Quantifying the dynamics of rocky intertidal sessile communities along the Pacific coast of Japan: implications for ecological resilience

Ken Ishida,Masakazu Hori,Masahiro Nakaoka,Takashi Noda,Michikusa Tachibana,Takehiro Okuda,Tomoko Yamamoto

doi:10.1038/s41598-021-95348-1

Ken Ishida, Masakazu Hori + Show 5 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-95348-1

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Abstract

Long-term patterns in trajectories of natural communities provide insights into ecological resilience, but their assessment requires long-term census data. We analyzed 16-year census data for intertidal communities from 30 rocky shores along Japan’s Pacific coast to assign community change to four possible trajectories (stable, reversible, abrupt, or linear) representing different aspects of ecological resilience, and to estimate multiple metrics of temporal invariability (species richness, species composition, and community abundance). We examined (1) how the prevalence of the four trajectories differs among regions, (2) how the features (model coefficients) of each trajectory vary among regions, and (3) how the temporal invariabilities differ among trajectories and regions. We found that the stable trajectory was the most common. Its features differed among regions, with a faster recovery to steady-state equilibrium in low-latitude regions. Furthermore, trajectories and temporal invariabilities both varied among regions, seemingly in association with the strength of ocean current fluctuations. Thus, the relationship between community temporal invariability and trajectory may be weak or absent, at least at the regional scale.

Highlights

Long-term patterns in trajectories of natural communities provide insights into ecological resilience, but their assessment requires long-term census data
Bagchi et al (2017)[5] developed an empirical method that allows researchers to categorize the dynamics of a focal community into one of four trajectories: stable, abrupt, reversible, and linear (Fig. 1, Table 1)
We investigated (1) how the relative prevalence of four trajectories differs among regions, (2) how the features of each trajectory vary among regions, and (3) how the temporal invariability of species richness, species composition, and community abundance differs among trajectories or regions, or both

Summary

Introduction

Long-term patterns in trajectories of natural communities provide insights into ecological resilience, but their assessment requires long-term census data. The composition of biological communities generally varies temporally because of environmental changes and ephemeral disturbances, the magnitude and frequency of which vary with location It is crucial for the proper management and conservation of ecosystems to quantify patterns of community trajectories and to assess their spatial variability. Bagchi et al (2017)[5] developed an empirical method that allows researchers to categorize the dynamics of a focal community into one of four trajectories: stable (i.e., species composition does not undergo any appreciable change over time), abrupt (a relatively sudden change in community composition), reversible (the community undergoes major changes in composition and later returns to the original state), and linear (slow, incremental change in community composition over time) (Fig. 1, Table 1). Description Slow, incremental change with time Major changes, with return to original state No appreciable change over time Relatively sudden change

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