Biology Reference
In-Depth Information
Figure 2.4. Diagram representing ecological systems in a scale from stable (left of the
diagram) to instable (right of the diagram). At stable equilibrium there is a high degree
of biotic coupling, i.e., species compete for limited resources, their populations are
density-dependent, and there are few stochastic effects. Instability can be caused both
by biotic instability due to internal feedbacks (e.g., very strong interactions between
species leading to overexploitation of resources and competitive exclusion), and by
stochastic domination due to strong environmental fluctuations (e.g., species are largely
independent, their populations are not controlled by density-dependent processes, and
stochastic effects are significant). From DeAngelis and Waterhouse (
1987
). Reprinted
by permission of the authors and the Ecological Society of America.
