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Consumer fronts, global change, and runaway collapse in ecosystems

Publication ,  Journal Article
Silliman, BR; McCoy, MW; Angelini, C; Holt, RD; Griffin, JN; Van De Koppel, J
Published in: Annual Review of Ecology, Evolution, and Systematics
January 1, 2013

Consumer fronts occur when grazers or predators aggregate in bands along the edges of a resource. Our review reveals that consumer fronts are a common phenomenon in nature, occur in many different ecosystems, and are triggered by universal mechanisms: External forces locally increase top-down control beyond prey carrying and/or renewal capacity, and resource-dependent movement leads to consumer aggregation along the edge of the remaining prey population. Once formed, consumer fronts move through systems as spatially propagating waves, self-reinforced via intense overexploitation and amplified by density-dependent feedbacks. When consumer fronts are spatially restricted, they generate patchiness. In contrast, when consumer fronts are expansive, they can lead to runaway responses that cause large-scale ecosystem degradation and regime shifts. We conceptualize a synergistic stress hypothesis and model that highlight how coupled intensification of physical stress and enhanced consumer pressure can trigger increased occurrence of consumer fronts and decreased system stability and resilience. With escalating climate change and food-web modification, the physical and biological conditions favoring consumer-front formation will likely become a common feature of many ecosystems. © Copyright ©2013 by Annual Reviews. All rights reserved.

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Published In

Annual Review of Ecology, Evolution, and Systematics

DOI

EISSN

1545-2069

ISSN

1543-592X

Publication Date

January 1, 2013

Volume

44

Start / End Page

503 / 538

Related Subject Headings

  • Evolutionary Biology
  • 41 Environmental sciences
  • 31 Biological sciences
  • 30 Agricultural, veterinary and food sciences
  • 07 Agricultural and Veterinary Sciences
  • 06 Biological Sciences
  • 05 Environmental Sciences
 

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Silliman, B. R., McCoy, M. W., Angelini, C., Holt, R. D., Griffin, J. N., & Van De Koppel, J. (2013). Consumer fronts, global change, and runaway collapse in ecosystems. Annual Review of Ecology, Evolution, and Systematics, 44, 503–538. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-ecolsys-110512-135753
Silliman, B. R., M. W. McCoy, C. Angelini, R. D. Holt, J. N. Griffin, and J. Van De Koppel. “Consumer fronts, global change, and runaway collapse in ecosystems.” Annual Review of Ecology, Evolution, and Systematics 44 (January 1, 2013): 503–38. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-ecolsys-110512-135753.
Silliman BR, McCoy MW, Angelini C, Holt RD, Griffin JN, Van De Koppel J. Consumer fronts, global change, and runaway collapse in ecosystems. Annual Review of Ecology, Evolution, and Systematics. 2013 Jan 1;44:503–38.
Silliman, B. R., et al. “Consumer fronts, global change, and runaway collapse in ecosystems.” Annual Review of Ecology, Evolution, and Systematics, vol. 44, Jan. 2013, pp. 503–38. Scopus, doi:10.1146/annurev-ecolsys-110512-135753.
Silliman BR, McCoy MW, Angelini C, Holt RD, Griffin JN, Van De Koppel J. Consumer fronts, global change, and runaway collapse in ecosystems. Annual Review of Ecology, Evolution, and Systematics. 2013 Jan 1;44:503–538.

Published In

Annual Review of Ecology, Evolution, and Systematics

DOI

EISSN

1545-2069

ISSN

1543-592X

Publication Date

January 1, 2013

Volume

44

Start / End Page

503 / 538

Related Subject Headings

  • Evolutionary Biology
  • 41 Environmental sciences
  • 31 Biological sciences
  • 30 Agricultural, veterinary and food sciences
  • 07 Agricultural and Veterinary Sciences
  • 06 Biological Sciences
  • 05 Environmental Sciences