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History's legacy: Why future progress in ecology demands a view of the past
Ecology ( IF 4.8 ) Pub Date : 2022-06-19 , DOI: 10.1002/ecy.3788 James A Estes 1 , Geerat J Vermeij 2
Ecology ( IF 4.8 ) Pub Date : 2022-06-19 , DOI: 10.1002/ecy.3788 James A Estes 1 , Geerat J Vermeij 2
Affiliation
History has profoundly affected the composition, distribution, and abundances of species in contemporary ecosystems. A full understanding of how ecosystems work and change must therefore take history into account. We offer four well-studied examples illustrating how a knowledge of history has strengthened interpretations of modern systems: the development of molluscan antipredatory defenses in relation to shell-breaking predators; the North Pacific kelp ecosystem with sea otters, smaller predators, sea urchins, and large herbivores; estuarine ecosystems affected by the decline in oysters and other suspension feeders; and the legacy of extinct large herbivores and frugivores in tropical American forests. Many current ecological problems would greatly benefit from a historical perspective. We highlight four of these: soil depletion and tree stunting in forests related to the disappearance of large consumers; the spread of anoxic dead zones in the ocean, which we argue could be mitigated by restoring predator and suspension-feeding guilds; ocean acidification, which would be alleviated by more nutrient recycling by consumers in the aerobic ecosystem; and the relation between species diversity and keystone predators, a foundational concept that is complicated by simplified trophic relationships in modern ecosystems.
中文翻译:
历史的遗产:为什么生态学的未来进步需要回顾过去
历史深刻地影响了当代生态系统中物种的组成、分布和丰度。因此,全面了解生态系统如何运作和变化必须考虑历史。我们提供了四个经过充分研究的例子来说明历史知识如何加强对现代系统的解释:北太平洋海带生态系统,有海獭、小型捕食者、海胆和大型食草动物;受牡蛎和其他悬浮饲养动物减少影响的河口生态系统;以及美洲热带森林中已灭绝的大型食草动物和食果动物的遗产。从历史的角度来看,许多当前的生态问题将大有裨益。我们强调其中四个:与大消费者消失有关的森林土壤枯竭和树木发育不良;海洋中缺氧死区的蔓延,我们认为可以通过恢复捕食者和悬浮喂养行会来缓解这种情况;海洋酸化,有氧生态系统中的消费者可以通过更多的养分循环来缓解这种情况;以及物种多样性与主要捕食者之间的关系,这是一个基本概念,由于现代生态系统中简化的营养关系而变得复杂。
更新日期:2022-06-19
中文翻译:
历史的遗产:为什么生态学的未来进步需要回顾过去
历史深刻地影响了当代生态系统中物种的组成、分布和丰度。因此,全面了解生态系统如何运作和变化必须考虑历史。我们提供了四个经过充分研究的例子来说明历史知识如何加强对现代系统的解释:北太平洋海带生态系统,有海獭、小型捕食者、海胆和大型食草动物;受牡蛎和其他悬浮饲养动物减少影响的河口生态系统;以及美洲热带森林中已灭绝的大型食草动物和食果动物的遗产。从历史的角度来看,许多当前的生态问题将大有裨益。我们强调其中四个:与大消费者消失有关的森林土壤枯竭和树木发育不良;海洋中缺氧死区的蔓延,我们认为可以通过恢复捕食者和悬浮喂养行会来缓解这种情况;海洋酸化,有氧生态系统中的消费者可以通过更多的养分循环来缓解这种情况;以及物种多样性与主要捕食者之间的关系,这是一个基本概念,由于现代生态系统中简化的营养关系而变得复杂。