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Biodiversity, functional redundancy and system stability: subtle connections.

Robert E Ulanowicz1,2

  • 1Department of Biology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611-8525, USA ulan@umces.edu.

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|October 12, 2018
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Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

This study introduces information theory to quantify ecosystem functional redundancy, finding it poorly correlates with biodiversity metrics but offers valuable insights into ecosystem stability. The approach balances ecosystem properties for a more holistic understanding.

Keywords:
apophasisbiodiversityfunctional redundancyinformation theorysystem stabilitytrophic networks

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Area of Science:

  • Ecology
  • Information Theory
  • Ecosystem Dynamics

Background:

  • The relationship between biodiversity and functional redundancy in ecosystems remains poorly understood.
  • Traditional methods struggle to differentiate between ecosystem properties and absences (apophases).
  • Information theory offers mathematical tools to address absence-based properties.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To apply information theory, specifically conditional entropy, to quantify trophic functional redundancy.
  • To compare this information-theoretic index with conventional biodiversity measures (Hill numbers).
  • To explore the utility of this approach for assessing ecosystem stability.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized conditional entropy of flow networks to quantify trophic functional redundancy.
  • Applied the method to 25 quantified trophic networks.
  • Correlated the results with established biodiversity indices (Hill numbers).
  • Investigated an information-theoretic analogue of the Wigner Semicircle Rule.

Main Results:

  • The conditional entropy index showed a poor, transitive correlation with conventional biodiversity metrics.
  • Biomass distribution and qualitative diets effectively emulate functional redundancy.
  • An information-theoretic approach can predict ecosystem stability.

Conclusions:

  • Information theory provides a novel framework for assessing ecosystem functional redundancy and stability.
  • A balance between positivist and apophatic ecosystem attributes is crucial for system functioning.
  • This approach offers a more nuanced understanding beyond traditional biodiversity measures.