Temporary change in environmental conditions that causes a pronounced change in an ecosystem

Disturbance (ecology)

Disturbance (ecology)

In <a href="/en/Ecology" title="Ecology" class="wl">ecology</a>, a disturbance is a temporary change in environmental conditions that causes a pronounced change in an <a href="/en/Ecosystem" title="Ecosystem" class="wl">ecosystem</a>. Disturbances often act quickly and with great effect, to alter the physical structure or arrangement of biotic and <a href="/en/Abiotic" title="Abiotic" class="mw-redirect wl">abiotic</a> elements. A disturbance can also occur over a long period of time and can impact the <a href="/en/Biodiversity" title="Biodiversity" class="wl">biodiversity</a> within an ecosystem.

<div class="shortdescription nomobile noexcerpt noprint searchaux" style="display:none" about="#mwt1">Temporary change in environmental conditions that causes a pronounced change in an ecosystem</div>
<figure class="mw-default-size wiki-thumb"><a href="/en/File:Contrasts_-_fire.jpg" class="mw-file-description image media-thumb" data-hash="File:Contrasts_-_fire.jpg"><img loading="lazy" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/3d/Contrasts_-_fire.jpg/220px-Contrasts_-_fire.jpg" decoding="async" data-file-width="3992" data-file-height="2242" data-file-type="bitmap" height="124" width="220" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/3d/Contrasts_-_fire.jpg/330px-Contrasts_-_fire.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/3d/Contrasts_-_fire.jpg/440px-Contrasts_-_fire.jpg 2x" alt="Contrasts_-_fire.jpg"></a><figcaption>Disturbance of a fire can clearly be seen by comparing the unburnt (left) and burnt (right) sides of the mountain range in South Africa. The <a href="/en/Veld" title="Veld" class="wl">veld</a> ecosystem relies on periodic fire disturbances like these to rejuvenate itself.</figcaption></figure>
Major ecological disturbances may include <a href="/en/Fire" title="Fire" class="wl">fires</a>, <a href="/en/Flood" title="Flood" class="wl">flooding</a>, <a href="/en/Storm" title="Storm" class="wl">storms</a>, <a href="/en/Insect" title="Insect" class="wl">insect</a> <a href="/en/Outbreak" title="Outbreak" class="mw-redirect wl">outbreaks</a> and <a href="/en/Trampling" title="Trampling" class="wl">trampling</a>. <a href="/en/Earthquake" title="Earthquake" class="wl">Earthquakes</a>, various <a href="/en/Types_of_volcanic_eruptions" title="Types of volcanic eruptions" class="wl">types of volcanic eruptions</a>, <a href="/en/Tsunami" title="Tsunami" class="wl">tsunami</a>, <a href="/en/Firestorm" title="Firestorm" class="wl">firestorms</a>, <a href="/en/Impact_event" title="Impact event" class="wl">impact events</a>, <a href="/en/Climate_change" title="Climate change" class="wl">climate change</a>, and the devastating effects of <a href="/en/Human_impact_on_the_environment" title="Human impact on the environment" class="wl">human impact on the environment</a> (<a href="/en/Anthropogenic_hazard" title="Anthropogenic hazard" class="wl">anthropogenic</a> disturbances) such as <a href="/en/Clearcutting" title="Clearcutting" class="wl">clearcutting</a>, <a href="/en/Deforestation" title="Deforestation" class="wl">forest clearing</a> and the introduction of <a href="/en/Invasive_species" title="Invasive species" class="wl">invasive species</a><a href="#cite_note-bioscience-1" style="counter-reset: mw-Ref 1;">[1]</a> can be considered major disturbances.

Not only invasive species can have a profound effect on an ecosystem, but also naturally occurring species can cause disturbance by their behavior. Disturbance forces can have profound immediate effects on ecosystems and can, accordingly, greatly alter the <a href="/en/Biocoenosis" title="Biocoenosis" class="wl">natural community</a>’s population size or species richness.<a href="#cite_note-2" style="counter-reset: mw-Ref 2;">[2]</a> Because of these and the impacts on populations, disturbance determines the future shifts in dominance, various species successively becoming dominant as their life history characteristics, and associated life-forms, are exhibited over time.<a href="#cite_note-:0-3" style="counter-reset: mw-Ref 3;">[3]</a>

In ecology, a disturbance is a temporary change in environmental conditions that causes a pronounced change in an ecosystem. Disturbances often act quickly and with great effect, to alter the physical structure or arrangement of biotic and abiotic elements. A disturbance can also occur over a long period of time and can impact the biodiversity within an ecosystem. Major ecological disturbances may include fires, flooding, storms, insect outbreaks and trampling. Earthquakes, various types of volcanic eruptions, tsunami, firestorms, impact events, climate change, and the devastating effects of human impact on the environment such as clearcutting, forest clearing and the introduction of invasive species can be considered major disturbances. Not only invasive species can have a profound effect on an ecosystem, but also naturally occurring species can cause disturbance by their behavior.  Disturbance forces can have profound immediate effects on ecosystems and can, accordingly, greatly alter the natural community’s population size or species richness. 