title: Floating plant dominance as a stable state.
abstract: Invasion by mats of free-floating plants is among the most important threats to the functioning and biodiversity of freshwater ecosystems ranging from temperate ponds and ditches to tropical lakes. Dark, anoxic conditions under thick floating-plant cover leave little opportunity for animal or plant life, and they can have large negative impacts on fisheries and navigation in tropical lakes. Here, we demonstrate that floating-plant dominance can be a self-stabilizing ecosystem state, which may explain its notorious persistence in many situations. Our results, based on experiments, field data, and models, represent evidence for alternative domains of attraction in ecosystems. An implication of our findings is that nutrient enrichment reduces the resilience of freshwater systems against a shift to floating-plant dominance. On the other hand, our results also suggest that a single drastic harvest of floating plants can induce a permanent shift to an alternative state dominated by rooted, submerged growth forms.
authors.affiliation: Aquatic Ecology and Water Quality Management Group, Department of Environmental Sciences, Wageningen University, P.O. Box 8080, 6700 DD, Wageningen, The Netherlands. marten.scheffer@aqec.wkao.wau.nl
authors.forename: Marten
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Scheffer
authors.forename: Sandor
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Szabo
authors.forename: Alessandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gragnani
authors.forename: Egbert H
authors.initials: EH
authors.lastname: Van Nes
authors.forename: Sergio
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Rinaldi
authors.forename: Nils
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Kautsky
authors.forename: Jon
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Norberg
authors.forename: Rudi M M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Roijackers
authors.forename: Rob J M
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Franken
mesh_terms: D018533:Biomass; D017753:Ecosystem; D005618:Fresh Water; D031321:Hydrocharitaceae / Q000254:growth & development / Q000502:physiology*; D008027:Light; D008954:Models, Biological; D011156:Population Density; D013045:Species Specificity; D014887:Weather; D015024:Zambia