Citation
Community structure, population control, and competition
TL;DR
Predators control herbivore populations
This influential paper proposed the 'green world hypothesis': predators control herbivore populations, allowing vegetation to flourish. The HSS paper established foundational thinking about top-down control in ecosystems.
The green world hypothesis has direct implications for understanding how dominant market players (predators) regulate competitive intensity, preventing any single competitor from monopolizing market resources.
Key Findings from Hairston et al. (1960)
- Predators control herbivore populations
- Vegetation flourishes because herbivores are predator-limited
- Top-down control shapes community structure
- Foundational framework for trophic cascade thinking