BayCEER Workshop 2016

Scale matters or not - What drives scale-dependence of ecological patterns?

O 2.1 in Cross-scale relations in ecology and environmental research

13.10.2016, 14:30-14:45, H36, NW III

Scale dependence is still an unresolved topic in ecological research. Many ecological responses to environmental stressors on small spatial scale are reported to strongly differ from the responses occurring on macro-scale. However, understanding about how and why ecological patterns are scale-dependent or not is largely lacking so far.

Here we propose that the strength of abiotic links between scales as well as the level of biotic noise on small spatial scale drives scale-dependence of ecological patterns. More specifically we hypothesize that strong cross-scale links between micro- and macro-environmental drivers and low environmental noise on small spatial scale will go along with high cross-scale similarity, thus, low scale-dependence of ecological patterns. This hypothesis is confirmed by a first study we conducted in spring fens, environmentally stable, wetland ecosystems characterized by tight cross-scale links between micro- and macroclimatic conditions. Here we observed high cross-scale similarity of species temperature niche characteristics across the seven orders of magnitude of investigated spatial scale ranging from local to continental scale.

Further tests of this hypothesis for other ecosystems which differ in terms of abiotic cross-scale links and small-scale environmental noise might help to increase our general understanding about scale-dependence in ecological systems. This understanding is crucial to assess future responses of ecosystems to the ongoing, rapid changes of environmental conditions induced by human activity.

Keywords: cross-scale similarity, environmental cross-scale links, scale dependence

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