History's legacy: Why future progress in ecology demands a view of the past

• Published in: Ecology
• Main Authors: Estes, James A., Vermeij, Geerat J.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Wiley 2022
• Subjects: Pacific; Ocean acidification
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/ecy.3788; https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/ecy.3788; https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full-xml/10.1002/ecy.3788; https://esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/ecy.3788

Abstract History has profoundly affected the composition, distribution, and abundances of species in contemporary ecosystems. A full understanding of how ecosystems work and change must therefore take history into account. We offer four well‐studied examples illustrating how a knowledge of history has strengthened interpretations of modern systems: the development of molluscan antipredatory defenses in relation to shell‐breaking predators; the North Pacific kelp ecosystem with sea otters, smaller predators, sea urchins, and large herbivores; estuarine ecosystems affected by the decline in oysters and other suspension feeders; and the legacy of extinct large herbivores and frugivores in tropical American forests. Many current ecological problems would greatly benefit from a historical perspective. We highlight four of these: soil depletion and tree stunting in forests related to the disappearance of large consumers; the spread of anoxic dead zones in the ocean, which we argue could be mitigated by restoring predator and suspension‐feeding guilds; ocean acidification, which would be alleviated by more nutrient recycling by consumers in the aerobic ecosystem; and the relation between species diversity and keystone predators, a foundational concept that is complicated by simplified trophic relationships in modern ecosystems.