Theory 68/Ecosystem/Ecosystem stability
Stability Is Response Against Disturbance
The claim
Ecosystem stability is set by the ratio of response diversity to disturbance frequency, so a moderately disturbed system with high response diversity can be more stable than an undisturbed one.
01Mechanism
Recovery requires species that respond differently; frequent disturbance removes slow responders and reduces the portfolio.
02Prediction
Stability should track the ratio.
03Refutation
Stability tracking species richness would remove the response term.