Figure 1.
Comparison of the β-diversity–stability relationship for two metacommunities with: (a) low spatial turnover (mean spatial Bray–Curtis dissimilarity βSBC = 0.4), and (b) high spatial turnover (mean βSBC = 0.6) and constant local (α = 3) and regional (γ = 5) species richness. Within each metacommunity (thick solid lines), four sub-metacommunities (dotted lines) are each composed of three species (coloured symbols). Assumptions underlying the generation of abundance time series are detailed in the electronic supplementary material. Total abundances were calculated at the sub-metacommunity and metacommunity levels over time, along with indices of temporal turnover (βTBC, mean temporal Bray–Curtis dissimilarity) at the sub-metacommunity level, and temporal variance of total abundance (σ) and the mean–variance portfolio effect (portfolio; [14]; see the electronic supplementary material) at the metacommunity level.