Catastrophes on Daisyworld

For 20 years, a research tradition based on ‘Daisyworld’ models, which have strong coupling between life and the abiotic environment, has developed largely independently of mainstream theoretical ecology. A new paper in this tradition shows how small changes in external forcing can lead to catastrophic environmental change on this virtual planet. This has potential implications for the way that we view the Earth system, both in respect to the effects of human actions and for testing Lovelockʹs Gaia hypothesis.