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Will a large complex system be productive?

Shipeng Nie1, Junjie Zheng1,2, Mingyu Luo1

  • 1Institute of Ecology, College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, and Key Laboratory for Earth Surface Processes of the Ministry of Education, Peking University, Beijing, China.

Ecology Letters
|May 16, 2023
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Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

More complex ecosystems are generally more productive, with species richness and interaction strength boosting output, while connectance can decrease it. This research links ecosystem complexity, productivity, and stability.

Keywords:
complexityconnectanceecosystem productivityfood websinteraction strengthspecies richnessstability

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Area of Science:

  • Ecology
  • Ecosystem Science

Background:

  • The relationship between food web complexity and ecosystem stability is established, but its effect on productivity is less understood.
  • Investigating how different components of complexity influence ecosystem productivity is crucial for ecological theory.

Discussion:

  • This study examines the impact of species richness, connectance, and average interaction strength on aquatic ecosystem productivity using data from 149 food webs.
  • Findings indicate that increased species richness and interaction strength enhance productivity, whereas higher connectance often reduces it.
  • These complexity-productivity patterns were observed in real ecosystems and in simulations of declining complexity.

Key Insights:

  • Ecosystem complexity, particularly species richness and interaction strength, positively correlates with ecosystem productivity.
  • Connectance, a measure of interaction links, can negatively impact productivity despite increasing overall complexity.
  • A negative relationship exists between ecosystem productivity and stability across complexity gradients.

Outlook:

  • Further research can explore the nuanced effects of various complexity metrics on different ecosystem types.
  • Understanding these relationships is vital for predicting ecosystem responses to environmental changes and for conservation efforts.
  • This work contributes to unifying our understanding of ecosystem complexity, productivity, and stability.