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(78-06) Assessing the resilience of disturbed ecosystems: A comparison of different techniques and ecological endpoints to define sustainability. Urzelai, Arantzazu*,1, Pastor, Jesús2, Hernández, Ana Jesús2, 1 LABEIN Technological Centre, Cuesta de Olabeaga 16, Bilbao, Spain2 Centre for Environmental Sciences, Serrano 115, Madrid, Spain ABSTRACT- The assessment of resilience capacity of disturbed ecosystems is a major challenge for sustainable environmental management. There is not scientific consensus about the methodology and criteria applicable to this assessment, which is in part due to the different options regarding the target/objective of the recovery of the ecosystem to be evaluated. In this paper, we examine the behaviour of different ecological variables (biological, chemical and physical) after disturbance in an experimental field. These experimental data are compared with a field survey data which included several stages of the ecosystem evolution /succession. Two different types systems are compared: landfills, and agricultural abandoned fields. Several statistical multivariate techniques have been applied in the assessment with the aim of establishing patterns of post-disturbance evolution. In the experimental field, for some of the biotic variables recovery is reached 4 years after disturbance. In the field trends are no so clear, and indicate the influence of non-controlled factors. However, it seems possible to define biotic (vegetation and nematode communities) or abiotic indices applicable to the assessment of ecosystem sustainability. Key words: sustainability, nematode community, vegetation, soil disturbance |
