Journal
ANNUAL REVIEW OF ECOLOGY EVOLUTION AND SYSTEMATICS
Volume 40, Issue -, Pages 393-414Publisher
ANNUAL REVIEWS
DOI: 10.1146/annurev.ecolsys.39.110707.173349
Keywords
environmental change; species tolerance; stability; synchrony
Categories
Funding
- Canada Research Chair program
- NSERC Discovery
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Ecological communities are constantly responding to environmental change. Theory and evidence suggest that the loss or decline of stress-intolerant species can be compensated for by the growth of other species. Compensatory dynamics are a long-term feature of community dynamics across a broad range of models, and they can have strong stabilizing effects at the community level. Coexistence theory indicates that distinct environmental responses are required for compensatory dynamics and deemphasizes competition. Compensatory dynamics have been detected under experimental conditions, but are not dominant in a metanalysis of field surveys. Recent progress has been made in quantitative methods that detect compensatory dynamics at different temporal scales. Appropriate null models are required to sharpen our understanding of compensatory dynamics in nature. An integrated theory of compensation and compensatory dynamics will improve our ability to understand when communities maintain sufficient response diversity to buffer the effects of environmental change and anthropogenic stress.
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