A Markovian model for ecosystem flow analysis

Nutrient flow through ecosystems is modeled as a discrete Markov chain whose transition probabilities are stationary or time inhomogenous according to whether a steady state or dynamic ecosystem is modeled, respectively. Expected residence time and number of intercompartmental transfers for a nutrient within a set of compartments are derived. Variances of these random variables are also considered. A measure for ecosystem resource recycling is given as a weighted sum of probabilities.