Stability of an adaptive hybrid community.

A Mougi

doi:10.1038/srep28181

Abstract

Contrary to stable natural ecosystems, the classical ecological theory predicts that complex ecological communities are fragile. The adaptive switching of interaction partners was proposed as a key factor to resolve the complexity–stability problem. However, this theory is based on the food webs that comprise predator–prey interactions alone; thus, the manner in which adaptive behavior affects the dynamics of hybrid communities with multiple interaction types remains unclear. Here, using a bipartite community network model with antagonistic and mutualistic interactions, I show that adaptive partner shifts by both antagonists and mutualists are crucial to the persistence of communities. The results show that adaptive behavior destabilizes the dynamics of communities with a single interaction type; however, the hybridity of multiple interaction types within a community greatly improves the stability. Moreover, adaptive behavior does not create a positive complexity–stability relationship in communities with a single interaction type but it does in the hybrid community. The diversity of interaction types is predicted to play a crucial role in community maintenance in an adaptive world.

Highlights

Nature creates complex ecological communities comprising diverse species and interactions, contrary to a theory that predicts a negative relationship between ecosystem complexity and stability[1]
I show that adaptive partner shifts in both antagonistic and mutualistic interactions completely change the stability of the dynamics of complex communities
The analysis, contrary to the prediction of an earlier study[2], shows that adaptive partner shift destabilizes the dynamics of communities with a single interaction type as community complexity increases, thereby constructing a negative complexity–stability relationship

Summary

Introduction

Nature creates complex ecological communities comprising diverse species and interactions, contrary to a theory that predicts a negative relationship between ecosystem complexity and stability[1]. Adaptive partner shifts by both antagonists and mutualists were predicted to greatly affect community dynamics[10]; this study considered simple communities comprising only a few species; the manner in which adaptive partner shifts affect more complex communities with multiple interaction types remains unclear. I show that adaptive partner shifts in both antagonistic and mutualistic interactions completely change the stability of the dynamics of complex communities.

Results

Conclusion