Stability and Connectance in Food Web Models

Abstract

Computer studies by Gardner and Ashby (1970) show that large randomly connected systems have a decreasing probability of being stable as the number of connections increases. These conclusions are not appropriate to some plausible food web models. If the food web is characterized by low assimilation efficiencies, a bias toward strong self—regulation of higher trophic level species, or a bias toward donor dependence, the probability of stability can increase with increasing connectance.