resilience of reefs Flashcards
What is ecological resilience?
Ecological resilience refers to an ecosystem’s ability to absorb disturbances, reorganize, and adapt to change. It involves systems that can return to equilibrium or shift to a new stable state.
What is the single equilibrium model?
Stability near one equilibrium state, emphasizing resistance to disturbance and speed of recovery.
What is the multi-equilibrium model?
Ecosystems with multiple stable states, where phase shifts can occur if the system’s resilience decreases.
What is the ball and topography analogy in resilience models?
In the single-equilibrium model, resilience is like a ball on a hill: the system resists disturbances and returns quickly to equilibrium. In multi-equilibrium models, the ball can move between valleys (stable states) depending on disturbances.
What is the impact of decreased equilibrium resilience on coral reefs?
If resilience decreases, a system becomes more susceptible to disturbances and may undergo a phase shift, potentially leading to irreversible changes unless actively managed.
What is coral recruitment?
Coral recruitment is the process of new corals arriving on the reef, typically through sexual reproduction, which helps maintain the reef’s health and resilience.
What is single-species management?
Single-species management focuses on managing a single resource or species to maintain current conditions, avoid natural disturbances, and reduce variability. It keeps humans separate from ecosystem dynamics.
What is ecosystem-based management?
Ecosystem-based management manages multiple species, habitats, and ecosystem services, accepts natural disturbances, and plans for a range of variability. Humans are considered part of the ecosystem.
What is resilience-based management?
Resilience-based management aims to sustain ecosystem services that support human wellbeing, plan for large-scale changes, and manage ecosystems in a way that maintains diversity, variability, and social-ecological properties.
