Stochastic ecosystem resilience and productivity: seeking a relationship

Starting from a non-equilibrium perspective and stochastically variable characteristic of ecosystem, this paper gives a definition of stochastic resilience, and examines, via computer simulation, the relationship between stochastic resilience and primary productivity in a range of ecologically reasonable models, including single-species stochastic ones and multi-species stochastic ecosystem models. Compared with recent Lewi Stoneʹs conclusions on deterministic ecosystems, our simulation results, focusing on stochastic ones, are more rich and complex. Our conclusions and field studies suggest that external stochastic perturbation, partly, if not all, responsible for the high variations of primary productivity of ecosystems, is a significant one affecting resilience–productivity relationship. It can make the complex relationship arising from the intrinsic non-linearities of ecosystems become more complicated. Thus, it should not be neglected when we investigate the relationship between resilience and primary productivity in real ecosystems, which are actually subject to stochastic disturbances of biotic and abiotic factors. In addition, our results imply that at present, there is no universal pattern of this relationship. Further work from the viewpoint of non-equilibrium will be needed in the future.