Long‐term ecological research and the COVID‐19 anthropause: A window to understanding social–ecological disturbance
Abstract The period of disrupted human activity caused by the COVID‐19 pandemic, coined the “anthropause,” altered the nature of interactions between humans and ecosystems. It is uncertain how the anthropause has changed ecosystem states, functions, and feedback to human systems through shifts in ec...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Wiley
2022-04-01
|
| Series: | Ecosphere |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1002/ecs2.4019 |
| _version_ | 1811241828137041920 |
|---|---|
| author | Evelyn E. Gaiser John S. Kominoski Diane M. McKnight Christie A. Bahlai Chingwen Cheng Sydne Record Wilfred M. Wollheim Kyle R. Christianson Martha R. Downs Peter A. Hawman Sally J. Holbrook Abhishek Kumar Deepak R. Mishra Noah P. Molotch Richard B. Primack Andrew Rassweiler Russell J. Schmitt Lori A. Sutter |
| author_facet | Evelyn E. Gaiser John S. Kominoski Diane M. McKnight Christie A. Bahlai Chingwen Cheng Sydne Record Wilfred M. Wollheim Kyle R. Christianson Martha R. Downs Peter A. Hawman Sally J. Holbrook Abhishek Kumar Deepak R. Mishra Noah P. Molotch Richard B. Primack Andrew Rassweiler Russell J. Schmitt Lori A. Sutter |
| author_sort | Evelyn E. Gaiser |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract The period of disrupted human activity caused by the COVID‐19 pandemic, coined the “anthropause,” altered the nature of interactions between humans and ecosystems. It is uncertain how the anthropause has changed ecosystem states, functions, and feedback to human systems through shifts in ecosystem services. Here, we used an existing disturbance framework to propose new investigation pathways for coordinated studies of distributed, long‐term social‐ecological research to capture effects of the anthropause. Although it is still too early to comprehensively evaluate effects due to pandemic‐related delays in data availability and ecological response lags, we detail three case studies that show how long‐term data can be used to document and interpret changes in air and water quality and wildlife populations and behavior coinciding with the anthropause. These early findings may guide interpretations of effects of the anthropause as it interacts with other ongoing environmental changes in the future, particularly highlighting the importance of long‐term data in separating disturbance impacts from natural variation and long‐term trends. Effects of this global disturbance have local to global effects on ecosystems with feedback to social systems that may be detectable at spatial scales captured by nationally to globally distributed research networks. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-12T13:41:59Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-6b88fa79f7a2410ba2860e2278710667 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2150-8925 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-12T13:41:59Z |
| publishDate | 2022-04-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Ecosphere |
| spelling | doaj.art-6b88fa79f7a2410ba2860e22787106672022-12-22T03:30:49ZengWileyEcosphere2150-89252022-04-01134n/an/a10.1002/ecs2.4019Long‐term ecological research and the COVID‐19 anthropause: A window to understanding social–ecological disturbanceEvelyn E. Gaiser0John S. Kominoski1Diane M. McKnight2Christie A. Bahlai3Chingwen Cheng4Sydne Record5Wilfred M. Wollheim6Kyle R. Christianson7Martha R. Downs8Peter A. Hawman9Sally J. Holbrook10Abhishek Kumar11Deepak R. Mishra12Noah P. Molotch13Richard B. Primack14Andrew Rassweiler15Russell J. Schmitt16Lori A. Sutter17Institute of Environment and Department of Biological Sciences Florida International University Miami Florida USAInstitute of Environment and Department of Biological Sciences Florida International University Miami Florida USAInstitute of Arctic and Alpine Research and Environmental Studies Program University of Colorado Boulder Colorado USADepartment of Biological Sciences Kent State University Kent Ohio USAThe Design School Arizona State University Tempe Arizona USADepartment of Biology Bryn Mawr College Bryn Mawr Pennsylvania USADepartment of Natural Resources and the Environment University of New Hampshire Durham New Hampshire USAInstitute of Arctic and Alpine Research University of Colorado Boulder Colorado USANational Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis University of California Santa Barbara Santa Barbara California USADepartment of Geography University of Georgia Athens Georgia USADepartment of Ecology, Evolution and Marine Biology University of California Santa Barbara Santa Barbara California USADepartment of Environmental Conservation University of Massachusetts Amherst Amherst Massachusetts USADepartment of Geography University of Georgia Athens Georgia USAInstitute of Arctic and Alpine Research University of Colorado Boulder Colorado USADepartment of Biology Boston University Boston Massachusetts USADepartment of Biological Science Florida State University Tallahassee Florida USADepartment of Ecology, Evolution and Marine Biology University of California Santa