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The complexity and stability of ecosystems

NaturePublished 1 January 1984
Stuart L. Pimm
Citations3,051
SJR quartileQ1
SJR score18.29
SNIP10.16

Abstract

Early studies suggested that simple ecosystems were less stable than complex ones, but later studies came to the opposite conclusion. Confusion arose because of the many different meanings of 'complexity' and 'stability'. Most of the possible questions about the relationship between stability–complexity have not been asked. Those that have yield a variety of answers.

Keywords

Social SciencesEnvironmental Science