Unifying relationships between complexity and stability in mutualistic ecological communities. (14th February 2018)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Feng, Wenfeng; Bailey, Richard M.
• Is Part Of: Journal of theoretical biology. Volume 439(2018)
• Page Start: 100
• Page End: 126
• Publication Date: 2018-02-14
• Subjects: Theoretical ecology -- Mutualistic community -- Complexity -- Stability -- Critical threshold -- Mean-field model; Biology -- Periodicals; Biological Science Disciplines -- Periodicals; Biology -- Periodicals; Biologie -- Périodiques; Theoretische biologie; Biology; Periodicals; 571.05
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jtbi.2017.11.026
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0022-5193

Abstract

Highlights: 'Handling time' is found to be crucially important in determining the dynamics of mutualistic systems. Two types of critical transitions are predicted and the controlling factors and consequences of each are described. Properties of early-warning signals for the two identified transition types are derived, differences defined and explained. Previous contradictory findings that heterogeneity increases and decreases stability are special cases of a general model. A number of derived parameters are presented that precisely connect basic ecological parameters to system-level behavior. Abstract: Conserving ecosystem function and associated services requires deep understanding of the underlying basis of system stability. While the study of ecological dynamics is a mature and diverse field, the lack of a general model that predicts a broad range of theoretical and empirical observations has allowed unresolved contradictions to persist. Here we provide a general model of mutualistic ecological interactions between two groups and show for the first time how the conditions for bi-stability, the nature of critical transitions, and identifiable leading indicators in time-series can be derived from the basic parameters describing the underlying ecological interactions. Strong mutualism and nonlinearity in handling-time are found to be necessary conditions for the occurrence of critical transitions. We use the model to resolve open questions concerning the effects of heterogeneity in inter-species interactions on both resilience and abundance, and discuss these in terms of potential trade-offs in real systems. This framework provides a basis for rich investigations of ecological system dynamics, and may be generalizable across many ecological contexts.