The role of extinction in large-scale diversity–stability relationships

摘要: More-diverse communities are thought to be ecologically stable because a greater number of ecological interactions among members allows for the increases in robustness and resilience. Diversity–stability relationships have mostly been studied on short time scales but one study has identified such patterns over million-year reef communities. Here we propose test hypothesis mechanism large-scale diversity–stability reefs. The extinction community destabilizes as whole, unless there is sufficient diversity buffer from stochastic loss members, thereby preventing collapse. If genera high rates, any variation will result relationship. Conversely, absence other mechanisms, stability low expected independent diversity. We compare rates six reef-building metazoan taxa volume. find that reef-builders occurs volume, strength relationship varies positively with rate.