Predicting Disaster: Using Ecology to Fight Climate Change

Predicting Disaster:

Using Ecology to Fight Climate Change

By Alex Reulbach

Coral providing shelter from predation to reef fish.

Rapidly rising temperatures and adverse human activities have ravaged habitats across the world, and efforts to slow the pace of destruction have been futile. As the climate crisis continues to irreversibly alter many crucial ecosystems globally, innovative techniques are required to curb the extensive damage that has been done to the environment. Due to the onset of climate change that has wreaked havoc on both terrestrial and marine ecosystems in the last several decades, conservation ecology has largely been a reactive science. One approach championed by marine ecologists Dr. John Bruno and Dr. Mark Bertness suggests that, for conservation ecology to become a predictive rather than reactive science, the conceptual framework of the science of ecology has to be reconfigured. The researchers argue that conservation ecology must focus on positive instead of negative interactions between species if it is to develop into a successful predictive science that prevents future ecological disasters.

Dr. Bruno, a marine ecologist and Professor in the Department of Biology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, has studied ecology for over 25 years. Dr. Bruno’s journey into conservation ecology began when he was working to earn his Ph.D. at Brown University back in the late 1990s.¹ At Brown, he conducted his research in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology under the guidance of his mentor and Ph.D. advisor Dr. Bertness. It was during a conservation ecology symposium honoring Dr. Bertness’s retirement that the two colleagues joined forces with fellow conservation ecologists Dr. Andrew Altieri and Ph.D. students Hallie Fischman and Sinead Crotty to try to fundamentally alter the landscape of conservation ecology.

To understand why the team’s push to focus on positive species interaction is so groundbreak-

Figure 1 : Hawk competing with with a mouse for limited resources.

ing, a brief summary of the history of ecology is would not normally survive.² Foundational species necessary. Since the science of ecology blossomed are extremely important to ecosystems because under Darwin’s influence in the 19th century, ecol- they reduce or remove an environmental stressor ogy has attempted to from the ecosystem. explain the processes “...researchers argue that conservation As Dr. Bruno explains, and patterns we see in nature. The “struggle ecology must focus on positive instead of negative interactions between species if it is to develop into a successful predictive “Foundational species like coral, mangroves, for existence” principle science that prevents future ecological trees, and grasses are that Darwin proposed disasters.” essential to the health drives evolution has of every ecosystem also driven the science of ecology.¹ To explain the they are a part of. If you do not have the foundacomplex structures and processes seen within tional species, then you do not have a functioning ecosystems, ecologists have relied on the study of habitat.”¹ Ecosystem models that rely on positive negative interactions between species. Competi- species interactions do not require an ecosystem tion between species for a limited number of re- to be in equilibrium since foundational species are sources in an ecosystem at equilibrium – meaning able to create habitats and expand ecosystems and the ecosystem is unchanging – is the major princi- the resources available in an ecosystem through ple of negative interaction.² Ecologists believe that facilitation. This is exciting because it allows scienit is the negative interactions between species that tists to more accurately study ecosystems across are responsible for how ecosystems are shaped. the world that are in a constantly changing state of

Even though ecologists use models that rely disequilibrium. on negative interactions between species in an un- While Dr. Bruno does not plan to expand on changing ecosystem to study ecosystems, Dr. Bru- this research in the no argues that, “Most ecosystems exist in a state future, he believes of disequilibrium. Human activities are constantly it has many applicachanging ecosystems from their natural state.”¹ tions for future conSince the principle of competition between spe- servation ecology. cies that is integral to negative interactions relies The most important on an ecosystem being at an unrealistic equilib- application of this rium Dr. Bruno and his team believe that positive research is the recinteractions between species play a much more ognition that founcentral role in shaping ecosystems. Such positive dational species interactions, also known as facilitation theory, oc- must be protected cur when a species benefits from another species Dr. John Bruno, PhD. at all costs if there and neither species receives a disadvantage.² An will be any chance example of this would be the facilitation that oc- for the future survival of both pristine and degradcurs between coral and reef fish. Reef fish rely on ed ecosystems. Dr. Bruno and his team hope that the extensive, complex structure of corals for pro- more accurate studies of ecosystems using models tection from predation. based on the principles of facilitation theory will

One of the main goals for Dr. Bruno and his transform ecology into a predictive science that reteam with the project was to change the current searchers can utilize to conserve ecosystems across conceptual framework of ecology so that more the world before it is too late. emphasis is placed on facilitation theory when studying ecosystems. The main principle of facili- References tation theory is that foundational species, species 1. Interview with Dr. John Bruno 02/15/21 that are abundant and provide habitat structure, 2. A. Altieri; M. Bertness; J. Bruno; S. Crotty; H. Fisallow other organisms to exist in places where they chman. Frontiers in Marine Science 2019, 6, 10.3389