NOTE CONCERNING TIME PARAMETERIZATION OF MARKOVIAN MODELS OF ECOSYSTEM FLOW ANALYSIS

A continuous Markovian model of resource flow in a steady state ecosystem model is developed. This model calculates the mean and variance of the frequency of intercompartmental cyclings and duration of compartmental residence times. This model is compared with an analogous discrete Markovian flow model to demonstrate the sensitivity of discrete and continuous ecosystem flow analyses. Appropriate time parameterization of of discrete Markovian flow models is then discussed with special reference to Shannon's theorem of dynamic system sampling. © 1979.