbation phosphorus |
| title | Transient Social-Ecological Stability: the Effects of Invasive Species and Ecosystem Restoration on Nutrient Management Compromise in Lake Erie |
| title_full | Transient Social-Ecological Stability: the Effects of Invasive Species and Ecosystem Restoration on Nutrient Management Compromise in Lake Erie |
| title_fullStr | Transient Social-Ecological Stability: the Effects of Invasive Species and Ecosystem Restoration on Nutrient Management Compromise in Lake Erie |
| title_full_unstemmed | Transient Social-Ecological Stability: the Effects of Invasive Species and Ecosystem Restoration on Nutrient Management Compromise in Lake Erie |
| title_short | Transient Social-Ecological Stability: the Effects of Invasive Species and Ecosystem Restoration on Nutrient Management Compromise in Lake Erie |
| title_sort | transient social ecological stability the effects of invasive species and ecosystem restoration on nutrient management compromise in lake erie |
| topic | Dreissena ecosystem services invasive species Lake Erie lake eutrophication lake management perturbation phosphorus |
| url | http://www.ecologyandsociety.org/vol15/iss1/art20/ |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT ericdroy transientsocialecologicalstabilitytheeffectsofinvasivespeciesandecosystemrestorationonnutrientmanagementcompromiseinlakeerie AT jayfmartin transientsocialecologicalstabilitytheeffectsofinvasivespeciesandecosystemrestorationonnutrientmanagementcompromiseinlakeerie AT elenagirwin transientsocialecologicalstabilitytheeffectsofinvasivespeciesandecosystemrestorationonnutrientmanagementcompromiseinlakeerie AT josephdconroy transientsocialecologicalstabilitytheeffectsofinvasivespeciesandecosystemrestorationonnutrientmanagementcompromiseinlakeerie AT davidaculver transientsocialecologicalstabilitytheeffectsofinvasivespeciesandecosystemrestorationonnutrientmanagementcompromiseinlakeerie |