A balanced nature: biodiversity, feasibility and stability in competitive ecosystems

A balanced nature: biodiversity, feasibility and stability in competitive ecosystems | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Article A balanced nature: biodiversity, feasibility and stability in competitive ecosystems Vincent Jansen, Giorgos Kokkoris This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-6751180/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Under Review Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract How species interact and how ecosystems persist and maintain biodiversity is key to ecology. Paradoxically, ecological theory predicts that biodiversity inherently leads to instability, whereas in experiments typically increased biodiversity is associated with increased ecosystem stability. Resolving this paradox requires quantifying the probability that a community of species is feasible and stable. Here, we quantify how competition bounds and regulates biodiversity and use this to accurately estimate the probability that a random competitive community persists. Increased competition leads to reduced diversity, but without affecting the ecosystem’s resilience. Experimental results bear out our theoretical prediction that biodiversity is regulated and balanced. We conclude that the loss of biodiversity does not inherently lead to tipping points or a catastrophic collapse of ecosystems. Biological sciences/Ecology/Ecological modelling Biological sciences/Ecology/Biodiversity Full Text Additional Declarations There is NO Competing Interest. Supplementary Files supplementaryfilesdescription.docx Supplementary Files Description interactionm.mp4 Supplementary Video 1 rs.pdf Reporting Summary Cite Share Download PDF Status: Under Review Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-6751180","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":517206548,"identity":"5bae1d9f-5df0-4db7-b2bf-1ebe269de984","order_by":0,"name":"Vincent 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