The Experts below are selected from a list of 321 Experts worldwide ranked by ideXlab platform
Maurice W. Sabelis - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Coevolution of Patch Selection Strategies of Predator and Prey and the Consequences for Ecological Stability
The American naturalist, 1993Co-Authors: M. Van Baalen, Maurice W. SabelisAbstract:In a seminal publication Hassell and May demonstrated that sufficiently uneven spatial distributions can stabilize predator-prey systems. In this article we investigate whether such spatial distributions (of either predators or prey) can be caused by behavior that is favored by natural selection. If selection operates on predators only, evolutionarily stable patch selection strategies (ESSs) will lead to predator aggregation, provided the prey are unevenly distributed. However, to render the Ecological equilibrium stable, prey aggregation needs to be very strong. If selection operates at both trophic levels, then simultaneous ESSs will exist for predator and prey. Where patches are of equal quality (as is implicitly assumed in Hassell and May's model), the distributions of both predators and prey will be homogeneous, and Ecological Stability will vanish. Where patches differ, for example, in prey reproduction or survival, aggregated distributions of prey and predators will result. A stable Ecological equi...
Wolfgang Kiessling - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Long-term relationships between Ecological Stability and biodiversity in Phanerozoic reefs
Nature, 2005Co-Authors: Wolfgang KiesslingAbstract:High biodiversity has been shown to enhance Ecological Stability on small spatial scales and over intervals of weeks to decades. It remains unclear, however, whether this diversity-Stability relationship can be scaled up to regional scales, or to longer timescales. Without empirical validation at larger scales, the implications of the diversity-Stability relationship for both ecology and long-term conservation strategies cannot readily be resolved. Here I show that in biogenic reefs, Ecological Stability is related to taxonomic diversity on million-year timescales. The higher the mean reef diversity in a particular time interval, the smaller the change in skeletal density, style of reef building and biotic reef types in the subsequent time interval. Because the relationships apply to a wide spectrum of disturbance regimes and reef types, these results support the hypothesis that species richness itself promotes Ecological Stability. Carbonate production by reefs, while closely correlated with reef diversity without temporal lag, is not stabilized by reef diversity over these long timescales. This suggests that Ecological Stability and productivity may be decoupled in natural ecosystems.
M. Van Baalen - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Coevolution of Patch Selection Strategies of Predator and Prey and the Consequences for Ecological Stability
The American naturalist, 1993Co-Authors: M. Van Baalen, Maurice W. SabelisAbstract:In a seminal publication Hassell and May demonstrated that sufficiently uneven spatial distributions can stabilize predator-prey systems. In this article we investigate whether such spatial distributions (of either predators or prey) can be caused by behavior that is favored by natural selection. If selection operates on predators only, evolutionarily stable patch selection strategies (ESSs) will lead to predator aggregation, provided the prey are unevenly distributed. However, to render the Ecological equilibrium stable, prey aggregation needs to be very strong. If selection operates at both trophic levels, then simultaneous ESSs will exist for predator and prey. Where patches are of equal quality (as is implicitly assumed in Hassell and May's model), the distributions of both predators and prey will be homogeneous, and Ecological Stability will vanish. Where patches differ, for example, in prey reproduction or survival, aggregated distributions of prey and predators will result. A stable Ecological equi...
Li Wen - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Vegetation Cover Dynamics and Resilience to Climatic and Hydrological Disturbances in Seasonal Floodplain: The Effects of Hydrological Connectivity
Frontiers in plant science, 2017Co-Authors: Linlu Shi, Yuyu Wang, Yifei Jia, Guangchun Lei, Li WenAbstract:Floodplain wetlands are valuable ecosystems for maintaining biodiversity, but are vulnerable to hydrological modification and climatic extremes. The floodplain wetlands in the middle Yangtze region are biodiversity hotspots, particularly important for wintering migratory waterbirds. In recent years, extremely low winter water level events frequently occurred in the middle Yangtze River. The hydrological droughts greatly impacted the development and distribution of the wet meadows, one of the most important Ecological components in the floodplains, which is vital for the survival of many migratory waterbirds wintering in the Yangtze region. To effectively manage the wet meadows, it is critical to pinpoint the drivers for their deterioration. In this study, we assessed the effects of hydrological connectivity on the Ecological Stability of wet meadow in Poyang Lake for the period of 2000 to 2016. We used the time series of MODIS EVI (Enhanced Vegetation Index) as a proxy for productivity to infer the Ecological Stability of wet meadows in terms of resistance and resilience. Our results showed that (1) the wet meadows developed in freely connected lakes had significantly higher resilience; (2) wet meadows colonizing controlled lakes had higher resistance to water level anomalies; (3) there was no difference in the resistance to rainfall anomaly between the two types of lakes; (4) the wet meadow in freely connected lakes might approach a tipping point and a regime shift might be imminent. Our findings suggest that adaptive management at regional- (i.e., operation of Three Gorges Dam) and site-scale (e.g., regulating sand mining) are needed to safeguard the long-term Ecological Stability of the system, which in term has strong implications for local, regional and global biodiversity conservation.
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Ecological Stability of a Stochastic Ecosystem
2001Co-Authors: Li WenAbstract:In order to study the It-type sto ch astic ecosystem, we introduce the method of mixed quasi-monotone, some new resu lts are obtained in this paper.
Christopher Mccord - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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A Markov model for assessing Ecological Stability properties.
Ecological Modelling, 2009Co-Authors: Christopher W. Pawlowski, Christopher MccordAbstract:Ecological systems are frequently modeled as dynamic systems. It is natural then to use the techniques of dynamic systems theory to analyze such models. However, the methods and results that are produced by dynamic systems theory do not always capture the aspects of Ecological systems that are of greatest interest to managers and decision-makers. We identify some of the challenges of using dynamic systems theory to explore Ecological systems and propose an alternative approach that emphasizes the understanding of transient effects in light of uncertainty and variability. We illustrate this method by an examination of a model for phosphorus levels in fresh water lakes.
