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Long-living transients in ecological models: Recent progress, new challenges, and open questions
Andrew Morozov1, Ulrike Feudel2, Alan Hastings3
1School of Computing and Mathematical Sciences, University of Leicester, LE1 7RH, UK; Institute of Ecology and Evolution, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia.
Physics of Life Reviews
|November 24, 2024
Summary
Ecological systems can exhibit long transients, persisting in a metastable regime before abruptly shifting. Recent research unifies theory for these long-living transients and regime shifts in ecological models.
Area of Science:
- Ecology
- Mathematical Biology
- Eco-evolutionary Dynamics
Background:
- Traditional ecological models focused on long-term dynamics, but recent studies emphasize the significance of transient dynamics.
- Long transients, persisting for hundreds of generations, can lead to abrupt regime shifts without immediate parameter changes, a phenomenon termed metastability.
- Despite evidence, research on long transients in ecology has historically lacked systematization.
Purpose of the Study:
- To provide an overview of recent research on long transients and related regime shifts in ecological dynamics models.
- To highlight the role of environmental stochasticity, multiple timescales, and spatial patterns in transient dynamics.
- To discuss current challenges and open questions in understanding ecological transients.
Main Methods:
- Review of recent literature on ecological and eco-evolutionary models.
- Analysis of theoretical advancements in unifying the study of long transients.
- Examination of factors influencing transient dynamics, including stochasticity and spatial effects.
Main Results:
- Substantial progress has been made in developing a unifying theory for long transients in both deterministic and stochastic systems.
- Environmental stochasticity, slow-fast systems, and transient spatial patterns significantly influence ecological regime shifts.
- Understanding of long transients has accelerated, enabling studies on more complex patterns and mechanisms.
Conclusions:
- Long transients and metastability are crucial for understanding ecological and eco-evolutionary dynamics.
- Further research is needed to address challenges and open questions regarding transients in ecosystem dynamics.
- A unifying theory of long transients is advancing the field and its applications to real-world ecosystems.
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