Large Ecosystems in Transition: Interactions, Feedback and Mass Extinction

Climate may alter the distribution and abundance of the species in a population. However, current models have not been linked to feedback with climate. We propose a model of multispecies populations surviving on distributed resources and introduce a feedback between species abundances and resources via abiotic factors.This model is apparently the first of its kind to include a feedback mechanism coupling climate and population dynamics. The model explains the coexistence of many species, yet also displays the possibility of catastrophic bifurcations, where all species become extinct under the influence of abiotic factors.

More Information:

• I. Sudakov, S.A. Vakulenko, D.Kirievskaya, and K.M. Golden. Large ecosystems in transition: Bifurcations and mass extinction. Ecological Complexity. doi.org/10.1016/j.ecocom.2017.01.002, 2017.

• Vakulenko S.A., Sudakov I., Mander L. The influence of environmental forcing on biodiversity and extinction in a resource competition model. Chaos. 2018;28(3):031101. doi: 10.1063/1.5017233.