Cohort Dynamics Give Rise to Alternative Stable Community States

Sammanfattning

Many ecological systems can exhibit alternative stable states (ASS), which implies that ecological communities may diverge depending on their initial state, despite identical environmental conditions. Here we present a new mechanism that can cause ASS in competition systems. Using a physiologically structured model of competing populations, representing Baltic Sea sprat and herring and their resources, we show how cohort-driven population cycles may result in priority effects leading to ASS. Similar mechanisms could, depending on mortality level, also result in a resident strikes back phenomenon. We argue that the prerequisites for the occurrence of ASS in our model system, that is, communities with competing populations exhibiting cohort cycles and variation in size at maturation, may be common in ecological systems.

Nyckelord

alternative stable states; competition; herring; mortality; size structure; sprat

Publicerad i

American Naturalist
2013, volym: 182, nummer: 3, sidor: 374-392

SLU författare

• Huss, Magnus

  • Institutionen för akvatiska resurser (SLU Aqua), Sveriges lantbruksuniversitet
    

• Casini, Michele

  • Institutionen för akvatiska resurser (SLU Aqua), Sveriges lantbruksuniversitet
    

• Gårdmark, Anna

  • Institutionen för akvatiska resurser (SLU Aqua), Sveriges lantbruksuniversitet
    

Globala målen (SDG)

SDG14 Hav och marina resurser

UKÄ forskningsämne

Ekologi

Publikationens identifierare

• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1086/671327

Permanent länk till denna sida (URI)

https://res.slu.se/id/publ/53339