Hysteresis is the idea that once a social or ecological system has transitioned into a new state, it becomes much more difficult to travel in the reverse direction. This episode, we revisit alternative states and the ball-and-cup model to explain why this is the case. Julie describes how the concept applies to coral reefs, and Conor uses 3D topographical imagery to clarify hysteresis as a concept.
Funding support from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln's Center for Great Plains Studies, https://www.unl.edu/plains/welcome
Check out our educational modules: https://passel2.unl.edu/view/community/70ffd07aff59
Contact Us: whrapodcast@gmail.com
Council for Resilience Education website: cre.unl.edu
References:
Beisner, B.E., Haydon, D.T., and Cuddington, K. 2003. Alternative stable states in ecology. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, 1(7), 376-382.
Birkinshaw, J. 2021, Jan. 15. Hysteresis - Why things don’t go back to normal. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/lbsbusinessstrategyreview/2021/01/15/hysteresis--why-things-dont-go-back-to-normal/?sh=35c4fb0580e2
David, L. 2021, Apr. 14. Space junk removal is not going smoothly. Scientific American. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/space-junk-removal-is-not-going-smoothly/
Knowlton, N. 2015. Thresholds and multiple stable states in coral reef community dynamics. American Zoologist, 32(6), 674-682.
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