Synchronization and transients are two fundamental phenomena in nonlinear and complex dynamical systems, and they also emerge ubiquitously in ecology and evolutionary biology. Synchronization is commonly observed in spatially extended ecological systems and is regarded as the dynamical basis for the emergence of ecological cycles and orders, yet there is little understanding of the underlying mechanism. Likewise, transient dynamics are fundamental to the conservation and management of ecological systems, yet the analysis of transient dynamics in spatiotemporal ecological systems remains a challenge.