Conceptual representation of an ecosystem (portrayed by a black ball) within a theoretical landscape of alternative ecosystem states (portrayed by valleys separated by peaks). a) The ecosystem is resilient to disturbances lying within the historical range of variability and previous adaptation, indicated by disturbances that may move the system, but not cause it to shift to another state. b) The ecosystem is likely to shift to a different state in response to hypothesized mechanisms that move the ecosystem beyond its historical range of variability and previous adaptation, and trigger a shift to a different ecosystem state.
Source
Adapted from Johnstone et al., 2016.
