Ecosystem engineering structures facilitate ecological resilience: A coral reef model

Ecosystem engineers are organisms that affect ecosystem state by modifying the physical habitats in which biological interactions occur. Such engineering effect depends on both for environmental transformation and persistency of engineered structures, but distinction has rarely been considered. Here, we examined their relative terms ecological resilience. We used a mathematical model coral reef incorporates reciprocal facilitation between corals herbivores. Coral skeletons create promote habitat complexity, allowing more herbivore grazing macroalgae, opens further space colonization. By quantifying resilience form its basin attraction, found declined much rapidly with loss complexity (engineered structures) than from either (engineers) or herbivores, under substantial pressures fishing eutrophication. This outcome is accordance observed empirical patterns. It arises due to two characteristics complexity: slow temporal changes provisioning. Habitat can persist even when lost, facilitating recovery herbivores and, turn, corals. Our suggests that, as structures increases, influence dynamics increases becomes independent engineer. Identifying such context vital preserving better avoid catastrophic shifts.