Institute for Complex Systems and Mathematical Biology, School of Natural and Computing Sciences, King's College, University of Aberdeen, AB24 3UE, UK.
Max Planck Institute for the Physics of Complex Systems, Nöthnitzer Straße 38, Dresden 01187, Germany.
J R Soc Interface. 2022 Sep;19(194):20220438. doi: 10.1098/rsif.2022.0438. Epub 2022 Sep 28.
A tipping point presents perhaps the single most significant threat to an ecological system as it can lead to abrupt species extinction on a massive scale. Climate changes leading to the species decay parameter drifts can drive various ecological systems towards a tipping point. We investigate the tipping-point dynamics in multi-layer ecological networks supported by mutualism. We unveil a natural mechanism by which the occurrence of tipping points can be delayed by multiplexity that broadly describes the diversity of the species abundances, the complexity of the interspecific relationships, and the topology of linkages in ecological networks. For a double-layer system of pollinators and plants, coupling between the network layers occurs when there is dispersal of pollinator species. Multiplexity emerges as the dispersing species establish their presence in the destination layer and have a simultaneous presence in both. We demonstrate that the new mutualistic links induced by the dispersing species with the residence species have fundamental benefits to the well-being of the ecosystem in delaying the tipping point and facilitating species recovery. Articulating and implementing control mechanisms to induce multiplexity can thus help sustain certain types of ecosystems that are in danger of extinction as the result of environmental changes.
一个临界点的出现可能是生态系统面临的最重大威胁之一，因为它可能导致大规模物种灭绝。导致物种衰减参数漂移的气候变化会促使各种生态系统走向临界点。我们研究了由互利共生支持的多层生态网络中的临界点动态。我们揭示了一种自然机制，即通过广义描述物种丰度多样性、种间关系复杂性和生态网络连接拓扑结构的多重性，可以延迟临界点的发生。对于传粉者和植物的双层系统，当传粉者物种扩散时，网络层之间就会发生耦合。当扩散物种在目的地层中出现并同时存在于两个层中时，就会出现多重性。我们证明，由扩散物种与居留物种形成的新的互利关系对生态系统的健康具有根本的好处，有助于延迟临界点并促进物种恢复。阐明和实施控制机制以诱导多重性，因此可以帮助维持某些类型的生态系统，这些生态系统由于环境变化而面临灭绝的危险。
