Behavioral self-organization underlies the resilience of a coastal ecosystem
de Paoli, H.C.; van der Heide, T.; van den Berg, A.; Silliman, B.R.; Herman, P.M.J.; van de Koppel, J. (2017). Behavioral self-organization underlies the resilience of a coastal ecosystem. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 114(30): 8035-8040. https://dx.doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1619203114Additional data: In: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. The Academy: Washington, D.C.. ISSN 0027-8424; e-ISSN 1091-6490, more |   |
| Keyword | Mytilus edulis Linnaeus, 1758 [WoRMS]
| | Author keywords | self-organization; resilience; multiscale patterns; ecosystems; mussels |
| Authors | | Top | - de Paoli, H.C., more
- van der Heide, T.
- van den Berg, A., more
| - Silliman, B.R.
- Herman, P.M.J., more
- van de Koppel, J., more
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| Abstract | Self-organized spatial patterns occur in many terrestrial, aquatic, and marine ecosystems. Theoretical models and observational studies suggest self-organization, the formation of patterns due to ecological interactions, is critical for enhanced ecosystem resilience. However, experimental tests of this cross-ecosystem theory are lacking. In this study, we experimentally test the hypothesis that self-organized pattern formation improves the persistence of mussel beds (Mytilus edulis) on intertidal flats. In natural beds, mussels generate self-organized patterns at two different spatial scales: regularly spaced clusters of mussels at centimeter scale driven by behavioral aggregation and large-scale, regularly spaced bands at meter scale driven by ecological feedback mechanisms. To test for the relative importance of these two spatial scales of self-organization on mussel bed persistence, we conducted field manipulations in which we factorially constructed small-scale and/or large-scale patterns. Our results revealed that both forms of self-organization enhanced the persistence of the constructed mussel beds in comparison to nonorganized beds. Small-scale, behaviorally driven cluster patterns were found to be crucial for persistence, and thus resistance to wave disturbance, whereas large-scale, self-organized patterns facilitated reformation of small-scale patterns if mussels were dislodged. This study provides experimental evidence that self-organization can be paramount to enhancing ecosystem persistence. We conclude that ecosystems with self-organized spatial patterns are likely to benefit greatly from conservation and restoration actions that use the emergent effects of self-organization to increase ecosystem resistance to disturbance. |
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