Barbara Santa Barbara California USAWarnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources University of Georgia Athens Georgia USAAbstract The period of disrupted human activity caused by the COVID‐19 pandemic, coined the “anthropause,” altered the nature of interactions between humans and ecosystems. It is uncertain how the anthropause has changed ecosystem states, functions, and feedback to human systems through shifts in ecosystem services. Here, we used an existing disturbance framework to propose new investigation pathways for coordinated studies of distributed, long‐term social‐ecological research to capture effects of the anthropause. Although it is still too early to comprehensively evaluate effects due to pandemic‐related delays in data availability and ecological response lags, we detail three case studies that show how long‐term data can be used to document and interpret changes in air and water quality and wildlife populations and behavior coinciding with the anthropause. These early findings may guide interpretations of effects of the anthropause as it interacts with other ongoing environmental changes in the future, particularly highlighting the importance of long‐term data in separating disturbance impacts from natural variation and long‐term trends. Effects of this global disturbance have local to global effects on ecosystems with feedback to social systems that may be detectable at spatial scales captured by nationally to globally distributed research networks.https://doi.org/10.1002/ecs2.4019ecosystemsfeedbackLTERpresspulserecovery |
| spellingShingle | Evelyn E. Gaiser John S. Kominoski Diane M. McKnight Christie A. Bahlai Chingwen Cheng Sydne Record Wilfred M. Wollheim Kyle R. Christianson Martha R. Downs Peter A. Hawman Sally J. Holbrook Abhishek Kumar Deepak R. Mishra Noah P. Molotch Richard B. Primack Andrew Rassweiler Russell J. Schmitt Lori A. Sutter Long‐term ecological research and the COVID‐19 anthropause: A window to understanding social–ecological disturbance Ecosphere ecosystems feedback LTER press pulse recovery |
| title | Long‐term ecological research and the COVID‐19 anthropause: A window to understanding social–ecological disturbance |
| title_full | Long‐term ecological research and the COVID‐19 anthropause: A window to understanding social–ecological disturbance |
| title_fullStr | Long‐term ecological research and the COVID‐19 anthropause: A window to understanding social–ecological disturbance |
| title_full_unstemmed | Long‐term ecological research and the COVID‐19 anthropause: A window to understanding social–ecological disturbance |
| title_short | Long‐term ecological research and the COVID‐19 anthropause: A window to understanding social–ecological disturbance |
| title_sort | long term ecological research and the covid 19 anthropause a window to understanding social ecological disturbance |
| topic | ecosystems feedback LTER press pulse recovery |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1002/ecs2.4019 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT evelynegaiser longtermecologicalresearchandthecovid19anthropauseawindowtounderstandingsocialecologicaldisturbance AT johnskominoski longtermecologicalresearchandthecovid19anthropauseawindowtounderstandingsocialecologicaldisturbance AT dianemmcknight longtermecologicalresearchandthecovid19anthropauseawindowtounderstandingsocialecologicaldisturbance AT christieabahlai longtermecologicalresearchandthecovid19anthropauseawindowtounderstandingsocialecologicaldisturbance AT chingwencheng longtermecologicalresearchandthecovid19anthropauseawindowtounderstandingsocialecologicaldisturbance AT sydnerecord longtermecologicalresearchandthecovid19anthropauseawindowtounderstandingsocialecologicaldisturbance AT wilfredmwollheim longtermecologicalresearchandthecovid19anthropauseawindowtounderstandingsocialecologicaldisturbance AT kylerchristianson longtermecologicalresearchandthecovid19anthropauseawindowtounderstandingsocialecologicaldisturbance AT marthardowns longtermecologicalresearchandthecovid19anthropauseawindowtounderstandingsocialecologicaldisturbance AT peterahawman longtermecologicalresearchandthecovid19anthropauseawindowtounderstandingsocialecologicaldisturbance AT sallyjholbrook longtermecologicalresearchandthecovid19anthropauseawindowtounderstandingsocialecologicaldisturbance AT abhishekkumar longtermecologicalresearchandthecovid19anthropauseawindowtounderstandingsocialecologicaldisturbance AT deepakrmishra longtermecologicalresearchandthecovid19anthropauseawindowtounderstandingsocialecologicaldisturbance AT noahpmolotch longtermecologicalresearchandthecovid19anthropauseawindowtounderstandingsocialecologicaldisturbance AT richardbprimack longtermecologicalresearchandthecovid19anthropauseawindowtounderstandingsocialecologicaldisturbance AT andrewrassweiler longtermecologicalresearchandthecovid19anthropauseawindowtounderstandingsocialecologicaldisturbance AT russelljschmitt longtermecologicalresearchandthecovid19anthropauseawindowtounderstandingsocialecologicaldisturbance AT loriasutter longtermecologicalresearchandthecovid19anthropauseawindowtounderstandingsocialecologicaldisturbance |