BACKGROUND Much of ecological theory and the understanding of ecological systems has
been based on the idea that the observed states and dynamics of ecological systems can be …

Metagenomics and 16S pyrosequencing have enabled the study of ecosystem structure and
dynamics to great depth and accuracy. Co-occurrence and correlation patterns found in …

A plethora of different theories, models, and concepts make up the field of community
ecology. Amid this vast body of work, is it possible to build one general theory of ecological …

Human actions challenge nature in many ways. Ecological responses are ineluctably
complex, demanding measures that describe them succinctly. Collectively, these measures …

Ecological resilience is the ability of a system to persist in the face of perturbations. Although
resilience has been a highly influential concept, its interpretation has remained largely …

Ecological interactions have been acknowledged to play a key role in sha** biodiversity,.
Yet a major challenge for evolutionary biology is to understand the role of ecological …

This paper discusses the recent progress in understanding the properties of transient
dynamics in complex ecological systems. Predicting long-term trends as well as sudden …

Stochasticity is a core component of ecology, as it underlies key processes that structure and
create variability in nature. Despite its fundamental importance in ecological systems, the …

Mathematical analysis and modelling is central to infectious disease epidemiology. Here, we
provide an intuitive introduction to the process of disease transmission, how this stochastic …

Ecological regime shifts are large, abrupt, long-lasting changes in ecosystems that often
have considerable impacts on human economies and societies. Avoiding unintentional …