Essential Site Maintenance: Authorea-powered sites will be updated circa 15:00-17:00 Eastern on Tuesday 5 November.
There should be no interruption to normal services, but please contact us at [email protected] in case you face any issues.

loading page

A general meta-ecosystem model to predict ecosystem functions at landscape extents
  • +14
  • Eric Harvey,
  • Justin marleau,
  • Isabelle Gounand,
  • Shawn Leroux,
  • Carina Firkowski,
  • Florian Altermatt,
  • F. Guillaume Blanchet,
  • Kevin Cazelles,
  • Cindy Chu,
  • Cassidy D'Aloia,
  • Louis Donelle,
  • Dominique Gravel,
  • Frederic Guichard,
  • Kevin McCann,
  • Jonathan Ruppert,
  • Colette Ward,
  • Marie-Josee Fortin
Eric Harvey
Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières

Corresponding Author:[email protected]

Author Profile
Justin marleau
McGill University
Author Profile
Isabelle Gounand
Institute of Ecology and Environmental Sciences (iEES-Paris)
Author Profile
Shawn Leroux
Memorial University of Newfoundland
Author Profile
Carina Firkowski
University of Toronto
Author Profile
Florian Altermatt
Eawag Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology
Author Profile
F. Guillaume Blanchet
Université de Sherbrooke
Author Profile
Kevin Cazelles
University of Guelph
Author Profile
Cindy Chu
Fisheries and Oceans Canada
Author Profile
Cassidy D'Aloia
University of Toronto Mississauga
Author Profile
Louis Donelle
University of Toronto
Author Profile
Dominique Gravel
Université de Sherbrooke
Author Profile
Frederic Guichard
McGill University
Author Profile
Kevin McCann
University of Guelph
Author Profile
Jonathan Ruppert
University of Toronto
Author Profile
Colette Ward
Fisheries and Oceans Canada
Author Profile
Marie-Josee Fortin
University of Toronto
Author Profile

Abstract

The integration of ecosystem processes over large spatial extents is critical to predicting whether and how global changes may impact biodiversity and ecosystem functions. Yet, there remains an important gap in meta-ecosystem models to predict multiple functions (e.g., carbon sequestration, elemental cycling, trophic efficiency) across ecosystem types (e.g., terrestrial-aquatic, benthic-pelagic). We derive a flexible meta-ecosystem model to predict ecosystem functions at landscape extents by integrating the spatial dimension of natural systems as spatial networks of different habitat types connected by cross-ecosystem flows of materials and organisms. We partition the physical connectedness of ecosystems from the spatial flow rates of materials and organisms, allowing the representation of all types of connectivity across ecosystem boundaries as well as the interaction(s) between them. Through simulating a forest-lake-stream meta-ecosystem, our model illustrated that even if spatial flows induced significant local losses of nutrients, differences in local ecosystem efficiencies could lead to increased secondary production at regional scale. This emergent result, which we dub the ‘cross-ecosystem efficiency hypothesis’, emphasizes the importance of integrating ecosystem diversity and complementarity in meta-ecosystem models to generate empirically testable hypotheses for ecosystem functions.
03 Feb 2023Submitted to Ecography
06 Feb 2023Submission Checks Completed
06 Feb 2023Assigned to Editor
06 Feb 2023Review(s) Completed, Editorial Evaluation Pending
16 Feb 2023Reviewer(s) Assigned
08 Apr 2023Editorial Decision: Revise Major
05 Jun 20231st Revision Received
07 Jun 2023Submission Checks Completed
07 Jun 2023Assigned to Editor
07 Jun 2023Review(s) Completed, Editorial Evaluation Pending
20 Jun 2023Reviewer(s) Assigned
12 Jul 2023Editorial Decision: Accept