Ecosystem collapse and recovery / Adrian C. Newton

Includes bibliographical references and index.

1 Introduction -- 1.1 The IUCN Red List of Ecosystems -- 1.2 What Is an Ecosystem? -- 1.3 What Is Ecosystem Collapse? -- 1.4 What Is Ecosystem Recovery? -- 1.5 The Role of Metaphor -- 1.6 Ecosystem Collapse: A Useful Focus? -- 1.7 Structure of the Book -- 2 Ecological Theory -- 2.1 What Is an Ecological Theory? -- 2.2 Disturbance Theory -- 2.3 Succession -- 2.4 State-and-Transition Models -- 2.5 Dynamical Systems Theory -- 2.6 Planetary Boundaries -- 2.7 Critical Loads 2.8 Food Webs, Ecological Networks and Extinction Cascades -- 2.9 Resilience and Recovery -- 2.10 Conclusions and Propositions -- 3 Case Studies from Prehistory -- 3.1 The 'Big Five' Mass Extinctions -- Collapse -- Recovery -- 3.2 Extinction of Australian Megafauna -- 3.3 Megafauna Extinctions in the Late Quaternary -- 3.4 Holocene Examples of Ecosystem Collapse -- New Zealand -- Madagascar -- The Sahel-Sahara -- 3.5 Evaluation of Propositions -- Additional Propositions Based on Prehistoric Case Studies -- 4 Contemporary Case Studies -- 4.1 Coral Reefs -- Collapse -- Recovery 4.2 Marine Fisheries -- Collapse -- Recovery -- 4.3 Freshwater Ecosystems -- Collapse -- Recovery -- 4.4 Forests -- Collapse -- Recovery -- 4.5 Other Ecosystems -- Savanna -- Temperate Agroecosystems -- 4.6 Evaluation of Propositions -- 5 Synthesis -- 5.1 Understanding Ecosystem Collapse and Recovery -- Extrinsic versus Intrinsic Factors -- The Characteristics of Disturbance -- Transient and Persistent Ecosystem States -- Feedback Mechanisms -- Ecological Networks and Secondary Extinctions -- Ecosystem Function -- Collapse and Recovery Cascades -- 5.2 Living with Ecosystem Collapse and Recovery Defining Ecosystem Collapse -- Assessing the Risk of Ecosystem Collapse -- Early Warning of Collapse -- Managing Collapsing Ecosystems -- Supporting Ecological Recovery -- Implications for People -- 6 Conclusions -- 6.1 Answers -- What is ecosystem collapse -- how should it be defined and assessed? -- How, why and when does ecosystem collapse occur? -- If one ecosystem collapses, might others follow? -- What are the different mechanisms that can cause ecosystem collapse, and are these the same in different types of ecosystems? Are some ecosystems more at risk of collapse than others? If so, why is this? -- Is it possible to provide early warning of imminent collapse, and if so, how? -- What are the implications of ecosystem collapse for biodiversity, ecosystem function and the provision of ecosystem benefits to people? -- How does collapse relate to ecosystem recovery? -- Can recovery occur after collapse, and if so, how? -- Are the trajectories and mechanisms of recovery related to those of collapse? -- What are the mechanisms of ecosystem recovery, and are these the same in different types of ecosystem?.

There is a growing concern that many important ecosystems, such as coral reefs and tropical rain forests, might be at risk of sudden collapse as a result of human disturbance. At the same time, efforts to support the recovery of degraded ecosystems are increasing, through approaches such as ecological restoration and rewilding.