Zhang Tian-You, Chen Zhi, Wen Zhong-Ming, Yu Gui-Rui
College of Grassland Agriculture, Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100, Shaanxi, China.
Key Laboratory of Ecosystem Network Observation and Modeling, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China.
Ying Yong Sheng Tai Xue Bao. 2022 Mar;33(3):613-622. doi: 10.13287/j.1001-9332.202203.021.
With the exacerbating disturbances of climate changes and human activities to terrestrial ecosystems, more and more studies realize that ecosystems are at the risk of shifts without warning in structural and functional states and recovery from perturbations require more time. Developing an early warning model to identify critical transition and understanding its ecological mechanism of typical ecosystems have become hotspot in ecological researches. At present, based on theoretical and experimental researches across multiple spatiotemporal scales, a variety of theoretical frameworks and indicators of early warning signals (EWSs) were proposed to signal terrestrial ecosystem critical transition. Here, in order to more thoroughly understand and construct theoretical frameworks and indicators of early warning signals, we reviewed advances in critical transitions from aspects of theoretical methods and processing mechanisms. Catastrophe theory and critical slowing down (CSD) are the two basic theories for early-warning ecosystem state transitions. Self-organization and feedback mechanisms are the primary ecological mechanisms to shape alternative stable state. Understanding cascade effects networks (CENet) among biological and environmental elements, and clarifying the equilibrium relationships between input and output of key ecosystem parameters are theoretical foundation of critical transition model. These theoretical cognitions could provide useful references to early warning of ecosystem disasters, ecological environment management and restoration.
随着气候变化和人类活动对陆地生态系统的干扰日益加剧，越来越多的研究认识到生态系统存在结构和功能状态无预警转变的风险，且从扰动中恢复需要更长时间。开发用于识别关键转变的预警模型并理解典型生态系统的生态机制已成为生态学研究的热点。目前，基于跨多个时空尺度的理论和实验研究，提出了多种理论框架和预警信号指标来指示陆地生态系统的关键转变。在此，为了更全面地理解和构建预警信号的理论框架和指标，我们从理论方法和作用机制方面综述了关键转变的研究进展。突变理论和临界减缓是预警生态系统状态转变的两个基本理论。自组织和反馈机制是形成替代稳定状态的主要生态机制。理解生物和环境要素之间的级联效应网络，阐明关键生态系统参数输入与输出之间的平衡关系是关键转变模型的理论基础。这些理论认知可为生态系统灾害预警、生态环境管理与恢复提供有益参考。
