Complexity and stability of ecological networks: a review of the theory

Pietro Landi; Henintsoa O. Minoarivelo; Åke Brännström; Cang Hui; Ulf Dieckmann

doi:10.1007/s10144-018-0628-3

journal article Open Access Jul 06, 2018

Complexity and stability of ecological networks: a review of the theory

Pietro Landi

Henintsoa O. Minoarivelo Åke Brännström

Cang Hui

Ulf Dieckmann

Population Ecology Vol. 60 No. 4 pp. 319-345 · Wiley

View at Publisher Save 10.1007/s10144-018-0628-3

Abstract

AbstractOur planet is changing at paces never observed before. Species extinction is happening at faster rates than ever, greatly exceeding the five mass extinctions in the fossil record. Nevertheless, our lives are strongly based on services provided by ecosystems, thus the responses to global change of our natural heritage are of immediate concern. Understanding the relationship between complexity and stability of ecosystems is of key importance for the maintenance of the balance of human growth and the conservation of all the natural services that ecosystems provide. Mathematical network models can be used to simplify the vast complexity of the real world, to formally describe and investigate ecological phenomena, and to understand ecosystems propensity of returning to its functioning regime after a stress or a perturbation. The use of ecological‐network models to study the relationship between complexity and stability of natural ecosystems is the focus of this review. The concept of ecological networks and their characteristics are first introduced, followed by central and occasionally contrasting definitions of complexity and stability. The literature on the relationship between complexity and stability in different types of models and in real ecosystems is then reviewed, highlighting the theoretical debate and the lack of consensual agreement. The summary of the importance of this line of research for the successful management and conservation of biodiversity and ecosystem services concludes the review.

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Details

Published: Jul 06, 2018
Vol/Issue: 60(4)
Pages: 319-345
License: View

Authors

P

Pietro Landi

Department of Mathematical Sciences Stellenbosch University Stellenbosch South Africa; Evolution and Ecology Program International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis Laxenburg Austria

H

Henintsoa O. Minoarivelo

Department of Mathematical Sciences Stellenbosch University Stellenbosch South Africa; Centre of Excellence in Mathematical and Statistical Sciences Wits University Johannesburg South Africa

�

Åke Brännström

Evolution and Ecology Program International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis Laxenburg Austria; Department of Mathematics and Mathematical Statistics Umeå University Umeå Sweden

C

Cang Hui

Department of Mathematical Sciences Stellenbosch University Stellenbosch South Africa; Mathematical and Physical Biosciences African Institute for Mathematical Sciences Muizenberg South Africa

U

Ulf Dieckmann

Evolution and Ecology Program International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis Laxenburg Austria

Funding

Australian Research Council Award: DP150103017

National Science Foundation, United Arab Emirates Award: 89967

Cite This Article

Pietro Landi, Henintsoa O. Minoarivelo, Åke Brännström, et al. (2018). Complexity and stability of ecological networks: a review of the theory. Population Ecology, 60(4), 319-345. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10144-018-0628-3

Complexity and stability of ecological networks: a review of the theory

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