Resource diversity begets stability in complex ecosystems

A fundamental paradox in ecology is the relationship between species diversity and ecosystem stability: May’s stability condition predicts that species diversity destabilises communities, yet many diverse ecosystems in nature are stable. Here, we show that this paradox can be resolved by explicitly considering resources, which May neglects. Specifically, May’s framework and the competitive exclusion principle jointly predict that resource diversity, which promotes species diversity, should destabilise communities. However, from computer simulations and analytical calculations using the finite-size cavity method, we find the opposite: resource diversity consistently generates stable, species-rich communities. Importantly, this stabilising effect disappears when resource dynamics is neglected (set to steady state). We also show that, contrary to the prevailing belief that interaction heterogeneity is always destabilising, different biological sources of heterogeneity have opposing effects on stability. Our work provides a solution to May’s paradox and demonstrates that resource dynamics are not just negligible background but are central drivers of ecosystem stability.