Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA.
Center for Biodiversity and Global Change, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA.
J Anim Ecol. 2021 Jul;90(7):1605-1622. doi: 10.1111/1365-2656.13538. Epub 2021 Jun 3.
Energy, nutrients and organisms move over landscapes, connecting ecosystems across space and time. Meta-ecosystem theory investigates the emerging properties of local ecosystems coupled spatially by these movements of organisms and matter, by explicitly tracking exchanges of multiple substances across ecosystem borders. To date, meta-ecosystem research has focused mostly on abiotic flows-neglecting biotic nutrient flows. However, recent work has indicated animals act as spatial nutrient vectors when they transport nutrients across landscapes in the form of excreta, egesta and their own bodies. Partly due to its high level of abstraction, there are few empirical tests of meta-ecosystem theory. Furthermore, while animals may be viewed as important mediators of ecosystem functions, better integration of tools is needed to develop predictive insights of their relative roles and impacts on diverse ecosystems. We present a methodological roadmap that explains how to do such integration by discussing how to combine insights from movement, foraging and ecosystem ecology to develop a coherent understanding of animal-vectored nutrient transport on meta-ecosystems processes. We discuss how the slate of newly developed technologies and methods-tracking devices, mechanistic movement models, diet reconstruction techniques and remote sensing-that when integrated have the potential to advance the quantification of animal-vectored nutrient flows and increase the predictive power of meta-ecosystem theory. We demonstrate that by integrating novel and established tools of animal ecology, ecosystem ecology and remote sensing, we can begin to identify and quantify animal-mediated nutrient translocation by large animals. We also provide conceptual examples that show how our proposed integration of methodologies can help investigate ecosystem impacts of large animal movement. We conclude by describing practical advancements to understanding cross-ecosystem contributions of animals on the move. Understanding the mechanisms by which animals shape ecosystem dynamics is important for ongoing conservation, rewilding and restoration initiatives around the world, and for developing more accurate models of ecosystem nutrient budgets. Our roadmap will enable ecologists to better qualify and quantify animal-mediated nutrient translocation for animals on the move.
能量、养分和生物在景观中移动，将不同时空的生态系统连接起来。元生态系统理论通过明确追踪生态系统边界跨越的多种物质交换，研究了通过这些生物和物质的空间运动耦合的局部生态系统的新兴特性。迄今为止，元生态系统研究主要集中在非生物流动上——忽略了生物养分流动。然而，最近的研究表明，当动物以粪便、排遗物和自身身体的形式将养分跨景观运输时，它们充当了空间养分载体。部分由于其高度的抽象性，对元生态系统理论的实证检验很少。此外，尽管动物可以被视为生态系统功能的重要调节者，但需要更好地整合工具，以发展对其在不同生态系统中的相对作用和影响的预测性见解。我们提出了一种方法学路线图，通过讨论如何将运动、觅食和生态系统生态学的见解结合起来，为理解动物载体养分在元生态系统过程中的运输提供一个连贯的认识，来说明如何进行这种整合。我们讨论了新开发的技术和方法（追踪设备、机制运动模型、饮食重建技术和遥感）如何结合起来，有可能推进动物载体养分流动的量化，并提高元生态系统理论的预测能力。我们证明，通过整合动物生态学、生态系统生态学和遥感的新的和现有的工具，我们可以开始识别和量化大型动物介导的养分转移。我们还提供了概念性的例子，展示了我们提出的方法整合如何帮助研究大型动物运动对生态系统的影响。最后，我们描述了在理解动物跨生态系统贡献方面的实际进展。了解动物塑造生态系统动态的机制对于全球范围内正在进行的保护、重新野化和恢复倡议以及开发更准确的生态系统养分预算模型都很重要。我们的路线图将使生态学家能够更好地定性和定量移动动物介导的养分转移。
