Thresholds and breakpoints in ecosystems with a multiplicity of stable states.¶
May, R. M. (1977). Thresholds and breakpoints in ecosystems with a multiplicity of stable states. Nature, 269(5628), 471-477.
Cited by¶
3 citations across 3 artifacts.
Each citation links to the sentence it supports in the citing article.
Primes¶
- Attractor Selection and Basin Control
- If it is in a different basin, large interventions (leadership replacement, structural redesign) are necessary, a threshold-versus-incremental distinction May (1977) formalized in his analysis of thresholds and breakpoints in ecosystems with a multiplicity of stable states.
This sourceFormalizes the distinction between within-basin (incremental) and across-basin (threshold-crossing) change in systems with multiple equilibria — the incremental-vs-threshold distinction the prime applies to change management. SUPPORTS marker 060.
Supported in partVerified against the publisher's abstract
The work's title and abstract establish multiple stable states and thresholds in ecosystems, but not that across-basin change maps onto large organizational interventions such as leadership replacement.
“Theory and observation indicate that natural multi-species assemblies of plants and animals are likely to possess several different equilibrium points. This review discusses how alternate stable states can arise in simple 1- and 2-species systems, and applies these ideas to grazing systems, to insect pests, and to some human host–parasite systems.”
- If it is in a different basin, large interventions (leadership replacement, structural redesign) are necessary, a threshold-versus-incremental distinction May (1977) formalized in his analysis of thresholds and breakpoints in ecosystems with a multiplicity of stable states.
- Regime Change
- A core function of the regime change concept is to separate discontinuous shifts in governing dynamics from incremental adjustment within a fixed rule-set and from transient perturbations mistaken for structural change, a distinction May (1977) drew sharply in his foundational analysis of thresholds and breakpoints in ecosystems with multiple stable states.
This sourceFormalizes the distinction between within-basin (incremental) interventions and across-basin (threshold-crossing) interventions in ecological systems with multiple attractors, transferable to organizational change management.
Supported in partVerified against the publisher's abstract
May's abstract confirms multiple stable states and alternate equilibria, backing the thresholds-and-breakpoints frame but not the specific three-way contrast the sentence attributes to him.
“Theory and observation indicate that natural multi-species assemblies of plants and animals are likely to possess several different equilibrium points. This review discusses how alternate stable states can arise in simple 1- and 2-species systems”
- A core function of the regime change concept is to separate discontinuous shifts in governing dynamics from incremental adjustment within a fixed rule-set and from transient perturbations mistaken for structural change, a distinction May (1977) drew sharply in his foundational analysis of thresholds and breakpoints in ecosystems with multiple stable states.
- Tipping Points (or Phase Transitions)
- This structure applies to COVID-19 pandemic dynamics, measles re-emergence, and emerging pathogen spillover.
This sourceFormalizes the distinction between within-basin (incremental) interventions and across-basin (threshold-crossing) interventions in ecological systems with multiple attractors, transferable to organizational change management.
- This structure applies to COVID-19 pandemic dynamics, measles re-emergence, and emerging pathogen spillover.
Verification¶
Does it exist? Confirmed. This work's DOI resolves to a registered record, which fixes its identity. That is all it fixes.
Does it back the claim? Read against the text for 2 of 3 citations: 2 supported in part. Each verdict is shown under its citation below, with what in the work backs the sentence.
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Registry ID ref:dc1846d99ab5 · see in the full table