Abstract
AbstractThe origin of species richness is one of the most widely discussed questions in ecology. The absence of unified mechanistic model of competition makes difficult our deep understanding of this subject. Here we show such a two-species competition model that unifies (i) a mechanistic niche model, (ii) a mechanistic neutral (null) model and (iii) a mechanistic violation of the competitive exclusion principle. Our model is an individual-based cellular automaton. We demonstrate how two trophically identical and aggressively propagating species can stably coexist in one stable homogeneous habitat without any trade-offs in spite of their 10% difference in fitness. Competitive exclusion occurs if the fitness difference is significant (approximately more than 30%). If the species have one and the same fitness they stably coexist and have similar numbers. We conclude that this model shows diffusion-like and half-soliton-like mechanisms of interactions of colliding population waves. The revealed mechanisms eliminate the existing contradictions between ideas of niche, neutrality and cases of violation of the competitive exclusion principle.
Highlights
Nature Precedings : hdl:10101/npre.2012.7089.1 : Posted 2 Apr 2012. This model is based on deterministic individual-based cellular automata model of interspecific competition that we proposed earlier[1,2,3]
An unexpected result is that trophically identical and aggressively propagating species can stably coexist in spite of their 10%, 20% and even 30% difference in fitness in one homogeneous habitat without trade-offs in constant environmental conditions (Fig. 4; Supplementary Figs 2 and 3; Supplementary Movie 3)
We have previously shown a strong violation of the competitive exclusion principle if the species have moderate fecundity, i.e. when their propagation is not agressive[2]
Summary
This model is based on deterministic individual-based cellular automata model of interspecific competition that we proposed earlier[1,2,3]. In our model fitness is revealed in direct conflicts of interest between individuals of competing species. Fitness is mechanistically modeled as the probability of occupation of a microhabitat in direct conflict of interest (Fig. 1).
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