The theoretical exploration of how diversity influences stability has traditionally been approached by species-centric methods. Here we offer an alternative
approach to the diversity–stability problem by examining the stability and dynamics of size and trait distributions of individuals. The analysis is performed
by comparing the properties of two size spectrum models. The first model considers all individuals as belonging to the same “average” species, i.e., without a description of diversity. The second model introduces diversity by further considering individuals by a trait, here asymptotic body size. The dynamic properties of the models are described by a stability analysis of equilibrium
solutions and by the non-equilibrium dynamics. We find that the introduction of trait diversity expands the set of parameters for which the equilibrium is stable
and, if the community is unstable, makes the oscillations smaller, slower, and more regular. The stabilizing mechanism is the variation in growth rate between
individuals with the same body size but different trait values