Similarity of anthropogenic stressors is multifaceted and scale dependent
Abstract Human influences have created a world where all ecosystems are exposed to multiple stressors with diverse characteristics and impacts. Organizing this ever‐expanding list of stressors presents the opportunity to derive general rules, to understand effects and to improve predictions. Assessi...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Wiley-VCH
2022-01-01
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| Series: | Natural Sciences |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1002/ntls.20210076 |
| _version_ | 1828136745017802752 |
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| author | James A. Orr Matthias C. Rillig Michelle C. Jackson |
| author_facet | James A. Orr Matthias C. Rillig Michelle C. Jackson |
| author_sort | James A. Orr |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Human influences have created a world where all ecosystems are exposed to multiple stressors with diverse characteristics and impacts. Organizing this ever‐expanding list of stressors presents the opportunity to derive general rules, to understand effects and to improve predictions. Assessing the similarity of anthropogenic stressors can be approached from different perspectives, which we synthesize here. Stressors can be compared by asking what they are (traits), why they are present (sources), where they occur (spatial overlap), when they occur (temporal overlap), how they affect organisms (mode of action) and who they affect (co‐tolerance). Some concepts of stressor similarity are thus related to intrinsic features of the stressors themselves (e.g. sources and traits), while other concepts pertain to the similarity of the effects of stressors and are therefore dependent on the ecological scale at which the effects of stressors are measured (e.g. mode of action and co‐tolerance). Viewing stressor similarity as a multi‐faceted and scale‐dependent concept will open new avenues for stressor classification, will enhance predictions of the combined effects of stressors and may even inform the management of novel or emerging stressors. Keypoints The anthropogenic stressors that are impacting biodiversity and ecosystem functioning worldwide can be physical (e.g. warming), chemical (e.g. pesticides) or biological (e.g. disease) in nature. We show that stressors can be compared by asking what they are, why they are present, where they occur, when they occur, how they affect organisms and who, or which organisms, they affect. Understanding the similarity of stressors requires interdisciplinary collaboration and will help us to manage species and habitats threatend by a growing number of stressors. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-11T18:07:57Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-c665245a18984f158bb766153de11eeb |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2698-6248 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-11T18:07:57Z |
| publishDate | 2022-01-01 |
| publisher | Wiley-VCH |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Natural Sciences |
| spelling | doaj.art-c665245a18984f158bb766153de11eeb2022-12-22T04:10:15ZengWiley-VCHNatural Sciences2698-62482022-01-0121n/an/a10.1002/ntls.20210076Similarity of anthropogenic stressors is multifaceted and scale dependentJames A. Orr0Matthias C. Rillig1Michelle C. Jackson2Department of Zoology University of Oxford Oxford UKFreie Universität Berlin Institut für Biologie Berlin GermanyDepartment of Zoology University of Oxford Oxford UKAbstract Human influences have created a world where all ecosystems are exposed to multiple stressors with diverse characteristics and impacts. Organizing this ever‐expanding list of stressors presents the opportunity to derive general rules, to understand effects and to improve predictions. Assessing the similarity of anthropogenic stressors can be approached from different perspectives, which we synthesize here. Stressors can be compared by asking what they are (traits), why they are present (sources), where they occur (spatial overlap), when they occur (temporal overlap), how they affect organisms (mode of action) and who they affect (co‐tolerance). Some concepts of stressor similarity are thus related to intrinsic features of the stressors themselves (e.g. sources and traits), while other concepts pertain to the similarity of the effects of stressors and are therefore dependent on the ecological scale at which the effects of stressors are measured (e.g. mode of action and co‐tolerance). Viewing stressor similarity as a multi‐faceted and scale‐dependent concept will open new avenues for stressor classification, will enhance predictions of the combined effects of stressors and may even inform the management of novel or emerging stressors. Keypoints The anthropogenic stressors that are impacting biodiversity and ecosystem functioning worldwide can be physical (e.g. warming), chemical (e.g. pesticides) or biological (e.g. disease) in nature. We show that stressors can be compared by asking what they are, why they are present, where they occur, when they occur, how they affect organisms and who, or which organisms, they affect. Understanding the similarity of stressors requires interdisciplinary collaboration and will help us to manage species and habitats threatend by a growing number of stressors.https://doi.org/10.1002/ntls.20210076classificationinteractionsmultiple driversmultiple factorsmultiple stressorsnon‐additivity |
| spellingShingle | James A. Orr Matthias C. Rillig Michelle C. Jackson Similarity of anthropogenic stressors is multifaceted and scale dependent Natural Sciences classification interactions multiple drivers multiple factors multiple stressors non‐additivity |
| title | Similarity of anthropogenic stressors is multifaceted and scale dependent |
| title_full | Similarity of anthropogenic stressors is multifaceted and scale dependent |
| title_fullStr | Similarity of anthropogenic stressors is multifaceted and scale dependent |
| title_full_unstemmed | Similarity of anthropogenic stressors is multifaceted and scale dependent |
| title_short | Similarity of anthropogenic stressors is multifaceted and scale dependent |
| title_sort | similarity of anthropogenic stressors is multifaceted and scale dependent |
| topic | classification interactions multiple drivers multiple factors multiple stressors non‐additivity |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1002/ntls.20210076 |
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