Joint Effects of Dispersal and Trophic Interactions on the Biodiversity of Species

Abstract

Local dispersal and trophic interactions are thought to have important influences on species range limits (i.e., the boundaries of locations where species is found) across geographical regions. To better understand this problem, we perform a numerical bifurcation analysis of a partial differential equations model. This system consists of prey-predator interactions, environmental suitability, and local dispersal terms. The main objective of this investigation is to examine the combined effects of distinct ecological factors on species population dynamics. In the absence of dispersal, our results show that variations in abiotic environments and handling times of predator lead to different outcomes of species interactions (i.e., stable limit cycles, species coexistence, and species exclusion). The inclusion of dispersal into this system reduces the predation pressure and stabilizes this ecological community to mediate species biodiversity. Local dispersal also induces intriguing dynamical behaviour in the system such as bistability and unstable limit cycles.