EcosystemsAcross

EcosystemsAcross is a conceptual framework and interdisciplinary approach that emphasizes ecological processes and services that span multiple ecosystem types and geographic scales. It seeks to understand how interacting habitats contribute to overall ecosystem health and resilience.

The term describes methods and strategies for studying cross-ecosystem interactions, including nutrient transfers, energy flows, and species movements that connect forests, wetlands, rivers, oceans, and urban areas. It combines ecological theory with data science, monitoring, and governance.

Core components include integrated data platforms, standardized metrics, cross-boundary monitoring networks, and meta-ecosystem models that simulate exchanges among systems. Researchers use remote sensing, field observations, and citizen science to align data across scales.

Applications span conservation planning, restoration prioritization, climate adaptation, agricultural runoff management, and urban resilience. By recognizing interdependencies, EcosystemsAcross informs policy, land-use decisions, and payment for ecosystem services.

Challenges include data heterogeneity, scale and context mismatches, governance and ownership of information, and the need for collaborative frameworks across disciplines and jurisdictions. Advancing interoperability and open data are common research goals.

Related concepts include landscape ecology, meta-ecosystem theory, ecological networks, and cross-ecosystem services. While still evolving, EcosystemsAcross aims to provide a unified view of ecological processes to support resilient and sustainable landscapes.