Localized disturbances turn sessile assemblages into a patch mosaic

Evidence

Propagules are often unable to invade occupied surfaces (see, e.g., Sousa, 1979a; Dayton, 1973; Denley and Underwood, 1979; Paine, 1979) and depend on disturbances to create the open space required for colonization. Since the damage caused by most disturbances is localized, primary space is often provided as more or less discrete patches. Various attributes of a newly created patch—for example, its size, shape, and location—can affect its colonization and ensuing biological interactions. Thus, localized disturbances transform an assemblage of sessile organisms into a mosaic of patches varying in such characteristics as size and age (time since last disturbed) and, consequently, in species composition. — S. T. A. Pickett and P. S. White, eds., The Ecology of Natural Disturbance and…, 681

Categorization

• DEFINE: Defines the core patch-dynamics concept that a disturbance-generated mosaic of differently sized and aged patches explains spatial variation in species composition.
• XREF: This is the gap-patch mosaic concept that recurs across the book (ch4 gap chapters, ch15 patches in perennial matrix) and parallels Soundscape’s own mosaic/breakpoint framing. — connects to: Landscape-level diversity in the BWCA depends on a fire-made mosaic of successional stages. — Miron L. Heinselman, Fire in the Virgin Forests of the…, 411; A single new gap contains abutting, highly contrasting microenvironments. — S. T. A. Pickett and P. S. White, eds., The Ecology of Natural Disturbance and…, 424; Frequent small animal disturbances maintain grassland diversity as a fine-grained mosaic — S. T. A. Pickett and P. S. White, eds., The Ecology of Natural Disturbance and…, 499 (+7 more)

Broader Connections

• Steady-state shifting mosaics need frequent small disturbances plus feedback on frequency #complicates (0.80) — S. T. A. Pickett and P. S. White, eds., The Ecology of Natural Disturbance and…, 2273
• Repeat disturbances near old gaps are common and favor growth-suppression alternating species #expands (0.78) — S. T. A. Pickett and P. S. White, eds., The Ecology of Natural Disturbance and…, 230
• Large-scale disturbances can prevent landscapes from reaching equilibrium #expands (0.75) — S. T. A. Pickett and P. S. White, eds., The Ecology of Natural Disturbance and…, 2272