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No complexity–stability relationship in empirical ecosystems

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  • Claire Jacquet

    (Université du Québec à Rimouski
    Quebec Center for Biodiversity Science
    UMR MARBEC, Université de Montpellier)

  • Charlotte Moritz

    (Institut des Sciences de la Mer de Rimouski, Université du Québec à Rimouski
    Centre de Recherches Insulaires et Observatoire de l'Environnement, EPHE, PSL Research University, UPVD, CNRS, USR 3278 CRIOBE)

  • Lyne Morissette

    (M-Expertise Marine)

  • Pierre Legagneux

    (Université du Québec à Rimouski
    Quebec Center for Biodiversity Science)

  • François Massol

    (Unité Evolution, Ecologie & Paléontologie (EEP), SPICI group, CNRS UMR 8198, Université Lille 1, Bâtiment SN2)

  • Philippe Archambault

    (Institut des Sciences de la Mer de Rimouski, Université du Québec à Rimouski
    Québec-Océan, Université Laval, Pavillon Alexandre Vachon, 1045, avenue de la médecine)

  • Dominique Gravel

    (Université du Québec à Rimouski
    Quebec Center for Biodiversity Science
    Faculté des Sciences, Université de Sherbrooke, 2500 Boulevard Université)

Abstract

Understanding the mechanisms responsible for stability and persistence of ecosystems is one of the greatest challenges in ecology. Robert May showed that, contrary to intuition, complex randomly built ecosystems are less likely to be stable than simpler ones. Few attempts have been tried to test May’s prediction empirically, and we still ignore what is the actual complexity–stability relationship in natural ecosystems. Here we perform a stability analysis of 116 quantitative food webs sampled worldwide. We find that classic descriptors of complexity (species richness, connectance and interaction strength) are not associated with stability in empirical food webs. Further analysis reveals that a correlation between the effects of predators on prey and those of prey on predators, combined with a high frequency of weak interactions, stabilize food web dynamics relative to the random expectation. We conclude that empirical food webs have several non-random properties contributing to the absence of a complexity–stability relationship.

Suggested Citation

  • Claire Jacquet & Charlotte Moritz & Lyne Morissette & Pierre Legagneux & François Massol & Philippe Archambault & Dominique Gravel, 2016. "No complexity–stability relationship in empirical ecosystems," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 7(1), pages 1-8, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:7:y:2016:i:1:d:10.1038_ncomms12573
    DOI: 10.1038/ncomms12573
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    1. Donohue, Ian & Coscieme, Luca & Gellner, Gabriel & Yang, Qiang & Jackson, Andrew L. & Kubiszewski, Ida & Costanza, Robert & McCann, Kevin S., 2023. "Accelerated economic recovery in countries powered by renewables," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 212(C).

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