Anje-Margriet Neutel

Complexity

Anje-Margriet Neutel

Team

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    Anje-Margriet Neutel

    Biography

    The central theme of my work is the understanding of the relation between the structure and stability of ecosystems. With observations of the feeding relations in soil communities, we have parameterised the strength of the interactions in these ecological networks, showing a remarkable stability of the communities. We have introduced the concept Loop Weight, explaining the stability through quantifying the feedback loops in the systems. In natural succession series (gradients of ecosystem development) we have shown how trophic pyramids preserve stability in the assembly of communities. Recently, we have proposed a feedback metric, as an alternative for Robert May’s complexity metric (May 1972), for predator-prey networks. We have made a significant step in empirical underpinning and theoretical explanation of ecosystem stability by showing how the behaviour of food webs is governed by functional relationships and not by general network-topological properties.

    Research interests

    Collaborations

    Key Publications:

      • Neutel A. M. & Thorne, M.A.S. (2014). Interaction strengths in balanced carbon cycles and the absence of a relation between ecosystem complexity and stability. Ecology Letters 17, 651-661
      • Neutel A. M., Heesterbeek, J.A.P., van de Koppel, J., Hoenderboom, G., Vos, A., Kaldeway, C., Berendse, F. & De Ruiter, P.C. (2007). Reconciling complexity with stability in naturally assembling food webs. Nature 449 (7162), 599-602
      • Berlow, E., Neutel, A. M., Cohen, J. E., De Ruiter, P. C., Ebenman, B., Emmerson, M., Fox, J. W., Jansen, V. A. A., Jones, J. I., Kokkoris, G. D., Logofet, D. O., McKane, A. J., Montoya, J. M., Petchey, O. (2004). Interaction strengths in food webs: Issues and opportunities. Journal of Animal Ecology 73, 585-598
      • Neutel, A. M., Heesterbeek, J. A. P. & De Ruiter, P. C. (2002). Stability in real food webs: Weak links in long loops. Science 296, 1120-1123
      • De Ruiter, P. C., Neutel, A. M. & Moore, J. C. (1995). Energetics, patterns of interaction strengths, and stability in real ecosystems. Science 269

    For the full publication list, see my google scholar page.

     

     

    Publications from NERC Open Research Archive

    2023

    Koch, Franziska, Neutel, Anje-Margriet, Barnes, David K.A. ORCIDORCID record for David K.A. Barnes, Tielbӧrger, Katja, Zarfl, Christiane, Allhoff, Korinna T.. (2023) Competitive hierarchies in bryozoan assemblages mitigate network instability by keeping short and long feedback loops weak. Communications Biology, 6 (). 9 pp. 10.1038/s42003-023-05060-1

    2021

    Thorne, Michael A.S. ORCIDORCID record for Michael A.S. Thorne, Forgoston, Eric, Billings, Lora, Neutel, Anje-Margriet. (2021) Matrix scaling and tipping points. SIAM Journal on Applied Dynamical Systems, 20 (). 14 pp. 10.1137/20M1355483

    2017

    Neutel, Anje-Margriet, Thorne, Michael A.S. ORCIDORCID record for Michael A.S. Thorne. (2017) Symmetry, asymmetry and beyond: the crucial role of interaction strength in the complexity-stability debate. In: Moore, John C., de Ruiter, Peter C., McCann, Kevin S., Wolters, Volkmar (eds.). Adaptive food webs: stability and transitions of real and model ecosystems, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, pp. doi.org/10.1017/9781316871867

    2016

    Neutel, Anje-Margriet, Thorne, Michael A.S. ORCIDORCID record for Michael A.S. Thorne. (2016) Beyond connectedness: why pairwise metrics cannot capture community stability. Ecology and Evolution, 6 (). pp. 10.1002/ece3.2461

    Barnes, D.K.A. ORCIDORCID record for D.K.A. Barnes, Neutel, A.M.. (2016) Severity of seabed spatial competition decreases towards the poles. Current Biology, 26 (). pp. doi:10.1016/j.cub.2016.03.012

    Neutel, Anje-Margriet, Thorne, Michael ORCIDORCID record for Michael Thorne. (2016) Linking saturation, stability and sustainability in food webs with observed equilibrium structure. Theoretical Ecology, 9 (). pp. 10.1007/s12080-015-0270-z

    2014

    Neutel, Anje-Margriet, Thorne, Michael A.S. ORCIDORCID record for Michael A.S. Thorne. (2014) Interaction strengths in balanced carbon cycles and the absence of a relation between ecosystem complexity and stability. Ecology Letters, 17 (). pp. doi:10.1111/ele.12266

    2012

    Mitchell, Emily G., Neutel, Anje-Margriet. (2012) Feedback spectra of soil food webs across a complexity gradient, and the importance of three-species loops to stability. Theoretical Ecology, 5 (). pp. 10.1007/s12080-011-0143-z

    2011

    Rietkerk, Max, Brovkin, Victor, van Bodegom, Peter M., Claussen, Martin, Dekker, Stefan C., Dijkstra, Henk A., Goryachkin, Sergey V., Kabat, Pavel, van Nes, Egbert H., Neutel, Anje-Margriet, Nicholson, Sharon E., Nobre, Carlos, Petoukhov, Vladimir, Provenzale, Antonello, Scheffer, Marten, Seneviratne, Sonia I.. (2011) Local ecosystem feedbacks and critical transitions in the climate. Ecological Complexity, 8 (). pp. 10.1016/j.ecocom.2011.03.001

    2007

    Neutel, Anje-Margriet, Heesterbeek, Johan A.P., van de Koppel, Johan, Hoenderboom, Guido, Vos, An, Kaldeway, Coen, Berendse, Frank, de Ruiter, Peter C.. (2007) Reconciling complexity with stability in naturally assembling food webs. Nature, 449 (). pp. 10.1038/nature06154

    Education & Impact:

    TED-lecture feedback in nature
    TED Ed – Lessons Worth Sharing: feedback loops in nature