Forest ecosystem properties emerge from interactions of structure and disturbance

Authors

J. Christina Mitchell, NC State University
Daniel M. Kashian, Wayne State University
Xiongwen Chen, Alabama A and M University
Stella Cousins, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
David J. Flaspohler, Michigan Technological UniversityFollow
Daniel S. Gruner, University of Maryland, College Park
Jeremy S. Johnson, Michigan State University
Thilina D. Surasinghe, Bridgewater State University
Jenny Zambrano, Washington State University Pullman
Brian Buma, University of Colorado Denver

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

2-1-2023

Department

College of Forest Resources and Environmental Science

Abstract

Forest structural diversity and its spatiotemporal variability are constrained by environmental and biological factors, including species pools, climate, land-use history, and legacies of disturbance regimes. These factors influence forest responses to disturbances and their interactions with structural diversity, potentially creating structurally mediated emergent properties at local to continental spatial scales and over evolutionary time. Here, we present a conceptual framework for exploring the emergent properties that arise from interactions between forest structural diversity and disturbances. We synthesize and present definitions for key terms, including emergent property, disturbance, and resilience, and highlight various types and examples of emergent properties, such as (1) interactions with species composition, (2) interactions with disturbance frequency and intensity, and (3) evolutionary changes to communities. Although emergent properties in forest ecosystems remain poorly understood, we describe a foundation for study and applied management of forest structural diversity to enhance forest restoration and resilience.

Publisher's Statement

© 2023 The Authors. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of The Ecological Society of America. Publisher’s version of record: https://doi.org/10.1002/fee.2589

Publication Title

Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment

Recommended Citation

Mitchell, J., Kashian, D., Chen, X., Cousins, S., Flaspohler, D. J., Gruner, D., Johnson, J., Surasinghe, T., Zambrano, J., & Buma, B. (2023). Forest ecosystem properties emerge from interactions of structure and disturbance. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, 21(1), 14-23. http://doi.org/10.1002/fee.2589
Retrieved from: https://digitalcommons.mtu.edu/michigantech-p/16892

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Version

Publisher's PDF