A trait-based approach to integrate resilience frameworks

Multiple context-specific resilience frameworks with explicit assumptions have limited their application over a wide range of complex systems. Ability to withstand and recover subsumes the core properties in multiple resilience definitions across disciplines. This study presents a generic framework using a spring-dampermechanical-system (SDMS), as it provides suitable analogy, as spring and damper represent recovery and withstanding capabilities to an external force. Using SDMS framework, an integrated resilience index (IRI) was developed as a combined measure of recovery and withstanding capabilities of the system. IRI successfully distinguished SDMSs and diverse range of ecological systems based on their resilience properties. IRI solely depends on system's response and not limited to either a particular type of external forcing, or system with specific set of equilibria and criteria for bifurcations. Therefore, it overcomes limitations of traditional resilience frameworks, particularly in the context of engineering and ecological resilience frameworks applied in ecological systems.