Compensatory dynamics are rare in natural ecological communities.

Abstract

Hubbell recently presented a theoretical framework, neutral models, for explaining large-scale patterns of community structure. This theory rests on the foundation of zero-sum ecological communities, that is, the assumption that the number of individuals in a community stays constant over time. If community abundances stay relatively constant, (i.e. approximating the zero-sum assumption) there is a key deductive prediction that on average across the entire community there should be strong negative covariance among species. We have used measures of community covariance to test for zero-sum dynamics in 36 natural communities (at different scales and composed of different taxa) and find that few communities exhibit dynamics consistent with the zero-sum assumption.

Citation

Houlahan, J.E.; Currie, D.J.; Cottenie, K.; Cumming, G.S.; Ernest, S.K.M.; Findlay, C.S.; Fuhlendorf, S.D.; Stevens, R.D.; Willis, T.J.; Woiwod, I.P.; Wondzell, S.M. 2007. Compensatory dynamics are rare in natural ecological communities. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 104(9): 3273-3277