Knowledge gaps concerning how various human activities combine to impact freshwater ecosystems can result in reported damaging “ecological surprises.” Although ecological surprises are typically linked to synergistic interactions between stressors, recent research highlights that the antagonistic effect by the single worst stressor most often defines a cumulative ecological impact. Here, use of the appropriate null model based on the known magnitude and mode of action of each stressor is essential to defining and managing cumulative impacts by multiple stressors. Our research shows that by using this approach one should focus on local stressors associated with human activities rather than regional stressors (e.g., climate warming) as the former often overshadows the effect of the latter.
Related Resources
Digging Into Canadian Soils - An Introduction to Soil Science
Resource Date:
2021
Organization
Shrub Changes with Proximity to Anthropogenic Disturbance in Boreal Wetlands Determined Using Bi-temporal Airborne LiDAR in the Oil Sands Region, Alberta Canada
Resource Date:
August
2021
Effects of Fire Severity and Woody Debris on Tree Regeneration for Exploratory Well Pads in Jack Pine (Pinus banksiana) Forests
Resource Date:
September
2021
Organization
Dynamic Patterns in Winter Ungulate Browse Succession in the Boreal Plains of Alberta
Resource Date:
July
2021
Organization
Short-term Effects of Wildfire in Boreal Peatlands: Does Fire Mitigate the Linear Footprint of Oil and Gas Exploration?
Resource Date:
April
2021
Was this helpful?
|