Nonlinear Meta-Ecosystem Dynamics

Abstract

Early meta-ecosystem theory focused on the balance between movement and recycling of matter assuming linear functional responses and parameter values leading to locally stable equilibrium points. Building on the rich literature on nonlinear dynamics in ecology, more recent studies have shown how nonlinear functional responses interact with movement and recycling to control the spatial and temporal stability of meta-ecosystems and predict the maintenance of strong fluctuations that have important implications for ecosystem persistence and functions. We first review a well-studied nonlinear model of predator-prey dynamics, the Rosenzweig-MacArthur model. We build on this trophic interaction to define a simple two-patch meta-ecosystem and show how the local recycling and between-patch diffusion of nutrients controls the bifurcation to spatially heterogeneous oscillatory dynamics of all ecosystem compartments. We then review how spatial synchrony and principles of weakly-coupled oscillators can be applied to non-equilibrium meta-ecosystems.