Document: MAR-3-92-14

Relationships between diversity and stability depend on the cause of variation in diversity.

HENRY STEVENS, M.H.* and O.L.PETCHEY

Cook College, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ 089801 USA 1

Abstract:
Despite widespread interest, relationships between biodiversity and stability of ecological communities remain obscure. Here we present a novel mechanism, the "species pool effect", that causes stability to vary with species diversity. Our simulations show that more diverse comunities are more stable when species diversity varies among local communities because communities vary in total density. In contrast, more diverse communities are less stable when species diversity varies among local communities because local communities vary in dominance. Such disparate statistical effects of species diversity on stability arise from the constancy of the species pool: When communities repeatedly reflect the species pool, they appear stable; when communities do not consistently reflect the species pool, they are free to vary stochastically and therefore are not stable.

Keywords: diversity, stability, species pool

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This abstract is being presented at: 8:00 AM in session:
Oral Session #56: Metapopulation Analysis.