Application of the meta-ecosystem concept to the services provided by water systems - METAECOSERV

Freshwater ecosystems, which serve as biodiversity hotspots and key providers of ecosystem services, are among the most threatened ecosystems on Earth. Management measures for these ecosystems have traditionally been designed at the local scale, based on the concept of ecological niche, without necessarily accounting for landscape variability in action plans—a factor that has often limited the success of these measures. Today, our understanding of how biodiversity and ecosystem services are organized within these dynamic environments has advanced considerably, particularly thanks to the emergence of the concepts of metacommunities and metasystems, which formalize the processes and dynamics operating at different spatiotemporal scales of communities and ecosystems. The meta-ecosystem framework, which focuses on the flows of organisms, matter, and energy between ecosystems at different spatial and temporal scales, offers valuable tools for more holistic ecosystem assessments. However, the contribution of these concepts to the field of aquatic ecosystem services has not yet been formalized, tested, or translated into management tools.

METAECOSERV has adapted the contributions of meta-system theory and its corollaries to the understanding and management of ecosystem services supported by water systems, with the aim of better understanding the links between biodiversity and ecosystem services and their spatio-temporal organization within landscapes. This work has identified relevant spatial scales for managing hydrosystems in the context of global change. Indeed, better integration of the regional ecological processes involved in the spatio-temporal organization of biodiversity into management practices will enable the effective conservation and restoration of biodiversity and associated ecosystem processes in a changing global environment, particularly in the face of extreme events (floods, droughts, storms) that repeatedly alter the physical and ecological connectivity of hydrosystems.

Results

METAECOSERV has published a conceptual article on the value of studying hydrosystems within a meta-ecosystem framework. Such a unified framework is essential for understanding how ecosystem services are influenced by the spatiotemporal dynamics of organisms, matter, and energy, enabling us to better understand how changes in one part of the hydrological system translate into changes in other parts. The proposed framework also helps identify synergies and trade-offs between ecosystem services and the influence of environmental conditions. Finally, this unified framework enhances our ability to inform decision-making, design adaptive management strategies that account for changing environmental conditions—particularly in the context of climate change—and mitigate social inequalities.