tsvr

tsvr quantifies timescale-specific compensatory versus synchronous dynamics by decomposing the classical variance ratio to assess ecological stability across temporal scales.

Key Features:

• Timescale-specific variance ratio decomposition: Decomposes the classical variance ratio into contributions attributable to distinct temporal scales to separate compensatory and synchronous dynamics.
• Variance ratio foundation: Retains the comparison of community variance to aggregate population variance from the classical variance ratio framework.
• Timescale-specificity metric: Computes a metric that quantifies timescale-specificity and relates it back to the classic variance ratio.
• Implementation: Implemented as an R package accompanying the research paper (DOI: 10.1101/742510).
• Cross-system applicability: Applicable to analyses in aquatic and terrestrial ecological systems.

Scientific Applications:

• Detecting compensatory dynamics: Identifies whether communities exhibit compensatory (anti-synchronous) or synchronous fluctuations at specific temporal scales.
• Long-term community analysis: Applied to long-term, multi-site grassland community time series to evaluate timescale-dependent variability.
• Comparing population and community variability: Enables comparison of population-level variability and community-level variability across short and long timescales.
• Informing ecological stability theory: Provides quantitative insight into how timescale-specific dynamics contribute to ecological stability and conservation considerations.

Methodology:

Decomposes the classical variance ratio into timescale-specific contributions, computes a metric quantifying timescale-specificity and relates results back to the classic variance ratio; implemented in R.