Complexity, diversity, and stability: a reconciliation of theoretical and empirical results [Plant/herbivore association]

Theoretical studies of the relationship between ecosystem complexity and stability usually conclude that systems with more species, more interspecific interactions per species (connectance), or stronger interactions are not as likely to be stable as systems with fewer of these attributes. Yet, in on...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The American naturalist 1983-01, Vol.122 (2), p.229-239
Main Authors: King, Anthony W., Pimm, Stuart L.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Biomass
Ecosystem models
Ecosystems
Food webs
Grazing
Herbivores
Modeling
Plants
Species
Species diversity
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Summary:Theoretical studies of the relationship between ecosystem complexity and stability usually conclude that systems with more species, more interspecific interactions per species (connectance), or stronger interactions are not as likely to be stable as systems with fewer of these attributes. Yet, in one of the few empirical investigations of this problem, McNaughton (1977) concluded that increased complexity stabilized certain ecosystem properties; more precisely, that a large mammalian grazer changed total green plant biomass less in more diverse than in less diverse grassland plots. The authors try to resolve this apparent contradiction between theory and empiricism by investigating, in model grazing systems, the relationship between complexity and the lack of change in plant biomass (which we call biomass stability) following the removal of an herbivore.
ISSN:0003-0147
1537-5323
DOI:10.1086/284132