Journal of Marine Science and Engineering, Volume 12, Issue 2
2024 February - 163 articles
Cover Story: Alternate stable states theory arose in the 1950s with debates about systems’ stability. Initially sketched out as “tipping points” (Grodzins 1957), it was formalized for low dimension ecological systems by Lewontin (1969) and May (1977), then extended to chaotic dynamics (Hastings et al. 1993). It crystallized around the use of Hill functions, garnering attention with iconic hysteresis curves (Scheffer et al. 2001). In parallel, Leibold et al. (2004) introduced new paradigms: metacommunities, rescue and mass effects. When Schroeder et al. (2005) highlighted the difficulties ecologists have matching theory with reality, Dudgeon et al. (2010) proposed “phase shifts” instead. A new critical review demonstrates alternate stable states can exist in metacommunity systems without a Hill function. The revised theory creates new challenges for management of fisheries and marine protected areas. View this paper - Issues are regarded as officially published after their release is announced to the table of contents alert mailing list .
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