Abstract
THE weight of the evidence, and the beliefs of most biologists, seem to support the view1 that ecosystems tend to be more stable, the larger the number of interacting species they contain. It is puzzling, therefore, that a variety of mathematical models of complex ecosystems appear to give the contrary answer: that complexity makes for instability2.
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References
May, R. M., Math. Biosc., 12, 59 (1971).
May, R. M., Math. Biosc., 12, 74 (1971).
Gardner, M. R., and Ashby, W. R., Nature, 228, 784 (1970).
May, R. M., Nature, 238, 413 (1972).
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ROBERTS, A. The stability of a feasible random ecosystem. Nature 251, 607–608 (1974). https://doi.org/10.1038/251607a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/251607a0
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