AEDT: A new concept for ecological dynamics in the ever-changing world.
The important concept of equilibrium has always been controversial in ecology, but a new, more general concept, an asymptotic environmentally determined trajectory (AEDT), overcomes many concerns with equilibrium by realistically incorporating long-term climate change while retaining much of the pre...
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Format: | Article |
Language: | English |
Published: |
Public Library of Science (PLoS)
2017-05-01
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Series: | PLoS Biology |
Online Access: | http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC5466337?pdf=render |
Summary: | The important concept of equilibrium has always been controversial in ecology, but a new, more general concept, an asymptotic environmentally determined trajectory (AEDT), overcomes many concerns with equilibrium by realistically incorporating long-term climate change while retaining much of the predictive power of a stable equilibrium. A population or ecological community is predicted to approach its AEDT, which is a function of time reflecting environmental history and biology. The AEDT invokes familiar questions and predictions but in a more realistic context in which consideration of past environments and a future changing profoundly due to human influence becomes possible. Strong applications are also predicted in population genetics, evolution, earth sciences, and economics. |
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ISSN: | 1544-9173 1545-7885 |