Populations embedded in trophic communities respond differently to coloured environmental noise

Noise in environmental variables is often described as ‘coloured’, where colour describes the exponent β of the scaling relationship between the amplitude of variability and its frequency of occurrence (1/fβ). Different environments are known to have different colours and models have shown that colour can have important impacts upon population persistence and dynamics. This study advances current knowledge about the impact of environmental colour using a trophic model (consumer–resource) experiencing environmental noise (temperature) in a biologically realistic manner—derived mechanistically from metabolic scaling theory. The model demonstrates that the variability of consumers and resources can respond differently to changing environmental colour, depending upon (i) their relative ability to track and over or undercompensate for environmental changes and (ii) the relative sensitivity of their equilibria to environmental changes. These results form the basis with which to interpret differences and facilitate comparisons of the variability of ecological communities across gradients of environmental colour.