Evolutionary dynamics of prey-predator systems with Holling type II

Area of Science:

• Evolutionary Biology
• Theoretical Ecology
• Population Dynamics

Background:

• Coevolutionary dynamics between predator and prey populations are fundamental to community structure.
• Understanding the interplay of ecological interactions and evolutionary processes is crucial for predicting biodiversity.
• Stochastic processes like mutation and selection drive evolutionary change within populations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the ecological and evolutionary conditions fostering continuously stable strategies and evolutionary branching in predator-prey systems.
• To explore how prey evolution can trigger subsequent evolutionary branching in predator populations.
• To identify the conditions leading to stable limit cycles in coevolutionary dynamics.

Main Methods:

• Modeling the coevolution of phenotypes using a stochastic process incorporating mutation and selection.
• Analyzing the conditions for evolutionary branching and continuously stable strategies.
• Investigating the stability of limit cycles in the evolutionary dynamics.

Main Results:

• Prey evolutionary branching can induce secondary branching in predator populations.
• A stable limit cycle is a possible outcome of the coevolutionary process.
• The emergence of evolutionary cycles is favored by faster prey evolutionary rates compared to predators, and influenced by evolutionary rates and conversion efficiencies.

Conclusions:

• The study demonstrates that predator-prey coevolution can lead to complex evolutionary trajectories, including branching and stable cycles.
• Evolutionary rates and inter-species conversion efficiencies are key factors modulating the dynamics and duration of evolutionary cycles.
• The findings highlight the intricate feedback loops between ecological interactions and evolutionary adaptation in shaping community evolution.