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The Concept of Disturbance

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An Introduction to Disturbance Ecology

Part of the book series: Environmental Science and Engineering ((ENVSCIENCE))

Abstract

Disturbances are a set of events that can disrupt any ecological level, environmental, component as well as the organizational status of a biological cycle of organisms (Pickett et al. 1989). They are an important aspect in the natural selection and the whole biological evolution, as they modify the environment in which every living being performs its vital functions (Krebs 2001). The effects of disturbance can indirectly pass on other components of the environment, ecosystems, and processes. Even the biological, ecological, and behavioral characteristics of an organism can be a disturbance to other organisms, creating a seemingly endless chain of relationships and perturbations among the different components of an ecosystem.

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Correspondence to Corrado Battisti .

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Battisti, C., Poeta, G., Fanelli, G. (2016). The Concept of Disturbance. In: An Introduction to Disturbance Ecology. Environmental Science and Engineering(). Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-32476-0_2

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