01733nam a22001817a 4500999001700000020001800017082001100035100002100046245006600067250000800133260004200141300003300183505005600216520102800272650006901300942000701369952017501376  c52533d52533  a9780198777755  a577.82  aPetraitis, Peter  aMultiple Stable States in Natural EcosystemscPeter Petraitis  a1st  aOxfordbOxford University Pressc2016  axii, 188 Pagesb23X16 cmbPB  aInclude Illustrations, Tables, References and Index  aMany natural systems such as coral reefs and tropical forests are undergoing rapid changes that appear without warning and seem irreversible. This book presents a clear and concise overview of the ecological theory that has been developed to explain these sudden changes and provides a number of compelling examples. One of the most interesting and vexing problems in ecology is how distinctly different communities of plants and animals can occur in the same ecosystem. The theory of these systems, known as multiple stable states, is well understood, but whether multiple stable states actually exist in nature has remained a hotly-debated subject. Multiple Stable States in Natural Ecosystems provides a broad and synthetic critique of recent advances in theory and new experimental evidence. Modern models of systems with multiple stable states are placed in historical context. Current theories are covered in a rigourous fashion with the specific goal of identifying testable predictions about multiple stable states.  aBiotic communitiesaBiodiversity conservationaSpecies diversity  cBK  0010406577_820000000000000_P477M_2016708NFIC951083aGPLbGPLcGENd2018-11-24eCRV/GPLM/Oxford/60/2018g2631.00o577.82 P477M 2016p58220r2018-11-24w2018-11-24yBK