A new study from McGill University and the Max Planck Institute and published recently in Science suggests an answer to this question that has stood unanswered for half a century among ecologists.
A new study from McGill University and the Max Planck Institute and published recently in Science suggests an answer to this question that has stood unanswered for half a century among ecologists.
The researchers approached the question of population growth using a model that, so far, had not been used in this context – though it aligns with conventional wisdom and the way that people have traditionally modelled individual growth (from birth to maturity).
The researchers used data about population abundance, growth and biomass from a variety of species – including insects, fish and mammals – from across the globe, collected over the past 60 years. Their results, based on extensive analysis, suggests that, contrary to contemporary ecological theory, species diversity leads to ecosystem stability, as early ecologists had believed.
Read more at: McGill University
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