scholarly journals Critical Transitions in Lake Ecosystem State May Be Driven by Coupled Feedback Mechanisms: A Case Study from Lake Erhai, China

Water ◽  
2022 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 85
Author(s):  
Rong Wang ◽  
John A. Dearing ◽  
Peter G. Langdon

Critical transitions between ecosystem states can be triggered by relatively small external forces or internal perturbations and may show time-lagged or hysteretic recovery. Understanding the precise mechanisms of a transition is important for ecosystem management, but it is hampered by a lack of information about the preceding interactions and associated feedback between different components in an ecosystem. This paper employs a range of data, including paleolimnological, environmental monitoring and documentary sources from lake Erhai and its catchment, to investigate the ecosystem structure and dynamics across multiple trophic levels through the process of eutrophication. A long-term perspective shows the growth and decline of two distinct, but coupled, positive feedback loops: a macrophyte-loop and a phosphorus-recycling-loop. The macrophyte-loop became weaker, and the phosphorus-recycling-loop became stronger during the process of lake eutrophication, indicating that the critical transition was propelled by the interaction of two positive feedback loops with different strengths. For lake restoration, future weakening of the phosphorus-recycling loop or a reduction in external pressures is expected to trigger macrophyte growth and eventually produce clear water conditions, but the speed of recovery will probably depend on the rates of feedback loops and the strength of their coupling.

Author(s):  
Tiina Nõges ◽  
Orlane Anneville ◽  
Jean Guillard ◽  
Juta Haberman ◽  
Ain Järvalt ◽  
...  

<p>Through cascading effects within lake food webs, commercial and recreational fisheries may indirectly affect the abundances of organisms at lower trophic levels, such as phytoplankton, even if they are not directly consumed. So far, interactive effects of fisheries, changing trophic state and climate upon lake ecosystems have been largely overlooked. Here we analyse case studies from five European lake basins of differing trophic states (Lake Võrtsjärv, two basins of Windermere, Lake Geneva and Lake Maggiore) with long-term limnological and fisheries data. Decreasing phosphorus concentrations (re-oligotrophication) and increasing water temperatures have been reported in all five lake basins, while phytoplankton concentration has decreased only slightly or even increased in some cases. To examine possible ecosystem-scale effects of fisheries, we analysed correlations between fish and fisheries data, and other food web components and environmental factors. Re-oligotrophication over different ranges of the trophic scale induced different fish responsesIn the deeper lakes Geneva and Maggiore, we found a stronger link between phytoplankton and planktivorous fish and thus a more important cascading top-down effect than in other lakes. This connection makes careful ecosystem-based fisheries management extremely important for maintaining high water quality in such systems. We also demonstrated that increasing water temperature might favour piscivores at low phosphorus loading, but suppresses them at high phosphorus loading and might thus either enhance or diminish the cascading top-down control over phytoplankton with strong implications for water quality.</p>


PLoS ONE ◽  
2008 ◽  
Vol 3 (8) ◽  
pp. e3078 ◽  
Author(s):  
Caroline Conte ◽  
Elodie Riant ◽  
Céline Toutain ◽  
Françoise Pujol ◽  
Jean-François Arnal ◽  
...  

2018 ◽  
Vol 4 (10) ◽  
pp. eaat5091 ◽  
Author(s):  
Haijun Song ◽  
Paul B. Wignall ◽  
Alexander M. Dunhill

The Permian-Triassic mass extinction was the worst crisis faced by life; it killed >90% of marine species in less than 0.1 million years (Ma). However, knowledge of its macroecological impact over prolonged time scales is limited. We show that marine ecosystems dominated by non-motile animals shifted to ones dominated by nektonic groups after the extinction. In Triassic oceans, animals at high trophic levels recovered faster than those at lower levels. The top-down rebuilding of marine ecosystems was still underway in the latest Triassic, ~50 Ma after the extinction, and contrasts with the ~5-Ma recovery required for taxonomic diversity. The decoupling between taxonomic and ecological recoveries suggests that a process of vacant niche filling before reaching the maximum environmental carrying capacity is independent of ecosystem structure building.


2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (7) ◽  
pp. 2346 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jicheng Yue ◽  
José M. López

MAPK (mitogen-activated protein kinase) signaling pathways regulate a variety of biological processes through multiple cellular mechanisms. In most of these processes, such as apoptosis, MAPKs have a dual role since they can act as activators or inhibitors, depending on the cell type and the stimulus. In this review, we present the main pro- and anti-apoptotic mechanisms regulated by MAPKs, as well as the crosstalk observed between some MAPKs. We also describe the basic signaling properties of MAPKs (ultrasensitivity, hysteresis, digital response), and the presence of different positive feedback loops in apoptosis. We provide a simple guide to predict MAPKs’ behavior, based on the intensity and duration of the stimulus. Finally, we consider the role of MAPKs in osmostress-induced apoptosis by using Xenopus oocytes as a cell model. As we will see, apoptosis is plagued with multiple positive feedback loops. We hope this review will help to understand how MAPK signaling pathways engage irreversible cellular decisions.


2008 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 182 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kim Sneppen ◽  
Mille A Micheelsen ◽  
Ian B Dodd

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