metaecosystem

Metaecosystem is a framework in ecology that analyzes how energy, nutrients, detritus, organisms, and other materials move across ecosystem boundaries and influence the dynamics of connected ecosystems. Unlike studies that focus on a single patch, metaecosystem thinking emphasizes subsidies and exchanges among multiple ecosystems—such as streams, forests, wetlands, and agricultural landscapes—and the resulting feedbacks on community structure, productivity, and ecosystem services. Core elements include the sources of subsidies, the pathways of transfer (vectors, organisms, detrital flow), and the recipient ecosystem’s responses through trophic interactions and nutrient cycling.

The metaecosystem framework complements metacommunity theory by emphasizing cross-ecosystem flows of energy and materials rather than solely species dispersal. It recognizes subsidies such as nutrient inputs, detrital inputs, and movement of organisms that connect trophic webs across landscapes. Examples include salmon delivering marine-derived nutrients to streams and riparian zones, leaf litter and detritus moving from forests into aquatic systems, and migratory birds transporting nutrients between habitats. Flows can be aquatic or terrestrial and may influence productivity, biodiversity, and community composition in recipient patches. Researchers use models, field experiments, and stable isotope tracers to quantify subsidies and their ecological consequences.

Applications of metaecosystem thinking inform watershed management, restoration, and climate adaptation by highlighting the importance of connectivity and cross-ecosystem subsidies, not just local conditions. Changes in land use, habitat fragmentation, or climate can reroute flows and alter ecosystem functions and services across landscapes, making cross-boundary dynamics a key consideration in conservation planning.