Understanding resilience and resistance from an ecological standpoint can be difficult, however the basic definitions for each term are fairly simple:
Resilience-measures how quickly a system recovers from disturbance and
returns to a steady state (Glyndwr University 2016)
Resistance-measures how much a system resists change. A system which remains the same in
spite of disturbance or changes in, for example, nutrient input, has a high
resistance (Glyndwr University 2016)
In terms of wildfire ecology, I think the use of these terms is helpful in managing our natural resources. By understanding a species level of resilience and resistance, we can better predict what their health will be like post and pre disturbance. However, the use of such broad terms in such a widely spanned field may cause confusion, and a universal definition of both terms should be set for natural resource managers so that everyone stays on the same page.
The link I've provided as my source lists some great examples that are pertinent to these terms in relation to wildfires and species' responses.
Source:
Glyndwr University. 2016. Introduction to Ecology: The Stability of Ecosystems. Available from http://www.glyndwr.ac.uk/bartlett/ecology/stability.htm
That was an amazing post! I was feeling stuck on this topic, but I feel like I know a bit more now with this bit of knowledge, so thank you!
ReplyDeleteI think one distinction that may or may not be important was made in one of our lecture videos this week: "resistance" refers to an individual organism, where as "resiliency" refers to the species as a whole. Might be useful for the midterm.
ReplyDeleteCamille,
DeleteThanks for pointing that out! I didn't notice that when watching the videos.
- Christina
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ReplyDeleteGreat description as always Ashley. Great link to help me better understand this topic as well. Thanks for sharing that.
ReplyDeleteCamille,
ReplyDeleteThank you for the additional information. Scott and Kara, thank you for your kind words!
Ashley
Ashley,
ReplyDeleteGood post. I agree with your assessment, knowing species and ecosystems capabilities do give a huge advantage of being able to maximize forest health. Also this knowledge can aid in optimal restoration of fire disturbed landscapes.