Monitoring and modelling the effects of ecosystem engineers on ecosystem functioning

Abstract

1. Ecosystem engineers modify biophysical environments, create novel habitats, and change biodiversity, with the ultimate effect of modulating critical ecosystem functions. This review describes and synthesises approaches, methodologies, and analytical frameworks for quantifying how ecosystem engineers drive ecosystem functioning.2. We i) outline what variables to measure, how to measure them, and define the appropriate ecological and spatiotemporal scales for monitoring changes in both ecosystem engineers and ecosystem functioning; ii) illustrate experiments involving species exclusion or removal, addition or re-introduction, and comparative designs when experimental manipulation is not feasible; and iii) describe statistical, datadriven, and theory-driven approaches for estimating and forecasting the impact of ecosystem engineers on ecosystem functioning.3. In the Anthropocene, humans are a salient example of an ecosystem engineer. We discuss how to leverage the ecosystem engineer knowledge in the context of current anthropogenic change for achieving conservation, restoration, and climatemitigation goals.4. We suggest evidence-based models and practises that can facilitate transformative changes in socio-ecological processes associated with ecosystem engineers. We conclude that implementing programs that monitor, forecast and apply the ecosystem engineer framework would sustain biological diversity and functional ecosystems.

Ecosystem engineers cause biodiversity spill-over: beavers affect breeding bird assemblages on both wetlands and adjacent terrestrial habitats

“…Moreover, larger populations of common species have significant ecological consequences, since abundant species make a major contribution to ecosystem functioning (Winfree et al, 2015). Ecosystem engineering performed by various species can also support ecosystem functions by increasing overall biodiversity (Losapio et al, 2023). As birds are indicators of biodiversity (Fraixedas et al, 2020), beavers are also expected to have a positive impact on other groups of terrestrial organisms, additionally underscoring the ecosystem-level effect of engineering.…”

“…Globally recognized as a facilitative process, ecosystem engineering contributes to a 25% increase in biodiversity (Romero et al, 2015). Ecosystem engineers not only reshape the structure and resources of the environment, but their activities also have ecosystem-level consequences by modulating interactions within communities, as habitat modification often leads to changes in species composition (Losapio et al, 2023). The concept of involving species with specialized abilities to modify the environment is shifting more and more often from the theoretical framework to practical conservation applications, such as restoration projects and rewilding initiatives (Byers et al, 2006).…”

EU−Africa: Digital and Social Questions in a Multicultural Agroecological Transition for the Cocoa Production in Africa

“…The non-linear relationships between ecosystem engineering (EE) and ecosystem functions (EF), along with the varying effects of co-existence, connectivity, and temporal autocorrelation, can influence the scale at which potential responses become detectable (Losapio et al 2023). In the end, the determination of reasonable scales and the selection of appropriate explanatory and response variables is dependent on an understanding of the context and systems under study.…”

Contextualizing the ecology of plant–plant interactions and constructive networks

“…The implications of these facts are twofold. First, plant species are not only selected by the environment top-down, but can rather influence and change environmental conditions bottom-up ( Jones et al 1994 ; Ellison et al 2005 ; Schöb et al 2012 ; Losapio et al 2023 ). Second, plants can create environmental conditions that allow other species to thrive, that is, facilitate other plants ( Bruno et al 2003 ; Callaway 2007 ; McIntire and Fajardo 2014 ).…”