Resource pulses can increase power acquisition of an ecosystem

Abstract

Pulsing is prevalent in nature. As resource pulse has been recognized as one of the major factors influencing ecosystem structures and processes, it is important to investigate why nature pulses and what benefits an ecosystem obtains from pulsed resources. The main question of this study was that if a system could be exposed to either constant external resources or pulsed external resources of the same temporal average intensity, which resources would maximize power acquisition of a system. To answer the question, this study tested how matching of pulsed resources affects total empower acquisition of a system using numerical simulation models and a refined dynamic emergy accounting method. A producer–consumer model system was built and simulated by varying phases and frequencies of pulsed energy sources. It was hypothesized that matching of frequency and phase among two or more pulsed energy sources increases the empower acquisition of a system, compared with a system under constant energy sources. The simulation results showed that in systems of two energy sources, matching phases and frequencies of the pulsed energy sources involved in primary production is critical to increase total empower acquisition and consumer energy storage. The primary mechanism was that the matching of pulsed resources in phase and frequency promotes energy acquisition of primary producers that is further efficiently transferred for the production of consumers. Energy acquisition of consumers was strongly correlated with total empower acquisition of the system presumably because the consumers are in the high energy hierarchical position controlling the producers thus contributing to the total empower acquisition through the system.