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Ecology

A leak in the loop

Nature volume 503, pages 472–473 (2013)Cite this article

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The shifting nature of positive and negative feedbacks in a woodland region invaded by an exotic grass sheds light on the complexity of managing natural systems. See Letter p.517

Positive feedback typically refers to something most of us seek: a sign from others that we have done a good job. In systems theory, however, positive feedback does not necessarily have good connotations, and flattery may or may not produce it. Positive feedback in terms of a system — be it mechanical, economic, social or ecological — simply refers to a condition that is self-reinforcing, producing fast, amplifying change1. The sound produced by a microphone quickly grows if it is placed near a loudspeaker, for example, and a stampede starts with one panicked cow. On page 517 of this issue, Yelenik and D'Antonio2 describe one such feedback mechanism, in which an invasive plant species changes the environment to its own benefit, increasing its abundance and furthering its own incursion.

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Figure 1: A timeline of feedback.

References

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  1. Katharine N. Suding is in the Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, California 94720, USA.,

    Katharine N. Suding

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  1. Katharine N. Suding
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Correspondence to Katharine N. Suding.

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Suding, K. A leak in the loop. Nature 503, 472–473 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1038/nature12838

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