A new paper details how the remnants of dead organisms strongly influence the fate of survivors.Death casts a shadow over life, not only for people but also other animals, plants and entire ecosystems.In some ways, the phenomenon is well known. A fallen tree sprouts a plethora of mushrooms while also hosting ants, beetles, and the creatures that feast on them.But a new paper argues that these forces play important yet poorly understood roles in nearly all ecosystems, with the remnants of certain species exerting significant influence long after they die.AdvertisementAdvertisementThe study, published Wednesday in Science Advances, claims to be “the first continental-scale assessment of how live foundation species are influenced by their dead counterparts.”These “foundation species” generally provide the physical architecture of an ecosystem and tend to be its most abundant organisms — trees, grasses, corals, oysters. The study examined data from 10 ecosystems, ranging from the tropics to subpolar, from montane to marine.In all but one of those ecosystems, the paper found, the dead remains significantly altered the growth, survival, or makeup of living organisms of the same or similar species. In some cases, dead material gave an assist, while in others it posed restraints. Either way, the impacts are far more widespread than previously understood, the authors argue.“It’s this surprisingly common thread,” said Kai Kopecky, the lead author and a postdoctoral research fellow at the University of Colorado Boulder’s Environmental Data Science Innovation and Impact Lab.AdvertisementAdvertisementClimate change and human development are driving increased disturbance across the globe, from more frequent and severe heat waves and wildfires to stronger storms. These disturbances are leading to more death, so a deeper understanding of the relationships between the dead and the living could help scientists and others better protect and restore ecosystems as they come under increased pressure, Kopecky said.“Manipulating the dead remains of foundation species might be this very nature-based way of intervening,” Kopecky said.Some of the dynamics included in the study are well understood and have already been incorporated into ecosystem management. After dredging, for example, scientists and others will add oyster shells …
