The importance of simultaneously analyzing interacting mechanisms that acts at different spatial scales

Stability and distribution of predator–prey systems: local and regional mechanisms and patterns

Authors: Adam Lampert and Alan Hastings

Ecology letters Volume 19, Issue 3, March 2016, Pages 279–288

Here is an interesting paper. The researchers say at the beginning that explaining the coexistence and distribution of species in time and space remains a fundamental challenge. Species coexistence depends on both local and regional mechanisms but it is sometimes unclear which role each mechanism takes in a given ecosystem. Due to this reason it is very hard to predict the response of the ecosystem to environmental changes. Here the researchers developed a model to study spatial patterns of coexistence, focusing on predator–prey and host–parasite populations. They demonstrate both theoretically and empirically, that these systems may exhibit both local and regional patterns and mechanisms of coexistence. Changes such as spatial connectivity, may lead to a transition from regional to local coexistence or it may lead directly to extinction, depending on demographic parameters. 

The researcher’s signs off saying their research demonstrate the importance of simultaneously analyzing interacting mechanisms that act at different spatial scales to understand the response of ecosystems to environmental changes.