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In ecology, an ecosystem is said to possess ecological stability (or equilibrium) if it is capable of returning to its equilibrium state after a perturbation (a capacity known as resilience) or does not experience unexpected large changes in its characteristics across time 1. Although the terms community stability and ecological stability are sometimes used interchangeably, community stability refers only to the characteristics of communities. It is possible for an ecosystem or a community to be stable in some of their properties and unstable in others 1.
The stability of an ecosystem can be attributed to several factors, including the presence of keystone species that play a critical role in maintaining the balance of the ecosystem 1. Additionally, the diversity of species within an ecosystem can also contribute to its stability. A diverse ecosystem is more resilient to changes, as it can better withstand disturbances and recover from them 23.
Furthermore, ecosystems can remain stable over time through a process called ecological succession. Ecological succession is the process by which natural communities replace (or “succeed”) one another over time. For example, when an old farm field in the midwestern U.S. is abandoned and left alone for many years, it gradually becomes a meadow, then a few bushes grow, and eventually, trees completely fill in the field, producing a forest 4.
It is important to note that not every community or ecosystem in nature is stable. Noise plays an important role on biological systems and, in some scenarios, it can fully determine their temporal dynamics