The long and the short of it: Mechanisms of synchronous and compensatory dynamics across temporal scales

Shoemaker, LG, Hallett, LM, Zhao, L, Reuman, DC, Wang, S, Cottingham, KL, Hobbs, RJ, Castorani, MCN, Downing, AL, Dudney, JC, Fey, SB, Gherardi, LA, Lany, N, Portales-Reyes, C, Rypel, AL, Sheppard, LW, Walter, JA and Suding, KN 2022 The long and the short of it: Mechanisms of synchronous and compensatory dynamics across temporal scales. Ecology, e3650. https://doi.org/10.1002/ecy.3650

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Abstract/Summary

Synchronous dynamics (fluctuations that occur in unison) are universal phenomena with widespread implications for ecological stability. Synchronous dynamics can amplify the destabilizing effect of environmental variability on ecosystem functions such as productivity, whereas the inverse, compensatory dynamics, can stabilize function. Here we combine simulation and empirical analyses to elucidate mechanisms that underlie patterns of synchronous versus compensatory dynamics. In both simulated and empirical communities, we show that synchronous and compensatory dynamics are not mutually exclusive but instead can vary by timescale. Our simulations identify multiple mechanisms that can generate timescale-specific patterns, including different environmental drivers, diverse life histories, dispersal, and non-stationary dynamics. We find that traditional metrics for quantifying synchronous dynamics are often biased toward long-term drivers and may miss the importance of short-term drivers. Our findings indicate key mechanisms to consider when assessing synchronous versus compensatory dynamics and our approach provides a pathway for disentangling these dynamics in natural systems.

Item Type:	Publication - Article
Additional Keywords:	Community Dynamics, Compensatory Dynamics, Disturbance, Environmental Fluctuations, Life History, Metacommunity, Stability, Variance Ratio
Subjects:	Aquaculture Ecology and Environment Marine Sciences
Divisions:	Marine Biological Association of the UK > Other (MBA)
Depositing User:	Tamar Atkinson
Date made live:	29 Apr 2022 15:26
Last Modified:	29 Apr 2022 15:26
URI:	https://plymsea.ac.uk/id/eprint/9651

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