How often are chaotic transients in spatially extended ecological systems?

A traditional assumption in quantitative ecology is that the asymptotic sta te of the model determines what can be observed in the evolution of the sys tem. It is suggested, however, that irregular transient behaviors may be mo re relevant than the long term behaviors. Here we investigate how often tra nsient dynamics can be expected in spatially extended ecological systems. O ur study suggests that although chaotic transient dynamics indeed exist, su stained dynamics may be more prevalent than transient ones due to the high dimensionality of such systems. (C) 2001 Published by Elsevier Science B.V.