| Chaos in a long-term experiment with a plankton community. | |
| | |
MedLine Citation:
|
PMID: 18273017 Owner: NLM Status: MEDLINE |
Abstract/OtherAbstract:
|
Mathematical models predict that species interactions such as competition and predation can generate chaos. However, experimental demonstrations of chaos in ecology are scarce, and have been limited to simple laboratory systems with a short duration and artificial species combinations. Here, we present the first experimental demonstration of chaos in a long-term experiment with a complex food web. Our food web was isolated from the Baltic Sea, and consisted of bacteria, several phytoplankton species, herbivorous and predatory zooplankton species, and detritivores. The food web was cultured in a laboratory mesocosm, and sampled twice a week for more than 2,300 days. Despite constant external conditions, the species abundances showed striking fluctuations over several orders of magnitude. These fluctuations displayed a variety of different periodicities, which could be attributed to different species interactions in the food web. The population dynamics were characterized by positive Lyapunov exponents of similar magnitude for each species. Predictability was limited to a time horizon of 15-30 days, only slightly longer than the local weather forecast. Hence, our results demonstrate that species interactions in food webs can generate chaos. This implies that stability is not required for the persistence of complex food webs, and that the long-term prediction of species abundances can be fundamentally impossible. |
| | |
Authors:
|
Elisa Benincà; Jef Huisman; Reinhard Heerkloss; Klaus D Jöhnk; Pedro Branco; Egbert H Van Nes; Marten Scheffer; Stephen P Ellner |
Related Documents
:
|
12414567 - Relative strengths of competition for space and food in a sessile filter feeder. 19802447 - Jaguarundi (puma yagouaroundi) (geoffroy, 1803) (carnivora, felidae) food habits in a m... 18959307 - Festering food: chytridiomycete pathogen reduces quality of daphnia host as a food reso... 14756397 - Phytoseiid predators of whiteflies feed and reproduce on non-prey food sources. 23266517 - Sensory-specific satiety for a food is unaffected by the ad libitum intake of other foo... 21465327 - Central vaspin administration acutely reduces food intake and has sustained blood gluco... |
Publication Detail:
|
Type: Journal Article; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't |
Journal Detail:
|
Title: Nature Volume: 451 ISSN: 1476-4687 ISO Abbreviation: Nature Publication Date: 2008 Feb |
Date Detail:
|
Created Date: 2008-02-14 Completed Date: 2008-03-19 Revised Date: - |
Medline Journal Info:
|
Nlm Unique ID: 0410462 Medline TA: Nature Country: England |
Other Details:
|
Languages: eng Pagination: 822-5 Citation Subset: IM |
Affiliation:
|
Aquatic Microbiology, Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics, University of Amsterdam, Nieuwe Achtergracht 127, 1018 WS Amsterdam, The Netherlands. |
Export Citation:
|
APA/MLA Format Download EndNote Download BibTex |
| MeSH Terms | |
Descriptor/Qualifier:
|
Animals Bacteria / metabolism Food Chain* Models, Biological Nonlinear Dynamics* Oceans and Seas Plankton / metabolism* Population Dynamics Species Specificity Time Factors |
From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine
Previous Document: Sound velocities of majorite garnet and the composition of the mantle transition region.
Next Document: Removal of phospho-head groups of membrane lipids immobilizes voltage sensors of K+ channels.