When is a complex ecosystem stable?

Šiljak, D. D.

doi:10.1016/0025-5564(75)90050-4

Cited by 61 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 22 publications

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“…The aim of investigating the coordination of CSR3ES is to strive to make coordinated relationships between resources, environment, ecology, economy and society; this will realize the objectives of CSR3ES and achieve the sustainable development of human society. This can be achieved by considering the inter-system interrelation and complicated coupling characteristics and, according to the idea of systematic coordination, by optimizing the overall design and achieving mutual coordination and collaboration between the subsystems [27][28][29].…”

Section: Index System Establishmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

Coordinated Development Analysis of the “Resources-Environment-Ecology-Economy-Society” Complex System in China

2016

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Abstract:The aim of investigating the coordination of the complex system constituted by resources, environment, ecology, economy and society subsystems (CSR3ES), is to achieve sustainable development by: (1) describing the complicated relationships of the inner-subsystems and inter-systems; (2) designing the calculation method of the coordination degree for CSR3ES; (3) analyzing its developing trends from a macro point of view through comprehensive coordination degree; and (4) to determine the direction of system restoration from a micro point of view based on the inner-subsystem and inter-subsystem coordination degree, and to develop specific improvement strategies. By setting a province-level administrative region as a decision-making unit (DMU), the nationwide coordination of CSR3ES was studied. The main conclusions are: (1) The coordination degree between the subsystems is directly influenced by interactions between the elements. (2) Within the provinces and autonomous regions (PARs) in China, the levels of coordinated development of inter-subsystems are high, while the coordinated development between the elements within a single subsystem level are low. Furthermore, a positive coherent effect is exerted on the comprehensive coordination degree of CSR3ES by the inter-system synergistic effects. (3) In terms of spatial correlation, five comprehensive coordinated development modes of CSR3ES are formed: the northeast regional coordination mode group; the northwest regional uncoordinated mode group; the southeast regional coordination mode group; the central regional random mode group; and the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei polarization mode.

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Section: Index System Establishmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

Coordinated Development Analysis of the “Resources-Environment-Ecology-Economy-Society” Complex System in China

2016

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“…Recently, the analysis of stability has concentrated on the mathematical examination of model ecosystems (Gardner and Ashby 1970, May 1971, 1972, Gilpin 1975, Siljak 1975. The modelers, like the naturalists before them, assumed stability was of fundamental importance, and ecosystems with neither a stable equilibrium point nor a stable limit cycle would necessarily go extinct.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Selective Pressures and Coevolution in a Kelp Canopy Community in Southern California

Bernstein¹,

Jung²

1979

Ecological Monographs

166

110

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The community of epiphytes on the giant kelp Macrocystis pyrifera, is simple, consisting primarily of the bryozoans Membranipora membranacea, Hippothoa hyalina, and Lichenopora buskiana; the serpulid polychaete Spirorbis spirillum; and the hydroids Obelia sp. and Campanulaia sp. Abundances of the organisms vary rapidly, by an order of magnitude or more in 2 wk. In spite of this short—term unpredictability, broad patterns of distribution are predictable. Membranipora, the competitive dominant, is abundant during winter and spring and absent during summer and fall when surface waters are warm and thermally stratified. When present, it occurs primarily in the canopy along the outer edge of the large (1 X 11 km) Point Loma, San Diego, kelp bed. The distribution of the subordinate epiphytes complements that of Membranipora. They occur in the interior portions of bed, and on the lower, older blades of Macrocystis plants. These patterns are maintained by a sophisticated suite of larval behaviors and settlement preferences. The subordinate epiphytes settle preferentially on the older blades of Macrocystis, and avoid blades from plants on the outer edge of the bed where competitive overgrowth by Membranipora is more likely. In addition the extremely short larval life—spans of the subordinate epiphytes (a few hours) mean that offspring will settle near where they were released, in the interior of the bed. Membranipora, in contrast, has a planktonic lifetime of 2 to 4 wk. Nearshore current measurements indicate that as a result its larvae are flushed from the bed, and that the source of larvae ready to metamorphose and settle must be external to the bed, from other kelp beds in the area. This helps restrict Membranipora to the outer edge of the bed, since larvae are removed from the water as it passes through the bed both by settlement on Macrocystis blades and by plankivorous fish that feed on them. The labrid fish Oxyjulis californica is an important predator in this system. It is a curious, actively searching generalist that excludes large, erect epiphytes such as the barnacle Lepas pacifica and the bivalve Leptopecten latiauritus from the nearshore kelp bed. Field and laboratory experiments imply that Oxyjulis forms short—term search images and switches among prey species. One of the species it regulates is the herbivorous isopod Pentidothea resecta, which, when released from regulation, multiples rapidly and destroys the kelp canopy. Oxyjulis, though it buffers the system from extinction due to Pentidothea, is also potentially destructive. Small kelp beds, too small for the filtering action to take effect, become heavily encrusted with Membranipora and can be destroyed by Oxyjulis predation on the encrusted blades. The set of relationships among species in this community can fruitfully be viewed as having coevolved to contribute to persistence in this unstable environment. Indeed, some factors that contribute to instability are the very ones necessary for persistence. Competition, predation, habitat selection, and life ...

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“…The system of equations given by (3) with this sign convention for A is also known as the Metzler equations, and has been applied to economics and ecosystems (Metzler, 1945;Newman, 1959;Quirk and Saposnik, 1968; Arrow and Hahn, 1971; Siljak, 1975). …”

Section: Deterministic Theory Of a R M S Racesmentioning

confidence: 98%

An Introduction To Lewis Fry Richardson and His Mathematical Theory of War and Peace

Hess

1995

Conflict Management and Peace Science

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Lewis Fry Richardson was a pioneer of peace research. His brilliant, groundbreaking studies, Arms and Insecurify. and Sfafisfics of Dead& Quarrels. showed how mathematical modeling techniques and statistical analysis could be applied to quantitatively investigate questions relating to war and peace. These studies and his database on "deadly quarrels", that is quarrels in which humans died, have influenced many peace researchers and continue to be a rich source of ideas. In this paper we begin by giving a brief background sketch of Richardson's life. We then proceed to introduce some of the basic ideas of his peace research. Richardson's work indicates a number of areas of difficulty and limits to our understanding, both in regards to theory and to data, and it raises questions that still need to be addresscd. It also demonstrates the need for an interdisciplinary approach.

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When is a complex ecosystem stable?

Cited by 61 publications

References 22 publications

Coordinated Development Analysis of the “Resources-Environment-Ecology-Economy-Society” Complex System in China

Coordinated Development Analysis of the “Resources-Environment-Ecology-Economy-Society” Complex System in China

Selective Pressures and Coevolution in a Kelp Canopy Community in Southern California

An Introduction To Lewis Fry Richardson and His Mathematical Theory of War and Peace

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