Nonequilibrium Determinants of Biological Community Structure
Reice SR. 1994. Nonequilibrium Determinants of Biological Community Structure. American Scientist. 82(5):424-435
According to equilibrium theory, systems in biological communities are at equilibrium due to interactions among the members. However, becausethis theory assumes that the environment is constant, predictions frequently do not appear to hold true in natural systems. Nonequilibrium theories attribute observed high species diversity and the coexistence of similar species to processes of disturbance and recruitment, supported by the fact that the most diverse systems are the ones that are frequently disturbed. The writer presents photographs of a location in Yellowstone National Park in the aftermath of a fire to show how quickly systems respond to disturbances with a variety of new life.
- Type
- Journal Article
- Authors
- Reice, Seth
- Units
- YELL
- Keywords
- Ecology, Fire Ecology