Figure 1.

Theoretical scheme of how biomass production may increase (owing to subsidy) or decrease (owing to stress) following a disturbance. Both instances lead to decreased stability compared with pre-disturbance conditions. We show a disturbance that increases biomass production (grey line) and a disturbance that decreases biomass production (black line). In the early-response period (sometimes ‘resistance’) a subsidy-based disturbance will increase biomass production and a stress-based disturbance will decrease biomass production. Both cases will lead to decreased stability. In the late-response period (sometimes ‘resilience’), the reverse will occur: a subsidy-based disturbance will decrease biomass production back to a baseline (unless a new stable state is attained); a stress-based disturbance will increase biomass production back to a baseline.