Restauración de redes ecológicas: Escalas espacial y temporal, estabilidad y cambio global

Abstract

Montoya, D. 2019. The restoration of ecological networks: Spatial and temporal scales, stability and global change. Ecosistemas 28(2): 11-19. Doi.: 10.7818/ECOS.1706 Ecosystems worldwide are experiencing the consequences of global change, including those related to climatic warming and the destruction and fragmentation of natural habitats. These factors erode biodiversity and change biological communities and ecosystem processes that are ultimately responsible for the ecosystem services that nature provides to humans. To forecast and mitigate these effects is the environmental challenge of our age. Scientific research has advanced our knowledge of the impacts of global change on ecosystems. Comparatively, however, it remains unclear how ecosystem recover after perturbations, and we lack a general theory of the ecosystem recovery dynamics. In this article, I argue that the ecological interactions between species and the networks they form are essential components to understand the restoration and functioning of recovering ecosystems. Interaction networks allow us to understand the appropriate spatial and temporal scales for an efficient restoration of multifunctional ecosystems. Ecological restoration must also aim to recover stable ecosystems in a scenario where climate change and the fragmentation of natural habitats will be pervasive. Together, these factors will allow us to meet the international objectives on ecosystem restoration.