18. Disturbance Ecology 

What will you learn in this lecture:

• To characterize the major types of disturbances affecting natural habitats by their intensity, scale, and return interval.
• The differences between exogenous and endogenous disturbance regimes.
• To understand the importance of spatial and temporal scale in characterizing disturbance regimes.

Enrolled students of fall 2024 should watch this lecture before November 19.

What questions should you be able to answer now?

• How can we characterise a disturbance?
• What are examples of exogenous and endogenous disturbances?
• How do different disturbance scale influence its equilibrium state?

Useful links and materials:
Chapter 21 in: Krebs, Charles J. Ecology: The Experimental Analysis of Distribution and Abundance.
Shugart H. H. & West D. C. 1981. Long-term dynamics of forest ecosystems. American Scientist 69: 647-652. 

Featured image: Volcanic eruptions in little Colorado mountain towns certainly represent a non equilibrium disturbance. ("Volcano", South Park, by Matt Stone and Trey Parker, 1997.)