In addition to temporal characteristics of disturbance, spatial characteristics are also important. On the other hand, it would take a very major and rare event to disrupt the entire North American continent, e.g., major tectonic shift or extra-terrestrial object impact . In today's lecture, we are going to look at a few types of disturbances and their potential consequences on ecosystems. Remember this list is only representative and is not inclusive of all disturbance mechanisms. I. Abiotic disturbance Fire- many systems, e.g., grasslands, pine forests, have evolved with a certain fire regime.
Fire is a natural occurence that many species have adapted to.
The effects of fire are dependent on spatial and temporal scales. A forest that has adapted to a 10 year fire cycle will react much differently when fires are suppressed and occur only every 100 years. Much depends on intensity, temperature, and spatial scale. Humans are a major factor in fire ecology. Wind- can create gaps in wooded areas that open areas for colonization.