Behavioral self-organization underlies the resilience of a coastal ecosystem

Significance Theoretical models suggest that spatial self-organization enhances the resistance of ecosystems to disturbance. However, experiments investigating this important prediction are lacking. Our paper provides clear experimental evidence that spatial self-organization profoundly increases the ability of ecosystems to persist in the face of disturbance. The mechanisms underlying this positive impact of self-organization are driven by the combination of ecological and behavioral processes. Specifically, large-scale banded patterns in mussel beds created by ecological feedback processes facilitate fast behavioral aggregation of individual mussels into clumps, in turn improving mussel survival. Our study emphasizes the potential of harnessing spatial self-organization to enhance restoration success and persistence of threatened ecosystems.