Community assembly and the emergence of ecosystem pattern

A fundamental problem challenging natural scientists is to understand how macroscopic patterns, such as population abundance distributions and element ratios, emerge and are sustained in ecosystems, given that evolution typically operates most strongly at the level of individuals and their genomes....

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Bibliographic Details
Published inScientia marina Vol. 65; no. S2; pp. 171 - 179
Main Authors Levin, Simon A., Dushoff, Jonathan, Keymer, Juan E.
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas 30.12.2001
Subjects
community assembly
competitive coexistence
ecosystem pattern
patch dynamics
redfield ratios
resiliency
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Summary:A fundamental problem challenging natural scientists is to understand how macroscopic patterns, such as population abundance distributions and element ratios, emerge and are sustained in ecosystems, given that evolution typically operates most strongly at the level of individuals and their genomes. How do such patterns persist in the face of evolutionary innovation? In this paper, we explore this issue through dynamical models of community assembly and metapopulation dynamics in dynamic landscapes, and discuss individual-based approaches to the control of element cycles.
ISSN:0214-8358
1886-8134
DOI:10.3989/scimar.2001.65s2171