Natural Disturbance Processes

Abstract

Natural disturbance processes have a major influence on landscape and stand‐level patterns of vegetation age, size of vegetation patches, and horizontal and vertical structures of vegetation communities. A selective reorganization of the ecological community occurs after disturbances, resulting from a pulse of resources to which the new community responds. Through these influences, natural disturbance affects habitat availability and processes such as site productivity, hydrology, and animal movement. Natural disturbance processes as diverse as fire, biotic agents (such as grazing mammals, forest insects or fungal pathogens), volcanic eruptions, landslides, and flooding all affect an ecosystem in different ways and lead to unique vegetation patterns. Attempting to approximate natural disturbance processes with human‐caused disturbance is possible at some levels but remains fundamentally different, necessitating the retention of natural areas where natural disturbance can continue to play its important role in maintaining healthy ecosystems.