Asymmetric Global Change Rewiring

Human pressures related to ongoing global change, such as climate change, pollution, species introductions, and land-use changes, are altering the underlying structure of ecosystems, with consequences for their functioning that we do not yet fully understand. We show that human pressures interact with the earth's habitat mosaic differentially, driving asymmetric responses in the underlying food web - a phenomenon referred to as asymmetric global change rewiring. Ecological theory lays a path for conceptualizing how asymmetric global change rewiring alters the structure, function, and resilience of ecosystems. Key examples and a targeted review of consumer habitat coupling in nature show that asymmetric global change rewiring is observed across different human pressures and ecosystem types. By following changes in the underlying structure of food webs, ecosystem managers may identify threats associated with asymmetric global change rewiring and mitigate losses in the ecosystem functions that society relies on.  

Primary Presenter: Charlotte Ward, University of Guelph (cward@uoguelph.ca)

Authors:

Charlotte Ward, University of Guelph  (cward@uoguelph.ca)

Tyler Tunney, Fisheries and Oceans Canada  (tyler.tunney@dfo-mpo.gc.ca)

Ian Donohue, Trinity College Dublin  (ian.donohue@tcd.ie)

Kayla Hale, University of Guelph  (khale02@uoguelph.ca)

Carling Bieg, Yale University  (carling.bieg@yale.edu)

John Moore, Colorado State University  (john.moore@colostate.edu)

Bailey McMeans, University of Toronto Mississauga  (bailey.mcmeans@utoronto.ca)

Kevin McCann, University of Guelph  (ksmccann@uoguelph.ca)